Rock Is Dead

The other night to kick off New York Men’s Fashion Week, I stopped by the John Varvatos “Rock is Dead” installation on East 1st Street. Taking place in the heart of the Bowery, the John Varvatos installation featured an eclectic mix of music, art, and fashion while raising the question,’Is Rock Dead?’ Upon entering the dimly lit exhibit, coffins lined the perimeter of the entry way and bright red florescent lights display messages, questions, and song lyrics. Throughout the installation, the John Varvatos clothing collection was featured on masked models, mannequins, displayed on the walls, and suspended from the ceiling.The dimly lit exhibit and the rock music created a surreal ambiance and kept guests on their toes as they walked through the different rooms of the exhibit and had a difficult time differentiating masked models from the masked mannequins. Upon entry of the last room of the exhibit the entire ambiance changed. The last room, which was featured in bright white, had puffy  blue clouds on the ceiling and a large majestic unicorn statue in the center of the room . The message “Long Live Rock” was displayed in large letters on on the back wall. The suggestion oflife after death attempts to answer the question: rock isn’t dead, long live rock!