라이카가 선물하는 시간의 영속성 또한 카메라를 소유하게 만드는 원인이며, 카메라 자체의 소유로도 행복감을 전달하는 것이 라이카 만의 매력이다. 로스앤젤레스에 들어선 라이카 메가 스토어는 저층부에 자리 잡은 거대한 카메라 예술품이 상징 하듯이 카메라를 만나는 다양한 공간을 제공한다. -약 천파운드의 스테인레스 스틸을 이용하여 제작- 기존 광고대행사의 건축물을 새롭게 리노베이션한 스토어는 라이카를 상징하는 블랙 바탕의 레드컬러 앰블럼을 전면 파사드에 디자인, 스토어의 당위성을 연계하며 총 8,000스퀘어피트 면적 속에 다양한 전시공간 및 쇼케이스를 배치한다. 콘크리트 또는 화이트 오크 플로어와 화이트월 그리고 블랙선반으로 이루어진 디스플레이 스페이스는 라이카의 역사와 시간을 나열한다. 그리고 또한 다른 층에 구성된 갤러리는 라이카를 사용하여 촬영한 사진을 전시, 또다른 문화공간으로 제공된다.
reviewed by SJ
The commission for Leica’s first mega-store came with an unusual caveat: Showcase not only 20 handheld cameras, IA Interior Architects project director Kirk Stewart was told, but also a camera sculpture, 1,000 pounds in stainless steel, front and center. Fake Leica
is the work of Liao Yibai, who simultaneously questions and glorifies
the Chinese mania for luxury goods via enormous watches, rings,
handbags, stilettos, and the like.
PROJECT NAME: Leica Mega-Store
LOCATION: Los Angeles
FIRM: IA Interior Architects
SQ. FT.: 8,000 SQF
Visual Terrain: Lighting Consultant.
Risha Engineering Group: Structural Engineer.
World Mechanical: MEP. High Tech Iron: Metalwork.
IMA International; Missan: Wood-Work.
New Vision Glass: Glasswork. Gordon Kuhl: General Contractor.
Sure, Leica’s goal is to sell cameras and lenses at the Los Angeles
location. (They’re displayed jewellike in a run of cabinetry lacquered
black on the outside and lined in red leather.) However, the mega-store
designation for the three-level, 8,000-square-foot space derives from
its uniquely multifaceted program.
This being L.A., Stewart didn’t forget the VIP lounge where
celebs get to chill. It’s furnished with chairs by Charles and Ray Eames
and enlivened by a terrific, slightly smutty photomontage of a guy in a
restroom, ogling portraits of Marilyn Monroe. On two, there’s a gallery
for temporary exhibitions, a library of rare photography books and
signed editions, and a terrace, an ensemble that occasionally morphs
into an event space.
In fact, everything but the offices on three can double as a
studio for shooting print ads and TV commercials. Lexus and Beats by Dre
were recent clients.
Aside from retaining the existing stairway’s position, beneath a
skylight, Stewart entirely rebuilt the interior, giving it an
unmistakable gallery vibe: concrete or white-oak flooring, white walls,
black shelves. “It almost appears as if we didn’t try very hard,” he
says. “With Leica making a commercial comeback, we never got confused
that the cameras are the real stars.”
Also existing, the black stucco framing the facade transforms its
expanse of glass into a giant viewfinder for passersby. The new
staircase appears behind, glowing white next to Fake Leica. It will stay
right there until someone pays the $1 million price, perhaps while
purchasing one of the significantly smaller real Leicas.
from interiordesign