We have designed this bar in Italy, inspired by Kraken, which is perhaps the largest monster ever imagined by mankind. In Nordic folklore, it was said to haunt the seas from Norway through Iceland and all the way to Greenland. Of course, to be worth its salt, a monster needs to have a taste for human flesh.
But despite its fearsome reputation, the monster could also bring benefits: it swam accompanied by huge schools of fish that cascaded down its back when it emerged from the water. Brave fishermen could thus risk going near the beast to secure a bounteous catch. The history of the Kraken goes back to an account written in 1180 by King Sverre of Norway.
As with many legends, the Kraken started with something real, based on sightings of a real animal, the giant squid. For the ancient navigators, the sea was treacherous and dangerous, hiding a horde of monsters in its inconceivable depths. Any encounter with an unknown animal could gain a mythological edge from sailors’ stories. After all, the tale grows in the telling.
The Kraken had a knack for harassing ships and many pseudoscientific reports (including official naval ones) said it would attack vessels with its strong arms. If this strategy failed, the beast would start swimming in circles around the ship, creating a fierce maelstrom to drag the vessel.
Legends say that the Kraken could devour a ship’s entire crew at once
The structure of the tentacles is based on a cardan cross system, which facilitated their installation
Each tentacle has a length of 9 meters
We intended to give life to the sea monster by using several elements that would suggest its dynamic: the position of the tentacles, the spears that pierce it’s arms
With the help of 10 projectors, we have created the 3D illusion of the sea in motion
The sofas are lying underneath the 3 boats we created from scratch
According to the myth, we wanted to create the struggle between monster and boat
One of the sea monsters arms was placed in a way that suggests he is pulling the boat down with him into the abyss!
Spot lanterns, suitcase shelves, piano shelf, found again a purpose here
The front of the bar is inspired from a pipe organ
Some vintage objects were repurposed to find them other roles
We transformed this oil lamps, into ambiental lamps with a spotlight at the base
Fresh air, 5 cents only! :)
The hourglass and the clocks, will always remind you to go home if you had to many beers...
The concept sketches, were the most fun to create :)
