The outside of the installation housed an exuberant tropical garden, where clubbers bathed in the glow of neon lights, enjoying music from Caribbean and South American acts. The interior was designed as a deliberate juxtaposition to this. Located inside a former 1920s film studio, the entirely monochromatic club radiated a completely contrasting ambience. Art, design, and music worked together to deliver the atmosphere desired by Carsten — the choice of entertainment is explained by the venue, “Each performer embodies the oppositional concept behind the project itself: guests and clubbers can cross permeable boundaries to venture into a double dimension and ‘schizophrenic’ journey.” The decision of duality is further explained by Carsten, “I want guests to feel like they are the only element of color in the monochromatic side that has only greys, blacks and whites, as if a foreign element in a black and white movie — and to feel pale in the hyper-polychromatic other side, where the tropics hit a bit too hard.” The immersive experience offered audiences the chance to become part of the artwork itself — foreshadowing possible futures in performance art. ‘The Prada Double Club Miami’ is the second iteration of Carsten Höller’s dual concept art installation, which was first debuted in London in 2008 for eight months.
