As guests arrived through the museum’s loading dock, they could pin their avant-garde ball gowns and lapels with their choice of Abloh-designed keepsake badges, dubbed “Purist” or “Tourist,” a homage to the designer's obsession with labels. Partygoers had their first glimpse of the urban ruins theme as they posed for pictures in front of a colorful orange and white checkered backdrop that featured a graffiti-style grim reaper. Guests then piled into the freight elevator that was decked out with grand chandeliers strewn with orange and white traffic cones, which took them to a cocktail party on the second floor’s Kovler Atrium.
More than 650 guests attended the $2,500-a-head gala sponsored by Louis Vuitton. Co-chaired by Dr. Julius Few, D’Rita and Robbie Robinson, and Mary Ann and Ben Weprin, the event attracted internationally-known attendees. Artist Takashi Murakami (who had his own retrospective “The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg” at the museum in 2017), actor Joel Edgerton and girlfriend Vogue Australia fashion director Christine Centenera, and Chance the Rapper all got their first look at Abloh’s highly anticipated mid-career retrospective on the fourth floor. The showing encompasses seven sections: “Early Work,” “Fashion,” “Music,” “Intermezzo,” “Black Gaze,” “Design,” and “The End.” Gala guests weren’t the only ones with an elevated sense of style. The security guards became walking pieces of art with their limited-edition Nike Air Force 1 ‘07 Virgil Abloh x MCA “Flooded Blue” sneakers given to them by the designer.
The museum’s underground concrete parking garage saw the biggest metamorphosis of the night giving guests a transformative escape from the clean lines of the museum. Taking over multiple levels, the entire space was enveloped in an immersive installation of floor-to-ceiling images of Abloh’s work of exhibit plans and renderings. Frost Lighting filled the room in moody hues that glowed in blue and purple tones. Planners wanted to make sure that guests felt as if they were actually dining in the exhibition. The garage’s existing “Exit” and “Caution” signage played up to the theme’s gritty vibe, as did the low-hanging overhead clearance height signs.
The museum enlisted help from HMR Designs to work within the tricky space, whose challenges included slanted ceilings, pipes, and angled walls. Hanas noted that planners had to consider various sizes and shapes of tables to accommodate more than 600 guests.
MCA Catering presented a three-course dinner of Belgian endive salad with chilled lobster, along with artisanal breads from James Beard Baker of the Year Greg Wade, and an entrée of beef short ribs at tables accented with simple centerpieces of greenery and plenty of candlelight. Macaroons were rendered in Abloh’s signature Pantone 021 C (orange) and white. After dinner, guests returned to the fourth floor for a dessert reception and concert by English singer-songwriter Dev Hynes. The Blood Orange artist, who did a live set at an all-white piano and stage, has been a major collaborator of Abloh.
The gala raised more than $2 million to bring a platform, workshop, laboratory, and performance space for Chicago teens who the museum hopes to attract with the exhibit. “Figures of Speech” will travel to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta later this year and then to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and the Brooklyn Museum in 2020.
Get inspired and never underestimate the powers of event design as you devour the details of an underground garage as a venue!
No comments:
Post a Comment