regime as theme – las vegas update 3.
while wandering through the mandalay bay resort complex, i came across some very interesting bars and clubs.
mandalay itself projects a theme of vague exoticism and colonialism; the buddha statues and temple ruins i saw suggested somewhere in southeast asia, but it’s impossible to know for sure.
the entire place has the upscale aura of kakis—my girlfriend called it “banana republican”—dark wood shutters, rattan chairs, palm leaves and marble. within mandalay, however, there are several bars, eateries and nightclubs that carry their own distinct themes.
the first such place i found inside mandalay was red square. admittedly i was instantly drawn into the place by the massive, headless statue of lenin outside—complete with bird dropping stains and other signs of weathering.
here, the theme is regime—the entire club (including the “ice bar” where you can enjoy your chilled vodka basically inside a room-sized refrigerator) is styled to celebrate the 1989–1991 fall of communism in eastern europe and the dissolution of soviet russia. this is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, with logoware t-shirts being sold proclaiming “join the party!” even the name itself is a pun; literally, it references the famous area in the state capital of moscow, and as an identity mark it’s literally a red square—a snappy nod to both constructivist and minimalist design.
ever since the end of soviet empire, western culture has been fascinated by the art, graphics and style of the fallen regime, and its once-revolutionary imagery. the typography—most popularly the backwards “R”—has been widely appropriated (so much so that it’s been given a name, faux cyrilic). the vodkas of smirnoff and stolichnaya have packaged themselves in constructivism. mikhail gorbachev even did a television spot for pizza hut, remember that?
the overall interior design and architecture of red square (including the graphics on their menus and souvenirs) is very, very good. the weathering and distressing on the numerous wall-sized, soviet-era propaganda posters is well-thought and adds subtle dimensions to the space.
i was particularly fond of the chandelier shaped in the onion-dome style of st. basil’s cathedral in moscow—probably the city’s most recognizable landmark.
yet in one instance, the thematic designers got it completely wrong. to each side of the main bar there is a large piece of art; both are wheat pasted onto the wall and heavily distressed.
on the left is a communist propaganda poster which looks to be about 1930s–1940s in origin. completely appropriate.
on the right side or the main bar is an example of russian orthodox icon art, the mother mary with the child jesus. this is a clear incongruity; all religious iconography was banned under communism. if the look and the feel is supposed to be classic soviet (and based on all the other art and design cues, it is), this piece is decidedly apocryphal. i suppose that even in themerica, no one can get it right every time, all the time.
overall a place like red square represents a very interesting (and somewhat unique) overlap between the “hard” and “soft” narratives that exists in all thematic environments. in this example, the setting (”soft” narrative) is soviet russia; yet here there is a bit of ambiguity. the statue of lenin outside is headless—meaning that this is after the fall of communism. art pieces inside, however, represent both russian before and during communism.
the “hard” narrative is the literary, plot-driven narrative of the space. so this begs the question—from who’s perspective is the story being told? normally i don’t think this is a terrribly important issue, but with red square, the story is, by nature, ideological. are we glad that communism is over (the soviets were the antagonists) or are we lamenting its loss (the soviets were the protagonists)? the narrative here at red square is ambiguous at best.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:00 am
“the “hard” narrative is the literary, plot-driven narrative of the space.” - What is the hard narrative you experienced? What is “the story being told”?
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:53 am
i think the “hard” narrative i felt was simply ambiguity. it was difficult to tell if this was a celebration of communism, or rather a celebration of its demise.
granted, there weren’t any “hard” cues around…nothing on the menus, no placards, no written narrative. but i think, because i define “hard” narrative as being actor-driven (i.e. protagonists and antagonists, in the literary sense), i place the question of “communism the hero?” or “communism the enemy?” in the “hard” category. even though any suggestion was conveyed through “soft” means.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:47 am
That’s what I thought you were saying. I didn’t find a hard narrative there either. Not anything specific anyway.