This week's roundup includes Fatherly and Gillette's Father's Day letter installation at a pop-up in New York; a 15-foot gramophone centerpiece at the Apollo Theater's 14th annual spring gala after-party; backpack brand Bixbee's whimsical retail experience in Chicago; and 21c Museum Hotels and MGallery's live art demonstration.
Sonos Brilliant Sound Experience
Home audio brand Sonos celebrated the launch of Google Assistant for its smart speakers with an experience that took place June 7 to 9 at a vacant space in New York’s SoHo neighborhood. The pop-up offered three interactive audiovisual rooms powered by Sonos technology. The “Physics of Sound” room featured a light show, set to the Holly Herndon song “Eternal,” created with 236 strands of lights with 1,720 globes. The experience used 20 Sonos smart speakers to play different multitracks to make the song. Sonos partnered with London-based brand experience company Anyways to produce the pop-up and interactive installation studio Dave & Gabe to build the installations.
Photo: Courtesy of Sonos
Fatherly and Gillette’s Sincerely Pop-Up
Fatherly, a digital media brand for dads, partnered with Gillette on a Father’s Day pop-up, which is open to the public through Sunday. The pop-up, located at a vacant space in New York’s meatpacking district, aims to encourage parents (and non-parents) to think about how they prepare boys for adulthood with exhibits including the Letter Wall. The hanging installations features letters from celebrities and activists to their sons. Writers include Terry Crews, Roy Wood Jr., Luis Guzmán, and Matthias Giraud. The pop-up was produced by Crony Creative.
Photo: Steven R Hazlett
Fatherly and Gillette’s Sincerely Pop-Up
The outside of the pop-up welcomes passersby with a statement about the theme on the window, presented in a typewriter font. During the pop-up’s V.I.P. preview night on Wednesday, Poetry Society N.Y. provided guests with custom poems.
Photo: Steven R. Hazlett
Apollo Gala After-Party
Apollo Theater’s 14th annual spring gala and after-party took place June 10 in Harlem. Bronson van Wyck of Van Wyck & Van Wyck helmed the after-party’s design, which was inspired by 1914, the year the historic theater was founded. The event took color inspiration from the theater with a black, gold, and stage curtain red color scheme. The event’s centerpiece was a gramophone that stood more than 15 feet tall. The structure spouted an elaborate installation of red flowers and faux floral pieces that alluded to a gramophone.
Photo: Shahar Azran
N.Y. Flower Week
LEAF is a New York festival of flowers that will have its inaugural edition in June 2020. To celebrate the announcement, festival organizers partnered with New York-based floral designers to bring pop-up floral installations to Manhattan landmarks on June 11 and 12. Lewis Miller of Lewis Miller Design created a floral garland adorning the Atlas statue at Rockefeller Center.
Photo: Tyson Wheatley
Bixbee Imagination Station
Kehoe Designs and BlackOak Technical Productions have partnered with Bixbee, a kids’ backpack and accessories brand, to launch Bixbee Imagination Station, an experiential pop-up and retail shop in Chicago. The pop-up, which runs June 15 through September at North Avenue Collection, features interactive environments that incorporate light, sound, and video projections, inspired by specific Bixbee backpacks. The jungle environment inspired by the Monkey Backpack features suspended bamboo trees and a safari soundscape with interactive animal sound triggers. The environment for the Funtastical Backpack features hanging, oversize ice cream cones with googly eyes and neon signage.
Photo: Kehoe Designs
21c Museum Hotels and MGallery’s Masterpiece Suite
To celebrate 21c Museum Hotels joining Accor Hotels’ MGallery, the two brands commissioned muralist Aaron De La Cruz to use an all-white pop-up hotel suite as a canvas, which he painted from June 3 to 4. Cruz incorporated his signature deconstructed letters into the design, as well as the colors of 21c Museum Hotel's penguin mascot. The pop-up took place near New York’s Penn Station. See more: See How a Hotel Brand's Pop-Up Suite Became a 24-Hour Art Installation
Photo: Courtesy of MGallery
Asics Underground at Governors Ball
The ninth annual Governors Ball music festival took place May 31 to June 2 at Randall’s Island Park. As part of a multi-year partnership with Live Nation, Asics is creating on-site experiences for fans at major festivals across the U.S. this year, starting with Governors Ball. The activation, which had a design inspired by a New York City subway station, provided a space where attendees could have their sneakers cleaned. See more: Governors Ball 2019: 29 Instagrammable Ideas From Festival Organizers and Sponsors
Photo: Courtesy of Asics
Campo Viejo at Governors Ball
Spanish wine brand Campo Viejo celebrated its Live Uncorked campaign with a station that featured a vintage New York taxi cab overflowing with colorful flowers. Street sign props displayed the campaign hashtag. IMG Live, a division of Endeavor Global Marketing, produced the activation and B Floral created the flower bomb display. See more: Governors Ball 2019: 29 Instagrammable Ideas From Festival Organizers and Sponsors
Photo: Alive Coverage, Freedom Film LLC
Bud Light Dive Bar at Governors Ball
Bud Light brought its traveling music festival staple to Governors Ball for the first time. On the second day, the beer brand celebrated its long-standing partnership with Glaad and the beginning of Pride month by decking out the dive bar activation in gay and transgender pride flags. The activation featured a Pride wall with cutout letters that showcased Bud Light’s limited-edition bottles, which were sold onsite. $1 of every Pride case sold goes to Glaad. Engine Shop produced the activation. See more: Governors Ball 2019: 29 Instagrammable Ideas From Festival Organizers and Sponsors
Photo: Courtesy of Bud Light
