The Artful Life: 5 Things Galerie Editors Love This Week

1. LEGO Shifts Gears with Life-Size Raceable McLaren P1 Supercar

Proving they are up for more than simply child’s play, The LEGO Group teamed up with McLaren Automotive to create an incredible life-size, drivable LEGO Technic version of the iconic McLaren P1 supercar, and they put McLaren Formula 1 Team driver Lando Norris behind the wheel to complete the ultimate test: Completing a full lap around the Silverstone Circuit. The sleek yellow-and-black car was compiled using more than 342,000 LEGO Technic elements plus an electric motor. The brainchild of 23 engineering and design specialists, the car is equipped with fully functional steering and took over 8,300 hours of development and construction before it was ready to hit the track. The project marked a series of firsts for LEGO, including the first time a LEGO scale build has been able to drive around corners, the first time a build has completed a lap of a racetrack, and the first time a Formula One racing driver has gotten behind the wheel on a LEGO scale build.

“Having worked on the original P1 program for McLaren, it’s so amazing to see so many of the elements from the original McLaren P1 brought to life so realistically by the LEGO Technic team for the full-scale model,” Ben Gulliver, Test & Development Director of McLaren Automotive, said. “The car was an icon of its time. I hope that through this collaboration with the LEGO Group, we are able to inspire the next generation of designers and engineers to push the boundaries of automotive innovation.” —Alexandria Sillo

2. Bulgari Hotel London Launches Whimsical Afternoon Tea with Emerging Artist Hannah Lim

The colorful, decadent cakes by Bulgari London executive pastry chef Salvatore Mungiovino will not be the only show-stopping element of the hotel’s famed afternoon tea this fall. The property has joined forces with Hannah Lim, a rising star sculptor, to create a limited-edition experience dubbed the Hannah Lim x Bulgari Hotel London Afternoon Tea. Inspired by her cultural identity, Lim has designed an assortment of bold tea stands, snuff bottles, and matching linens for a menu that masterfully combines touches of East and West, using a variety of flavors from Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Europe. “My designs created for the afternoon tea are all strongly connected to the themes of cultural heritage and identity that has defined my artistic practice over the last few years,” Lim tells Galerie. “The stands in particular are visually very similar to a lot of the larger sculptural works I produce, which are often inspired by the 18th Century design trend Chinoiserie.” There is also a visual connection between the napkins and the artwork on the front of the hotel facade. The Hannah Lim x Bulgari Hotel London Afternoon Tea will be available from Monday to Sunday from 2 pm to 5 pm. —Lucy Rees

3. New York School of Interior Design’s Latest Show Celebrates Hand-Drawn Renderings

The lost art of hand-drawn renderings is still very much alive in the practices of a dozen New York–based architects and designers, among them Peter Pennoyer, Leyden Lewis, John Gachot, and William T. Georgis. The romantic work of those talents (plus more) is on display in “The Persistence of Hand Drawing: Interior Rendering Today,” the latest exhibition at New York School of Interior Design on the Upper East Side. On view from September 19 to April 3, the showcase beautifully illustrates the power that hand-drawn interiors can provide in conveying ideas and shepherding a project from concept to completion. The tool might be seldom used today, but don’t be surprised if this exhibition starts to turn the tide on computer-generated images. —Geoffrey Montes

4. Craxton’s Cats Playfully Captures the Many Moods of Felines

British artist John Craxton had a habit of adopting cats wherever he roamed, and his love for felines permeated throughout his life’s work—playfully appearing in his paintings, drawings, and prints. Cats were a figure that crept almost absentmindedly for him—whether it was a doodle from his time in Crete or a glimpse at the workings of his inner mind. So it’s fitting that Craxton’s Cats, illustrated by Craxton and authored by Andrew Lambirth, delves a little deeper to showcase that relationship through humor and wit. The book, out this fall by Thames & Hudson, is an ode to the many moods of felines, providing a visual index of various states of mind. The pages contain both new and original materials from Craxton, and will appeal to both the loyal devotee and the uninitiated, as long as there is an underlying appreciation of cats. —Shelby Black

5. Turkish-Danish Ceramist Alev Ebüzziya Siesbye Crafts Exquisite Collection for Puiforcat

The ceramic vessels crafted by Istanbul-born artist Alev Ebüzziya Siesbye demand second, if not third, glances. Their gracefully reserved forms appear relatively simple, however powerfully alluring colors and gently swooping patterns hold attention, captivating with intoxicating beauty. The same minimalist shapes take on a striking new life rendered in sterling silver for Séléné, Siesbye’s collection for Puiforcat that nods to the shape and radiance of the moon. Encompassing seven unique pieces, the assortment of bowls and vessels are specifically designed without a designated purpose, making them perfect for elevating a dining table or dressing table, or just punctuating a shelf on their own. Each work appears to hover weightlessly, its only “heft” a delicately chiseled bevel to reflect the light, and enhance the pieces ethereal quality. —Jill Sieracki