Selfridges has embraced its radical alter-ego in The Flipside, a side-stepping new exhibition aiming to define contemporary – and future – concepts of ‘radical luxury’. Housed a few steps from the department store’s storied, bright-white Accessories Hall, which was overhauled last year, is The Old Selfridges Hotel, a concrete maze of darkened rooms, activated by luxury technology, fashion and fragrance houses into a disorientating dystopia.
The Flipside takes notes from the Accessories Hall and turns them on their head. An antithesis of the Hall’s clean-cut aesthetic, with its half-moon shaped bar and distinctive, calming orb lighting, The Flipside employs high gloss black flooring, a multitude of mirrors, and neon strips that puncture the darkness. It’s as if, Stranger Things-style, we’ve slipped into the Upside Down.
Inside The Flipside at the Old Selfridges’ Hotel, London
Alongside installations by Louis Vuitton, Loewe and Thom Browne, Gareth Pugh presents a self-portrait film displayed on a corridor of mirrored screens, and Byredo looks to a future where fresh water will be a precious scarcity, through a collection of large, empty water butts, which echo the silhouette of its famous fragrance vessel. Elsewhere, Google has created a photobooth installation, where guests take selfies framed by their own definitions of luxury, showcasing the Pixel 2’s low-light abilities. The exhibition cumulates (via a fragrant make-your-own personalised cocktail room called The Libationary) atop a giant sundial, created by Selfridges in-house design team, where we are asked to contemplate the most in-demand of luxuries – time.
The Flipside is the second stop on Selfridges ongoing ‘radical luxury’ campaign trail, the most ambitious in its 109 year history. It launched earlier this month with a 60 second art-film, currently playing in cinemas across the country – the first film advert from the department store in 40 years. We also look forward to The Flipside hosting contemporary dance performances and panel discussions, all of which will attempt to define, question and dissect radicalism in the age of luxury.
The Flipside takes notes from the Accessories Hall, like orb lighting, and turns them on their head
The Flipside exhibition at The Old Selfridges Hotel, London
Water butts installation by Byredo at The Flipside
Gareth Pugh’s self-portrait film at The Flipside
The Old Selfridges Hotel staircase
INFORMATION
Until 20 May. For more information, visit the Selfridges website
-
Revolutionary Apple icon designer Susan Kare unveils a playful jewellery and objet collaboration with Asprey StudioAsprey Studio's new collection, Esc Keys, brings digital artworks by Susan Kare to life
-
What is the role of fragrance in contemporary culture, asks a new exhibition at 10 Corso ComoMilan concept store 10 Corso Como has partnered with London creative agency System Preferences to launch Olfactory Projections 01
-
Jack White's Third Man Records opens a Paris pop-upJack White's immaculately-branded record store will set up shop in the 9th arrondissement this weekend
-
Shakara is a stylish new addition to London's West African dining sceneShakara, a new Marylebone bar and dining room, adds to the city's ever-more impressive high-end West African dining scene
-
First a fishmonger then a restaurant, how Applebee’s became a Borough Market stapleIn line with the London seafood restaurant’s 25th anniversary, Applebee’s is reopening with a new menu and a new look courtesy of design studio A-nrd
-
Mayfair restaurant Silva is a dainty ode to the MediterraneanEnvisioned by Studio Wren, Silva is a dynamic, textural restaurant that reflects nature’s rhythms through its cuisine and design
-
Peek inside Heathrow’s new VIP terminal: exclusive travel from door to departureThe Windsor is Heathrow’s newly refurbished private terminal boasting a private gallery, cuisine from a Michelin-starred chef, and butler and chauffeur services
-
Night at the museum: the best art hotels to book nowSleep amid surrealists at London’s Broadwick Soho, or wake up to contemporary favourites at New Hotel in Athens – indulge in an immersive art hotel experience
-
London’s Piraña restaurant combines Japanese-Peruvian fusion with lavishly moody surroundsPiraña restaurant wraps a delicious Japanese-Peruvian fusion menu in an alluringly moody atmosphere in central London’s Mayfair
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Park Hyatt London River Thames: ‘Luxury meets the skyline’Tour the long-awaited debut of the Park Hyatt brand in the UK, soaring within a KPF-designed sleek glass tower in Nine Elms
-
Dinner and doilies: Bar Valette is an homage to intimate, yet unfussy diningFounder of The Clove Club, opens Bar Valette, a new London restaurant where comfort is king, and its thick chocolate mousse might be its showstopper
