‘Rebirth’, a new interior installation by Sybarite, spans 20,000m² across 20 floors of the 250,000m² SKP-S department store in Xi'an, regarded as the largest Iuxury department store in the world.
The SKP-S brand sets itself apart from the recognisable signature curve and architectural vocabulary of the established SKP house style. This is the second instalment of the immersive experience of SKP-S; the first, much lauded as a breakthrough in retail inviting us to ‘Meet Another Dimension’ at its standalone launch in Beijing in 2019.
Tying in with its predecessor, SKP-S Xi'an is a dream-like experiential retail journey through space and time – an inspired environment catapulting the customer beyond reality and showcasing an intriguing and elevated mix of luxury. This is enhanced by AI and robotic performance art in the form of animals.
In 2019 SKP-S Beijing told the story of humans emigrating to Mars and building a life there. In 2022 at Xi'an, we are taken back to the origin of the world and a return to Earth. In Chinese mythology, the mother goddess Nuwa created mankind — the robotic figure of the girl is a metaphor for her: she is the ‘Last Earthling’ who is reborn and returns to the earth. The ‘rebirth journey’ from Mars to the Earth homeland is represented in an environment which is both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time — it takes place N years later and the Earth has become a ruin due to human over-invention. The significance of SKP-S Xi'an is that it perfectly captures the times we
are living in. During 2020-2021 humankind has been taken hold of by a pandemic amounting to drastic changes to our lifestyle and outlook. Themes and symbols of rebirth, regeneration, inspiration, dreaming, the importance of the future and readressing consumption are all brought to life here.
Each element of the floor has been designed by Sybarite. Through every touchpoint and vista: from floors to ceilings, walls and columns to the logo bands and wayfinding, the world of SKP-S is the carefully curated framework to which the brands can plug in and playfully contrast their image.
Of particular significance is the 60-metre Time Tunnel: a crushed hexagon shape offering an alluring dichroic voyage that ascends towards branded spaces and a future full of vitality and hope. Immersion is from the west at The Sky Port: the energetic assembly line where satellites are in a state of repair, optimism is in the air, recycling and reconstruction are in process. In
contrast, as you head to the east into The Terra through the nexus, the abstract allure of a concave circular disc sculpture awaits. A polished mirrored surface which is suspended and rotated to 45 degrees and set against a cracked, scorched and desolate backdrop signifying red Earthly
desert. This represents a contemplative counterpoint to the chaos of the start of this experience.
Sybarite was established 20 years ago with its niche for innovative luxury retail architecture and design globally. Its portfolio typically ranges from the micro to the macro, and a speciality in benchmark monobrands and department stores, all the way to retail master plans.
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