SILENCIO

Silencio, the latest opening on the Parisian club scene, was a legend before even existing. Unveiled last month on the historical rue Montmartre, the club borrows its name from the iconic venue dear to many a heart thanks to director David Lynch’s film Mulholland Drive.
In the 2001 picture, the theater plays a central role within the mysterious and decadent plot, making Silencio an
unforgettable name that is immediately linked to an aesthetic of modern opulence.

However, Silencio, the flesh and bones one, is more than what its history suggests; and even though its fame precedes it, it looks like it’s setting its own rules of entertaining and steering clear of everything that is preconceived.

Housed in a 2,100-square foot space formerly home to two of the most influential leftist French newspapers, it offers “a unique club experience.” There are several small, intimate rooms, each uniquely decorated: a cinema, a library, a smoking room, a
restaurant and a bar.

In an attempt to look away from film, David Lynch first approached painting and drawing; and a two-year work in progress brought him to Silencio, which he curated in every detail with the help of designer Raphael Navot, architects ENIA and lighting genius Thierry Dreyfus. Asked to curate the space by its owners, Arnaud Frisch, Emmanuel Barron and Anthony Caton, the director used a thorough approach: everything had to be bespoke and made according to his careful planning, from the textiles to the furniture and from the lighting to the fittings and coverings.

Lynch himself designed some pieces such as the wire chair, manufactured by Domeau & Peres, while his unique cinema seats (designed to follow a rigorous ergonomic study to allow a liberated seating experience) were crafted by Quinette. Inspired in its concept by seventeenth century salons and literary circles, the members club (although anyone can enter after midnight) is a space to be experienced, and the experience is bound to be a highly sensorial and emotional one. The main colours are gold and black, and the golden features, courtesy of Atelier Gohard, are brought to life thanks to the incredible lights. The space is opulent and decadent, but it has a romantic feel and a multi-dimensional, multi-sensorial atmosphere.

Silencio is also going to take center-stage in the art and design worlds. Four times a year, the club plans to ask an artist to play host for a week, deciding every detail of the programming from music to events and from bar menu to live performances. Each artist will also produce a work of art, to celebrate this Carte Blanche program. The inaugural Carte Blanche, of course, was curated by its creator, who has planned concerts by Likke Li and Au Revoir Simone, movies such as Sunset Boulevard and Kubrick’s Lolita and a library selection spanning from Dostoevsky to Kafka.

TEXT BY Rosa Maria Bertoli PHOTOGRAPHY BY Alexandre Guirkinger

THE SPRING ISSUE

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