Belgian artist Carsten Höller has designed a pop-up nightclub in Miami for fashion brand Prada, where indoor and outdoor spaces have very different identities.
The Prada Double Club Miami in the arty Wynwood district is open for three nights during the Art Basel fair and host of other events like Design Miami across the city this week.
Höller has revisited a previous concept, when he created a club in London that stayed open for eight months in 2008, but took a different thematic and aesthetic approach this time around.
"In this new project, the artist further investigates the notion of two-sidedness: the audience is presented with two different spaces which offer visually and acoustically opposed experiences, with no concession to fusion," said a statement from the venue.
Located at a former 1920s film studio, the nightclub is divided into internal and external areas. The first is entirely monochromatic, down to the lighting, and is hosting international DJs and live music acts.
Dark patterned surfaces are illuminated with white neons, which glow above and behind the bar. Metal mesh furniture is provided for those who need a break from dancing.
Outside, the neon lights shine in bright colours. The tubes are installed around the edges of a thatched hut that houses the bar, as well as an orthogonal structure with a DJ booth and a dance floor, where clubbers can enjoy music from locally based Caribbean and South American acts.
"Each performer embodies the oppositional concept behind the project itself: guests and clubbers can cross a permeable boundaries to venture into a double dimension and 'schizophrenic' journey," the venue's statement said.
The first events at The Prada Double Club Miami also coincide with the opening of a new Prada store in Miami Design District this week. The brand was founded in 1913 and is now headed by designer Miuccia Prada.
This isn't her first nightclub commission. In 2015, she asked AMO – the research arm of architecture firm OMA – to create 1990s-themed party venue for her other fashion brand Miu Miu in Paris.
Höller is best known for his playful architectural interventions, which have included the addition of a giant slide to London's ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture.
Art Basel Miami Beach runs 7 to 10 December 2017 at Miami Beach Convention, while Design Miami takes place from 6 to 10 December 2017 at a tent nearby.
Photography by Casey Kelbaugh.