MINI showroom at Leng Kee Rd
(Photographs by Andy Wee Fotografie)

This was supposed to have been an article that I was going to put out for "iSh" magazine. Unfortunately, "iSh" has decided to use their in-house writer to do the piece and since the press-kit and images were given to them by MINI, they just about have all they need to work on. Except that I know the designer and have formulated an "angle" to this story so it's a waste that I won't be able to do it. Then again, there's this blog, so here are some random thoughts on the MINI showroom...

It's universal. That's what an architect envies about an interior designer. There's no need for an interior to be contextual, or be of a time, or place, or culture. It can be ruthlessly rootless, and entice one to a world that is totally of its own. It creates its own sun, its own gravity and its own
realm. The MINI on the glass floor is for real. It was driven to that spot on the glass. The MINI hung on the wall is a life-size vacuous model. Gravity is defied but the interior designer is not liable for structural failure. And notice that all the photos are night shots. That's when the artificial lights are best captured. The interior design product is a nocturnal world. And if it isn't night, well, the black floors and ceiling will help allude to it...

I'm reminded of Mussorgsky's Picture at an Exhibition and the notion of the museum as a shopping mall... Here, there are neon-lit picture frames. The counters and the shelves are outlined in with garish frames. They come in various sizes, but none of them are tilted or off-balanced. There are all a variation on a theme. A MINI here, a MINI there, a MINI everywhere, all accentuated with a strobe light and a frame. You can view the MINIs from the top, the bottom and the sides. And then there are mini MINIs toy cars for sale behind the glass boxes. In short, the shop is opened and everything here is packaged for sale.

Chup