Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Art + Living



The second decade of the 21st century has seen a growing trend of lifestyle "art" properties.  A growing number of hotels, condos and luxury apartment buildings are incorporating cutting edge design and architecture with contemporary visual and performance arts to attract clientele with an edgier, more creative lifestyle.

The owners and creative directors of these establishments have chosen Flambeaux Fire's art installations and fire performances to complement their aesthetic and mission at openings and special events because of FFLLC's wearable fire pieces and living art such as the "human candelabra."  The 21C Museum Hotel, Hotel Eventi, 305W16, and The Dream Hotel Downtown and Dream South Beach are all art-minded spaces that have featured Flambeaux Fire art and performances this year.


Steve Wilson, with his contemporary art museum and hotel, '21C', in Louisville, Kentucky, could very well be credited as one of the small handful of entrepreneurs who began  combining a venue for high-end art exhibitions with a hotel. Flambeaux Fire, with Aerial Artistry and cream-of-the-crop NYC burlesque performers, arrived at 21C in their "art limos" June 2010 for an entire day and night of solid shows, including Julie Atlas Muz's famed performance from the 2004 Whitney Biennial. Flambeaux and Lady C performed their "Gold Show" on the main stage, with their signature wearable fire sculptures for an enthusiastic audience.


Edgy real Estate developer Harlan Berger's newest addition to the NYC landscape is the notorious Chelsea art condo "305W16", dubbed the 'Death Star' by locals and press for its dark and slick exterior. A controversial addition to the rooftop lounge was Burning Man artist Robert Buchholz' 34-foot mosaic sculpture of daisies, a prime example of Berger's passion to combine alternative art scenes with his A-list clientele. At the exclusive opening, Flambeaux was raised 50 feet in the air, hovering over one of the building's terraces, calm and angelic in a cradle of flames, explosions and 20 foot metallic wings of fire.


Vikram and Sant Chatwal of the Chatwal empire of hotels have outdone themselves with the 'Dream Downtown' in Chelsea, NYC, and the 'Dream South Beach' in Miami, both of which had Flambeaux Fire dazzling the glitteratti with Rock-L Productions. The owners of Tao (Las Vegas) and Lavo collaborated to produce the rooftop nightclub PH-D at Dream Downtown along with the hotel's food and drink options. En route to this uber-VIP club, the guests encountered our human candelabras. Meanwhile, Flambeaux played with fire on a private deck for a hot tub full of models that could be seen from PH-D, which distracted Leonardo DiCaprio so much he couldn't finish an interview with Style magazine! The glass-bottomed rooftop pool became the setting for Flambeaux Fire's Vegas-style fire display with Future C and Lady C blazing both by and in the pool, wearing outfits of fire and metal chain as they swam with the mermaids. In South Beach Lady C swam and danced in their rooftop pool while Flambeaux breathed fire from above.






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