There’s a Functional, 18-Karat Gold Toilet at the Guggenheim

If you find yourself on the fifth floor ramp of the Guggenheim Museum, you can now use a fully functioning 18-karat gold toilet. Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan created the opulent copy of a Kohler toilet as “an over-the-top apotheosis of wealth” and has titled it “America.” Interestingly, Cattelan didn’t ever want it in the gallery, rather he told the NY Times, “I’m happy because it’s …

Link About It: This Week’s Picks

The truth about the Five-Second Rule, new more inclusive emoji, an exhibition about jargon and more

1. A New Origin Story for Dogs When, where and how wolves were domesticated and eventually became dogs has always been disagreed upon by scientists. Now, new research suggests our best pals have a different origin story than once thought. Archaeologist and geneticist Greger Larson now believes—after extensive study—that dogs were domesticated not once, but twice. (It makes sense then, that the origin times and …

Thomas Heatherwick’s Climbing “Vessel” at Hudson Yards

2,500 steps within 154 intersected, rising flights of stairs unite to form Thomas Heatherwick’s vision for “Vessel,” an immersive monument to be constructed at NYC’s new Hudson Yards facility. There are 80 unique landing points, offering vistas of the city and the surrounding perennial public garden and plaza. The painted steel frame expands as one goes up, lending a striking half-oval shape, open to the …