The premises of former grocery store and “Społem” supermarket have been adapted to host a drink bar. “Foton” is located in the nineteenth century tenant house of Bisping family in central Warsaw. Through five meters high window the light comes to the dark interior feeding various species of plants set in a modular steel structure which fills the space. We convinced owners that a bare space, roughly prepared for further refurbishment and painted black will make a great background for the lively spectacle of green. We wanted to design a stage for the game set in this dark, anonymous scenery. The game consists of tracing the movement of “foton” – a steel frame cubicle moving in the void and creating a steel smudge behind like a frozen tail of a comet. A solid dead matter, out of the blue, which becomes slowly conquered by new forms of life. The steel structure is filled with vent pipes, and water supplying installation and together with the led light bars serves the plants. The tetris like structure creates also a bar counter, supports the mezzanine and happens to be a place where fair trade groceries are temporarily displayed as the bar turns sometimes into grocery shop selling food from local suppliers. We wanted to create a sort of utopia where architecture no longer consumes nature and the anthropogenic and biologic structures are cooperating and supporting each other. A true happy end set design for a pint. Enjoy!
