Narbutas was opening a showroom in Warsaw and needed two things at once: photographs of the space itself and coverage of the opening evening. Two separate briefs that happened to fit into a single day.
The location is unusual for an office furniture manufacturer. ASP showroom by Narbutas occupies a guardhouse of Czapski Palace on Krakowskie Przedmieście, in the former home of the Fibak Gallery. The Lithuanian manufacturer furnished over a hundred square metres free of charge, and the Academy of Fine Arts runs events there: meetings with artists, lectures, book launches. It is a showroom that works as a cultural venue day to day.
Display in the morning, people in the evening
The daytime part ran from ten until half past twelve. Interior photography is slow work and that is its advantage, not its cost. Every frame can be set up: adjust the angle of an armchair, straighten the publications on a shelf, check what is visible through the doorway behind.
The result is product material: shelving and tables in vaulted rooms, height-adjustable workstations, seating in the meeting area. Plus the acoustics, which are immediately visible in this interior: openwork cardboard shades suspended from the ceiling and soft columns in the corners. Separately, the details a buyer judges quality by: stitching, fabric texture, cable ports in worktops.
I also made a few scenes with people at work, because office furniture sells in context rather than against a white background.
The opening evening
About seventy guests came to the opening. The showroom changed colour, lit in pink and purple, with catering, glasses tagged with the brand logo and a DJ.
The programme had a formal part with speeches and an artistic one: a performance in fluorescent body paint, visible under ultraviolet light. The performers moved through the whole showroom, including among the guests, so those frames show the event and the space at the same time.
There was also an element that works well in a recap: a board with an aerial photograph of the Narbutas factory, on which guests left handwritten notes.
The exhibition in the Academy building
Around nine in the evening the guests moved on to see the exhibition inside the Academy. Interiors completely unlike the showroom: a chequerboard floor, stained glass, sculptures, textiles and historic furniture.
For an office furniture brand that is a strong juxtaposition and worth having on file. The manufacturer’s contemporary display stands in the same building where design has been taught for a hundred years. I also made frames of the facade from the courtyard, with the showroom windows glowing pink in the dark building.
What the client received
The client received 390 photographs, and the complete set was in the gallery four days after the event.
In practice these are three sets with different lifespans. Interior photographs work longest, because they show the product and the space. Coverage of the opening has its moment on social media and in the summary for partners. The performance material is the most striking and works best as a teaser for the next events in this space.
If you are opening a showroom or planning an event in a space that is itself part of your brand communication, interior photographs and event coverage can be done on the same day. See the event photography offer or send me the date, the place and rough hours.
