Brooklyn Night Bazaar Brings Life to Spacious Williamsburg Warehouse

This fall saw the kickoff of the <a href="http://bkbazaar.com/">Brooklyn Night Bazaar</a> at the Dekalb Market. Celebrating art, music and culture within the confines of repurposed shipping crates, Aaron Broudo's original "Southeast Asian inspired night market" now arrives to Williamsburg. Highly popular the first time around, for this edition Broudo worked with Ken Farmer of <a href="http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/2010/10/07/bring-to-light-brings-to-life/">"Nuit Blanche"</a> and architect Julien De Smedt, founder of <a href="http://jdsa.eu/">JDS Architects</a>, to take it to the next level. From December 15-17 visitors can enter into a warehouse transformed by custom made furniture, lighting, installations and the collaborative energy of all those involved.

Marrying form and function, Farmer's innovative vision moves beyond high design, making it an inclusive practice that the public can be a part of and enjoy.

Part of Farmer's goal was to celebrate work done by hand and the collaborative links that exist in what can often seem an overbearing metropolis.

De Smedt designed the furniture and basic layout in about four weeks working with a limited budget.

The atmosphere is fun and casual with paint on the floor that loosely demarcates the various areas- bar, lounge, stage- and guides visitors through the space.

The Bazaar is divided into two areas- one with vendors, food and space for talking and the other a ticketed performance space with live music, food, a half pipe and a bar.

Indie bands fill the space each night adding to the cultural vibe and enlivening the large space.

A series of huge weather balloons with "Brooklyn Night Bazaar" printed on them draw attention to the expansive vertical space offered by the repurposed warehouse.

Ken Farmer, Artistic Director of the Bazaar, explained,"People are boot-strapping through their own ingenuity and we are enabling a platform for it."

An array of vendors offer a variety of products and services- homemade jams, handmade zines, a tea ceremony, vintage clothing and unique jewelry.

"Sorry, mom" is an on-site tattoo parlor that adds to the installation feel of the space.

De Smedt's "stair" design was presented at the Stockholm Furniture Fair last year and is now in production. The plywood model offers a low-cost replica that can serve as a resting point or display surface.

Vendors use de Smedt's "stairs" instead of a traditional table for their products.

Transcending the reclaimed shipping pallet mentality by instilling the help of an architect and art director, Broudo's Bazaar pushes the boundaries of the pop-up movement.