Celebrating a Legend
Alice in Chains
Pop-up Exhibit
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As one of the godfathers of Grunge Rock, Alice in Chains has been enjoying a second incarnation of the band since 2006 after the death or their lead singer, Layne Staley. The beloved band eventually moved on and have continued to rock their fan’s world with every new release.
We were asked to design a quick turn-around pop-up exhibit to celebrate the release of their album, Rainier Fog, as well as looking back at the memories of the band. We designed the full pop-up exhibit at Seattle’s grunge icon, The Crocodile, including artifacts, memorabilia, and merchandise. Thanks to our content partner, Andrea Weatherhead and AIC team for collaborating on the artifact curation.
CLIENT: ALICE IN CHAINS, WARNER MUSIC // DISCIPLINES: EXHIBIT, PRINT, DIGITAL
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The approach to such a quick pop-up needed an intense focus in organizing a large amount of memorabilia as well as designing how hundreds of people would move through a very small space at The Crocodile. But we also had to be extremely open and organic as we drew inspiration from the legendary club that was the birthplace of Grunge. The endless layers of textures and grit that the space presented us, was an instant clue to help inform some of the immediate visual language. Using readily available wood panels from the lumber store, we super-imposed a narrative of text and graphics directly onto the wood that would make up the exhibit walls holding the bands memories. Fans walked the path full of band artifacts, ephemera, posters, sleeves, packaging, music, instruments and videos as we guided them on a chronological journey of the band. Additionally, we designed custom posters and graphics that complemented Alice in Chains’ merchandise and collection of items. The spartan nature of the quick assembly created an earnest and authentic lens of the band as the audience seem to make an almost spiritual connection to the exhibit.
