UNStudio installation for zara milan 2010

installation by UNStudio at the zara store at corso vittorio emanuele II image © designboom

dutch UNStudio designed an installation for spanish clothing brand zara during milan design week 2010. it consisted of a hollow and accessible cone made from polished aluminum. functionally, it was a cross between a sculpture, an item of furniture and a pavilion.

image © designboom

its position was directly behind the entrance of the shop, at a prominent spot in the atrium where many period details of the shop’s previous incarnation as a cinema are preserved. the installation responds to this situation in both shape and materialization. the funnel shaped opening at the top of the aluminium cone follows the outlines of an original monumental circular chandelier. both installation and chandelier are carefully positioned at the center of a circular plateau that is semi enclosed by two double sweeping staircases that meet at the top and are framed by curved walls.

the theme of reflection is already mutely present in the walls, which are adorned by shimmering golden mosiac panels and tableaus. when the gleaming golden walls are reflected back in the shiny surfaces of the installation, along with the distorted images of the interior of the cone itself, and fragmented reflections from the rest of the store, a ‘droste effect’ emerges of recursive reflections of reflections. augmented by special lighting, the installation offersb a kaleidoscopic experience of being surrounded by multiple reflections.

image © designboom

image © designboom

both installation and chandelier are carefully positioned at the center of a circular plateau image © designboom

image © designboom

german lighting company erco, provided the lights for the installation.