Welcome to The Buzz, a biweekly roundup of design world news and inspiration for Design Miami’s discerning community of creatives and collectors. Enjoy!

Yuri Suzuki’s Sonic Bloom in London

The Mayfair neighborhood of London is now home to Sonic Bloom, a multi-sensory playground of sound curated by Alter-Projects and designed by sound artist, designer, and electronic musician Yuri Suzuki. The public art installation comprises a network of colorful, horn-shaped interactive “flowers” that amplify sounds from the environment—the music of the city—and transport voice recordings, inviting participants to listen on one side, and speak on the other. Sonic Bloom is planned to last a year, but we hope longer.

“We aim to encourage connections with friends and strangers creating serendipitous audible moments that create a sense of community, shared creative ground, and sociability. We are proposing a multi-dimensional experience where visitors can exchange conversation, paving the way for social connectivity. These temporary connections create an incentive to form a closer, more intimate human connection where a friendship can flourish.” —Yuri Suzuki, designer

Loveland by Jozua Gerrard at Southern Guild

On view now at Southern Guild in Cape Town: Loveland, a collection of large-scale, enamel-on-glass paintings by up-and-coming artist Jozua Gerrard. The work explores the artist’s “fascination with the everyday” and his personal experiences of contemporary life—from hanging out with friends to moments of aching loneliness. Barely in his twenties, Gerrard offers a striking perspective onto what it’s like to come of age today. The show runs through September 17th.

Memory Foam Chairs & Video Game from OrtaMiklos x Superhouse x Friedman Benda

Last week, Superhouse and Friedman Benda launched Memory Foam, a virtual presentation of new work by OrtaMiklos. The project includes a new series of vibrantly rendered, sculptural chairs—which also exist IRL—accompanied by a delightfully fantastical art video game, created in collaboration with digital artist Guillaume Roux, musician Antonio Davanzo, and writer Kristian Anoldi. OrtaMiklos’s new collection was conceived and produced during a visit to a childhood home during the pandemic, and each chair represents a family member or friend who influenced the creative process. Memory Foam is accessible online through September 26.

What’s New? by Maarten Baas at Gallery All

In Shanghai, Gallery All and GDD have opened a solo exhibition of newly produced Clay Series works by the always charming Dutch designer Maarten Baas. The title, What’s New?, captures Baas’s wry sense of humor, since the series was first launched 15 years ago—a long time to maintain an aura of newness, but also a very short time to achieve the iconic, 21st-century classic status already bestowed upon Baas’ Clay. The show is on view through September 12th.

“Maarten Baas has been considered an enfant terrible of design ever since he first set fire to a chair and chandelier and made the charred results a finished product—thus challenging notions of beauty, perfection, and authorship… That was in 2002, and ever since, the Dutch designer has continued to question, provoke and amuse. Baas expands the boundaries of design, creating works that embed narratives within the making of objects while transcending the object itself.” —Aric Chen, outgoing Design Miami/ Curatorial Director

In praise of Galerie Downtown’s Design History Newsletters

They don’t come often, but we’re always pleased to see them in our inboxes. LAFFANOUR–Galerie Downtown on occasion sends out epic newsletters dedicated to special topics of design history. A few months ago it was George Nakashima; most recently, the Paris-based gallery shared a richly illustrated, sprawling survey of religious architecture. Do yourself a favor and sign up. You never know what fun design tidbit the gallery will offer up next.