Calvin Klein Reveals Nathanial Rackowe’s ‘Black Beacon’ Installation
‘Tis the season for eggnog, festive music, and—perhaps most importantly for New York City shoppers—spectacular holiday windows.
While certain shops may be happy to break out the twinkle lights and fake snow, Calvin Klein Collection’s Madison Avenue flagship took a decidedly more minimalist approach, tapping British artist Nathaniel Rackowe to create a show-stopping installation entitled “Black Beacon.”
The suspended sculpture is 60 feet long and weighs a metric ton (it’s the largest sculpture Rackowe’s ever created), and consists of a steel frame and series of panels that open up to create a sort of tunnel of light.
“The space itself was fundamental in developing this specific form,” Rackowe told FashionEtc of the installation.
“From the initial idea of having something in the window, I was drawn to the thought that the structure could start in the Madison Avenue window, but then extend back 60 feet to inhabit the entire amazing double height space. The huge white walls of that space seemed to be a perfect canvas for the light that I knew would be spilling from the sculpture,” he explained.
The result is a piece that looks perfectly at home—though incredibly impressive—in the sleek space.
“I would say that the stripped back, minimal aesthetic of my work was something that the creative team at Calvin Klein Collection really responded to, echoing not only an approach to the Calvin Klein Collection clothing, but also to the very architectural space that contains the sculpture,” he revealed to us.
“I like to think that within my work I strip back everything until only the most vital components remain, the essential parts.”
"Black Beacon" will be on display at the Calvin Klein Collection store on Madison Avenue through January 3.
In related news, check out some slightly more over-the-top windows that recently inhabited Barneys New York.
