Amazon’s NFTMe Series Charts the Rise of NFT Culture, and Other News – Surface Magazine
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A new six-part Amazon series called NFTMe explores how NFTs rose to prominence.
“The capacity to digitally authenticate almost everything, and the possibility of monetizing in ways nobody could even imagine before. These are some of the ways that Amazon’s new documentary series NFTMe introduces nonfungible tokens (NFTs). The show features artists, collectors, and industry professionals across the world sharing their experiences with NFTs and how the merger between art and technology has positively affected their daily lives. In six 30-minute episodes, NFTMe introduces 50 pioneers in the NFT space from four continents, including American singer Susaye Greene of The Supremes; Queen Diambi Kabatusuila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Refik Anadol, a digital artist for SpaceX and NASA; Peter Rafelson, a music producer for Madonna; and Cheryl Douglas of Portion, who launched NFT collections for the Black-Eyed Peas.” [H/T CoinTelegraph]
The winsome New York townhouse that inspired Wonderful Town is being demolished.
“One Monday in late November, preservationists, politicians, and neighbors gathered on Manhattan’s tiny Gay Street to protest the demolition of a nearly 200-year-old house. The place in question, 14 Gay Street, is one of six winsome but precarious early 19th-century buildings on Gay and Christopher Streets that were owned for decades by Celeste Martin, who died in late 2018. So the city took over her holdings, selling 14 Gay Street and its siblings for about $9 million to a buyer who flipped them last April to Lionel Nazarian, a 37-year-old developer, for about $12 million. Since then, Mr. Nazarian has done foundation work that has destabilized 14 Gay Street and imperiled its neighbors, so the city has ordered its demolition, a slow, laborious process that began just before Thanksgiving.” [H/T The New York Times]
The tallest mass timber building in Denver is scheduled to break ground next year.
“Denver architecture office Tres Birds announced the city’s tallest mass timber building will break ground in July 2023. The 12-story building, named “Return to Form,” will be located in the River North Arts District. Its structural system uses mass timber, a new technology that utilizes trees from sustainably managed forests. Through continuous planting and responsible harvesting, these forests are becoming a source of renewable and low-impact building materials. The mass timber structure consists of wood panels that are glued and laminated together. This provides strength, stability, and fire resistance.” [H/T ArchDaily]
Snøhetta is finishing up a clubhouse in a farm-oriented neighborhood in Hong Kong.
“Snøhetta is nearing completion on a trio of clubhouse designs set in the densely populated center of Hong Kong’s Pavilia Farm residential development in Tai Wai. As a space for social interaction and shared experiences, the project serves residents of Pavilia with a vital piece of communal infrastructure while also providing urban farming capabilities and a contemplative connection to nature in a hyper-urban environment.” [H/T Archinect]
Aurelien Chen transforms a former Chinese miners’ canteen into a cultural center.
“Aurelien Chen has transformed a former miners’ canteen in Handan into a multipurpose cultural center featuring interventions that respond to the building’s communist heritage. The canteen was built in the 1970s to serve workers at the Jinxing coal mine in China’s Hebei Province. It’s surrounded by office buildings dating back to 1912 built by German architects and featuring a distinctly Western aesthetic. The government engaged China State Construction Engineering Corporation to oversee the site’s sustainable renovation, with Chen asked to head up the design team. One of the most significant interventions is a flower-shaped, multipurpose furniture element at the center of the main hall.” [H/T Dezeen]
Zaha Hadid Architects designs 27 tents to support refugees across the Middle East.
“Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has designed 27 tents to serve and support refugee and displaced communities in Syria, Turkey, and Yemen. A joint venture partnership between the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation and ZHA, the newly donated tents will serve as schools, clinics, and emergency shelters. The weather-proof, modular structures are designed to be easily moved and re-assembled, incorporating components that can also be upcycled or recycled for sustainability.” [H/T Designboom]
Today’s attractive distractions:
NASA’s Insight lander delivers its final message from its historic Mars mission.
Miranda Brooks creates a green oasis atop Hermès’s new Manhattan flagship.
In a new documentary, K8 Hardy chronicles more than a decade of daily outfits.
Two recent books delve into how art inspired Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.