The second edition of The World Around Summit will debut on January 30, bringing a free collection of global design talks to the Guggenheim’s YouTube channel. Again curated by Beatrice Galilee, the 2021 iteration moves from Midtown Manhattan’s TimesCenter to the Guggenheim but will have the same level of talent on hand to discuss the spatial, social, and racial issues facing the design world.
“The incredible projects for The World Around Summit 2021 reflect our mission to challenge and expand the expectations of architecture’s now, near, and next; accelerate the impact of work in the field; and connect the global individuals, organizations, and industries that are driving architecture and design today,” wrote Galilee in a press release. “I am thrilled that TWA is in residence at the Guggenheim where we can bring these powerful global voices together online to share their important work with as large an audience as possible; address the most critical issues we face; and highlight the role that architecture, design, and culture play in advancing society and creating a more equitable world.”
Moving the event online has both opened it up to outside observers and made it easier for international practitioners to participate. Some of the major highlights of the day-long summit, which will showcase 20 projects completed in the last year, include:
A presentation by David Adjaye of ongoing projects at Adjaye Associates, including the City of Winter Park Public Library slated to open this fall in Florida;
Pritzker winner Ryūe Nishizawa will debut a residence on the coast of Chile;
Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa of Ensamble Studio will discuss Ca’n Terra, their conversion of an abandoned quarry into a home in Menorca, Spain;
Deanna van Buren will be on hand to discuss Detroit’s Love Building initiative from Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, a nonprofit dedicated to ending mass incarceration;
Sumayya Vally, the founder of South Africa’s Counterspace (2020/2021 Serpentine Pavilion designers) will discuss how her upbringing and daily life in Johannesburg influences her practice;
Sámi architect and artist Joar Nango, in collaboration with ArkDes, will present Virtual Girjegump, a digital recreation of the nomadic Sámi Architecture Library, as well as the museum’s current exhibition on Kiruna, a mining town in Sweden currently being relocated 2 miles to the east in pieces.
The full lineup is available on the World Around website, as well as registration.
