Marc Newson creates a field of vibrant pixel boxes for FENDI’s SS26 set design, inspired by the composition of quilts and the look of flowers. Inside Palazzo Fendi at Milan Fashion Week 2025, these boxes are stacked up in different sizes and heights, arranged in shifting hues. From above, the landscape resembles looking at the pixels that make up an image, only up close. The surface moved slightly, creating patterns that changed as models walked.

The field acts as a backdrop for the collection, some of which displays the same colors and patterns as the set design. Marc Newson’s field for the FENDI SS26 show is central because its design allows for the collection to interact visually with the environment. The pixels then reflect the concept of transformation, an emphasis on shapes, lines, and volumes, and the designer’s set highlights the silhouettes of each piece even further.

all images courtesy of FENDI and Marc Newson

Collection’s bold colors echo the polychromatic set design

In the FENDI SS26 collection, the jackets, coats, and dresses become visible against the shifting colors of Marc Newson’s set. The clothes include structural elements, such as balloon hems, cropped blazers, and wide cotton coats, slowly complementing the moving background because the landscape enhances the perception of the collection’s volume. Viewers can see how fabrics create fullness and void in the garments against the vibrant pixel boxes. Materials in the collection encompass organza, jacquard, cotton, leather, and technical fabrics.

The FENDI SS26 collection focuses on color, with the following sequence echoing Marc Newson’s polychromatic set: white, yellow, turquoise, red, pink, and coral. The colors appear in panels, stripes, and combinations on the garments, and some fabrics combine primary colors with pastels and neutral tones. The designer’s set also connects to the presentation as a whole. The runway plays the music composed by Frédéric Sanchez, comprising excerpts from Italian cinema, opera, and electronic music. The audio moves with the models and the shifting colors of the set, forming a rhythm that coordinates with the clothing, accessories, styling, and landscape.

Marc Newson creates a field of vibrant pixel boxes for FENDI’s SS26 set design

inside Palazzo Fendi in Milan, these boxes are stacked up in different sizes and heights

from above, the landscape resembles looking at the pixels that make up an image, only up close

the field acts as a backdrop for the collection, some of which displays the same colors and patterns as the set

the set design allows for the collection to interact visually with the environment

detailed view of the quilt-inspired bag from the SS26 collection of FENDI

project info:

brand: FENDI | @fendi

collection: SS26

set design: Marc Newson | @marcnewsonofficial

The post marc newson’s colorful pixel boxes set the stage for FENDI’s SS26 runway show appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Artist Cj Hendry is back with a second edition of her plush Flower Market, the interactive installation which has just transformed New York City‘s Rockefeller Center into a landscape of hand-crafted flowers. New Yorkers and visitors are welcome to explore the space and curate their own bouquet for just one weekend from Friday, September 19th until Sunday, September 21st, 2025 from 10am-7pm.

This year’s opening comes one year after the Flower Market’s viral debut. That first iteration occupied the minimalist Louis Kahn-designed park at the southern tip of Roosevelt Island before it expanded to Brooklyn’s Industry City to accommodate swelling crowds. Those previous sites were certainly less central than this year’s prime spot in Midtown Manhattan — the elongated greenhouse sits beneath the plaza’s row of world flags and overlooks the sunken courtyard which, during the winter months, hosts the city’s most iconic ice rink.

Twenty-seven new plush flower designs are introduced this year, each produced with the same attention to quality and detail that defines Cj Hendry’s varied practice. Visitors are invited to select a flower to take home, with all additional flowers available for just $5 USD. This way, the installation extends beyond its setting and out into the rest of the city. ‘It was so lovely to see every other person below 14th street carrying a bouquet of flowers,’ writes a commenter on social media.

Cj Hendry’s Flower Market 2.0 arrives in Rockefeller Center | image © Cj Hendry Studio

Cj hendry is ‘dialing it up to 100’

With its new location in Rockefeller Center, Cj Hendry’s Flower Market is still an immersive, greenhouse-like environment. Inside, a series of original artworks by the artist’s studio, editioned floral wall sculptures, and a line of limited-edition merchandise — including totes, t-shirts, and caps — extend the project into multiple formats.

A satellite Flower Cart at Top of the Rock, open daily from early morning until midnight, even brings the work into dialogue with one of the most well-known observation decks in New York. Moreover, a limited 28th plush flower design is being offered exclusively at Top of the Rock as an add-on to ticketed entry.

Hendry describes last year’s Flower Market as ‘chaotic and beautiful,’ a spontaneous exchange between her artworks and the city, so that interaction and collection become part of the art. This Flower Market 2.0 version channels that same energy into a context which is even more chaotic. ‘We’re dialing everything up to one hundred,’ she says.

the installation is open from September 19th — 21st, 2025 | image © Cj Hendry Studio

visitors are invited to select a flower to take home, with more available for purchase | image © Cj Hendry Studio

this new edition introduces twenty-seven new plush flower designs | image © designboom

a limited 28th flower design will be available exclusively at Top of the Rock | image © designboom

the Flower Market is an immersive, greenhouse-like environment | image © designboom

original artworks and editioned floral wall sculptures will be on view | image © designboom

a Flower Cart satellite location will be open from morning to midnight | image © designboom

project info:

name: Flower Market

artist: Cj Hendry | @cj_hendry

location: Rockefeller Center, NYC

dates: September 19th — 21st, 2025 (10am-7pm)

photography: © Cj Hendry Studio, © designboom

The post Cj hendry’s flower market returns to NYC, this time at rockefeller center appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Located in Delhi’s Dhan Mill compound, India, the new flagship store for fashion label Papa Don’t Preach has been designed by Shimona Bhansali of DesignHex. The project presents a spatial interpretation of the brand’s visual identity through a blend of materiality, sculptural form, and narrative-driven detailing.

The store’s facade draws inspiration from folkloric underwater landscapes, with sculpted sea creatures and organic plant forms embedded into two tonnes of hand-carved natural wood. CNC-cut elements and high-relief panels combine to create a textured, layered surface. Sage green and lavender pigments reflect daylight to produce a subtle iridescence. Completed within 60 days, the exterior sets the tone for the interior spatial sequence.

all images by Janvi Thakkar – Wabi Sabi Studios

Organic textured details define Papa Don’t Preach Flagship store

Inside, the space maintains visual continuity with the brand’s Mumbai outlet, applying a palette of soft pinks and blush tones across structural and surface elements. Studio DesignHex reinterprets existing columns as tree-like forms, their branches extending toward the ceiling in a gesture of organic support and creative growth. These sculptural components are coated in textured pink paint, contributing to both visual cohesion and material richness.

The flooring introduces variation through a patchwork of pink and white marble, punctuated by areas of micro-concrete. This combination establishes a tactile contrast while preserving the chromatic consistency of the interior. Large windows introduce natural light into the store, producing changing patterns of illumination throughout the day and enhancing the reflective and textured surfaces.

facade carved from two tonnes of natural wood evokes an underwater landscape

blurring the lines between fantasy, fashion, and architecture

Functional zoning within the store supports a smooth retail experience, integrating product display with spatial storytelling. The layout is intended to accommodate both circulation and moments of pause, aligning with the brand’s performative and narrative approach to fashion.

The store’s placement within the Dhan Mill compound aligns with the area’s evolution from industrial zone to cultural and commercial hub. DesignHex’s intervention positions the flagship as both a retail destination and a material extension of Papa Don’t Preach’s design ethos, situating fashion within an immersive, sculptural environment that balances ornamental detailing with spatial clarity.

sculpted sea creatures and organic forms reference folkloric marine imagery

CNC-cut panels create depth and layering on the textured storefront

sculptural elements serve both structural and aesthetic roles

interior palette features soft pinks and blush tones

pink and white marble floors contrast with areas of micro-concrete

tree-like columns extend to the ceiling, symbolizing organic support

textured pink paint adds material richness to structural elements

the flagship becomes a physical extension of the brand’s identity

natural light filters through large windows, animating the space

ceiling design draws from botanical metaphors of growth and expansion

display areas are integrated with narrative spatial design

the layout balances movement and moments of pause

DesignHex transforms the retail space into an immersive experience

material choices reinforce a cohesive chromatic environment

project info:

name: Papa Don’t Preach Delhi
architect: DesignHex | @design_hex

lead architect: Shimona Bhansali

location: Dhan Mill, Delhi, India

area: 2,100 sqft

photographer: Janvi Thakkar, Wabi Sabi Studios | @wabi_sabi.studios

The post straight out of a fairytale, blossomed silhouettes wrap ‘papa don’t preach’ delhi store appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Mona Sugata’s intricate sculptures are made from cotton fabric, thread, glue, and pigment, materials that hold traces of fragility, heat, and breath. Shaped into botanical forms and infused with an otherworldly quality, her works feel alive in a surreal way. In her latest exhibition, What Resonates Through Us — Echoes in Overtones, on view at Galerie Ovo in Taipei from August 22nd to September 6th, 2025, Sugata presents a series of installations that extend her ongoing exploration of living systems, unseen presences, and the subtle conditions that allow life to take shape. ‘I imagine them as relics quietly resting in an ancient monastery, holding a sacred presence,’ she tells designboom.

‘My installations do not try to speak too much,’ she remarks during our discussion. ‘They are quietly placed with space, light, air, and subtle presence so that the viewer may encounter their own sense of life and the quiet sensations within.’ The works do not represent plants in a literal way, but they reflect Sugata’s close attention to the movements and structures of plants growing in her own garden, particularly the forms of stems and the gestures of growth that seem to carry vitality. Her observations are translated into symbolic organisms, gradually taking on a bodily quality and sometimes resembling intelligent life.

all images courtesy of Mona Sugata | Tree of Life — A Planet of Playing Beings

delicate forms rooted in sacred cycles

Japanese artist Mona Sugata works with untreated cotton, glue, and diluted pigments, allowing the fabric to absorb and bleed color. Once dry, the pieces are shaped and detailed using a heated iron tool to burn fine vein-like lines into the surface. ‘This is the moment when life begins to inhabit the work,’ she reveals. Sugata avoids coating or overworking the surface in order to preserve the softness of the materials and the natural shifts in tone, resulting in a surface that feels more like something in a slow state of becoming instead of a finished object.

Pillar of Prayer Kumade and Pillar of Prayer Purple Star, some of her latest works, are rooted in the Japanese jichinsai, a ceremony performed before construction, where offerings are made to the local land deity. The artist imagines these sculptures as vertical structures that remain after such a ceremony, linking the land and its inhabitants. The ceramic base represents the land god, while the plant forms growing from it reflect a relationship of coexistence, between what is built and what is already there. ‘It expresses the idea of sacred plants living on the god of the land and living in beautiful coexistence,’ Sugata notes.

Tree of Life — A Planet of Playing Beings, installed at the atrium of the Spiral art center in Tokyo, reflects Sugata’s idea of the Earth as an active field shaped by invisible beings, bacteria, insects, and other non-human lives. ‘Even after death, life becomes part of other beings, undergoing a perpetual cycle of rebirth and rebirth,’ she says. The work evokes these cycles through layered organic forms that spiral outward in motion, resembling a kind of visual system for life as play, disappearance, and return.

reflecting Sugata’s idea of the Earth

A Practice Shaped by Sensitivity and Direct Contact

Sugata’s approach is shaped by physical sensitivity rather than strict planning. She adjusts the process depending on the direction of each piece, working by feel rather than concept. ‘If I feel tension or resistance in my body, I take it as a sign that something is off,’ she explains. The final step, using the iron to create form, is done by hand and involves direct contact with heat, often leading to burns. Still, she treats these traces as part of the work itself, as reminders of material resistance, timing, and repetition.

Mona Sugata was born in Tokyo in 1983 and studied printmaking at Tama Art University. That background still informs her handling of surface and tone, but her installations move away from printed images into something more spatial and responsive. ‘My works are not for interpretation,’ she highlights. ‘They are for quiet encounters.’

Sugata hopes viewers will encounter something of their own in her work. ‘In such stillness,’ she reflects, ‘one might sense a deeper connection, with the world, with others. And in that resonance, I too receive something essential.’

an active field shaped by invisible beings, bacteria, insects, and other non-human lives

Mona Sugata works with untreated cotton, glue, and diluted pigments

a kind of visual system for life as play, disappearance, and return

layered organic forms spiral outward in motion

Midday Moon (left) sits closer to abstraction

inspired by the pale yellow moon sometimes visible during daylight

Pillar of Prayer Kumade and Pillar of Prayer Purple Star are rooted in the Japanese jichinsai

the artist imagines these sculptures as vertical structures that remain after a ceremony

the plant forms reflect a relationship of coexistence

the pieces are shaped and detailed using a heated iron tool

the artist burns fine, vein-like lines into the surface

Sugata avoids coating or overworking the surface in order to preserve the softness of the materials

a surface that feels like something in a state of becoming

project info:

artist: Mona Sugata | @monasugata

exhibition: What Resonates Through Us — Echoes in Overtones

location: Galerie Ovo, Taipei, Taiwan | @galerieovo
dates: August 22nd to September 6th, 2025

The post botanical sculptures by mona sugata grow from untreated cotton fabric and slow gestures appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Crosby Studios and floral design studio Flover present Flower Room, a one-day installation staged inside a private townhouse in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Conceived by Crosby founder Harry Nuriev, the project invited visitors into a fleeting environment where industrial materials and botanical fragments coexist to shape a sculptural silver capsule.

At the center of the installation stands a reflective structure made entirely from aluminum barbecue trays, a recurring material in Nuriev’s work. The silver-toned capsule, previously introduced in his Paris gallery, was filled with the byproducts of floral arrangement including discarded petals, bouquet scraps, and loose blooms arranged in buckets. These remnants, often overlooked in traditional floral displays, were placed in full view around a central table that seems to be discovered mid-use, lending the space a suspended, work-in-progress quality.

Crosby Studios and Flover create a one-night installation in Williamsburg | image © Pauline Shapiro

celebrating the ephemera of floristry

Flover brings its distinctive approach to its collaboration with Crosby Studios by layering the interior with sculptural floral compositions. Its design emphasizes the tension between beauty and decay, integrating its organic forms with the capsule’s industrial shell. Rather than arranging flowers as finished products, The floral design studio highlights the ephemera of floristry as part of the room’s architectural language.

The setting added to the installation’s resonance, as Flower Room was staged inside a townhouse recently designed by the team at Crosby Studios for Compass. This site-specific context extended the dialogue between architecture and interiors, with the silver capsule interrupting the domestic space as a temporary laboratory of creative expression.

the installation took place inside a Crosby Studios-designed townhouse | image © Pauline Shapiro

Material, Memory, and Transformation

With Flower Room, Crosby Studios and Flover highlight the role of residue and repetition in the act of making. By exposing the fragments typically left behind, the team centered the material traces of floristry and construction as worthy of architectural attention. The installation functions as an embodied reflection of process, one in which silvery surfaces and organic forms come together in dialogue.

Though it remained open for just one evening, Flower Room brought together over 230 visitors, including artists, designers, and local creatives. The space’s layered environment demonstrates the experimental spirit of both Crosby and Flover, and obscures the boundary between sculpture, set design, and temporary exhibition.

a sculptural silver capsule is made from aluminum barbecue trays | image © Pauline Shapiro

inside the capsule are silver petals, bouquet remnants, and buckets of loose flowers | image © designboom

a central worktable appears frozen in mid-process | image © designboom

flover transforms the capsule into a layered botanical space using expressive floral compositions | image © designboom

the installation emphasizes discarded materials typically hidden in floral displays | image © Pauline Shapiro

Flower Room welcomed over 230 guests during its one-night run | image © designboom

project info:

name: Flower Room

artist: Flover | @flovernyc

architect: Crosby Studios | @crosbystudios

on view: July 16th, 2025

photography: © designboom, © Pauline Shapiro | @paulineshapirophoto

The post ‘flower room’ by crosby studios and flover gleams with silver blossoms in brooklyn appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

NIKE co-grows a new breed of orange tulips with thorns, seen across Amsterdam in the Netherlands in time for UEFA Women’s Euro 2025. Named Oranje Fatalis, the brand co-cultivated the flowers in collaboration with Dutch silk flower specialists Bloom & Wolf and the agency W+K to celebrate the competing national team’s spirit and strength of the Netherlands during the match. Tulip is an iconic symbol of the Netherlands, and for the project, the design team with NIKE imagines it to embody the look of boldness for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025.

Hence, the birth of Oranje Fatalis: oranje is the color of the national team and the country’s royal family, while the Latin word Fatalis suggests deadly or dangerous. Combined together, ‘Deadly Orange’ is a symbol for the competing national team that amidst beauty and power, there is strength and a touch of danger. Fans of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 can pick up their orange tulips with thorns arounf some of the florists in Amsterdam during the games.

all images courtesy of NIKE, Bloom & Wolf, and W+K

NIKE co-grows flowers in time for UEFA women’s game

The orange tulips with thorns co-created with NIKE are handcrafted by the silk-flower company, Bloom & Wolf. The artificial flowers are made to look and feel as real and as close to the natural ones as possible. The campaign’s goal is to celebrate the national team, known as the Leeuwinnen (Lionesses), and together with the brand and agency W+K, the silk-flower company designs and handmakes parades of orange tulips for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2024.

The Oranje Fatalis is part of a larger campaign across the Netherlands, and some of the players featured in the campaign include Esme Brugts, Jill Roord, Jackie Groenen, Romée Leuchter, and Wieke Kaptein. Their photos appear next to the orange thorned tulip in posters and videos, visibly using the signature font of NIKE to signal the collaboration. Florists across Amsterdam have these orange tulips with thorns for a period of time, and fans of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 can swing by them between July 5th and 13th before watching the match.

the orange tulips with thorns across Amsterdam during Euro 2025

NIKE co-cultivates the artificial orange tulips in time for Euro 2025

the name of the orange tulips shown during Euro 2025 is Oranje Fatalis

the petals of the flowers are made of silk

detailed view of the orange tulips during Euro 2025

so far, the orange tulips are available only during the games

project info:

name: Oranje Fatalis

companies: NIKE, Bloom & Wolf | @nike, @bloomandwolf_amsterdam

agency: W+K | @wkamsterdam

florist information:

July 3rd to 5th

Rembrandt Flowers

Keizersgracht 6671, 1017 DV

July 8th to 9th

Bloemenhoek

Piet & Evelien Witt

Dapperplein, 1093 GP

July 12th to 13th

Florist ‘t Lievertje

Spui 7, 1012 XE

The post NIKE co-grows new breed of orange tulips with thorns in time for UEFA women’s euro 2025 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Later in 2025, Jeff Koons’ Split-Rocker, an 11-meter-tall sculpture covered in over 50,000 living plants, is set to be permanently installed outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The towering artwork takes its playful shape from precise horticultural design and has been donated to the museum by longtime patrons Lynda and Stewart Resnick. It will become the focal point of a new outdoor public art program connected to LACMA’s forthcoming David Geffen Galleries, designed by Peter Zumthor, set to open in 2026 (find designboom’s previous coverage here).

Designed with an internal irrigation system and planted with drought-tolerant flowers suited to Southern California, the Split-Rocker changes appearance as the plants grow and bloom. Its form merges the head of a child’s rocking horse and the head of a dinosaur toy, joined into one oversized and slightly mismatched structure. The result is a surreal hybrid that appears both cartoonish and contemplative, qualities that often describe Koons’ work.

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker, 2000, edition of 1 plus 1 AP, © Jeff Koons, Versailles installation photo by Laurent Lecat | via Unframed Lacma

lacma to debut zumthor-designed David Geffen Galleries

Positioned at the threshold of the reimagined campus of LACMA, the American artist’s sculpture signals the transformation taking place within and around the new building. As the summer of 2025 unfolds, LACMA begins activating the plaza level of its new building north of Wilshire Boulevard, giving the public its first look at Peter Zumthor’s long-awaited David Geffen Galleries. The shaded ground-level spaces beneath the elevated structure are designed to host a variety of public programs and serve as an extension of the museum’s civic presence, hosting outdoor education, events, and performances. New facilities also include the East West Bank Commons, a covered area for gatherings of up to 500 people, the W.M. Keck Education Center for learning and community engagement, and the state-of-the-art Steve Tisch Theater, which will screen films and exhibit time-based media during museum hours. 

At the same time, LACMA is expanding its outdoor art footprint across 3.5 acres of newly designed public space. Koons’ monumental Split-Rocker will be among the first major works to activate the reimagined grounds, setting the tone for the evolving outdoor collection of the institution. The entire plaza on the north side of Wilshire is set to become a site-specific installation by Mariana Castillo Deball, while a monumental textile work by Los Angeles–based artist Sarah Rosalena will occupy one of the new interior spaces of the museum. Additional sculptures and interventions by Liz Glynn, Thomas Houseago, Shio Kusaka, Pedro Reyes, and Diana Thater will gradually populate the campus. Several iconic works from LACMA’s collection will return, including Tony Smith’s Smoke, Alexander Calder’s Three Quintains (Hello Girls), and the Rodin collection, which will be housed in the redesigned Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Garden. Previews of the building begin in June 2025, followed by a phased art installation leading up to the museum’s full reopening in April 2026.

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker, 2000, edition of 1 plus 1 AP, © Jeff Koons, Versailles installation photo by Laurent Lecat | via Unframed Lacma

Split-Rocker finds a new home

This particular version of Split-Rocker is the artist’s proof from an edition of one, and its arrival continues LACMA’s long-standing collaboration with Koons. The artist’s stainless steel works, including Rabbit, Balloon Dog (Blue), and Cracked Egg (Red), have been shown at the museum in past exhibitions. In 2008, a miniature version of Cracked Egg was even used as the official invitation to the museum’s BCAM opening gala.

‘Jeff is a master of bringing bold playfulness together with layers of deeper artistic meaning,’ shares Michael Govan, LACMA’s CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director. ‘We are thrilled to welcome this living sculpture to LACMA, where it will greet visitors, pedestrians, and traffic along Wilshire Boulevard.’ The museum expects the work to be a year-round presence, a rare condition for one of Koons’s monumental floral sculptures, which are often temporary due to climate restrictions.

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker (2000) installed at Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2014, © Jeff Koons, photo by Tom Powel

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker (2000) installed at Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2014, © Jeff Koons, photo by Tom Powel

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker (2000) installed at Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2014, © Jeff Koons, photo by Tom Powel

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker, 2000, Palais Des Papes, Avignon, France | image courtesy the artist

image by Mattias Mangold, Courtesy Fondation Beyeler, Basel

image by Mattias Mangold, courtesy Fondation Beyeler, Basel

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker, 2000, edition of 1 plus 1 AP, © Jeff Koons, Versailles installation photo by Laurent Lecat | image courtesy of the artist

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker (2000) installed at Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2014, © Jeff Koons, photo by Tom Powel

LACMA building, including David Geffen Galleries | image © Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner/the Boundary

Zumthor’s design unifies LACMA’s campus | image © Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner/the Boundary

project info:

name: Split-Rocker

artist: Jeff Koons | @jeffkoons

location: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles, California | @lacma

architect (LACMA’s Geffen Galleries): Peter Zumthor 

The post jeff koons’ floral ‘split-rocker’ to bloom anew at LACMA’s upcoming los angeles building appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

British artist Stuart Semple unveils Bloom, a sprawling, glow-in-the-dark installation of 5,000 vividly colored 3D printed flowers at Jersey Zoo, UK, transforming the grounds of Les Augrès Manor into a surreal meadow. On view from June 6 through September 2025, the artwork commemorates the visionary approach of British naturalist Gerald Durrell to zoo-led conservation while embodying Semple’s activist-driven practice rooted in accessibility and ecological responsibility.

Measuring seven by seven meters, the floral field is filled with six of Durrell’s favorite flowers—chrysanthemums, freesias, roses, scarlet pimpernel, crocuses, and pink magnolias—each sculpted from sustainable bioresin made of recycled castor oil and plant fibers. The flowers are hand-painted in radiant hues and coated with Semple’s proprietary ‘Lit’ pigment, allowing them to absorb sunlight and emit a gentle glow after dark. 

images courtesy of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust / Stuart Semple

a vibrant call for collective action

Stuart Semple, whose multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, performance, and social intervention, describes Bloom as a personal full-circle moment. ‘Ever since I visited Jersey Zoo as an 8-year-old child, it’s had a place in my heart,’ the artist shares. ‘This project means the world to me, because now more than ever, Gerry’s philosophy and his conservation ethics are vital to the planet.’ Known for his colorful provocations and democratizing gestures—such as developing the Pinkest Pink and campaigning for open access to creative materials—Semple brings the same ethos to Bloom, using art to empower public agency and celebrate collective impact.

Stuart Semple presents Bloom

the installation is a living tribute to gerald durrell’s legacy

Positioned in the heart of Jersey Zoo, the installation is commissioned by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust as part of GD100, the year-long celebration of what would have been naturalist Gerald Durrell’s 100th birthday, holding special significance for the community. ‘The flowers in Bloom are some of Gerry’s favorites, and I know he would’ve loved to see the colorful meadow pop up in the courtyard of his cherished Les Augrès Manor,’ says Lee Durrell, Honorary Director of the trust. 

Each bloom in the installation is both a tribute and a call to action. By offering the flower sculptures for public purchase, Durrell and Semple invite individuals to literally take a piece of conservation home. Proceeds directly support the trust’s global mission to save species from extinction, with each flower symbolizing a node in the larger network of supporters, scientists, and dreamers who share in Durrell’s original vision of a wilder, healthier world.

a sprawling, glow-in-the-dark installation of 5,000 vividly colored 3D printed flowers

transforming the grounds of Les Augrès Manor at Jersey Zoo, UK, into a surreal meadow

the artwork commemorates the visionary approach of British naturalist Gerald Durrell

the floral field is filled with six of Durrell’s favorite flowers

chrysanthemums, freesias, roses, scarlet pimpernel, crocuses, and pink magnolias

the flowers are hand-painted in radiant hues and coated with Semple’s proprietary ‘Lit’ pigment

sculpted from sustainable bioresin made of recycled castor oil and plant fibers

the flowers absorb daylight

known for his colorful provocations and democratizing gestures, Semple brings the same ethos to Bloom

Semple’s ‘Lit’ pigment allows the meadow to glow at night

each bloom in the installation is both a tribute and a call to action

project info:

name: Bloom

artist: Stuart Semple | @stuartsemple

location: Jersey Zoo, Channel Islands, UK

dimensions: 7 x 7 meters

dates: June 6 – September 2025

commissioner: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust | @durrell_jerseyzoo

The post glowing meadow of 3D printed flowers by stuart semple takes over jersey zoo in the UK appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Artist Tia-Thuy Nguyen creates a large-scale sculptural tree installation in Hanoi that reimagines the remains of a storm-damaged tree. Following Typhoon Yagi’s impact on Hanoi on September 7, 2024, which damaged or uprooted more than 25,000 trees, a 70-year-old Nacre tree (Khaya senegalensis), originally imported from Africa during French colonial urban planning efforts, was selected for transformation by artist Tia-Thuy Nguyen. The tree, previously located in the inner city, became the basis for a site-specific sculptural work titled Resurrection.

Rather than discarding the remains of the fallen tree, the artist retained its original structure and clad it in a custom-fabricated metal skin. The work was constructed over 6,000 hours using 5mm-thick stainless steel plates, which were hand-hammered to conform to the natural curvature and surface texture of the tree. The resulting surface alternates between smooth forms and textured knots, visually referencing the original bark. The completed cladding forms both a structural shell and a reflective exterior surface.

all images courtesy of Tia-Thuy Nguyen

Reflective Steel clads sculptural tree installation

The metal surface responds to environmental light, producing dynamic visual effects as sunlight interacts with its form. The branches were reconstructed to approximate natural growth patterns, populated with thousands of stainless steel leaves and quartz elements shaped to resemble blossoms. Artist Tia-Thuy Nguyen opts for these materials to enhance the installation’s optical variability, especially in direct sunlight. Weighing over six tons, the sculpture was returned to the original site of the tree. The new configuration maintains the vertical presence of the original tree while altering its visual and material composition. The work is designed to engage passively with its environment, emphasizing light, seasonal conditions, and user interaction as core components of the installation’s effect.

Resurrection functions as both an urban landmark and a commentary on cycles of transformation. The project bridges material reuse and large-scale fabrication, linking natural history with contemporary methods of surface and form manipulation. Through this process, the work proposes a continued life for the original tree through material translation rather than organic regeneration.

a fallen Nacre tree becomes the core structure of a sculptural installation

the sculpture retains the tree’s vertical structure while altering its surface

the piece weighs over six tons and stands on the tree’s original site

the branches are reconstructed to echo the tree’s former growth

reflective steel responds dynamically to sunlight throughout the day

5mm-thick steel plates recreate the texture of bark through hammering techniques

stainless steel cladding is hand-formed to follow the tree’s original contours

stainless steel leaves are designed to mimic real foliage in form and scale

the sculpture engages passively with light and environmental conditions

quartz elements are embedded to resemble flowering blossoms

smooth and rough surfaces alternate across the metallic exterior

material reuse becomes central to the sculpture’s conceptual framework

Resurrection reflects on loss, resilience, and adaptation in urban space

the structure functions as a permanent urban landmark in Hanoi

the work suggests regeneration through transformation, not replication

each viewing experience is shaped by changing light and perspective

the 70-year-old Nacre tree after Typhoon Yagi

project info:

name: Resurrection
designer: Tia Thuy Nguyen | @tia.thuynguyen

location: Hanoi, Vietnam

The post reflective steel skin clads sculpture emerged from fallen tree after typhoon in hanoi appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Cadillactus by Roger Reutimann is a site-specific public sculpture that integrates formal characteristics of the 1959 Cadillac with botanical features reminiscent of a cactus. The work utilizes automotive materials and fabrication techniques to explore hybridity between mid-century industrial design and organic morphology.

Positioned along the primary approach from Palm Springs Airport, California, to the downtown area, the installation is designed as a vertical structure that references both vehicular aesthetics and native desert flora. The chrome-finished tailfins and bullet-shaped lighting elements are configured to evoke the appearance of cactus spines and nocturnal blooms. These illuminated features activate at night, transforming the sculpture into a light-based landmark.

all images courtesy of Roger Reutimann

illuminating cactus spines turn Cadillactus into light sculpture

The surface treatment, achieved through the application of automotive paints and finishes, responds to changing desert light conditions throughout the day. Constructed primarily from steel and fiberglass, the structure leverages industrial processes common in car manufacturing, including the use of powder coating and metallic patinas. For the sculpture’s form, designer Roger Reutimann follows a modular approach, merging repetition and symmetry with asymmetrical, cactus-inspired deviations. The piece’s structural core supports radial extensions that suggest branching or flowering, while maintaining material coherence with its vehicular references.

Cadillactus was recognized with the 2024 CODAworx People’s Choice Award for public art. It reflects a synthesis of sculpture, design, and engineering, and contributes to the urban identity of Palm Springs through site-responsive formal language.

Cadillactus combines 1959 Cadillac styling with cactus-inspired forms

the sculpture features chrome tailfins and bullet-shaped lights

designed by Roger Reutimann, Cadillactus explores hybrid form and material

the sculpture is located on the route from Palm Springs Airport to downtown

the piece is constructed from steel and fiberglass using industrial processes

nocturnal lighting transforms the sculpture after sunset

project info:

name: Cadillactus
designer: Roger Reutimann | @roger_reutimann_artist

location: Palm Springs, California

materials: Stainless Steel, Fiberglass, Automotive Paint

dimensions: H=14 feet, W=7 feet, D=7 feet

The post roger reutimann turns 1959 cadillac components into lighting cactus sculpture in california appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.