Link About It: This Week’s Picks
Jenny Holzer’s latest, an initiative to save independent music venues, an app to help connect with government officials and more from around the web
Impact Lebanon’s Crowdfunding Effort for Beirut Relief
Non-profit Impact Lebanon has suspended its regular fundraising to focus on a crowdfunding initiative to raise £5,000,000 in disaster relief for Beirut in the wake of yesterday’s catastrophic explosion. Dealing with an economic crisis, rolling blackouts and the global pandemic, Lebanese people were already facing immense hardship. With reports of deaths and injuries from the explosion increasing, some 300,000 residents in the city have also lost their homes. Impact Lebanon will be working alongside and sharing donations with various NGOs that are on the ground in Beirut, and they promise to be fully transparent regarding all money spent. See more at their Just Giving project page. There is also information for those in Beirut and elsewhere at lebanoncrisis.carrd.
Image courtesy of Impact Lebanon
France’s Villa Noailles Art Center Hosts an Online Sale to Benefit Artists Directly
With all of the proceeds going directly to participating artists, an online sale hosted by the exquisite Villa Noailles art center sees works by dozens of artists—most being emerging talent from the LGBTQ+ community—on sale for €100 to €200. Located in Hyères, France, Villa Noailles is a modernist masterpiece itself. Their sale includes provocative photography, thoughtful watercolors, eccentric drawings and more. Artists include Sara Favriau, Darius Dolatyari and Antoine Audiau, whose simple but resonant rainbows truly stand out. All of the works originally appeared on the Villa Noailles Instagram account, as part of their Digital Rendezvous program during quarantine—the sale is an act of thanks. See more at their site.
Image courtesy of Adrien Pelletier
Spend the Night in Artist Dre Wapenaar’s Teardrop-Shaped Hanging Tents
Dangling in Belgium’s Borgloon Forest, Dutch artist Dre Wapenaar’s four low-impact “Tranendreef” tree tents welcome visitors for €70 per night through 30 September. Wapenaar initially installed the teardrop-shaped sculptures as part of Pit, a public art exhibition organized by contemporary art gallery Z33. Now, each tent (accessible by ladder) can accommodate up to two adults and two children for the night. These uncommon works provide a new vantage point to enjoy the natural surroundings. Read more at designboom.
Image courtesy of Kristof Vrancken
Jenny Holzer’s New Collaboration with Avant Arte + the New York City AIDS Memorial
Consisting of condoms emblazoned with words by Jenny Holzer and Walt Whitman, housed in a recycled glass pharmacy jar, Holzer’s URGE AND URGE AND URGE artwork was made in collaboration with Avant Arte and the New York City AIDS Memorial. With several of Holzer’s signature phrases (including “MEN DON’T PROTECT YOU ANYMORE”) and excerpts from Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself,” there are eight different condom wrapper designs. Made in an edition of 25, the artwork has already sold out, with a majority of proceeds being donated to the New York City AIDS Memorial. See more at Avant Arte.
Image courtesy of Jenny Holzer and Avant Arte
Support Struggling Music Venues Across the US with the “Bring Music Home” Initiative
According to a recent survey conducted by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), roughly 90% of independent music venue owners across the US predict that they will have to close permanently because of revenue lost during the pandemic. Bring Music Home (BMH) wants to prevent that. A photographic and philanthropic endeavor, BMH was conceptualized by Amber Mundinger, Tamara Deike and Kevin W Condon to document the state of the industry to help protect it moving forward. The founders partnered with roughly 60 local photographers and producers across 30 cities to capture images of 200+ music venues, their owners and employees. Each shoot adhered to the CDC guidelines of its city. Photos roll out on the BMH website and Instagram—with a book that includes the story behind each released down the line, to benefit NIVA. BMH also tapped Fine Southern Gentlemen and several local artists to create limited edition posters for all 30 cities, with all proceeds going directly to NIVA’s Emergency Relief Fund now. See more at the Bring Music Home website.
Image courtesy of Kevin W Condon
“Be The Change” Connects Individuals to Elected Officials
When a constituent feels pressed to present a concern to their elected official, there are a handful of ways to do so: emails, phone calls, letters or social media. But these platforms can often feel impersonal and may not get to the root of the issue. Pittsburgh-based Beam Data’s new app, Be The Change, aims to connect individuals directly to the elected officials representing them in all branches of the government. You “follow” the officials on Be The Change in your zip code and they can see what you post—on an interactive map or a Twitter-like feed. Users are also encouraged to share ideas as frequently as they do problems, so officials can peruse them and hopefully include them in legislation, citing the Be The Change community as their source. The app is available on 6 August via the Apple App Store. Read more at their site.
Image courtesy of Beam Data
The Return of the Accutron Watch Inspires a Podcast on Culture
When the Accutron wristwatch launched in the ’60s, it redefined what timepieces could look like—and how they could draw their power thanks to a proprietary tuning fork movement. With a new Accutron on the horizon, the brand tapped COOL HUNTING Editor in Chief David Graver to join entertainment reporter Bill McCuddy and editor Scott Alexander for The Accutron Show, a podcast about more than watches—in fact, an episodic discussion on art, culture, collecting, retro-futurism and design. With guests including Wine for the World founder Mika Bulmash, art advisor Maria Brito, and the founders of Hudson Whiskey and Assouline Books, each episode delves into a new world. The Accutron Show is available on Spotify, Apple and Stitcher, with new episodes available each week.
Image courtesy of Accutron
Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily in Link and on social media, and rounded up every Saturday morning.
Hero image courtesy of Jenny Holzer and Avant Arte
