Disco Silencio - CNC Fabrication for Barbara Bestor's SCI-Arc Installation
Building Type: Gallery Installation
Location: Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) Los Angeles, CA
Design: Barbara Bestor
CNC Fabrication: Cody Glen & Chris Parsell
Photos by Joshua White
Date: Spring 2011

Description:
Within the confines of SCI-Arc gallery, a transient realm materialized, showcasing an unfolded polyhedron adorned with perplexing surfaces. Channeling the spirit of WWI Razzle Dazzle camouflage, the installation repurposed mirror ball fragments, forming a captivating synthesis of military and disco surface architectures. This immersive space, aptly termed a "polyhedron of hedonism," engaged in reflective, distorting, and transformative interplays with its surroundings—inviting dance, recreation, repose, or quiet socializing.

The geometric configuration hinted at hidden enclaves, suggesting isolated back rooms and dim corridors as retreats from the visual intensity of the dance floor. Behind the exposed rough framing "backstage," a clandestine refuge unfolded—a pair of bunk beds discreetly concealed. Nightly festivities unfolded with dance parties, lasers, projections, and fog, while daytime witnessed the reflective surfaces activating a serene yet dynamic interplay of light. This silent disco presented an architectural enigma, veiled in intentional misdirection of its tangible form, embodying a clandestine elegance.