Announcing the third installation in our celebration of cutting-edge design. Building Fashion’s third of five rotating installations will be unveiled on October 7th with the first ever stand alone Tea Room installation by cult jewelry designer House of Waris paired with the architect Christian Wassmann under the New York City High Line Park at HL23.
The House of Waris Tea Room will be open to the public October 7th – October 17th from noon to six p.m. The Supima Cotton Garden will be used for afternoon tea and the HL23 Tin will house products Waris has carefully selected from around the world. Fine linen napkins from House of Waris, beauty products from Greece, olive oil from Florence, organic biscuits from England, limited edition products from brands like APC and Rodarte, and a curated selection of DVDs and books from Criterion and Assouline are just the beginning.
This special autumn installation under the Highline exhibited a main pavilion that seemingly floats in a large pool similar to the golden temple in Amritsar, the Indian town the designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia is born. On the outside the building is wrapped in stretched canvas creating sharp horizontal folds while the inside takes a more organic shaped with vertical curves. In and around are custom-made furniture and suspended jewelry vitrines based on platonic solids.
Project team: Luce de Palchi, Peter Dumbadze, Sean Gordon, Suzanne Gehlert
Additional installation team: Davi Weber, Indiana Morales, Ryan Simons, Timothy Voice, William Orlando
Materials: Canvas, water, plywood, carpet, glass mirrors, lenses, rubber, paint, lights
Gallery
HOUSE OF WARIS was founded by designer, actor, philanthropist and book editor, Waris Ahluwalia is strongly influenced by the romance and history of ancient kingdoms. His House of Waris jewels, which are coveted by fashion icons and sold at the finest boutiques, bring together old world techniques from India and Italy to hatch marvelously modern designs. Using House of Waris as a platform for collaborations, Waris has recently worked with APC, photographer Andrew Zuckerman and Tilda Swinton for Pringle. In 2009, Waris was nominated for the extremely competitive Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund and later awarded a CFDA Fashion Incubator grant. In 2010, the designer was inducted into the CFDA and placed on Vanity Fair’s Best Dressed List. Anchored in the land of tradition, yet raised in the ever-changing city of New York, Waris is in a unique position to share with the world an uncommon view.
CHRISTIAN WASSMANN, the winner of the 2010 Swiss Art Award, and his international team develop designs influenced by the vibrancy of urban life, art, and geometry. His projects range from ephemeral site-specific installations and exhibitions to more enduring furniture, interiors, and architecture. Starting his career at a very young age in Switzerland, Wassmann has gone on to collaborate with architects and artists, like Steven Holl and Robert Wilson, during the past decade. In private practice since 2005, he has designed such projects as the celebrated East Village Radio station on 1st Avenue, the Curved Wall House in Miami, various lofts, the “GIRLMACHINE” stage set for Performa09, and the “Fibonacci Spiral” construction for threeASFOUR fashion show, as well as competition entries for an art museum in Slovenia based on a 6×6 magic square, and “Endless Wave” a beach event venue for Creative Time, Art Basel Miami. For House of Waris he will create a mysterious pavilion under the Highline using basic artistic elements of canvas, water, and light.