what happens when

What happens when is a temporary restaurant installation that transforms every 30 days. It will live for 9 months in a reclaimed space in New York City and will change focus every month in order to explore what a dining experience can be and how one can play with the traditional expectations of dining out. The project is a creative collaboration between chef John Fraser, brand/graphic designer Emilie Baltz and Metrics principal Elle Kunnos de Voss. Check out some info on the cooperation on Kickstarter here.

Taken from their design concept description : “Working on a shoestring budget we wanted to create a space that had an immediate impact, communicated the concept of change and was feasible within the limited time frame we were given. Our overall concept for the space is a 'work in progress' transparency into the design process as the architectural drawings are mapped out onto the dining room surfaces in 1:1, with each movement change red lined to manifest the process and record the transformations. We started off with the premise that we were in fact designing 9 different restaurants and that each of these restaurants would have it’s own integrity and experience. For each new 30 day movement theme we will design; a new lighting scheme and fixtures, unique spatial elements to create variations of visual compositions like perspective, scale and form and a new color scheme. To keep the space flexible for the changing light and spatial installations we have designed a grid of hooks for the ceiling.” For more info on each monthly installation, go here. For backstage info and photos of how the projects were carried out, go here. What Happens When is located at 25 Cleveland Place, between Spring and Kenmare Streets (212-925-8310 or whathappenswhennyc.com)