The dust surrounding the massive warehouse rave that took place in the Bronx last weekend, ushering in a new era for the northernmost NYC borough, has finally settled (figuratively and literally).
Landing on a Thursday before Halloween weekend, artist Lucien Smith, real estate developer Keith Rubenstein & Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn along with a lot of famous friends, celebrated the revitalization of the historic South Bronx and the plans for a massive redevelopment project along the Southern Bronx line, now given the name ‘the Piano District’. Lucien’s vision for the area is something of an artist’s mecca, whereas Rubenstein’s may be a goldmine for early investment.
Either way, the celebration to accent the new South Bronx was known as ‘Macabre Suite’, an “art happening” inspired by the medieval genre danse macabre. As a three-part exhibition evoking the halloween spirit, Macabre Suite consisted of a special dance performance by Kobe Kanty, which borrowed from a wide range of traditional movements such as Sioux Ghost Dance and Japanese Butoh, along with a central sculpture (which appeared to be a jumble of trashed and bullethole-riddled cars, which was part of Smith’s “Scrap Metal” series. Wandering through the party was a pleasure, with flashing lights of various hues of deep purple, burgundy, and bright green, bathed the warehouse in a lively yet morose vibe, curated by Bronson Van Wyck. Outside, food trucks lined the train track and waterfront, The outdoor scene was just as dynamic, with food trucks from Roberta’s Black Tab, Eat Morris, an ice cream cart, and Korilla BBQ. Flaming barrels and very Restoration-Hardware-chic candles provided a respite from the crisp fall weather.
As if this wasn’t over the top enough yet, the music was provided by a huge array of DJs, including Frankie Bones, Kool Herc, Mess Kid, Lucas Vercetti, Tigga Calore, DJ Chase B. The topping performance was by rapper Travis $cott, who led the crowd to incredible highs. Surely some iPhones were shattered, but hearts were pounding, and fists were pumping.
But who was enjoying this spectacle, which lead deep into the night? The guest list was so incredibly varied, from socialites to activists, real estate brokers to supermodels, musicians and actors. Guests including Gigi Hadid, Naomi Campbell, Kendall Jenner, Carmelo Anthony, Adrien Brody, Baz Luhrmann, Maxwell, Dev Hynes, Swizz Beatz, Hailey Baldwin. Artists & designers including Walton Ford, Bjarke Ingels, and Daniel Libeskind. Fashion was represented by Michele Lamy, John Varvatos, Brian Atwood with many models such as Ruby Aldridge, Johannes Huebl, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Jacquelyn Jablonski, Eniko Mihalik, Dree Hemingway, Andreja Pejic and Renata Zandonadi; Michael Avedon, as well as Adrien Brody and Lana Del Rey.
It was a huge bash that was the utmost success, a celebration to toast the new Piano District, a corner of NYC that the world is about to get to know very well.
Check out the photos from the party in the gallery!
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