OMA / AMO: prada men's SS 2012 runway
‘field’ for the men’s spring/summer 2012 collection by OMA / AMO at the prada fondazione, milan © OMA; image by agostino osio
italian fashion house, prada’s men’s spring/summer 2012 collection presentation transpired within a runway framework designed by OMA/AMO. an ordered grid of 600 blue foam blocks arranged in a 1.5m by 1.5m grid permeated the prada fashion show space in milan. the blocks intended for audience seating also doubled as edges for the varied catwalk paths, inevitably integrating individuals into the show. models filtered between the seats in highly choreographed catwalk patterns, turning along the grid in divergent directions.
catwalks integrated into audience seating © OMA; image by agostino osio
the rhythmic rows of seating situated within the confines of the vast historic building creates an unexpectedly sculptural effect. artificial grass contrasts against the blue blocks, evoking imagery of an outdoor picnic. the building’s rustic and monochromatic concrete walls amplify the saturation of the colorful installation. sixteen parabolic aluminized reflector light panels located around the perimeter of the grid provide lighting for the runway.
audience seating and camera platforms © OMA; image by agostino osio
perimeter and light panels © OMA; image by agostino osio
entrance © OMA; image by agostino osio
entrance to event space © OMA; image by agostino osio
runway meandering through the audience © OMA; image by agostino osio
finale image courtesy of prada
runway finale image courtesy of prada
video footage of the runway show
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oh no, it’s oma and their blue foam chic boxes again…enough with that, already! what a lazy approach based on their ever-recycled architectural cliches disguised as a luxury brand catwalk. it’s not even sarcastic anymore, just plain boring and repetitive. .
to petra:
please don’t embarrass yourself, don’t talk about something you just don’t understand…
@intenrautas: why so defensive? can’t a person have an opinion?
quite seriously, since you “understand” this, please do share your wisdom about all the deep and complicated aspects that you see in this project and the rest of us fail to recognize?
blue foam, boxes, grid…one does not need an epiphany nor do they need to be an architectural genious to recognize a generic project based on a tired idea when they see one. unless they have been completely oblivious regarding architecture over the last couple of decades or so and have just woken up to oma’s work.
I believe here what breaks the box is that more people have the first row experience.
i like it, minimalism plus cool color, and the foam thing can be cute
Very simple show stage but audience’s colours disturbs Prada’s new collection. It is only news value with a lack of sensitivity. In a way, it is very OMA.
to quote giorgio armani:
“baracconate”
just to try and clear things up, the boxes appear to be a special super high density styrofoam that is often used my architecture firms in models, it makes good sense that OMA would use them, I don’t doubt that they have enough left over to build their buildings out of it.
broken kilometer.
Did they want to seperate the audience so they couldn’t comment to each other during the show??
Talk about fascist.
Everyone looks uncomfortable.
I kind of get a sporty theme with the astroturf and stadium lighting, but the clothes dont respond to this.
PS: That blue foam is extremely unsustainable!
Wow. This absolutely amazing. I have unfortunately not so much knowledge about OMA’s previous usage of the blue foam boxes, but to see this radical approach to a catwalk made me breathless, once, as every time I see a new OMA project I was “Wow, Rem has done it again!”. void’s comment also made me realize one of the further genial aspects of this fantastic project, simple, and brilliant. Fragmenting the audience into the grid is one of those extremely simple gestures that improve the spatial experience and question our traditional perspective of how an audience should be. I simply love it, and I hope that no one but OMA had thought of it before, otherwise it’s an epic fail.
we miss the the brief by OMA in this post:
The audience is organized in a perfect field. 600 visitors sit on individual blue foam blocks distributed over a 1.5 x 1.5 meter grid spread through the entire hall. Models flow through the highly-organized audience, following multiple choreographed routes that allow maximum visibility.
The field is a commentary on the audience, transformed from indeterminate crowd to regimented, possibly anxious, isolated individuals. Each guest becomes a challenge for the new fashion; each confrontation becomes highly personal…
The field is based on a zero degree approach: a spatial system as opposed to an elaborated design…
Artificial grass covers the floor. Light is provided by 16 panels of 30 PAR lights each, vaguely resembling stadium lighting systems.
The set up refers to the imagery of a geometric outdoors; the audience participates in a perfectly organized picnic…
don’t know anything about fashion,
But to me it looks really awesome, with the colours, grid and building. Also the music is great!
Wow!!! … a graveyard! …
The living wear Prada, the dead – just watching.
If this was the point, the clothes would perfectly fit in.
Well, the ghosts don’t feel pain in their backs or necks. Lucky bastirds 🙂