Modellus Novus imagined Undercote as the ideal setting for conversations to take place deep into the night, physically grounding the subterranean cocktail lounge as an environment for idling. Convinced that the best secrets are told in the dark, the project explored the qualities of low visibility and shadows as experienced on a moonlit night, helping Undercote to earn a top-five international travel destination bar commendation from Surface Magazine. Moonlight is cast upon walls of living plants, not only illuminating the texture and form of the surreal vegetal installations but also drawing attention to a quality of light rarely experienced in an urban environment.

Subtle uses of color and texture add visual diversity that only become evident once one’s rods and cones have calibrated to the depth of an underground darkness. Walls that were assumed to be black shift to navy blue, while tables that appeared as silhouettes show themselves as veined green marble atop charcoal gray carpet. Reflections seen in black glass amplify the sense of depth and ambiguity in the space, while also multiplying light points which decorate the space.

Photos by Gary He and Naho Kubota