Live camels and Arabian horses greeted guests Tuesday at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa for the southeast U.S. premiere of the IMAX movie Arabia. Inside MOSI’s grand lobby, design firm Conceptbait used fabric and accents in red, gold, and shades of purple to create an exotic, Middle Eastern ambience.
“When I asked for a copy of the film, what I got was this incredible box with this art that was so vibrant and beautiful, so we wanted that richness to come through in the bold colors of the decor,” said Conceptbait designer and co-owner Frank Clemente.
The design team hung 25 large Arabian-style lanterns from the ceiling, each illuminated with LED flickering candles whose natural hues resembled flames. They used an additional 75 smaller lanterns as centerpieces on the high-top tables, filling each one with a mix of red, gold, and purple flowers. Special lighting from above projected the image of a giant henna tattoo on floor of the reception area.
The invitation-only event for 550 guests began with a showing of Arabia followed by the reception. The MOSI catering staff prepared an array of Middle Eastern food, including stuffed grape leaves, hummus, and grilled vegetables. Special guests who spoke at the event included the film’s producer and director, Greg MacGillivray, and a former Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, Prince Turki Al-Faisal.
With a total size of more than 400,000 square feet, MOSI is the largest science center in the southeastern United States, and home to the only IMAX Dome theater in Florida. Arabia will be showing at MOSI until spring 2011.