When Tom Sachs was eight years old, his father wanted a camera. Since the camera was too expensive to buy, the young Sachs made him one of clay instead. Since the boy went on to become a famous sculptor, one might dare to guess that the clay version was way cooler than the original.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Walking into David Altmejd’s studio feels like falling down a rabbit hole into some strange wonderland. Hidden on the top floor of a Long Island City warehouse that’s just one subway stop from Manhattan, the large, bright space is a hub of activity.

Richard Meier, renowned as a member of the New York Five and recipient of some of the architecture world’s highest accolades, is more interested in the ongoing challenges of design innovation than in slowing down.

Favourite patterns and hues picked from the spring/summer 2013 runway collections.

It’s a scorching, humid New York summer day, but Julien Gardair, clad in khaki shorts and a long-sleeved T-shirt, is unfazed by the heat. To be polite, he flicks on the air conditioning. French people don’t use much A/C, explains the Versailles-born contemporary artist, pouring glasses of sparkling water thick with crushed limes.