Smirnoff nightlife

The project for the set design and art direction of the Smirnoff@nightlife – São Paulo exhibition sought a contemporary dialogue with the historic architecture of the house, one of the few existing Art Nouveau buildings in the city, dated 1907. Our project was inspired by the São Paulo nightlife and its own characteristic diversity, composed of the escapist, tribal, glamorous, fetishists and underground aspects which have charmed generations for decades. The identity of the exhibit was built around the element of light, the ultimate element of the nightlife aesthetics. The spaces were carved in colored volumes, producing shadows, transparencies, reflections, darkness, full and empty elements. The chosen color palette for the construction of the identity of art and setting of the exhibition is based on the light spectrum and their various shades. In order to portray each of the decades, different parts of the spectrum have been selected; thus, shades of red, orange and yellow for the 70's, shades of green for the 80's, shades of blue for the 90's and, finally, white for the 00's. A central shaft of red light organizes circulation and sets different environments, identified by white neon lights. The Smirnoff Bar, located on the underground floor, is the final destination of a walk through history. In order to house the museological content of the exhibition, a single module was designed; organized in different manners, this support hosts in its interior the historic contents of Brazilian nightlife: costumes, objects, sound equipment, flyers, photos, text and documentaries. Additionally, visitors were able to experience the dance floor vibe of every decade in a specially designed isolated module, immersed in a selection of music, lighting and characteristic images. In accordance to the "party box" concept, the bar is a key element in the scenography. It houses a selection of the main different styles of track lighting and effects that marked the decades, as black light, strobe, neon, recreation, led, mirror ball and dry ice. It's him and him alone, we found all the lights that pack the dance floors and lounges of the exhibition. The materials chosen for the scenery are characterized by a rustic, makeshift, sensory and unlikely aspect, especially textures and surfaces, such as sheet metal, translucent plates, wood-drilled, mirrors and acrylics. To foster the idea of sustainable design, the concept of "creative commons" was applied to the furniture, which was partly composed of replicas of the "Pallet Project" by Studiomamma. Armchairs and chairs scattered through the lounges, were all produced with wood from pallets before they went to waste.