Today, social media has become our main and principal source of communication. We are connected to the world, with our friends, family, loved ones, and we can have a way of filtering our interests. As soon as we connect to our phone, we form a bubble that isolates us from our surroundings. A creation of a parallel world, between the real world and the virtual one starts to form. People tend to expand this idea and sometimes they start to build a completely different world. The phones start being a portal for us that transports us to infinite places and worlds. This bubble is in a continuous tension between the virtual and the reality. 

Instagram has been noticeably affecting interior design and how we perceive spaces. The new goal of being Instagram-able has taken over design especially in retail, restaurants and museums. Spaces are designed for experience, and now that everybody owns a phone, the tendency of taking pictures when experiencing spaces has increased over the years. Right now, spaces need to be colorful, interactive, have a good light design and strong branding. 

After analyzing some images on Instagram, it was possible to see three main categories of photographs. The “individual framing”, which is wanting to show oneself infront of a background. In some cases, concentrating on the graphic design of certain spaces, and in other cases, wanting to show a visual effect, and finally, others just wanting to match an element with their background. The next category is “plus one staging”, where the interaction with the environment is the main character and the need of another person in the space is required. Lastly is  “surroundings staging”, where architecture and design are the most important elements of the picture; the colors, the composition and the framing are crucial for this type of picture. 

This exercise made me realize how authenticity can get lost in social media and how staging becomes an important tool in order to do it. That is why these two concepts are one of the main factors of the project design. 

The project is located in a building in Soho, at the intersection of Spring Street and Thompson Street. It has two entrances, one on each street. The two main topics for design are authenticity and staging. There will be three different spaces where people can customize their environment and interact with it, making each experience unique. 

The focus is on providing a space where people can develop their own bubble, making each bubble completely different from the other.

The project consists of five levels; the first two are provided with artist installations where people can interact and make their personal and unique experiences as individuals or as groups. The upper levels provide the possibility for people to create and customize their own art installations, giving them the necessary tools to build their space. Additional to this, three different spaces (a café, ice-cream bar and a rooftop) will also be designed, providing a staging area where people can customize their food, as well as the background.