Rare tiger bamboo shrouds the reinvented Casa Loewe Barcelona and other news – SURFACE

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Rare tiger bamboo wraps the reinvented Casa Loewe Barcelona

Japanese artist Tanabe Chikuunsai IV wrapped Casa Loewe Barcelona in 6,000 strips of tiger bamboo as part of the store’s stunning makeover. The twisted installation, named “Yūgo”, nods to the organic shapes of the fashion brand’s beloved handbags, shoes and womenswear and is part of the artist’s efforts to attract attention to the effect of environmental pollution and climate change on the disappearance of tiger bamboo (torachiku), which only grow in one valley on the Japanese island of Shikoku. Avoiding glue for bamboo’s high tensile strength, Chikuunsai IV reuses highly renewable strips for future installations. He joins a group of artists and designers who have helped redesign, from the macrame sculpture of Catalan artist Aurelia Muñoz to pieces by Japanese ceramic artists and Loewe Foundation Craft Prize finalists Sakiyama Takayuki and Tomonari Hashimoto.

Stefano Boeri Architetti will redevelop an archaeological site in Durrës, Albania.

“Stefano Boeri Architetti and SON Architects are announced as winners of the tender organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF) for the conservation, presentation, enhancement and planning the archaeological excavations of the Roman Amphitheatre, the Byzantine Forum and Roman Baths in the historic center of Durrës. In support of the long-term vision of the city of Durrës, the winners will also be responsible for designing a series of pathways with the aim of reconnecting the main historic attractions with the city’s waterfront and port.[H/T ArchDaily]

An unprecedented amount of dead fish waste is accumulating and polluting the oceans.

“In February 2022, a Dutch-owned fishing trawler released a silvery stream of 100,000 dead fish, which carpeted several thousand square meters of ocean off the coast of France. The ship’s owners blamed the discarded to a faulty net. Environmental groups have alleged that the fish were intentionally discarded. Whatever the truth, this spectacle of wasted marine life was only the tip of the iceberg: WWF figures show that in At least 230,000 tonnes of fish were dumped in EU waters in 2019. Most of the waste – 92% – is linked to bottom trawling, a fishing method that scrapes the seabed, indiscriminately picking up everything on its passage. –[H/T The Guardian]

Airbnb’s biggest overhaul yet prioritizes individual properties over location.

“No matter where you start the process of booking your next vacation, it’s always the same: you type where you want to go into a search bar, then you choose your rental from the available options. And that’s even been true for Airbnb, the gargantuan home-sharing platform that’s booked 10 million years of stays to date. Today, that paradigm is changing, as Airbnb unveils its most significant overhaul since its inception. The new design downplays the search bar that asks you where you want to go, and instead pushes you to choose from 56 “categories” that detail what you want to do when you get there, wherever it is. —[H/T Fast Company]

After more than two decades, Apple officially stops producing the iPod.

“Apple has announced that after more than 20 years, it is officially discontinuing the iPod. According to a statement, iPod Touches, the last remaining model, will continue to be sold on the company’s website, in Apple stores and at retail stores. authorized resellers “while stocks last”.[H/T Pitchfork]

Only eight percent of Manhattan office workers have returned to the office full-time.

“Best-laid plans for a full-time return to the office remain hampered by Covid-19 case rates and a workforce reluctant to resume travel, according to data released this week by the Partnership for New York. City, a corporate advocacy group. According to the group’s new survey of more than 160 major New York employers, only 8% of Manhattan office workers are back in the office five days a week, and 28% are still fully remote. According to partnership president Kathryn Wylde, the most significant finding of the new survey is that 78% of workplaces have adopted a hybrid model, allowing for a combination of remote and in-person working. —[H/T The New York Times]

TikTok employees complain about an overly demanding work culture and sleep deprivation.

“With a seemingly endless stream of good-humoured goofs, dances and pranks, TikTok is shaping up to be the happiest place on the internet. Fueling its success: A demanding management style and demanding internal culture that belie its buoyant public image, say employees in its US offices. Employees, many of whom are veterans of other big tech companies, say TikTok emphasizes productivity and relentless secrecy to a degree uncommon in the industry. As TikTok continues its torrid growth, these conditions are increasingly a source of tension at the US offices of the app, a unit of ByteDance Ltd. based in Beijing. Founded just six years ago, TikTok saw the most downloads of any app in the first quarter of 2022, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower. —[H/T The Wall Street Journal]

Today’s attractive distractions:

A group of architectural pavilions flourish in the historic rooms of the Louvre.

The New York Times delves into the intensely deprived human need for collect items.

A feisty couple turns their house into a real one Takashi Murakami Gallery.

Jacquemus unveils a surreal interpretation of its own bathroom at Selfridges.