The Tamesis
As far as urban development goes, Venice is the epitome of immersive experience. No wonder this sense of immersion became a recurring theme during the opening week of the 61st Biennale – with works by Marina Abramovic Ulay 12 years Cukcarna Gallery Enjoy Jordan Roth’s performance of 16th-century artist, musician and socialite Irene di Spilimbergo at the Palazzo dei Fiori.
We can now add to this the list created by renowned Los Angeles creative studio Playlab Inc. and its trees as forests The installation was commissioned by Golden Goose. On Friday night, the Italian brand hosted a dinner party to celebrate — and as always, it was magical, fun, and a little crazy.
For the uninitiated, Playlab Inc. has been shaping the visual language of fashion, pop culture and entertainment for decades. Think: Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton outings, Post Malone’s videos, and their current quest to reimagine the Westminster Dog Show.
Located in Haus, the Golden Goose Cultural Center in the industrial port area of Magra, trees as forests is an interactive exploration of the natural world and imagination. Viewers move through the space, connecting with the almost fairy-tale flora and fauna before drawing and planting their own tree into a toy-like forest, which is then projected onto the surrounding walls.
Golden Goose CEO Silvio Campara revealed that Playlab Inc. has no clear direction and allows creativity to flow. “The priority is always to convey the message of freedom and creativity to everyone, and they totally understand that,” Kampala said during pre-dinner aperitif time. “We thought it would be fun to explore this with them because we have a mutual friend in Virgil Abloh; I’m not sure a lot of people know this, but Virgil did our first collaboration back in 2013.”
this carte blanche It’s also a breath of fresh air for Playlab Inc.’s Archie Lee Coates IV, Jeff Franklin and Ana Cecilia Thompson Motta. “We wanted an immersive backdrop that was almost like Hollywood,” said Coates, who was in town from Los Angeles for the festivities. “A set that transports you to a storybook that doesn’t exist. We live in such a cynical world now that you can almost see [desire] It’s cliche – but for Jeff, Anna and I, we are optimistic people and we want to choose to be optimistic. “
For those attending the proverbial ribbon-cutting ceremony, a walk through the fictional forest will eventually lead to a dining space surrounded by painted wood trees and woodland animals. The long dining table is covered with leaves and plants—some of them edible, like baskets of asparagus and crispy wild leaves. Wild herbs, smoked potatoes and rosemary are served first, followed by mushroom and tobacco risotto, almond milk and cara mint.
The crowd included artists Lola Schnabel, Youssef Nabil, and Charlotte Rose, as well as up-and-coming Sean Koons; actor Arjun Kapoor; architect Tessa Saki; Olympic skateboarders Keegan Palmer and Cory Juneau; filmmaker Sinbad Guggenheim; and pianist Alberto Boff.
Despite the eclectic guest list, not surprisingly, the conversation kept returning to art. After working for many years in New York, Schnabel moved to Sicily to continue her work, while Nabil was preparing for the opening of a major solo exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Everything continues in that direction until the water taxi arrives for the moonlit journey home.
