Page 118 - AIT0921_E-Paper

VERKAUF UND PRÄSENTATION • RETAIL AND PRESENTATION INNERE WERTE • INNER VALUES

Säulen und Warenträger aus Marmor und Kunststein • Columns of marble and artificial stone Hinter dieser neuen Kolonnade liegen die Umkleiden. • Behind this new colonnade are the fitting rooms.

O n the morning of 23 August 1973, the above-mentioned bank robbery with a thus produces a monochrome, neutral background in the best sense of the words for
rd
all the fashion trends regarding colours and styles which are to come. The store con-
the taking of hostages occurred in the capital of Sweden and, in its context, the
concept of Stockholm syndrome was to become part of the history of criminalistics. sists of three rooms – an elongated one along the façade, a small rectangular and a
With this term, the Stockholm police psychologist Nils Bejerot described the unusual large square room in the back area. All the three rooms are connected by columns.
process of the hostages sympathizing with their hostage-takers and later refusing to The latter are the unmistakable feature of the Acne Store. The Doric columns inspi-
testify against them. The loss of control, the fear of death and the instinct of self-pre- red by antiquity emanate size, value, dignity and longevity and, as to style and emo-
servation were subsequently listed as arguments for this surprising kind of beha- tions, link the Acne Studios label with this long-past yet indestructible epoch. At the
viour which from then on could even be noticed worldwide during further hostage end of the room axis, a colonnade newly added by Arquitectura-G is the access to
takings. On the sixth day of their captivity, it finally became possible to free all of the the fitting rooms. In line with the architects’ playing on originals and fakes, this row
four hostages – all of them bank employees – from the branch of the Svenska Kredit- of columns has been made of genuine marble. The merchandise displays by Max
banken at Norrmalmstorg with nobody being hurt. This was 48 years ago. To this Lamb likewise look as heavy as the columns. The British designer stacked blocks
day, the Stockholm syndrome continue to irritate and fascinate at the same time. The and slabs of marble to produce space-consuming, immovable platforms which com-
bank branch no longer exists. Over the decades, the ground floor of the neo-classical municate the claim to perpetuity as do the columns. This is definitely a statement in
corner building has been rented by various users. In the process, the likewise neo- the short-lived store design with its frequently brief half-life. As a counterpart to the
classicist interior disappeared. Last year, the high-priced Swedish Acne Studios fa- stony interior, the French designer and lighting artist Benoit Lalloz developed flat, li-
shion label moved into the flagship store designed here at Norrmalmstorg 2 by Ar- near ceiling luminaires made of stainless steel. With their technical appearance,
quitectura-G. The architects from Barcelona returned the rooms to their neo- these are a deliberate stylistic opposite. But back to the Stockholm syndrome: In
Greco/Roman essence by radically removing layer by layer. Only on the floor did the business psychology, the tendency towards “post-purchase rationalization” is also
architects find genuine marble – the white, Swedish Ekeberg marble. From the be- called buyer’s Stockholm syndrome. By unconsciously exaggerating its quality and
ginning, many elements consisted of artificial marble. This is why the project plays its worth, consumers often justify to themselves having purchased an overpriced,
exactly on this duality of original and fake, meaning reproduction. As to colouring, useless or defective product. Certainly – around the globe – a far-spread phenome-
all the surfaces are oriented on the nuances of the Ekeberg marble. The store interior non which should be familiar to (almost) any consumer.

118 • AIT 9.2021