Happy Lunar New Year! As we leave behind the year of the Dragon and head into the year of the Snake, we are enjoying one of our favorite Lunar New Year displays at Atrium at Crown Towers in Melbourne, Australia. Though many think of snakes with negative connotations, Dr. Xuan Wang, a senior lecturer in Chinese studies at Cardiff University, puts us at ease explaining that the Snake is intuitive, mysterious, and very smart. Like all zodiac symbols, the snake is rich with symbolism. Known for shedding their skin, the Snake teaches us to shed off any toxicity and negativity as we head into the new year. Sounds promising!
Hello from Melbourne!
While some members of our team endure the cold winds and snow that have been swirling around our New York office, we are enjoying the January summertime in Australia. Between the summer heat and the excitement of the 2025 Australian Open, Melbourne is, as always, our happy place! In particular, we have been appreciating the views of hot air balloon tours floating over the city at dawn, dotting the skyline with bursts of color. Oh and did we mention the coffee? After too many “magics” we are buzzing over here…
“moonGARDEN” by Lucion
After touring the world with stops in Athens, Brussels, Jerusalem, Moscow, Washington, Mexico City, Medellín, Houston, and Beijing, moonGARDEN has made its way to New York City. The art installation features glowing, color-changing spheres which were created by Lucion, a multimedia production firm based in Quebec. Currently planted at the Seaport District, the spheres are inspired by set theory, a branch of mathematics that Lucion says “illustrates the notions of sets and belonging.” Each city gets a new perspective, and New York’s installation is titled “Chronicles of the Abyss Walkers,” featuring an underwater themed marine exploration. A peek inside the porthole of one sphere reveals a new world, with giant jellyfish, robotic fish, and an intricate coral reef. The installation is sure to delight visitors of all ages, and art lovers can catch the exhibit through February 2025, before the garden travels to its next destination.
G’day from Sydney
As frigid winds whirl in snowy New York and London remains overcast, we’ve made an escape with the snowbirds to Sydney. Between the summer weather, beautiful landmarks (anyone coming along on the Bridge Climb with us?), and the happy beachgoers, the city is alive with energy to kick off the new year. This view of the Opera House out on the Harbour is one that will never lose its magic, always radiating a welcoming warmth.
Happy Holidays from DLG
In the spirit of the season, we came together for our annual holiday breakfast—a time to reflect, celebrate, and enjoy one another’s company. With delicious treats, festive cheer, and a lively gift exchange, we shared moments of joy while looking ahead with hope and gratitude. We are deeply thankful for our wonderful clients and colleagues who bring meaning and joy to our work every day. From all of us at Daryanani Law Group, we wish you a magical holiday season filled with wonder and warmth. We will resume posts on January 10, 2025. Safe travels and happy holidays!
Penguin Parade Sculpture Trail
A colony of penguins have shed their tuxedos and descended upon London, calling the Fleet Street Quarter home through January 5th. The “Penguin Parade Sculpture Trail” is made up of twelve individual penguins decked out in their holiday finest. Each penguin is designed by a different artist in collaboration with Wild in Art and the conservation charity WWF, and the sculptures share interesting facts about our fine feathered friends and the Fleet Street Quarter. Author and stand-up comedian Olaf Falafel provides an audio tour through the parade and visitors can use a map to locate the entire waddling crew. On our recent quest through the neighborhood, we were greeted by penguins Percy, Buddy, Snowy, Santa Paws, Kevin the Kinguin, The Forest at Christmas, and Pullover Penguin.
Holiday Lights
The holiday season is upon us, and with it the annual light displays that have become a favorite tradition are enveloping us. This week we explored light displays across New York and London, enjoying the twinkling lights at some of our favorite destinations. In New York we enjoyed gorgeous displays of hot air balloons and stars at Hudson Yards and Columbus Circle. In London, we were greeted by the ever gorgeous angel hovering above Regent Street and a light display at The Shard. We hope everyone is able to take a moment and enjoy the magical displays that welcome us all to celebrate the season. Take the advice of the London Underground and care for yourself this holiday season!
Thanksgiving
Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday next Thursday, we took a moment to pause and reflect on the little things we are grateful for this year; moments that you may blink and miss amidst the daily grind that is life. Our perspectives are shaped by diverse experiences, such as the daily commute through Central Park with its beautiful views, childhood friendships, passing a chicken coop on the way to the office, tennis matches, the memory of a community aquarium that once thrived in Bed-Stuy, and sunsets. Always sunsets! We are thankful for these daily joys and look forward to celebrating other small moments together in the year to come. We will be off next week but wanted to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Photos: 1. Sunset in New Hampshire, 2. Tennis and Sunsets, 3. Central Park, 4. Childhood Friendship, 5. Bed-Stuy Chicken Coop, 6. Brooklyn Views, 7. Bed-Stuy Aquarium, 8. Jogging Route in Miami
“Secondary Forest” by Giulia Cenci
The High Line is one of our favorite spots in the city, and we are enjoying the last sunny days of fall by exploring the current contemporary art exhibitions on view. The installation “Secondary Forest” by Italian artist Giulia Cenci stands at 24th street, welcoming visitors to investigate the intersection of human forms and organic elements. The sculptures depict animals, plants, and human appendages created from melted down scrap metal to create a forest that has regenerated after human-caused disturbances, much like the Highline itself. In fact, the artist described how the unique location of the exhibit, which hovers above NYC’s Meatpacking District, where slaughterhouses once stood and chic restaurants and shops now line the streets, influenced her work. As the artist explains, “[T]he High Line is a beautiful work itself; I immediately loved the way nature has been growing and devouring a manmade infrastructure. I started to fantasize about an area where different people, animals, plants, machines, and invisible entities are meeting and crossing.” Cenci’s thought-provoking work will be displayed through March 2025.
“The Little Mermaid” by Edvard Eriksen
When we were in Copenhagen last week for a gathering of the lawyers of the Rome District Chapter, we sought out this diminutive landmark because it reminded us of an immigration debate from many years ago, could Ariel really make the world her oyster?
Perched atop a rock at the Copenhagen Harbor sits “The Little Mermaid”. Inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a mermaid who gives up everything to fall in love with a prince on land, Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen, known for Carlsberg beer, commissioned Edvard Eriksen to bring the whimsical princess to life in the form of a statute and gifted it to the city in 1913. According to legend, every morning and every night the mermaid swims from the bottom of the sea to the surface and waits on a rock, hoping to see her prince. The Danes have proven to have a welcoming spirit to the migrant princess and she has thrived in Denmark for over a hundred years!