Iconic, indestructible, and recyclable. That’s how Visionaire magazine co-founder Cecilia Dean described her 63rd and newest issue, “Forever,” which is made out of metal—giant 9- by 12-inch sheets of an aluminum stainless-steel alloy, to be precise.
On Saturday night during the Frieze New York art fair weekend, the magazine and its issue partner, G-Shock—the self-proclaimed “Toughest Watch in the World”—threw a launch bash at the Clocktower Gallery in TriBeCa that brought home the notion of all things, well, tough.
“Because this issue of is all about indestructibility and, with G-Shock as a partner, time, Visionaire became metal and we wanted to play off of the ‘forever’ idea,” said Alex de Betak, principal at event production firm Bureau Betak. “The idea was to create a mix of the obvious metal elements as well as that super classic Andy Warhol Factory, New York kind of party.”
The event, which took four days to build and one day to break down, was a play on textures, synthetic materials, and all things shiny. Betak utilized his signature “Like Mirror” mirrors—a French process of heat-shrinking Mylar foil onto aluminum frames—as the basis to build out the two-level space.
“When Visionaire partnered with G-Shock, there were discussions on how to infuse G-Shock’s essence into a tangible object,” said the watch brand’s publicist, Courtney Brooke-Johnson. “G-Shock is known for its toughness and durability, so making an issue entirely out of metal seemed to embody this quality perfectly.”
And lining every inch of the event space with metallic textures and silver brought the issue to life. From the moment guests exited the elevator, they followed strategically placed lines of silver tape (65 rolls of which were used) to the party space. There, they were met with two installation rooms featuring giant balloons, strobe lights, and plenty of confetti. The entire venue was lit in bright white LED light that glowed in a slow, flashing manner. All in all, 13,500 square feet of standard aluminum foil and 600 feet of bright white LED ribbon tape were used.
Upstairs on the gallery’s second floor, which also featured an outdoor area for guests to congregate amidst 12 stone eagle statues, Betak’s team painted the vaulted brick walls in silver and left them unfinished. Betak described it as “a mix of an unfinished silvery factory meets the New York skyline.”
How 'Visionaire' Used 13,500 Square Feet of Aluminum Foil for Launch Party
To celebrate its newest issue—made entirely out of metal—the fashion and art magazine hosted a silver-drenched party in New York.
Photo: Courtesy of Bureau Betak
Photo: Courtesy of Bureau Betak
Photo: Courtesy of Bureau Betak
Photo: Courtesy of Bureau Betak
Photo: Courtesy of Bureau Betak
Photo: Courtesy of Bureau Betak
Photo: Courtesy of Bureau Betak