The Dwell Guide to Events in Your City

Wednesday, May 7

With the help of Giorgio Armani and Anna Wintour, the Met explores the boundary between clothing and costume in Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, opening today. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave.; (212) 535-7710; www.metmuseum.org

Thursday, May 8

Pratt Institute and AIA co-host this panel on socially responsible design with International Design Clinic president Scott Gerald Shall, Obra Architects principal Pablo Castro, and representatives of Architecture for Humanity. 5–7:30 p.m.; Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Pl.; (212) 535-7710; www.aiany.org

Friday, May 9

Five short films from Chinese directors – Jia Zhang-ke, Guo Xiaolu, Miqi Huang, Cao Fei, and Ou Ning – capture the country’s rapidly changing landscape. 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Pl.; (212) 358-6121; www.aiany.org

Michel Gondry, who directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep, is known for his surreally spare set designs. Tonight, Gondry discusses his low-tech take on memory and dreams courtesy of the Museum of Moving Image. 7 p.m.; The Times Center, 242 W 41 St.; (718) 784-0077; www.movingimage.us/site/calendar/index.html

BKLYN Designs kicks off New York Design Week, with the borough’s innovators showcasing their designs in four DUMBO venues. Through May 11. http://brooklyndesigns.net/index.php

Saturday, May 10

Forget McMansions – artist Robert Therrien is all about supersize furniture. From giant folding chairs to daunting dishes and cookware, the artist’s big ideas turn us into Lilliputian onlookers. Through June 14. Gagosian Gallery, 555 W 24th St.; www.gagosian.com

For two days, City Opera’s singers perform selections from ten brand new American operas, with the composers on hand to discuss. Through May 11. 12-5:30 p.m.; Skirball Center NYU, 566 LaGuardia Pl.; www.vox-nyco.com/index.html

On Saturday at 5 p.m., be sure to catch Dwell.com Editorial Director Michael Cannell, who will moderate a panel discussion with architects Rob Rogers and Jared Della Valle, developer Veronica Hackett, Brownstoner.com founder Johnathan Butler, and Curbed.com founder Lockhart Steele. Later that night, join us at rebar (147 Front St.) for our post-party. 5 p.m.; St. Ann’s Warehouse, 38 Water St., DUMBO, Brooklyn; www.myspace.com/dwellmagazine

Sunday, May 11

Limited edition furniture is a growing presence in museum collections and auction houses. During BKLYN Designs, Metropolitan Home contributing editor Fred Bernstein moderates a panel titled Design as Collectible Art, with designers, retailers, and curators from the Brooklyn Museum and Museum of Arts and Design. 3 p.m.; St. Ann’s Warehouse, 38 Water St., DUMBO, Brooklyn; http://brooklyndesigns.net/index.php

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