What did nightclubs look like back in the 60s, 70s and 80s? Were they part of something bigger, something more complex, acting as the multi-functional venues where new cultural patterns emerged? Answers on these questions can be found at ADAM Museum in Brussels where the new show is on display between 21.11.2018 and 05.05.2019.
Night Fever. Designing Club Culture 1960 – Today is coproduced with Vitra Design Museum and represents the first large-scale examination of the relationship between the club culture and design. The idea of the show is to explore the broader meaning of nightclubs and the culture that surrounds it. Namely, night clubs represent one of the most important spaces in our contemporary culture while some of them managed to become a reference point and inspiration for the architects and designers.
Starting in the 1960s, nightclubs have been epicenters of pop culture and new vivid night life, which provided architects and designers all over the world with opportunities and inspiration for creating unique and special places.
Many people don’t realize that nightclubs serve as spaces that merge architecture and interior design with sound, light, fashion, graphics, and visual effects. Some of the examples range from Italian clubs of the 1960s created by the protagonists of Radical Design to the legendary Studio 54 in New York where Andy Warhol was a regular, from the Haçienda in Manchester designed by Ben Kelly to more recent concepts by the OMA architecture studio for the Ministry of Sound in London.
The exhibits on display range from films and vintage photographs to flyers, posters, records, fashion and artworks relating to some of the world’s most iconic nightclubs. Contemporary works by photographers and artists such as Mark Leckey, Chen Wei, and Musa N. Nxumalo can also be seen in the exhibiton. The spatial installation with music and light effects takes visitors on a fascinating journey through a world of glamour and subcultures – always in search of the night that never ends.
The expo is organized in a chronological order, so that visitors can follow the gradual development of the clubbing culture and also learn about some of the most iconic venues around the world. For instance, the influence of New York’s Studio 54 was strong – this was a place that was founded by Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell in 1977 and it gained cult status thanks to an amazing interior and special guests which included lots of celebrities at the time. Another example is the Manchester’s Hacienda from the 80s period, which featured post-industrial style interiors and in fact also had the influence on the spread of acid-house genre to Berlin in the early 1990s.
Special feature of the expo is an amazing music and light installation created by German designer Konstantin Grcic who turned a model of smart car into a mobile disco. He designed a DJ booth, including a cabin, mixer, a smoke machine and various lighting effects. Visitors of the opening night in Brussels had a chance to enjoy the dance beats that were played from the smart mobile disco. In fact, it would be great to have this mobile disco car available at all times and drive around Brussels spreading positive vibes! 🙂
The exhibition in ADAM museum can be seen until 05.05.2019. and is supported by smart and Hugo Boss.
