Last summer it was Carsten Höller/Prada Foundation’s Double Club and now the people behind The Book Club and Queen of Hoxton, the Mothership Group are bringing a pop-up art installation bar to Clerkenwell for the summer.
The Mothership Group have teamed up with artist management platform, Central Illustration Agency, and art collective, Pirates, who have designed the concept of the bar.
The design of the art installation-come-bar has been inspired by Clerkenwell’s printing history and features graphic typography and slogans. In fact, the bar is housed in an old factory building specialising in silver lithography.
Pirates are a group of artists/art directors who have brought to the space a mixture of spraypaint, set-design, paper, film and photography.
Without trying to be overbearing, the concept is all about communication and conversations, kind of what you’d expect to happen in a bar, and the design reflects this with vinyl lettering, murals, blackboards in the toilet, free standing cut perspex letters.
The colourful lettering reminds me of So Me’s graphic album covers and posters for Ed Banger and the Justice D.A.N.C.E video with their constantly mutating t-shirts.
The temporary bar will have a late licence until 4am and has a full programme of club nights with resident and guest DJs. It will be around for 3 months from May to August, so it looks set to become popular for after-work drinks.
Pop Up Pirates launches on 19 May with a private view of the installation and a DJ set from WI Club from 6-9pm, with a public view from 9pm-2am. For more info, check out their blog and to attend the launch, RSVP to: info@centralillustration.com
Pop Up Pirates, 27 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1M 5RN Tube: Farringdon