Location: Kaliningrad, Russian Federation
Location: Kaliningrad, Russian Federation
Timeline: May 2021 - October 2021
Project Area: 70 m2
Architect: Daria Beletskaya
CEO: Timur Gelmendinov
Barmen: Ivan Konorev
Engineer: Kristina Muzalkova
Graphic designer: Max Kukushkin
Photographer: Sergey Melnikov
How it started
First, there was the space and ambition to discover something entirely new for the city.
But we had no idea what the outcome would be.
All we had were our bartender Ivan and his idea to have a bar-table.
The Plan
The center piece is the table which is attached to the bar station and the bar, its aim is to shorten the distance between the guest and the staff. Such terms as bartender and a waiter are erased here, there is no distinction - everyone waits tables and prepares drinks.
The concept.
Designing had become the form of expression of the inner state. Inner experiences are the core of the interior, where each object has its story and sense. I was contemplating anxiety, which increased in society in the past couple years, and the places that give us comfort. Following this thought in the direction from our days to the ancient times, I got to the archaic images and it was an organic solution.
The main purpose was to create the interior which would give a feeling of balance and peace. Everything from layout and the stone in the center of the table to the music and projection on sails.
I was pondering how to bring mythology into the design. And once I’ve noticed a piece of a street artist on the building in the center of the city. The sculptor under the nickname @_negodiai_ places small masks in different parts of the city. They fit perfectly. Handmade with apparent references to ancient art. And 50 abstract masks were placed on the wall.
After some time I came up with the idea of connecting the images to mythology through one of my favorite books. It is a metaphor of Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero with a Thousand Faces’, which focuses on psychoanalytical theories and ethnographic research.
I was aiming to use materials in new ways. In this case, we used paving tiles on the walls and the floor. Only this material gave us the necessary form, texture, color and monumental feel.
Projection on the canvas is done with a special projector, the effect of which is attained by the light beams and lenses, whose movement creates a hypnotic image.
It was also extremely important to incorporate the works of local craftsmen. This is how vases of a local ceramist were placed in the niche and the windows got the shutters. They are divided horizontally into two parts and at different times of the day they can be adjusted to control the light.
Stone is the center element, symbol of stability and strength. It weighs 1.5 ton. I came to the baltic boulder manufactory and stumbled upon a huge stone at the entrance, it was the beginning of our discussion to place one in the Cult interior.
The name appeared late in the building process. We were searching for a word that would best describe the interior and the resembles of a shaman’s dwellings or an ancient temple. Furniture and decor are feelsome, dim, and in natural colors. Everything here aims to bring comfort and touch the soul.
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