Monkeytown - Brooklyn, NY
“Part video parlor, but all restaurant” - this former auto body shop in Williamsburg was converted into the new home of a long running underground experimental film series and dinner club. The concept of Monkeytown was to provide the community with a cultural laboratory for contemporary video art and dining, distinct from more conventional venues. With a proprietor also keen on developing an eclectic menu, what transpired is a dynamic and social nexus of refined experimental cuisine and avant-garde performance, once referred to as a “digital and oral aurora borealis space”.
With the founder, Montgomery Knott, and a design colleague, Jake LaChapelle, and a team of technical consultants, we created a space that is casual, dynamic, and refreshing with a modest budget. It was agreed to retain the unpretentious character of the former incarnation of Monkeytown, while upgrading it comfortably. At the same time, it was essential to provide a controlled environment in which high fidelity film and sound could be appreciated.
