Rushour in Metropolis - llotllov collaborated with architect Nathalie Dziobek-Bepler of PingPong Design on the facelift of Hotel Shanghai, a nightclub situated in Essen, at the heart of the Ruhrgebiet.
On a good night, 600 people populate the two floor levels of the Hotel Shanghai, including the balcony. The name derives from the owner’s origins as the charming host Kay Löber (artists’ name Kay Shanghai) was born in Shanghai and therefore decided to christen his work- and playground „Hotel Shanghai“.
The design idea is built upon a 30meter photo tapestry depicting the skyline of Shanghai city. It is a collage made from several works of photographer Jan Siefke, currently living and working in Shanghai. His images radiate the emotion of the pulsating metropolis at night. The horizontally and vertically protruding wall and ceiling elements combined with the specially developed vj set by V2A.NET turn the virtual skyline into real dimensional space within the room.
Following certain intervals, the canvas Ą (Yuán), symbol of Chinese currency inflates itself above the dancing heads. From the re-shipment centre for Opium towards the Eastern Wall Street, the rise of the economic growth of Shanghai and the People’s Republic of China is racing forward, unhindered and at breathtaking speed.
The aggressiveness of this development inspired the use of dazzle graphics on the balcony. Dazzle graphics are imagery developed for the camouflage of war ships during the 2nd world war.
Collaboration / companies:
Architect: Nathalie Dziobek-Bepler / PingPong Design
Photography for tapestry: Jan Siefke
Vj´s and Collage: Karsten Blaschke / V2A.NET
Tapestry Print: Aleksander Stajowiak
Stalactites Sculpture: Siegbert Heil / Heilight GmbH & Co. KG
Dazzle-Graphics: Sprayer Brosart
Photo Credits: Roman Weis
Wall elements: Ralph Weysters
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