The Africa Central Cultivation Event
The location might have been TriBeCa, but the vibe was all Africa when the trustees of The Africa Center, in collaboration with Ben Bronfman, Taymour Grahne and Fab 5 Freddy, hosted the first in a series of monthly events in the lead-up to Africa Central, the Center's much-anticipated September pop-up. The eclectic crowd - including well-known figures from the worlds of art, film, fashion, finance and philanthropy - mingled easily against the backdrop of Moroccan-born photographer Hassan Hajjaj's sold-out show.
Hajjaj, whose work features in permanent collections on both sides of the Atlantic, including LACMA and The V&A, is set to design the cafe for Africa Central. Architect David Adjaye, art dealer and curator Jeffrey Deitch, fashion designer Ozwald Boateng, and African Film Festival founder Mahen Bonetti have committed to Africa Central's 10-day program and will be collaborating to produce various events.
The event drew over 400 guests to the Taymour Grahne Gallery, and DJ Rich Medina spun a set of Afro-Pop while guests sipped rum drums generously donated by Starr African Rum.
When it formally opens in 2015, The Africa Center will be the world’s leading hub for contemporary and traditional African art, culture, policy and business. Through world-class programming and a global network of partner institutions, The Africa Center will shape U.S. - Africa engagement, transform how Africa is understood in the United States, and provide a new cultural landmark in New York City.
The Africa Center is committed to to exploring a broad range of issues affecting the African continent, from education and the environment to economics and governance, while maintaining a core commitment to art and culture.
Africa Central, a cultural pop-up event, will open in The Africa Center's unfinished space at One Museum Mile in September 2014 as a temporary pop-up experience. Visitors to Africa Central will have the opportunity to participate in a various events, from performance and visual arts, to fashion and food, educational outreach and more.
To learn more about Africa Central and the Africa Center visit www.theafricacenter.org
Guests received their first taste of technological innovation at registration, where they were welcomed by name on a reactive LED screen installation covering the full width of the entry wall. A large lunch café was created with a décor scheme that incorporated custom-built, ceiling-high steel LED frames draped with foliage to create smaller, intimate restaurant-style spaces that displayed both technology and nature.
A series of breakout sessions presented content targeted to attendees’ varied interests, while imagery displayed throughout the venue showcased real-life applications of how products designed to empower developers help to unleash the power of data and reimagine possibilities that will improve our world.
Every element of Microsoft Connect(); from registration, breakfast and keynote, to lunch and evening cocktails, were custom-designed to communicate exacting brand messaging and to deliver a high-touch guest experience to this important audience. The keynote and breakout sessions were livestreamed through an onsite studio built for this purpose and content was watched online by millions around the world.
Empire is proud to collaborate with Microsoft on this annual, top-tier business communication event.
To view excerpts of Connect(); 2017, please visit https://www.microsoft.com/connectevent
