Mississippi to redesign state flag to remove Confederacy emblem

Mississippi has voted to redesign its flag to remove the Confederate battle emblem, making it the last US state to remove the controversial symbol that was used by southern states during the American Civil War.

Mississippi legislature passed a bill on Sunday 28 June to remove the blue saltire cross with white stars from its state flag.

A commission will now be established to design a new state flag that will include the words "In God We Trust",  the official motto of the US that is used on all paper bills.

Public to vote on new flag design in November

The new flag design will be presented to legislature by 14 September and a colour picture or drawing will be placed on a ballot in a special election held on 3 November.

The design will be approved and enacted into law if a majority votes for it. If not, the design will be revised.

"If a majority of the qualified electors vote against the new design, then the commission shall reconvene to recommend another new design for the Mississippi state flag to be presented to the legislature during the 2021 regular session," the bill said.

The bill also commits the state to removing the current flag from all public buildings within 15 days.

The redesign comes amid a call to end the use of symbols of the Confederacy, which was established by seven slave-holding states – South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas – in 1861.

The succession of these states led to the American Civil War, which was won by the northern states leading to the abolition of slavery in 1865 – emancipating millions of black slaves.

Confederacy symbols were adopted by white supremacists during the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s and the use of the battle flag is now highly controversial.

Previous attempts to remove battle flag unsuccessful

The decision to remove the emblem marks the changing attitude towards the Confederate battle flag following several unsuccessful previous attempts to remove the emblem.

In 2001, a referendum held to replace the state's flag with a design created by an independent commission was defeated, with 64 per cent voting to retain the existing flag.

A move to remove the symbol from the Mississippi state flag was also pushed in 2015 after the racially motivated Charleston church shooting but was also unsuccessful.

Mississippi is the last US state to remove a Confederate emblem from its flag, with Georgia adopting a new flag in 2003 to replace a 1956 design that included the Confederate battle flag.

Its decision was made following the killing of African-American George Floyd in police custody, which caused anti-racist protests in every US state.

The movement, led by Black Lives Matter, has spread across the world and resulted in the tearing down of other symbols of racism, including the statue of a slave owner in Bristol, England, which Dezeen editor Tom Ravenscroft argued was "long overdue".

Earlier this month, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced that it will now prohibit people from flying the Confederate battle flag at its events.

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Dinnerware, Eggs, and Wine Shatter and Seamlessly Repair in Dramatic Digital Animation by Optical Arts

A new CGI animation by Optical Arts depicts what would be a dinner-party nightmare: ceramic plates and bowls shatter, red wine cascades from long-stemmed glasses, and sharp knives dive to the floor. Despite its explosive scenes, “Tocatta” subsequently shows the same dinnerware, drinks, and plates of boiled eggs seamlessly repair and float upward as whole objects.

A multivalent consideration of physical contact, the word “tocatta” both originates from an Italian form of “to touch” and refers to a musical composition designed to showcase the performer’s refined techniques. The reparative animation is set to the opening section of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata and Fuge in D Minor, one of the German composer’s most recognized works. Because of its discordant runs, the musical piece historically has been used in horror films, like Rouben Mamoulian’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), Terence Fischer’s The Phantom of the Opera (1962), and Norman Jewison’s dystopic Rollerball (1975).

Written for organ, the eerie composition adds a foreboding element to the animation. The dramatic piece explores “the nature of time, the relentless violence of entropy and creative energy and its relationship to music itself,” the London-based creative studio writes in a statement. Another nod to the iconic composer, the dark, opening scenes are shots from Eisenach, Germany, where Bach was born and lived for the first few years of his life.

To dive further into Optical Arts’ productions, head to Vimeo and Instagram. (via The Morning News)

 

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Harvard GSD students create Design Yard Sale to support anti-racism initiatives

Students and alumni of Harvard GSD have launched an online sale of items donated by architects and designers, including an IKEA chair signed by Virgil Abloh and a Sam Jacob painting, to fundraise for organisations that fight for racial equality.

Launched today, the student-led Design Yard Sale is selling donations from Jeanne Gang, Toshiko Mori, Oana Stanescu, Billie Tsien and Snarkitecture among other industry professionals.

Fashion designer Virgil Abloh will sign and illustrate the Makerad chair from his IKEA range for the winning bidder

All net profits will go to the Bail Project, which pays bail for those who need it, and non-profit design practice Colloqate Design.

"Design and architecture are what we're good at," said co-founder Yaxuan Liu. "But right now we need to get resources into the hands of activists and organisers on the front lines of the movement."

"Design Yard Sale lets us use our skills to make that happen."

Architect Sam Jacob has donated an original painting of the Lake District in England

Modelled on a typical yard sale, the online auction collates a variety of items like furniture, signed books, prints, tote bags and handbags.

Standouts so far include one of the chairs from Virgil Abloh's Makerad IKEA range, which the fashion designer will sign and illustrate for the winning bidder, and a painting British architect Sam Jacob created for the auction.

This curved pink stool by American architect-designer Jerome Byron is also included in the auction sale

Out-of-print books like a copy of Spatial Structure signed by Pezo von Ellrichshausen and a copy of African Modernism signed by Iwan Baan were available, as well as an autographed copy of Delirious New York by Rem Koolhaas.

The Dollhaus (Closed) a print by architectural designer Jenifer Bonner, a Womxn in Design sweatshirt and American architect-designer Jerome Byron's glass-fibre reinforced concrete stool were also submitted for the start of the auction.

Design Yard Sale will continue for one month and is continuing to accept submissions for new sale items up until mid-July.

It founded by Yaxuan Liu, Tessa Crespo, Grace Chee, Edward Han, and Izzy Kornblatt, students and alumni of Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), which is recognised as of the world's most prestigious graduate schools for architecture and the built environment.

Study for a Mosaic by Billie Tsien is among other items donated to the online yard sale

Their initiative comes in the wake of anti-racism protests in every US state after the killing of African-American George Floyd in police custody.

Architects and designers have established a number of initiatives in the aftermath to address and improve racial equality in the profession.

Examples include a Google Docs spreadsheet listing black-owned studios and anti-racism design conference Where are the Black Designers?.

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002-Slim Cuff by Nyyukin

VDF products fair: the 002-Slim Cuffs by jewellery brand Nyyukin are intended to offer wearers a timeless design while also encouraging them "to be playful or experimental".

The 002-Slim Cuffs comprise two different layers – a polished base structure and an interchangeable, decorative inlay – which are made using 3D-printing technologies and designed to be mix-and-matched.

Nyyukin's intention for the range is for it to defy trends and offer wearers a piece of jewellery that can be worn throughout the day and adapted to suit different outfits or events.

"There's usually two categories of jewellery: the timeless classics and the in-the-now pieces," explained co-founder of Nyyukin Vera Henco. "You always had to make a choice."

"We wanted to create something that is timeless and long-lasting while still letting you be playful or experimental."

The base of the bracelet, called Character, is made from durable, lightweight titanium. It is available in three different finishes, and the characteristics of the material ensures the bracelet cannot be bent, so that it can continually hold the inlays.

The inlays, which are named Moment, are made from a type of polyamide plastic available in 12 different colours. These are made with either a studded texture or a smooth minimalist, understated version.

Product: 002-Slim Cuffs
Brand: Nyyukin

About VDF products fair: the VDF products fair offers an affordable launchpad for new products during Virtual Design Festival. For more details email vdf@dezeen.com

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Yoku SH spa system by Effegibi

VDF products fair: an integrated bookcase accentuates the glass front of the Yoku SH – an at-home sauna and hammam system by Italian brand Effegibi.

Depending on how many items are placed on the shelves, this can act as a decorative display, a storage space for towels or books, and as a privacy screen shielding the occupant from view.

The name Yoku SH derives from the Japanese practise of forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, which advocates for the health benefits spending time in nature.

In line with this idea, the unit is made up of tall, vertical panels, rendered in Aspen wood on the outside and American walnut on the inside of the sauna, to create the feeling of being immersed in a forest of trees.

The unit's frame is divided in half to create two distinct spaces – the dry sauna and the humid, Turkish bath, with is tiled in marbled porcelain.

Together with the internal shower, this allows for cycles of heating up and cooling down to take place within one and the same space.

The front of the unit is entirely covered in panoramic, smoked glass, which can be customised with either a wooden sauna door or the shelving system, which is made from sheets of oxidised steel.

Product: Yoku SH
Brand: Effegibi
Contact address: info@effegibi.it

About VDF products fair: the VDF products fair offers an affordable launchpad for new products during Virtual Design Festival. For more details email vdf@dezeen.com.

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