Refinery29 presents #29Rooms // Room #6: The Beauty Carousel sponsored by Ulta Beauty
Delayed post--Better late than never!
Last week I join 20,000 others in a dark Brooklyn warehouse-- straddling a unicorn, bouncing into a blue foam block pit, shredding away insecurities and meditating in a makeshift womb. Invited to experience Refinery 29's 29 Rooms, I graciously indulge in an instagrammer's paradise. This year's theme, Turn it into art is partly inspired by the Carrie Fisher quote "Take your broken heart, make it into art" and looks to art to ignite conversation, cull concepts and be a catalyst for action. Keep reading for a look inside...
Room #14: Shred It in collaboration with Jake Gyllenhaal
Twelve years ago, Refinery29 starts out featuring 29 designers/ boutiques and has since evolved into a fashion and lifestyle website with over 27 million unique visitors each month. In 2015, the 29 Rooms concept materializes in celebration of the site's 10th anniversary. Translating a URL into an IRL multi-sensory experience, Refinery 29 convenes an "interactive funhouse of style, culture, & technology, brought to life by a group of global artists and visionaries across mediums, and powered by you" [Refinery29]. With roots in fashion, the 3-day event is tied to NY Fashion week.
#shredded
For 2017, the Rooms have upgraded to a larger location with 7 of 29 showcases sponsored by brands like Dunkin Donuts, Juicy Couture and Ulta. Actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Emma Roberts join Lizzo and a slate of local and global artists in highlighting relevant political and social struggles facing Americans today. While the rooms are simple in concept and construction, each presents a space to snap selfies, interact with exhibits and take action on personal + political issues. Favorites include Room #3: Erotica in Bloom by Maisie Cousins--a circle of floral threads within which visitors insert themselves in large hanging pods that "take your senses on an erotic thrill ride" and Room #12: Juicy Couture's Glacé Globe--an interactive snowglobe, set in the tropics. Open a fridge, which doubles as a secret entryway into Dunkin Donuts flavor lab. Sample 3 new flavors of coffee and vote for your favorite. Walk through Room #7: Bright Future, a neon display by Planned Parenthood, and pick up a momento for later...
Room #12: Glacé Getaway in partnership with Juicy Couture
Self expression is of no short supply with opportunities to contact local congresspeople, tag paper lanterns, become part of an artistic masterpiece, and more. 29 Rooms redefines experiential marketing through merging social media, meaningful messaging and the millennial movement. Though this is the first year with a ticketing charge, Refinery29 looks to evolve the experience; it will be interesting to see what next year brings...
Who wouldn't want to play in a giant snow globe before brunch?!
"We really do try to shift
perception within the experience. When you come out of 29Rooms, you feel
different. There's a change in how you think. You might, for example,
experience empathy with a transgendered person who really struggled with coming
to terms with that. We're exposing our audience to these different types of
experiences that create empathy within the moment"
--Piera Gelardi, Refinery 29 Cofounder
Room #16: Behind the Flavor in partnership with Dunkin Donuts
Room #1-2: Become the Masterpiece in collaboration with Alexa Meade
Room #15: Cloud Pool in collaboration with Chiaozza
Room #24: Hear Our Voice in collaboration with The Women's March
Many outlets for self-expression!
Room #9: Art Heals in collaboration with Art of Elysium
Lara Bar backdrop
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