TWELV is excited to announce Tokyo-based, photographer Jörgen Axelvall’s new exhibition and book release, Go To Become.
Queen Of The Night Casts Its Spell
March 03, 2014 2:10 PM
At Queen of the Night, inhibitions drown in sudden dalliances. Upon entering the Diamond Horseshoe, a spell is cast as you descend the staircase. As guests of the Queen, we are immediately immersed into a room full of people and into a trance all our own. The details are subtly mystic; door handles shake back, enchanted wallpaper changes before your eyes and doors are portals to untapped levels of imagination.
The chemists behind the steam punk bar spread out concoctions free for taking as the butler characters, sporting androgynous versions of Thom Browne’s signature shrunken suits, slyly work through the crowd. Their deviant antics come without warning; enigmatically charming looks lure peculiar conversations that bring on out-of-character actions, sometimes baffling and occasionally sensual.
An unsuspecting guest is pulled from the room, into isolation, and given three options for the night on hand written note: a) grope a peer b) give a lap dance c) make-out with a stranger. He chooses, makes a promise and is released from seclusion back into the madness.
The masked Queen presides over the room for the entirely of the cocktail hour building heavy anticipation for the insanity that is about to commence. Her face hidden by stunning jewels and her body draped with a regal aqua robe.
As the butler’s coats come off, the dining room becomes a stage, a dance floor and a circus ring all at once. The queen’s sirens morph her from a royal fixture into the belle of the ball, in a striking white gown adorned with sapphires and gold hands. The lighting and flaming music work in tandem, demanding attention to the center stage as we’re seated for dinner. We are thrown into the dramatic physical saga of Pamina and Tamino’s love, utilizing the venue, the characters dive through hoops suspending from the ceiling.
The boisterous performance surrounding the meal is amplified by the food itself, opening with a baguette celebrated by the table’s breadbasket connoisseurs. For the entrées entire baby pigs are cut as the birdcages of lobster are presented to mingle with the enticing sides of mushroom paella and kale salad. Guests are to barter for their preferred dish and eat as a community, passing and trading in the frenzy of the feast. Following the meal, a dramatic soundtrack plays while we clear our own tables, led by the butlers sporting racecar-inspired helmets, we throw utensils in a bucket and chuck plates into the dish graveyard.
Pamina and Monostatos share a moment where intense sexual energy pours from every movement. Tamino intervenes and enters a series of stunningly sexual acrobatics with Pamina. All is well, the queen is free and the butlers swirl around the floor, stealing guests for a spoon feeding of chocolate desert and a tender slow dance to the final song.
Creative Director Giovanna Battaglia is renowned for molding pages for several Condé Nast fashion publications, taking readers far away with the flip of a page. Much of the success of the nightly affair is also credited to industry visionaries like Fashion Designer Thom Browne. His circus couture is rich with alluring cuts and intricate details solidifying the deviant spirit of each character. The cast of contributing artists also includes Set Designer, Douglas Little. His dark and luxurious atmosphere romances the audience, plunging us deeper into the enchantment of the night. The stew of ingenious lighting, innovative music and provocative costumes bubbles over expectations, devising an extraordinary evening of mischievous bliss while collectively achieving a new realm of art in popular culture.
A mystery and true genius lies in the characters; the intensity of their gaze is puzzled by the gentleness of their touch and the ease of their whispers. Guests lose themselves in their act and feel inclined to play along with their obscure games, and one guest, who chose option C finds himself in the middle of the dance floor kissing a stranger in the name of the Queen.
By Molly Murray
related posts
"Memory over reality" Crys Yin's reinvented childhood
Brushing eyes, combing toenails, flossing knees, and buying butts at the supermarket.
MOHRI SUZUKI IN NEW YORK CITY
Mohri Suzuki is acknowledged as one of the most promising calligraphy artists in Japan.
Saint Hoax: The PoPlitically Incorrect Artist
Saint Hoax is an artist who comes out of Syria and has a limitless mind of his own.
Culture Chanel Exhibition Opened in Venice
A new exhibition at the Ca’ Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art in Venice explores Coco Chanel’s life through her love for literature, her life living amongst...
Marilyn Minter: Pretty/Dirty exhibition
Starting November 4, 2016, the public will have the chance to admire the retrospective of Marilyn Minter's work at the Brooklyn Museum.
MARC JACOBS FALL2016 CAMPAIGN
Marc Jacobs, the man who keeps the fashion industry oohing and ahhing has shocked us once more.
The Fashion World with The Coveteur Book
The widely popular fashion website, The Coveteur, is coming out with a beautiful coffee table book on October 18, 2016.
CARVED CRAYONS. COOL.
Have you heard of "Wax Nostalgic?" How about the guy who can make almost anything out of crayons? Well Hoang Tran is the man behind it all!
COLORING BOOK "MAGICAL JUNGLE" BY Johanna Basford
“I create books so they can make masterpieces,” says Johanna Basford, about her new coloring book, Magical Jungle, which was recently published.
Invader Invades the Earth with Street Art
Invader is a mystery. People don’t know his real name. They also don't know what he looks like.
MINI BAGS BY Phillip Nuveen
Phillip Nuveen in Wonderland: a mini fashion world
The Floppy Disk Portrait Artworks by Nick Gentry
Nick Gentry is an exceptional contemporary artist who compose oil painting portraits with obsolescent media like Floppy disks, vintage...
"OIDE" - The unique project by Jorgen Axelvall at The Embassy of Sweden in Tokyo
In the first of December 2015, the Embassy of Sweden in Tokyo invites you to the opening of...
The Allurement of MVRDV's Rotterdam Markhal
Rarely does a market place transform an entire city – usually it is museums or art galleries, sometimes a hotel that brings in the crowds.
Heineken Cube by Muti Randolph
“Art is about creating interesting experiences and should not be limited to museums and galleries,” says the Brazilian multimedia artist ...
TAO DOWNTOWN - THE LUXURY RESTAURANT DESIGNED BY ROCKWELL GROUP
The Tao Downtown is a luxurious restaurant located at 92 Ninth Avenue on West 16th Street, New York.
Jacqueline de Ribes: The Art of Style Exhibition
Years before the term “It Girl” become a thing, one woman, Jaqueline de Ribes, had already given it meaning.
152 Elizabeth by Tadao Ando - The Essence of Serenity
Tadao Ando, a phenomenal architect, was born in Osaka, Japan.
Nike+ 45 Grand: An Intimate Brand Experience
Imagine a space intentionally curated to your fitness needs—complete with skylights, modern architecture, and a bustling event schedule.
Explore How American Art Came to be, From Founding Families to Our Newest Immigrants, at the New Whitney Museum
“America is hard to see.
Less partial witnesses than he
In book on book have testified
Bad Dads VI: An art tribute to the films of Wes Anderson
This weekend in New York City, a group of over 70 artists is set to present the annual art exhibit "Bad Dads VI." In its sixth consecutive edition, the exhibition - which was...
"Yoko Ono: One Woman Show (1960-1971)" Debuts at the Museum of Modern Art
On May 17, 2015, “Yoko Ono: One Woman Show (1960-1971)” made its debut at the Museum of Modern Art.
Galleria Borghese Welcomes Azzedine Alaïa‘s Soft Sculpture
The well-known Italian art gallery, Galleria Borghese, breaks its tradition of displaying exclusively “hard” pieces of art, such as plaster, marble, bronze, and stone, to introduce “Soft Sculpture...
GLOSS
GLOSS The Work of Chris von Wangenheim
By Roger Padilha and Mauricio Padilha
Traveling to Jorge Sato's Toy Tokyo
Manami Okazaki’s latest photography book, Toy Tokyo, turns a playful lens on Japan’s capital.
Olafur Eliasson’s Gravity Stairs: A Journey Through Alternate Realities
Art is especially impactful when spectators are drawn in beyond simply viewing from a distance.
COS X SNARKITECTURE FOR SALONE DEL MOBILE
Held every year April 14th - 19th in Milan, Italy, Salone Del Mobile celebrates excellence in furniture craftsmanship and artistic vision.
NYC junk dolls turn to art
Annie Collinge makes NYC junk dolls into attention-grabbing works of art in her newest collection.
True Colors exhibits realism
Bernarducci Meisel Gallery takes realism to the next level, with their current exhibit titled True Colors.
Disney characters featured in photography collection
Have you even imagined the story of iconic Disney characters playing out in a city like New York; where would they be? What would they be doing?
HISTORY CAN BE HIP
What if Abraham Lincoln had been too busy blogging about top hats to abolish slavery? What if Mao Zedong was more concerned with drinking bubble tea than building China into a world power? These...
NYC’S HOTTEST NEW PARTY TO “DIG”
Any nightlife enthusiast knows the quintessential idea of the unadvertised party, raging on behind the modest door of an unassuming building as those who aren’t in the know pass...
Geometry And Illusion With Hideki Inaba
Hideki Inaba marries mechanical engineering with graphic design for his latest solo exhibit at New York’s +81 Gallery. The exhibit opened January 15 with a live installation alongside...