by Luke Zhang

Have you ever been in that awkward situation where you feel like you’re putting up your number paddle at an art auction, just to pay $500,000 for that eccentric painting that you don’t care about?

Me neither, but just imagine if you were in that situation. Paddle8, the website for the art and design connoisseurs, just finished its newest auction for the Van Alen Institute.

According to Paddle8′s webs ite,“Van Alen Ins titute has a 120-year legacy of prom oting innovative architecture and design. Proceeds from this auction of design experiences benefit the Institute’s design competitions, research investigations, and public programs that shape the public conversation and bring design excellence to sites around the world”