explore bottega veneta's immersive, green MAZE installation in seoul

bottega veneta in seoul

a triangular installation by bottega veneta, dubbed ‘the MAZE,’ has mysteriously appeared in a car park in seoul. immersive and hyper-green, the puzzling space hosts no products — although it is certainly flooded with the brand’s visual codes, as defined by its creative director daniel lee. the super saturated pop-up installation is finished entirely in parakeet green, which has lately defined the italian fashion house’s image, especially its handbags ‘the pouch’ and ‘the jodie.’

with its otherworldly wash of color and the combination of metallic and soft materials, the MAZE is at once playful and foreboding. with this, some have already suggested a reference to director dong-hyuk hwang’s squid game. others may say it takes its references from the world of video games. in both scenarios, the installation brings to life a vibrant child’s game for adults, and a space that is both minimal, disorienting, and for some, perhaps uncomfortable.

images courtesy of bottega veneta

inside the maze

the walls in the center of bottega veneta‘s enigmatic MAZE are clothed in soft sculptures in the form of faux fox tails, also colored in the same parakeet green hue. these walls introduce warmth, comfort, and privacy to the layers of transparent metal fencing, which feels raw and exposed.

overall, the labyrinth-like installation takes the shape of a monumental triangle. even this may echo motifs from squid game, with the foreboding triangular table which appeared toward the show’s climax. some may say that the italian fashion house’s nod to the squid game series echoes a dependence on jumping on trends and current phenomena. either way, the game-like dystopia as a trend across architecture and design has arrived.

the center of the bottega veneta-designed space is soft and welcoming

the MAZE shows a balance between bottega veneta’s soft sculptures and metallic fencing

layers of transparency render the MAZE even more disorienting

the seoul installation appears as a super-saturated blur

from above, the triangular profile appears vividly