A Sonic Journey with Salvaged Car Seats and Vintage Cassettes
Yont Studio has crafted a unique sound installation at Berlin‘s KaDeWe department store using salvaged car seats and over 140 cassette tapes. In this project, the studio turns the ordinary into an extraordinary nostalgic experience. This collaboration with Telekom Electronic Beats and local fashion brand Namilia is designed to offer Berliners an immersive nostalgia trip on the store’s recently renovated second floor.
Inspiration from a Classic Hit
Influenced by Iggy Pop’s 1977 hit “The Passenger,” recorded in West Berlin with David Bowie, the installation invites visitors to experience the melancholy of watching the world from a car window. Black leather car seats, sourced second-hand, circle the space, allowing visitors to relax, don headphones, and enjoy rare cassette selections as the creators turn the atmosphere into a sonic journey.
Brutalist Meets Playful Design – How Yont Studio Innovates Spaces
Designed to launch a collaborative fashion collection by Namilia, Telekom Electronic Beats, and Wet Leg, their design alters the environment through integration of bright-pink foam wedges with metal shelves and clothing rails to display the collection and house cassette players. The foam, distressed with stones and flames, adds a rugged texture reminiscent of Berlin’s brutalist architecture.
For more creative transformations in architectural spaces, check out how a 1970s villa was turned into a cultural pop-up with art, design, and cuisine.
Embodying Bold Fashion Statements
The installation’s glossy pink elements and quirky hooks mirror Namilia’s unapologetic, bold fashion ethos. Yont Studio sought to infuse the historic luxury of KaDeWe with youthful irreverence, connecting past and present through design as it pushes traditional boundaries.
A Rare Musical Collection
Offering a blend of techno, world music, and rare radio recordings, the cassette collection features DJs like Sven Väth and Carl Cox. Compiled from second-hand outlets and private collections, these tracks promise experiences unavailable on mainstream platforms. “There is music here you just can’t find on Spotify,” say the Telekom Electronic Beats team.
An Invitation to Engage and Share
The installation, open until September 27, encourages visitors to linger and listen or contribute their cassettes to the ever-evolving mix, fostering a dynamic, community-driven experience. Yont Studio founders, known for designing a record store in Berlin’s Mitte district, emphasize the demand for tangible, sensory experiences in increasingly digital times. This is how they turn simple concepts into shared memories.
Photography by Juan Camilo Roa for Telekom Electronic Beats.
Source: dezeen.com
Frequently asked questions
What materials are used in the KaDeWe sound installation?
The installation uses salvaged car seats and over 140 cassette tapes. Black leather car seats, sourced second-hand, are arranged for visitors to experience the sound journey.
How is the KaDeWe installation inspired by Iggy Pop?
The installation is influenced by Iggy Pop’s 1977 hit ‘The Passenger,’ recorded in West Berlin with David Bowie. It invites visitors to experience the melancholy of watching the world from a car window.
What kind of music does the cassette collection feature?
The cassette collection offers a blend of techno, world music, and rare radio recordings. Compiled from second-hand outlets and private collections, these tracks feature DJs like Sven Väth and Carl Cox.