In a first for Art Basel Miami Beach, Brickell City Centre, Swire Properties Inc’s $1.05 billion development in the heart of Miami’s Brickell district, transformed its construction site into a dynamic art oasis (for one night only) for elite members of the international art and design communities to experience the project in its unfinished form – celebrating Swire’s commitment to art and sustainability.
The VIP evening included an intimate art and design dialogue followed by a cocktail celebration for more than 400 guests, featuring the vinyl-only paradise garage sounds of Wooden Wisdom, the underground celebrity DJ duo of Elijah Wood and Zach Cowie.
The private event showcased the unveiling of British Pop artist Allen Jones’ six-ton, 20-foot-high sculpture “Dancers,” which made its U.S. debut that evening. The abstract sculpture, which depicts an interlocked, tango-ing couple, was most recently showcased at the famed Royal Academy of London in 2014.
Guests also experienced for the first time the illumination of the CLIMATE RIBBON™, a $30 million installation of art and science that spans 150,000 square feet and connects all three blocks of Brickell City Centre. The elevated sculptural trellis consists of steel, fabric and glass and functions as an environmental management system for future shoppers, residents, hotel guests and office tenants of the 9.1acre site.
Notable attendees included:
- Elijah Wood, actor and Wooden Wisdom DJ
- Zach Cowie, Wooden Wisdom DJ
- Stephen Owens, president of Swire Properties Inc
- Allen Jones, British pop artist
- Hugh Dutton, founder and director of Hugh Dutton Associés, designer of the CLIMATE RIBBON™
- Bernardo Fort-Brescia, founding principal of Arquitectonica
- Alison Pickett, Swire Properties’ corporate art consultant
“Swire Properties has supported the integration of art in the public sphere for over four decades, and has sponsored Art Basel Hong Kong since its inception,” said Stephen Owens, president of Swire Properties, Inc. “As Brickell City Centre nears completion, it was an honor to have the opportunity to finally showcase the project during the world’s largest art fair in our city.”
“Swire’s success in developing mixed-use projects across the globe is a direct reflection of its longstanding and treasured relationships with its visionary partners such as Allen Jones, Arquitectonica and Hugh Dutton,” said Alison Pickett.
“Four years ago I was honored and flattered when Steve Owens and Bernardo Fort- Brescia invited me to join them in the realization of the CLIMATE RIBBONä. I am particularly pleased that the public unveiling of this project coincides with Art Basel because I consider our work to be a synthesis of art and science,” said Hugh Dutton.
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