HOUSE MUSIC
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For it’s most recent activation, HOUSE MUSIC, COMMA collaborated with LQQK Studio and LICHEN to juxtapose the services of music with those of goods, craft, work and home.
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HOUSE MUSIC illustrates that the communion— the bliss, empathy, compassion, appreciation, connectivity, and ultimately community—awarded through music cannot be limited to the audible form. HOUSE MUSIC insists that these same services exist in all of life's daily functions and that there must be music in everything.
HOUSE MUSIC was birthed from the perspective of COMMA, but inspired by the service and approach of its co-collaborators and their respective enterprises.
Alex Dondero of LQQK Studio, a print studio and brand, is a fine artist by discipline and a respected DJ in the house music community. By melding the dynamics of fine art with the pragmatism of commercial printing, he has elevated his craft and illuminated the art in his form.
Ed Be and Jared Blake of LICHEN, a furniture and home goods atelier, incorporate their acumen through their procurement of goods, but more importantly the activation of their space. Their presence in home decor has revealed a new audience and new thought, by challenging the antiquated constructs of how and by whom furniture is to be viewed and appreciated.
It’s not what you do but how you do it.
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HOUSE MUSIC
Side A: LICHEN
131 Manhattan Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11206
Side A was adopted as the warm up, a critical measure of a successful night out.
The tone coupled impromptu get-togethers at random apartments and the after hour in-store events that once littered NYC.
The LICHEN atelier was transformed into a semblance of the cryptic residential storefront apartments that lay anonymously tucked throughout NYC. The facade remained as is, while the interior drew inspiration from both House Of The Cider-Press, Claude Monet’s home, and Keith Haring’s studio. This aesthetic was a callout to the commonality spaces share in their exchange of social and commercial transactions. Utilizing the space in this capacity prompted ebullience and created an un-oppressive retail experience of HOUSE MUSIC merchandise. As testament that most social interaction happens somewhere between the bathroom and the bar, a free-standing tub and toilet were employed as both refrigeration for drinks and a beacon for conversation.
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Side B: LQQK Studio
80 Manhattan Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11206
Side B was the culmination of the activation, serving as the turn up. Where Side A established connectivity and familiarity, now, through Side B, the assemblage could abandon their inhibitions and embrace a communal sense of enjoyment. Reminiscent of the industrial artist loft parties that were common place for house music, Side B lent insight into music’s services. In a live-work space, it functions as a multitool: Position 1 serves as the ignition for creation while Position 2 serves the recreational needs of the creator.
Amidst the trance of the party, the functioning industrial landscape reminds the community that purposeful work is created here. The work and its end product are a manifestation of life lived and enjoyed.
For LQQK Studio, inspiration was again drawn from Claude Monet’s home, House Of The Cider-Press —specifically his lofted barn studio—but, the main inspiration was drawn from the studios inherent characteristics. The employment of the Don Albinson 1601 stacking chair and the David Rowland 40/4 stacking chair were representative of the metal and modularity found throughout the studios instruments, primarily the clinical stacking of screen frames as well as the modularity of the studio itself. The chairs, which were designed for commercial use, also reflect the duality of life and work as industrial furniture has long been an aesthetic for home decor.
To further emphasize the duality of a live-work space, a nod to the break room was incorporated. A lofted resting nook was imagined as a short getaway as it overlooked the studios daily operations and industrial aesthetics.
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*LQQK Studio has moved to:
140 McKibbin St.
​Brooklyn, NY 11206
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Special Thanks To:
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