Vodka brand Absolut and its distinctive bottle have a long affair with artists.
There have been collaborations with everyone from Andy Warhol to Anish Kapoor creating installations and limited-edition bottles. But it’s the Absolut Art Bar concept, a ‘one night only’ curated art and performance space popping up in select cities around the world, that has partygoers lining up for a look.
In Mumbai, it was designer Nikhil Thampi, who, earlier this month, created an art installation to complement the world’s fifth largest spirits brand. His focus was on gender equality. A few days ago, Chennai got its second edition of the event, with artist-entrepreneur Harsha Biswajit at the helm. His theme? Space.
- Check out Olafur Eliasson, the Danish-Icelandic artist, says Harsha and adds, “He works a lot with light and spaces, and gives you an expanded idea of what art can be. Someone I definitely look to for inspiration.”
Harsha, 30, known to the art and fashion crowd in Chennai as the son of Shalini and Biswajit Balasubramanian (of Forum Art Gallery), worked the concept of space into his installation at the Hilton’s Q Bar. His miniature space capsule encouraged guests to take a walk back in time, to the launch days of the Voyager probes. ISRO’s announcement in 2017 when it launched 104 satellites into space in a single mission sparked his interest, he reveals.
It also inspired BISKIT, the independent fashion label that Harsha co-founded with his sister, Shruti, in 2017.
View from above
When the Absolut proposed a collaboration, Harsha combined his idea of space with the brand’s concept of global unity. Talking about a future without boundaries, he says, “It is funny because the minute we step out of our own environment, we become aware of man-made borders.
Also, when it comes to space and trying to communicate to beings other than ourselves, the natural inclination is to portray ourselves as one. It was important to theorise this concept of a world without borders, because the reality is far from it.”
With suspended headphones, the space capsule introduced guests to sounds aboard the Voyager and greetings in many world languages (just in case the probes were to be intercepted by alien life). “I didn’t want to tamper too much with the integrity of the original text. I wanted people to know that such information exists, and that it is floating somewhere in space,” he adds.
The capsule itself was inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s confounding sci-fi masterpiece from 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey . “There’s an iconic tunnel that appears for a very brief moment. My design, the colours, and the minimalistic experience are all inspired from Kubrick’s film,” Harsha admits, adding that the abstract nature of space appealed to him.
With music by DJ Kohra, and cocktails that ranged from Absolut Voyager to Total Recall, the event certainly made for a good mid-week escape for our party people. And is New York-based Harsha planning to introduce his fashion label here soon, especially after the recent capsule collection collab with the Danish band Gents? He admits that he is looking to make inroads into the Indian market, but doesn’t want to rush it. You’ll hear from him in a few months, he promises.
