NIGHT FEVER. DESIGNING CLUB CULTURE FROM 1960 UNTIL TODAY

NIGHT FEVER 1. Designmuseum Danmark. Photo Pernille og Linus Klemp

Nightclubs and discothèques are hotbeds of contemporary culture. Throughout the twentieth century, they have been centres of the avant-garde that question the established codes of social life and experiment with different realities. They merge interior and furniture design, graphics and art with sound, light, fashion and special effects to create a modern Gesamtkunstwerk.

“Night Fever. Designing Club Culture 1960 – Today” examines the history of the nightclub, with examples range from Italian clubs of the 1960s created by the protagonists of Radical Design to the legendary Studio 54, from the Palladium in New York designed by Arata Isozaki to more recent concepts by the OMA architecture studio for the Ministry of Sound in London. Featuring films and vintage photographs, posters and fashion, the exhibition also comprises a number of light and sound installations that will take the visitor on a fascinating journey through a world of glamour, subculture, and the search for the night that never ends.

Today John Travolta and his disco dancing movie Saturday Night Fever are pop classics, but in every decade nightlife has had its own special design expressions – particularly from 1960 up until the present day, when packed dance floors with flashing coloured lights have been replaced by popup events targeted towards increasingly micro segments. But how did the whole nightclub adventure begin – and how were the wild interiors and experiences designed in “the good old days”?

NIGHT FEVER 4. Designmuseum Danmark. Photo Pernille og Linus Klemp

“Night Fever” is a total experience that will appeal to all the senses through music, fashion, and design. The exhibition shows how the nightclub has been a creative motor for 60 years of music and design culture and includes a broad range of elements, everything from furniture to graphic design to architectonic models, art, film, photography and fashion. Visitors will be lead through a fascinating world that serves as a sharp contrast to everyday rules and routines.

The exhibition “Night Fever. Designing Club Culture 1960 – Today” is open between January 25 — September 27 2020, at the Design Museum Denmark in Copenhagen.

An exhibition byby the Vitra Design Museum and ADAM – Brussels Design Museum and Curated by: Jochen Eisenbrand (Vitra Design Museum), Catharine Rossi (Kingston University London) and Katarina Serulus (ADAM – Brussels Design Museum)

(press material)