The Apparatjik suite is an eclectic mix of video, art, music, disco textiles and humorous installations created by the super group / art collective.
While ambitious new hotels all over the world fight over the latest high-tech amenities, Norwegian art hotel extraordinaire The Thief have taken their concept a step further by collaborating with music legends from a-ha, Mew and Coldplay to make a suite unlike any seen before.
Apparatjik have sold out the orange stage at the Roskilde Festival, exhibited in The National Gallery both in Berlin and Oslo, and inaugurated the new Astrup Fearnley museum of contemporary art. Now the art- and music-collective Apparatjik, consisting of Coldplay‘s bass player Guy Berryman, a-ha member Magne Furuholmen, Mew-singer/guitarist Jonas Bjerre, and Grammy winning music-producer Martin Terefe have designed a unique suite at Oslo’s leading luxury hotel The Thief, titled ‘Apparatjik World‘.
A touch of insanity
The Apparatjik suite is an eclectic mix of video, art, music, disco textiles and humorous installations created by the super group / art collective.
– Their art and music and general touch of insanity made this the most “out-there”-suite we have in the portfolio, says Petter Stordalen owner of 172 Scandinavian hotels. Performances by Apparatjik are eye-catching affairs, with specially-created visuals and silhouettes projected onto four sides of a custom-made cube while the collective members perform inside…or do they?!
With the Apparatjik-suite, the band has entered a new arena for their otherworldly mayhem.
I think we have injected an ambiance of the unexpected into the room. We wanted to tweak the existing design into something that make guest’s smile and shake their heads in disbelief at the same time. We believe disbelief is an underrated state of mind. One common denominator of all four founders of Apparatjik is that we have spent a disproportionately large part of our lives in hotel rooms. We believe it is not a hallmark achievement for a hotel that every room looks exactly the same, says Magne Furuholmen.
Disco ball in the bathroom
it is well known that rock stars in a euphoric state sometimes wreck hotel rooms. Appartjik have taken this myth in a new direction: The suite shines with disco fabrics and features a projector in the ceiling which shows cryptic Apparatjik videos. There is a disco-ball in the bathroom and pixelated carpets on the floor, leaving no doubt as to who is responsible for the interior. In addition, the suite is adorned with signed original prints by the four members. The suite is also equipped with a record player and some of Apparatjik’s own music, as well as an extensive selection of vinyl’s by the group’s favorite artist; psychedelic jazz cult-figure Sun Ra.
Sleep with a rock star
Everyone thinks they have the best taste in music in the world, but we actually do. We will eventually offer a range of music that you can hear nowhere else than in this particular room, like material form Apparajtik that has not yet come out elsewhere, and other people’s projects that we believe deserve a an audience. We also welcome guests to leave music there for the next person staying.
The Apparatjik suite is much like a radio channel guaranteed to have the fewest listeners in the world! That’s our idea of exclusive, says Furuholmen, who is credited with composing one of the world’s most iconic hit-songs of all time, “Take On Me”.
Most amazing feature: You can choose a projected version of your favorite Apparatjik member sleeping next to you on the bed. Sweet dreams!
Apparatjik World from THE THIEF on Vimeo.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
