Hani Pacific - NYC
A new mural the new Nordstrom in New York City that pushes how far I’ve taken the iPad Pro with content creation. This 65 foot mural was done with element individually painted on an iPad and then assembled with a patterned background in Photoshop.
Hani Pacific - back corner view
The new Nordstrom Flagship store opened in midtown Manhattan this past weekend and one of the features is all the eateries inside. I was asked to do a large mural for one of them, an Asian fusion concept by Seattle chef Tom Douglas called Hani Pacific.
Early discussions compared the pros and cons of large format digital print versus a hand-painted product done on site. The store made the early call for digital and it was undoubtedly the right one. This is a high traffic area and most of the mural walls go floor to ceiling so the vinyl print will be easier to maintain.
Hani Pacific - entry view
The entry stares you straight in the face as you descend the escalator into the lowest level where most of the food choices are. Hani Pacific has casework and seating all made of ash wood without any stain, which gives a bright, fresh appearance.
Hani Pacific - Detail of twisted seaweed and mussel encrusted rocks
The seaweed shapes are major players in the compostion. I especially like these sea colanders (phyllaria dermatodea), also called shotgun kelp. I’ve taken my usual free license with the color and scale of many of the forms but they are all based on real life organisms.
Hani Pacific - detail with Jim Suit
The deep sea diving suit featured on both sides of the long wall was a type in use for specialized tasks in the 70s and 80s. Known as the JIM Suit, I choose to use it because it conjured up the cartoony look of early robots.
Hani Pacific -corridor view looking toward entry
More seaweeds shapes frame the dark reef rocks that frame the corridor opening to the bathroom hall beyond. In all the 7 levels of the bright, white store, this art piece presents the largest color statement of the bunch. Nordstrom has put together some sort of art tour app devoted to all the pieces that they commissioned in the store, I’ll post a link here when I get it.