Beckley Las Vegas Tree Display
Project Type: Retail Display
Client: Beckley Las Vegas
Location: Cosmopolitan Hotel Las Vegas
Material: 1" aluminum pipe
Process: 3-axis cnc pipe bending
Size: 5' x 5' x 10'
Completion: December 2010
FLATCUT_ designed and fabricated a tree to serve as a functional sculpture for the Beckley Boutique at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. Beckley, one of the hottest boutiques on Melrose in Los Angeles, CA, opened their second location in Las Vegas’ newest hotel this past fall.
“The Tree” is the second project on which FLATCUT_ worked with Beckley Boutique. The first project was a spiral ribbon completed for Beckley’s flagship store in West Hollywood. Rather than produce a literal translation of a tree in steel, FLATCUT_ abstracted the design into a series of unraveling strands to produce an object that operates simultaneously as a clothing display and focal point of the boutique’s storefront. The centrifugal quality of the installed object creates a visually dynamic display that captures the attention of hotel and casino patrons.
The design was developed parametrically to establish an iterative process capable of creating multiple variations in a short period of time. Each of the tree’s strands was made of 1-inch diameter aluminum pipe, each of which was bent using a 3-axis pipe bender. The use of custom software capable of reading a series of radii and lengths taken directly from the 3-D model resulted in a highly accurate translation process with minimal opportunity for human error. The tree includes a total of 36 custom strands designed from 3 different curves cut at 12 different lengths. The installation stands 10 feet tall with a diameter of 5 feet.
FLATCUT_ regularly collaborates with retail partners to develop unique environments. Other retail projects include brands such as Solange on Madison Avenue in New York City, Baccarat in Chicago, and Rock n’ Republic in Los Angeles.