Located at E158, Block E, Zhongjun World City, Jinhui Road, Chaoyang District, Magic bar is a unique experience of close-up magic performance; the total area of the project is 103 sq m.
The space chiefly consists of the corridor scenes on the facade, the dining scenes at the entrance, the living room scenes at the bar area and the study room scenes at the performance area.
The designers constructed the reflection installation at each scene, and created the restaurant, study room and corridor scene with an infinite extension effect by using the mirror and the one-way mirror. The scenes in these installations strengthen the function of each space and also enhance the atmosphere of the magic world.
There are two entrances in this space, one is the main entrance of the facade, and the other is the secondary entrance to the interior of the shopping mall. The entrance at the facade reverses the interior corridor scene to the exterior, which makes people feel like arriving at the door of the magician’s house directly.
The main entrance is designed with double doors; one door is the real entrance, and the other is the corridor scene installation with infinite extension effect when it is opened. In the installation, there is a door on one side which can be opened from the interior to make people enter the installation. The design of double doors enhances the interaction between people as well as the space of mystery.
The other entrance is also relatively hidden, which is composed of a fake door and a movable cabinet. The cabinet displays the magic installation that consists of forks which have been used by the magician in his representative work “deformed fork” in recent years.
The dining room is connected with the living room scene, which includes the bar area. The wall behind the bar is designed as the painting wall of the living room. The wine rack and paintings are blended together on one wall by using the elements of the painting frame. Unlike the traditional bar, the magic bar has a close-up magic performance, which requires the bar to be more like a platform for performance.
The designers expanded the width of the bar to meet the space for magicians to perform. In the installation of the library scene connected to the bar area, the reflected bookshelves are filled with the collection of books and magic tools of the magician, which further reflects the state of the host’s life. The study room scene is designed on the opposite of the bar area with steps which can meet the requirements of the magician’s medium shots performance. The area consists of a fireplace, a wine storage area and an installation of corridor scene which shows the way leading to the study room.
The ceiling and floor of the space are separated according to different scenes, so that they can each be regarded as a complete space independently. The space is extremely and deliberately dim, with only the magic performance area at the bar and the installation designed with a spot light to increase the light in these areas.
The lighting in the magic performance area is controlled by a remote device and the intensity of the light can be adjusted at any time according to demand. In order to make the family environment more realistic to the audience, the designer designs the window on the wall, and uses the light belts to project the light to create the dusky atmosphere of the space environment.
A large amount of furniture was created at the construction site, combined with finished plaster in order to reduce the construction time. The archaistic texture on the wall is painted with a design imitating the grain of wood; the textile of furniture is mainly made of leather and velvet, which reflects the quality of life as a magician and the comfort of the home environment. The colours of the furniture are mainly dark red and orange, combining with dark walnut wood to create a vintage style of the space.
The suits of poker cards are designed around the frame of the doors as a symbolic element, so that people can understand the attributes of the magician’s house when entering the bar.