The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Expansion | Iwan BaanThe expansion of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, completed in 2007, seamlessly merges architecture, landscape, and art into a cohesive, experiential whole. Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the Bloch Building redefines how visitors engage with art, architecture, and the surrounding environment. By establishing a delicate yet striking relationship between the 1933 classical building and the modern addition, the project sets a new standard in architectural dialogue, resonating with timeless innovation. This expansion is a physical addition and a reimagining of how space, light, and movement shape the visitors journey.Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Expansion Technical InformationArchitects1-14: Steven Holl ArchitectsLocation: Kansas City, Missouri, United StatesTopics:MuseumsArea: 15,300m2 | 165,000 Sq. Ft.Original Building: 1933Project Year: 1999 2007Photographs: Iwan Baan, Steven Holl ArchitectsThe expansion of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art fuses architecture with landscape to create an experiential architecture that unfolds for visitors as it is perceived through each individuals movement through space and time. Steven Holl ArchitectsNelson-Atkins Museum of Art Expansion PhotographsNight View | Iwan BaanFacade | Iwan BaanStreet View | Iwan BaanMuseum Relation | Iwan BaanRamps | Iwan BaanInterior Space | Iwan BaanCorridors | Iwan BaanInterior Light | Iwan BaanExhibition Spaces | Iwan BaanExhibition Spaces | Iwan BaanExhibition Spaces | Iwan BaanThe Nelson-Atkins Museum: The Fusion of Architecture and LandscapeThe Bloch Building stretches along the eastern edge of the Nelson-Atkins campus, seamlessly integrating with the Sculpture Park. Its defining feature is a series of five glass lenses that engage the landscape while creating new spatial relationships. These translucent volumes act as visual and functional mediators, blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior spaces.Visitors experience the architecture as a dynamic interplay of forms, light, and perspectives. Movement through the site is intentionally fluid, with pathways weaving through the lenses above ground and open galleries below. The addition transforms the entire museum site into a holistic precinct, where the architecture invites exploration and discovery at every turn. This interplay of space and movement allows visitors to perceive the building and its surroundings as a unified experience.Complementary Contrast with the Original BuildingThe original Nelson-Atkins Museum building, often referred to as a Temple to Art, is characterized by its classical, opaque, and inward-facing design. In contrast, the Bloch Building embodies lightness, transparency, and openness. Rather than mimicking or overshadowing the historic structure, the addition achieves a delicate balance, complementing the existing building while asserting its distinct identity.Key contrasts between the two structures underscore this harmony. The original buildings solid massing and directed circulation give way to the Bloch Buildings light-filled, unbounded flow. The transparent lenses invite outward views, connecting visitors to the landscape. This complementary contrast enriches both elements, with the original building providing historical gravitas and the addition offering a modern reinterpretation of spatial engagement.Experiential Design through Light and Materiality Iwan Baan Iwan BaanCentral to the Bloch Buildings architectural language is its relationship with light. The glass lenses serve as dynamic filters, gathering, diffusing, and refracting light to create varied atmospheres. During the day, natural light penetrates the galleries, bathing art in a soft, shifting glow. The lenses transform into luminous beacons at night, animating the Sculpture Park and inviting visitors to evening events.The experience of moving through the building is equally impactful. A meandering path winds between the lenses above ground, mirrored by the open flow of galleries below. This spatial fluidity fosters a sense of discovery as views shift between levels and from interior spaces to the surrounding landscape. The materials themselveslayers of translucent glassenhance this sensory experience, giving the architecture an ethereal quality that feels both substantial and ephemeral.Sustainability and Structural InnovationThe Bloch Building integrates sustainability at its core, setting a precedent for environmentally conscious museum design. The green roofs over the galleries are a standout feature, blending the Sculpture Park with the architecture while providing insulation and stormwater management. These roofs create sculpture courts between the lenses, extending the landscape and enhancing the sites ecological performance.Innovative structural systems further elevate the buildings design. The Breathing Ts, a central structural concept, transport light and air into the galleries below. These curved forms merge functionality with aesthetics, embodying the buildings ethos of integrating technical solutions with architectural beauty. Such innovations highlight the projects commitment to sustainability without compromising its visual and experiential impact.The Bloch Building expansion of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art redefines the relationship between architecture, landscape, and art. By embracing transparency, movement, and sustainability, the design creates a living dialogue between old and new, where each element enhances the others presence. It challenges architects to rethink the possibilities of experiential design and the ways architecture can shape human interaction with art and the environment.Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Expansion PlansFirst Floor | Steven Holl ArchitectsGround Floor | Steven Holl ArchitectsLongitudinal Section | Steven Holl ArchitectsCross Section by Main Lobby & Garage | Steven Holl ArchitectsCross Section Conexion with Original Building | Steven Holl ArchitectsCross Section | Steven Holl ArchitectsNelson-Atkins Museum of Art Expansion Image GalleryAbout Steven Holl ArchitectsSteven Holl is an acclaimed American architect known for his innovative approach to integrating architecture, landscape, and light. Born in 1947 in Bremerton, Washington, Holl founded Steven Holl Architects in 1976 and has since completed numerous iconic projects worldwide. Renowned for his conceptual and experiential designs, Holl often employs a poetic use of light and materiality, creating spaces that engage the senses and respond to their environmental and cultural contexts. Some of his most celebrated works include the Bloch Building at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Simmons Hall at MIT, and the Linked Hybrid in Beijing.Notes & Additional CreditsClient: Nelson-Atkins Museum of ArtArchitect: Steven Holl ArchitectsLocal Architect: BNIM ArchitectsDesign Architect: Steven Holl, Chris McVoyPartner in Charge: Chris McVoyProject Architects: Martin Cox, Richard TobiasProject Team: Masao Akiyoshi, Gabriela Barman-Kraemer, Matthias Blass, Molly Blieden, Elissavet Chryssochoides, Robert Edmonds, Simone Giostra, Annette Goderbauer, Mimi Hoang, Makram El-Kadi, Edward Lalonde, Li Hu, Justin Korhammer, Linda Lee, Fabian Llonch, Stephen ODell, Susi Sanchez, Irene Vogt, Urs Vogt, Christian WassmannStructural Engineer: Guy Nordenson and AssociatesAssociate Structural Engineer: Structural Engineering AssociatesMechanical Engineer: W.L. Cassell & AssociatesGlass Consultant: R.A. Heintges & AssociatesLighting Consultant: Renfro Design GroupLandscape Architect: Gould Evans Goodman AssociatesArtist: Walter De Maria

Christo and Jeanne-Claude shared a birthday: June 13, 1935. The couple were collaborators to such a degree that we know them by their first names, paired together like a multisyllabic stage name. Starting this month, the late artists are being recognized in two ways for what would be their 90th birthday: A meticulous retrospective is being mounted at the Museum Wrth in Knzelsau, Germany and The Shed in New York will be the host of a multiplatform retrospective specifically looking at the duos landmark Central Park showcase, The Gates, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Christo and Jeanne-Claude at The Gates in New York City, February 2005 (Wolfgang Volz 2005 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation)These two exhibitions are fuel enough to revisit the legacy and architectural leanings of the iconic artists. The Wrths Wrapped, tied, stacked. Christo and Jeanne-Claude displays the extensive collection of works by the artists owned by longtime collaborator and friend Reinhold Wrth. More than 120 pieces of process-oriented ephemera will be on display. While these arent the same vein as the monumental public works we know and love, it shows the thinking and meticulous planning the artists executed behind the scenesoften for decades before full realizationthat takes on an architectural scale. Collages, photographs, sketches, scale models, and videos are just some of the media to expect at the show, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the creative gestation that architects definitely love.Lower Manhattan Packed Building (Project) 20 Exchange Place scale model (1964). Property of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation. (Andr Grossmann 1964 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation)Sylvia Weber, director of the Wrth Collection and joint curator along with Kirsten Fiege, said that Christo and Jeanne-Claude undoubtedly shifted the dimension of what had been conceivable as a work of art. The second skin he put over the objects triggers our imagination.Installation view of Wrapped, tied, stacked. Christo and Jeanne-Claude at Museum Wrth. (Ufuk Arslan)Perhaps best-known for their wrapping of landmarksthe Pont Neuf (1985) and Arc de Triomphe (2021) to name just twoChristos oeuvre is unique for its architectural sensibility; for taking an existing piece and allowing the public to see it anew. As the New York Times wrote in Christos obituary, he generated no small measure of happiness and awe. That palpable joy is a thread running through each work, and undoubtably for those here in the U.S. familiar with the 2005 installation in Central Park, The Gates. Marking 20 years since the groundbreaking work, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation is collaborating on a multiplatform exhibition titled Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for New York City. A collaboration between The Shed, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Central Park Conservancy, and NYC Parks will include a gallery exhibition at The Shed as well as an AR app-based experience in Central Park where users can recreate gates as they traverse the park, and learn more about the work through the Bloomberg Connects app.Sketch in advance of The Gates, 2002. Property of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation (Andr Grossmann 2002 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation)The gates in question were designed by Christo and Jeanne-Claude at an architectural scale, with an architectural purpose: 7,503 saffron-colored gates were created by securing poles to the parks sidewalks and hanging saffron-colored fabric between them. The energetic color cut through the wintery mix that descends upon the park each February in New York, albeit for the shortest possible window of time: the installation was up for a mere 16 days. Even after 20 years, the unforgettable visual memory of Christo and Jeanne-Claudes The Gates is still in the minds of the many people who experienced it in person or viewed it from afar, said Vladimir Yavachev, Christo and Jeanne-Claudes director of projects and Christos nephew. Credited with revolutionizing New York Citys relationship with participatory and community-based art and igniting dialogue about the importance of public art globally, The Gates captured the imagination of millions and helped revive a city that had been transformed by the tragedy of 9/11 four years earlier.The Gates installation photography in Central Park, New York City, 2005. (Wolfgang Volz 2005 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation)What stands out to this critic when reflecting on Christo and Jeanne-Claudes oeuvre, however, isnt only the work of wrapping or activating itself: its also the ethos and politics behind the decisions of where and what to wrap. Christo was born into Soviet Bulgaria and never let his anti-fascist views shake. He and his wife staunchly vetoed private funding of their works: I came from a Communist country, Christo told the New York Times. I use my own money and my own work and my own plans because I like to be totally free. This stance in an art and design world increasingly reliant on public-private partnerships, brand sponsorshipsas well as censorshipreads like a breath of fresh air. Christo and Jeanne-Claude really walked the walk. A famous example of this ethos occurred in 2017, when the couple was readying to culminate a decades-long project to bridge the Arkansas River in the mountains of Colorado with signature a fabric canopy. Christo walked away from the work at the 11th hour after he realized the land was federally ownedmaking Donald Trump his landlord. The sunk cost of millions of his own dollars didnt matter to him. His work reflected his beliefs, making this project incongruent.Press Conference by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announcing the realization of The Gates in New York City, January 22, 2003 (Wolfgang Volz 2003 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation)My uncle always told me that if you are accountable to anyone, you dont have freedom, said Yavachev. Remember, in art school in communist Bulgaria, he was criticized by the authorities because the peasants in his painting did not look happy enough! That was too much for him. At every turn, even at the height of his practicing fame, Christo was embattled by bureaucratic processes hindering his large-scale dreams. Unlike a painter responsible for a single canvas or a musician recording a single song, Christos work hinged on high-visibility, public access, and government collaboration to achieve the scale he desired. Despite these hinderances, he never bowed to the expectations of the institution nor amended his ethics to complete a project. He was persistent, unrushed, and visionary.Fragment of the oil barrel mockup used to create Christos Mastaba visions, on view at the Museum Wrth. (Ufuk Arslan)Early image of The Gates AR Experience to be available in Central Park through the Bloomberg Connects app in February 2025 ( 2025 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation)Christo and Jeanne-Claudes final work is set to be the Mastaba in the Liwa desert outside Abu Dhabi. The couple first visited the site in the 1970s, documented by a series of playful photographs, scale models, and countless drawings of the awe-inspiring mass and scale of the proposed work. Christo worked with Emirates officials directly to select the site and collaborated with ETH Zurich professors on feasibility studies to stack and secure a permanent artwork of hundreds of thousands of oil barrels. While this vision is yet to be realized, the optimism is clear on the Foundations website. If we live to see the day this posthumous work comes to life, surely the world could be a better place with a permanent monument to Christo and Jeanne-Claudeor maybe their ephemeral works are meant to live only in our memory.

Failure is not an option. These were the foreboding words shared by UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres in Baku, Azerbaijan, to set the stage for COP29, the UNs annual climate conference. (Whether Guterres knew he was quoting Arnold Schwarzenegger is anyones guess.) The climate summits last day is today, and for many people, it couldnt come soon enough. COP29 started with a kerfuffle. On November 11, Greta Thunberg wrote a scathing op-ed in The Guardian about the strange choice to host COP29 in Azerbaijan, a country whose economy is enormously dependent on the fossil fuel industry with a long list of human rights abuses, most recently the horrid Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Thunberg didnt mince any words when she said Azerbaijan is an authoritarian petrostatewithno respect for human rights.COP29 gathered dozens of world leaders. (The Presidential Press and Information Office of Azerbaijan/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 4.0)The UNs climate conference happened the same week as the 2024G20Rio de Janeiro summit. At both events, those who visited noted that the recent U.S. presidential election hovered over the discourse, casting an uneasy feeling of uncertainty about the next few years. Here are some of the most notable takeaways from the important global summits: Nationally Determined Contributions could have new language about urban design and architecture.Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, spoke at COP29 about how Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)the commitments countries make to slash carbon emissionsneed to have more language in them pertaining to the built environment, which, as we know, contributes 40 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.In Glasgow, just 18 per cent of our NDCs have quantifiable targets for mitigation objectives in the building and construction sector. We can surely do better this time around, Andersen said in a session with Ahmed Mohammed bin Thani, Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority director general.Toward that end, Esther An, chief sustainability officer at City Developments Limited, suggested including language in NDCs about green roofs, living walls and urban rewilding. An noted: These features provide habitats for various species of native birds, insects, and plants, while isolating carbon and reducing the urban heat island effect. Research from the European Environment Agency indicates that green roofs can reduce a buildings energy use by up to 15 per cent.Carbon markets could help fund climate projects.The phrase carbon market connotes a financial system where countries and corporations sell and buy carbon credits. One carbon credit equals one tonne of carbon dioxide, or the equivalent amount of a different greenhouse gas reduced, sequestered or avoided. Carbon markets are upheld by Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. At COP29, climate leaders discussed the potential for carbon markets to fund climate projects in the Middle East and North Africa (the MENAP region). These negotiations culminated in a landmark deal between Tawazun, an independent government entity that works closely with the Ministry of Defense and security agencies in the UAE, and Cloverly, a U.S. company at the cutting edge of digital infrastructure for carbon markets. Singapores Ministry of Trade and Industry signed an agreement with Peru that brokered a similar deal. Previously, Singapore signed similar agreements with Bhutan, Vietnam, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Zambia, and Ghana.At the G20 summit, Lula pledged that deforestation will end in Brazil by 2030. (Amaznia Real from Manaus AM, Brasil/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0)The Amazon Rainforest will stop being plundered by 2030.Before COP29 wrapped up, Brazil president Luz Incio Lula da Silva announced that, by 2030 there will be zero deforestation in Brazil, marking a huge win for Amazonian climate activists. Its well understood that the Amazon Rainforest plays an immense role in the planets health, but it was ravaged under the Bolsonaro administration, perhaps best captured in that photo Bjarke Ingels probably wishes could be scrubbed from the internet.Thanks to Lula, this vital natural resource will be protected, for good. We need to take care of the largest forest reserve in the world, he said, which is under our care. Trying to make people understand that keeping the forest standing is an economic gain.Theres a new global alliance to fight hunger.Questions of hunger, poverty, and famine dominated much of the 2024 G20 Rio de Janeiro summit. There, Lula proposed a new partnership that would be charged with finding ways to implement pubic policies and develop social technologies that combat hunger. The Task Force for a Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty will be open to all countries, not just ones in the G20, officials said. We need $1 trillion a year to protect the Global South from climate change, which could come from grants, loans, and tax levies.The Global Solidarity Levies Task Force (GSLT) is a coalition led by France, Barbados and Kenya that aims to connect developing countries with capital in order to finance projects that will help them reach the 1.5-degree Celsius target. GSLT said its necessary to raise at $1 trillion or more every year by 2035 to meet that goal.Pact for the Future was passed at the UN in New York in September, which is a start. Gutteres also announced that international banks have agreed to provide $120 billion annually by 2030 to help the cause. There would also be a new levy imposed on the shipping industry, which accounts for 3 percent of global emissions, and also the aviation industry, accounting for 2 percent. Its a down payment on a safer, more prosperous future for every nation on Earth, not a handout, Gutteres said.This pledge however doesnt go far enough, critics said. Amb Ali Mohamed, Kenyas Special Envoy for chair of the African Group of Negotiators, said: The proposed target to mobilise $250 billion per year by 2035 is totally unacceptable and inadequate to delivering the Paris Agreement. The Adaptation Gap Report alone says the adaptation needs are $400 billion; $250 billion will lead to unacceptable loss of life in Africa and around the world, and imperils the future of our world. Moreover, it is no longer developed countries who are responsible under this formulation. It is rendered as a target for which all countries are responsible and where developed countries are taking the lead. This is unacceptable.

Through its deep research into the cultures and landscapes of the Gulf, the Kuwait and Bahrain-based practice draws out the regions global networksCivil Architecture was shortlisted in the AR Emerging awards 2024. Read about the full shortlist hereCivil Architecture is a research anddesign practice that makes buildings, and books about them, inthe words of cofounders Hamed Bukhamseen and Ali Ismail Karimi. Formed in 2017 and based in Kuwait and Bahrain, the duo began collaborating two years earlier while students at Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), going on to design the Kuwait Pavilion for the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale. Careful research threads through their exhibitions, publications and design work, which engage with, in their words, the relative position ofthe Gulf within global contexts.Civil Architectures yearly research trajectories are themed; in 2019, for instance, much of their work dealt with water, and in 2020, they investigated farmland and its architectural implications. In 2023, their theme was seasonality, reflected in their contribution to the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Their installation for the biennial, Sun Path, Rajab to Shawwal 1444, sat under thelofty canopy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrills 1981Hajj Terminal in the King Abdulaziz International Airport. A cleverinversion ofa traditional sundial, itappropriated gaps in the vaulted roof totrack time, letting sunbeams move like spotlights across islands of timekeeping lines painted on thefloor, as well as obelisks, slabs and monolithic sculptural objects.Sun Path, Rajab to Shawwal 1444 references mosque courtyards that traditionally feature sundials, helping worshippers align their inner sense of time with that of the heavens. The Islamic world operates on a lunar calendar, Karimi and Bukhamseen explain, which is different fromthe Gregorian solar calendar and the preIslamic lunisolar calendar. Their earlier research into agricultural and coastal landscapes initiated this fascination with calendrical time. In this work, they found many different calendars with overlapping logics present in the region, reflected in the installations fragmentary calendars of lunar, solar and tidal timekeeping methods, marking cyclical occurrences as well as specific, oneoff events in the biennials programme.Their study of Q8 petrol stations demonstrates how the flow of oiland capital links the Gulf to European territories and economiesTo walk through the lofty space is to traverse varied embodiments of time. Shadows cast by human figures become sundials of their own. In creating a landscape of lines and markers, Bukhamseen and Karimi challenge visitors to consider the cultural production of time. As a ritualistic space, itrecalls the terminals use as a place ofpilgrimage, the starting point for many ontheir journeys to Mecca.For a researchdriven practice, exhibitions and publications are useful platforms to take positions on widereaching issues, spark interdisciplinary discussion and, in the architects words, prompt an open set ofquestions brought into a discourse with alarger cultural realm. Civil Architectures research situates specific ideas within larger political discussions: for instance, their 2019 exhibition Foreign Architecture / Domestic Policy investigated the presence of Kuwaiti oil infrastructure in Europe through their study of Q8 petrol stations, demonstrating through spatial analysis how the flow ofoil and capital links the Gulf toEuropean territories and economies. Karimis doctorate research elaborates onthis, examining from a Gulf perspective the role of sovereign wealth funds and their impact in shaping Londons architecture.Bukhamseen and Karimis indepth research shapes the ways in which they think about architecture. It is the biggest way we intervene in the built environment, they say. These diverse outlets exhibitions, publications, installations and buildings bleed into one another, each approached with the same process and pedagogy. Forinstance, their research on tidal patterns and calendars developed in the Islamic Arts Biennale is now contributing totheir ongoing project for a mangrove visitor centre in Bahrain. This, along with other design projects in the works, is setting a trajectory for more substantial built endeavours, rooted in the Gulf but implicating the world.

Adaptive reuse projects will ALWAYS get love on here!Originally constructed in 1931 as the Weeks Junior High School in Newton Centre, Newton, this architecturally significant school building is the finest local example of the Tudor Revival style in that use. The Weeks School was designed by Ralph Coolidge Henry and Henry Parsons Richmond, architects who were draftsmen for Guy Lowell, one of the greats, and the successors to his practice upon his death in 1927. The design for the Weeks School is of traditional brick and cast stone, with its main entrance through a large Gothic arch at the center of the building. Two wings extend parallel to the tower and then bend back at 45-degree angles, creating the distinctive U-shaped form, which provided ample natural light in all classrooms. After a consolidation of local schools in the mid-20thcentury, the Weeks School closed, but was beautifully rehabbed in 1984 into housing as the Weeks House. Today, the building is comprised of mixed income housing of about 75, one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

I do not think that I have ever seen rounded shingled columns like this before What a treat! This house is located on Rice Street in Newton Centre, and was built in 1890 by Henry H. Read, a leather dealer who developed the entire street. This house was built on speculation and initially rented out to tenants before it was sold to Frank Ratcliffe and his wife, Elizabeth Ratcliffe. Frank Ratcliffe was born in England and would become treasurer of the Boston & Albany Railroad, which had a stop in Newton Centre. Frank and Elizabeth would sell or gift this property to their daughter, Mary Elizabeth Ratcliffe Holt and her husband, Warner R. Holt. Besides the unique shingled columns, the house features a broad gambrel roof and sunburst panels and a two-story rounded shingled bay. I could not locate the architect for this one, sadly.

The Colossal Gift Guide is HereNovember 22, 2024Jackie AndresThe season of giving has somehow officially arrived,and weve got you covered.TheColossal Gift Guidefeatures a curated selection of gifts for all the unique individuals in your life. From dozens of art books and quirky puzzles to snack-shaped candles and a slew of crafting kits, theres something perfect for everyone, from beloved grandkids to weird uncles and that co-worker whose name is definitely Shelly. No, Sarah.Grab a cup of tea and get cozy, because holiday shopping is about to get way more fun!For the Earth ExplorerWe all knowsomeone who has the adventure bug, dreaming of wandering the world while connecting with nature. Perhaps theyd enjoy Field Notes to record those mid-hike epiphanies, mini botanical puzzles to take along for the journey, or books celebrating the fleeting beauty of land art.For the Art Book LoverGive thatartistic bibliophilein your life the ability to appreciate art in their own home. You can never go wrong with a great art book, and with our wide range from contemporary painting and activism to Keith Haring and Thandiwe Muriu, this selection is a solid place to start.For the Budding ArtistForthose just beginning to explore their creative side, one of the most important things they can receive is encouragement. Whether that be in the form of beginner-friendly projects, one-of-a-kind crayons, or inspiring books, theres something here to kindle your young ones artistic spark.For the Master StrategistChances are, you know someone that thrives on strategic thinking, competition, and finding solutions. Our collection of meticulously-designed puzzles, themed playing cards, and game night essentials are great forthose looking for a fun (and aesthetically pleasing) challenge.For the HomebodyCozy corners arent complete without the glow of a warm candle, a whiff of calming incense, and charming matchboxes to light them. As it cools down, these picks are perfect forthose who love celebrating the joys of staying in.For the Stationery GeekDo you have someone in your life who gets over-enthusiastic about finding the perfect pen, excited about paper weight, and obsessive over workspace accessories? I do (its me). Our hand-picked stationery must-haves are perfect for daily organizers or office supply fanatics.Dont forget: Colossal Members always receive 15% off in the shop, and from now until the holiday season is over, were offering free shipping on all U.S. orders over $150.Next article

Flower Power (2024). All images courtesy of Janny Baek, shared with permissionIdiosyncratic Ceramic Sculptures by Janny Baek Evoke Nature and DesireNovember 22, 2024ArtCraftKate MothesI think of my pieces as life forms that are in the process of transforming in ways that may be both wonderful and strange, says artist Janny Baek, whose otherworldly ceramics (previously) merge vibrant color, eclectic motifs, and botanical details.Ive been incorporating blooming flowers and puffy clouds into my work to think about our intimate and complicated relationship to the natural world, the artist tells Colossal. Changes in shape and color imply tendencies, possibilities, desire. Familiar forms, like the open vessel, plant forms, and heads, are a way for me to connect to the lineage of making and hand-building with clay.Olive (2024), colored porcelain, 16 x 14 x 11 inchesBaek explores the relationship between nature, science fiction, and fantasy in her sculptures, which are often around a foot tall and wide but sometimes reach up to 20 inches high. Some sprout coral-like appendages or appear to stand on four legs. The artist has focused on colored porcelain using the nerikomi technique, in which multiple pigmented clays combine to create a marbling or patterned effect. Baek recently began working with rougher, sandy stoneware, which affords more freedom to scale up in size and complexity.I love to have the freedom to incorporate different materials and ways of making when it fits the work, Baek says. Even if I shift materials or techniques, Im always drawing from the main foundational ideas that drive my work.Walking Cloudbloom is included in the Korean International Ceramics Biennale exhibit at the Gyeonggi Museum of Ceramic Design in South Korea. She is also working toward a three-person show at ArtYard in Frenchtown, New Jersey, scheduled to open in February. Find more on Baeks website and Instagram.Walking Cloudbloom (2024)Alternate view of Flower PowerBlended Party (2024)Detail of Blended PartyFrom the Flowering Vessel series (2024)Sweater-wearing Beast (2023)Cloudbloom with Small Clouds (2024)Detail of Cloudbloom with Small CloudsWork in progress in the studioPrevious articleNext article

Published November 22, 2024 6:00am EST close Hypersonic jet promises NYC to London in under an hour A Texas company is developing a groundbreaking hypersonic jet. Venus Aerospace, a Texas-based company, is developing a groundbreaking hypersonic jet called the Stargazer that could potentially fly from New York City to London in just under an hour, a journey that currently takes around seven hours.This ambitious project aims to revolutionize long-distance travel and redefine the boundaries of commercial aviation. Stargazer (Venus Aerospace)Powering Stargazer to hypersonic heightsAt the heart ofthe Stargazer's capabilities is the Venus Detonation Ramjet 2,000lb Thrust Engine, or VDR2.This innovative propulsion system combines the rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) with a ramjet, allowing the engine to operate from takeoff through hypersonic speeds without complex mechanical systems. The VDR2 is expected to reach speeds of up to Mach 6, or 3,600 miles per hour and fly at an altitude of 110,000 feet, allowing passengers to see the curvature of the Earth. The aircraft is designed to travel up to 5,000 miles.WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)? Stargazer (Venus Aerospace)Navigating the path to hypersonic commercial flightWhile the prospect of hypersonic travel is exciting, there are several challenges to overcome. The Stargazer is estimated to cost $33 million and will have a limited passenger capacity of 12. There are also potential issues with sonic booms over populated areas and regulatory hurdles in obtaining approval for commercial hypersonic flight. However, Venus Aerospace is moving swiftly to bring their vision to reality. The Stargazer is projected to be available for commercial use in the 2030s. Stargazer (Venus Aerospace)Kurt's key takeawaysIf successful, the Stargazer could transform long-distance travel, making global cities more connected than ever before. However, it's important to temper excitement with realism, as the road to commercial hypersonic flight will likely be long and complex. The technological advancements being made by Venus Aerospace are promising, but numerous hurdles remain before hypersonic travel becomes a reality for everyday passengers.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPWould you fly on a hypersonic jet like the Stargazer, or are you hesitant about the idea of such rapid travel? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.Follow Kurt on his social channels:Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Try CyberGuy's new games (crosswords, word searches, trivia and more!)Enter CyberGuy's $500 holiday gift card sweepstakesUnbeatable Best Black Friday dealsBest gifts for:Men |Women |Kids |Teens |Pet loversBest deals:Laptops |Desktops |PrintersFor those who love:Cooking |Coffee |Tools |Travel |WineAccessories:Car| Kitchen |Laptop |Keyboards |Phone |Travel |Keep It CozyCant go wrong with these:Gift Cards |Money-saving apps |Amazon Black Friday insider tipsCopyright 2024 CyberGuy.com.All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurts free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Koshiro - stock.adobe.comNewsCMA gets ready to take on Apple and Google over mobile browsingPreliminary investigation finds a lack of fairness and choice of mobile browsing on iOS devices like the iPhone is holding back innovationByCliff Saran,Managing EditorPublished: 22 Nov 2024 16:15 An independent inquiry into the mobile browser market has recommended that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) consider investigating Apple and Googles mobile ecosystem activities. However, the inquiry also recommended that no further action needs to be taken on cloud gaming.The provisional findings of the inquiry concluded that the mobile browser market is not working well for UK businesses and millions of individual phone users.The CMA began an investigation following its Mobile ecosystems market study in 2021, which found that Apple and Google have an effective duopoly on mobile ecosystems, including operating systems, app stores and web browsers on mobile devices. This puts Apple and Google in a position to set the rules on how mobile browsers work on iOS and Android devices respectively.The independent inquiry reported that Apple restricts competitors from delivering new, innovative features that could benefit consumers. For instance, rival browser providers have highlighted concerns that they have been unable to offer a full range of browser features, such as faster webpage loading on iPhone.Many smaller UK app developers also told us that they would like to use progressive web apps an alternative way for businesses to provide apps to mobile users without downloading apps through an app store but this technology is not able to take off on iOS devices, said the group assessing the mobile browser market for the CMA.There is also a revenue-sharing agreement between Google and Apple, which significantly reduces the financial incentives of other browser developers offering mobile browsers on iOS.Other issues considered in the report include the way users are presented with choices about which browser they use. The inquiry provisionally found that Apple and Google have the ability to manipulate these choices to make their own browsers the clearest or easiest option. Through our investigation, we have provisionally found that competition between different mobile browsers is not working well and this is holding back innovation in the UK Margot Daly, CMAMargot Daly, chair of the CMAs independent inquiry group, said: Markets work best when rival businesses are able to develop and bring innovative options to consumers. Through our investigation, we have provisionally found that competition between different mobile browsers is not working well and this is holding back innovation in the UK.The analysis set out in this report and a range of potential interventions considered to address the market issues identified by the group merits consideration by the CMA board under its new powers, which have been specifically designed for digital markets. Under those new powers, the CMA can consider the case for designating firms with strategic market status, taking account of the interplay between the specific markets that are the subject of this market investigation and Apples and Googles wider mobile ecosystems.In the US, the Department of Justice is looking to force Google parent Alphabet to sell the Chrome browser, following a ruling in August in which the search engine giant was found to have acted in an anti-competitive manner.Read about other CMA investigationsCMA clears Google over Anthropic partnership: The UK competition watchdog has finished its initial investigation into Googles partnership with Anthropic, with no follow-up on the cards.CMA offers potential solution to Vodafone and Threes merger issues: Remedies Working Paper published by UK competition watchdog into merger of leading telcos says deal may proceed if appropriate remedies are implemented.The CMA anti-trust investigation into AWS and Microsoft explained: Everything you need to know.CMA extends investigation into anti-competitive behaviour in UK cloud market: The UK competition watchdog has secured a four-month deadline extension for its investigation into the cloud infrastructure services market.In The Current Issue:Interview: Rahul Todkar, head of data and AI, TripadvisorGartner Symposium: Why the chance of digital success is randomDownload Current IssueNTT R&D Forum 2024: New horizons for photonics-based chips, clouds & qubits CW Developer NetworkDiversity in tech: To work for all, AI needs input from all Computer Weekly Editors BlogView All Blogs