TRAVEL ART ON THE WATER
TRAVEL ART ON THE WATER Above: The focus of the Pérez Art Museum Miami opened in 2013 – and also designed by Herzog & de Meuron – is contemporary art from the Americas, Europe and Africa. Below: Brandi Reddick, the curator for Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places has helped push the arts in the city by Foster + Partners are the only ones currently completed. “We have created this one-of-a-kind environment, fresh and contemporary, to give people a dynamic experience of art, design, nature, technology and service,” Faena says. Eschewing the words ‘luxury’ and ‘developer’, he sees his work more as an urban theatre director in a city where the public’s role is set both as audience and cast members. “The entire Faena Universe is a stage, in which every space is delicately choreographed into a succession of flowing dreams and acts,” he adds. One example of his attention to refined theatricality is to be found by the hotel’s gardens, which are dominated by Damien Hirst’s huge Gone but not forgotten artwork, a real reconstructed mammoth skeleton gilded in gold leaf and encased in a glass box. It sounds ridiculous, an act of poolside hubris, but ‘in the flesh’ this dead mammoth bizarrely but perfectly symbolises Miami in a very non-patronising way. It’s beautiful, it’s modern art and it doesn’t desecrate past glories. Inside the hotel, the guest rooms and suites were designed by Australian director Baz Luhrmann and his wife, costume and production designer, Catherine Martin. But 40 j THE DESIGN ISSUE
“THERE’S A BALANCE BETWEEN PUBLIC ART, BIG BUSINESS AND COMMERCIAL CONSIDERATIONS, AND THE NEED TO FOSTER LOCAL TALENT, NEW NEIGHBOURHOODS AND COMMUNITIES” there’s a temperance in play. Had the whole hotel been relocated to the West Coast it could have been ostentatious, but here in Miami there’s an undercurrent of European and South American sensibilities that prevent anything decorative becoming too over the top. Another example is the hotel’s lobby, which is called the Cathedral and features eight large murals by Juan Gatti depicting virtues including gnosis, pax, amor and energos. The space doesn’t look like a lobby – there are no desks, just banquettes (upholstered benches) in the middle – which means that your first impression of the hotel isn’t the usual messy business side of things with reception and concierge, computers, stationery and piles of luggage. Your first impression is simply art. By the end of this year, when Art Basel 2016 parades into town, the whole district will be finished and it will be fascinating to see how Faena’s intense efforts are put to the practical test as the public get to use and interact with this neighbourhood. The same can be said of many of Miami’s other distinct districts. South Beach’s Art Deco District with its famous pastel and curvilinear silhouettes, continue to flourish under public preservation laws. Just a few blocks south of the Design District lies Wynwood, which is brimming with low-rise galleries, artist studios, tattoo parlours and cafés, and on the weekends is full of street art and graffiti tourists. Brandi Reddick is already excited about the next new destination: “There is a great energy happening in the Little Haiti/Little River district. Galleries such as Spinello Projects, Gallery Diet, Emerson Dorsch and ArtCenter South Florida have recently opened new spaces. Some of Miami’s most noted artists, including Edouard Duval-Carrié, Carlos Betancourt, Agustina Woodgate and Bhakti Baxter work from studios here. More important, these galleries and artists are purchasing their properties, which will allow them to have a substantial financial investment in the future.” Perhaps this last sentiment is key to Miami’s modern success: A city where the worlds of commerce and art are currently managing to coexist on all levels. There remains a balance between public art, big business and commercial considerations, and the need to foster homegrown talent, new neighbourhoods and communities. And in that sense, Miami right now, is truly, the state of the art. WHERE TO STAY FAENA HOTEL MIAMI BEACH – The Faena Hotel is part of a group of buildings, and is Miami’s most talked about hotel. From Damien Hirst artworks (below) to a cabaret club and fine dining, it’s designed to match the very best in the world for service and facilities ALOFT MIAMI BRICKELL – It’s a cookiecutter hotel, but an interesting cookie, offering easy access to downtown THE MIAMI BEACH EDITION – Ian Schrager’s hotel taps into the millennial market, with a stunning all-white lounge, bowling lanes, ice rink, nightclub and direct beach access WHERE TO VISIT PÉREZ ART MUSEUM – A great art museum accessible by the free-to-use Metromover WYNWOOD DISTRICT – A street art paradise full of small galleries, artist studios and cafés HAITI/LITTLE RIVER DISTRICT – An up and coming home to interesting artists with large new galleries and working studio spaces WHERE TO EAT MICHAEL’S GENUINE FOOD & DRINK – For top-notch fresh farm-to-table food THE DESIGN ISSUE j 41