The circus is in town

Don’t you just love it when a circus comes to town? This time around, Smirnoff is bringing a midnight circus to Bangkok’s night owls complete with a funky art installation by famous photographer David LaChapelle.
Our nightlife experience will never be the same as Smirnoff is breathing new life into the night with its latest project “Smirnoff Midnight Circus”, a global campaign to “celebrate the next generation of nightlife” in more than 25 cities around the world. The programme is a collection of ideas – a celebration of the newest, most extraordinary spectacles in nightlife.
LaChapelle’s installation, titled “You’re in My Head”, evokes a feeling of enchantment and mystery. The piece features a double-sided head inspired by traditions of dance and music that can be found in contemporary electronic music culture worldwide. Bangkok is one of the only two destinations in the world alongside Mexico City, to witness this inspiring installation.
“I was drawn to the creative possibilities in bringing this project to life, and Smirnoff wishes for me to not hold back in doing so,” says LaChapelle. “The installation embodies a modern futurism of today’s nightlife culture with innovative body art and ornamentation.
“I’m proposing this vibrant pop inflatable spectacle of modern day youth culture plus the golden era of the circus and tribal aboriginal. It’s a visual statement that illustrates the way these cultures are connected, and have a historical thread of lineage. It’s just going to be amazing to look at! Circuses were once the largest form of entertainment on earth before film, television and radio. Spectacle is key. Fantasy is monumental. An ecstatic dream will inflate at a given point in the night, and then shrink away only to re-emerge. Watching a balloon come to life of this gigantic size is a show all by itself. And it’s actually there; it is not virtually projected or beamed.”
At Smirnoff Midnight Circus around the world, fans of legal purchase age will find cutting-edge DJs, performers, mixologists, and acts unlike any other. The experiences will feature two themes: events driven by an innovative use of light to elevate the nightlife experience, and “Secret Sessions” – incomparable experiences at unexpected venues with unannounced performances by top musical acts.
Smirnoff Midnight Circus in Bangkok features many aspiring stars such as Christian Karlsson, a member of a Swedish-pop band Miike Snow, French-based house DJ The Toxic Avenger, Burin Boonvisut of Groove Riders and The Yers to entertain throughout the night.
Hailing from Connecticut, LaChapelle’s photography career began in the 80’s when he began showing his artwork in New York City galleries. His work caught the eye of Andy Warhol, who offered him his first job as a photographer at Interview magazine. Since then, his striking images have graced the covers and pages of Italian Vogue, French Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Rolling Stone and i-D. He has photographed personalities as diverse as Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Madonna, Shakira, Amanda Lepore, Eminem, Philip Johnson, Lance Armstrong, Lil’ Kim, Uma Thurman, Elizabeth Taylor, David Beckham, Paris Hilton, Jeff Koons, Leonardo DiCaprio, Hillary Clinton, Muhammad Ali and Britney Spears, to name a few.
After establishing himself as a fixture in contemporary photography, LaChapelle decided to branch out and direct music videos, live theatrical events, and documentary films. His directing credits include music videos for artists such as Christina Aguilera, Moby, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, the Vines, No Doubt and Florence and the Machine. His stage work includes Elton John’s “The Red Piano” and the Caesar’s Palace spectacular he designed and directed in 2004. His burgeoning interest in film led him to make the short documentary “Krumped”, an award-winner at Sundance from which he developed “RIZE”, the feature film acquired for worldwide distribution by Lionsgate Films. The film was released in the US and internationally in the summer of 2005 to huge critical acclaim, and was chosen to open the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.
  
LATE NIGHT
Smirnoff Midnight Circus is happening tomorrow from 8pm at CentralWorld Live on the eighth floor of CentralWorld.
Find out more at the Smirnoff Thailand Facebook page.