CITY Issue 58

Shanghai Surprise RETAIL: NEST “Green” and “China” are two words that usually don’t go together, but a group of Shanghai’s fashion and design cognoscenti are looking to change the local vernacular with the opening of Nest, the city’s ﬁrst eco-boutique. The concept for Nest was hatched this past summer by Trine Targett, founder of Jooi Design, and Jeff Delkin and Rachel Speth of Bambu. Though each company had been designing with a conscience independently, they realized there was no retail outlet in Shanghai that embodied their practices. So they converted Jooi’s second ﬂoor showroom space in the artistic enclave of Taikang Lu into a shop that purveys what it preaches. The co-founders place a premium not only on eco-conscious design — the use of recyclable or renewable materials — but also on responsible manufacturing — producing a low-carbon footprint and creating tangible beneﬁts to the people of China. Brands on board include organic cotton kid’s clothes from wobabybasics, natural ﬁber womenswear from Brown Rice, and sustainable furniture from A00. The store is also working towards becoming the ﬁrst carbon-neutral retail destination in China, and has already started hosting monthly designer talks at which Nest collaborators share their joys and challenges over steaming cups of coffee — of the organic, fair trade variety, of course. — MEREDITH FISHER ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Glass Act INSTALLATION: DALE CHIHULY The city said to have the largest number of working artists in America is getting a colossal new showpiece. This month, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in downtown Providence is opening the Chace Center, a $34 million, José Rafael Moneo-designed addition to the RISD Museum of Art. To celebrate, alumnus Dale Chihuly is installing a collection of his massive hand-blown glass sculptures in the Center’s 6,000-square-foot gallery space. Chihuly’s pieces are renowned for their brilliant color, unparalleled technique, and sheer size — one stretched all the way across a Venetian canal. “I don’t know why I work so large,” Chihuly says. “I very often push a series to its maximum size just to keep the glassblowers at the very edge of their technical abilities, to keep the tension high, to make it exciting.” Chihuly at RISD will be accompanied by the work of other alumni glass artists through January 2009. — AS CITY TY 29

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CITY Issue 58

CITY Issue 58 Contents Have You Heard Our Friends Action Wanted City Moment The Amused Bouche Fast Food Temporary Contemporary In Rogue Diary Nicola Vassell Everard Findlay Milan Vukmirovic Lucas Ossendrijver When Fashion Met Architecture People: Person Behind Every Man... Eyeing the Room Mates Vagrant Saints Amplify Where to Buy It Icon

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