Collaborations

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Courtney Place, Wellington, New Zealand

lightreading (Sonya Lacey and Sarah Rose), Raphaela Rose, Susana Torre

 

The nightclub is designed to provide an alternative to the nightlife spaces controlled by corporate operators that promote segregation, the homogenization of music and routine meeting and mating rituals, rather than the fluidity that dissolves the rigid daytime roles regarding gender, race, age and class. Spaces in the nightclub are presented in 8 two-sided backlit panels in the district where nightclubs, bars and theaters are located. One side carries the image, the other an interwoven text combining excerpts from interviews with women who played a public role in the city’s nightlife with provocative questions about the activities supported by each of the spaces.

Meandering stairs and a labyrinth of glass-enclosed bathrooms connect the different levels, but the final form of the nightclub cannot be known, as it is the manifestation of changing desires. The seven spaces depicted are:

• A Memorial for Phyllis Porter: a holographic curtain of flames, commemorating a dancer who immolated herself when her tutu dress caught on fire, by running into an alleyway to save her companions. A story of loss and courage to be incorporated into the city’s collective memory.
• Suzanne’s Perch: a scalloped balcony overlooking other spaces to take the scene in before deciding where to go, and with whom.
• The Wee Freak Dance Floor: a seemingly soundless space, where diverse styles of music only become activated when the dancer places herself under one of the myriad directional loudspeakers. The gyrating columns, covered in broken mirror, reflect colored light, moving to the rhythms of the different musical styles.
• The Chips Lounge: a relaxing, drinking lounge where videos are projected onto floating screens. The “chips” make reference to the exchange coin for drinks.
• BB’s runway: the meandering stairs used by done-up drag queens and other denizens to parade their stuff.
• The Circles: welcoming conversation pits where diverse topics and affinities are explored.
• Smoko’s corner: a gilded cage away from the fray for the seekers of forbidden pleasures, hidden from view by plants that also clean the air.

The attached images include:

• An overview of the panels with the text sides facing the street. The word in large-type is meant to intrigue drivers enough to return on foot.
• The Memorial and Chips Lounge panels in context.
• Suzanne’s Perch
• Suzanne’s Perch text panel (Gaze) on other side of the image
• The Wee Freak Dance Floor
• The Wee Freak Dance Floor text panel (Let Go!)

 

Please blow up the text images, as they carry the words that introduce the feminist dimension of the project.