Sue Ostler finds shades of Blue Velvet inside David Lynch’s extraordinary Club Silencio.
Sipping champagne with Jared Leto, Jessica Biel and Lindsay Lohan at David Lynch’s Club Silencio in Paris was not what happened the Friday night I visited – but it could have…they’re all fans.
When David Lynch called me up and invited me to visit his club in Paris, I assumed I was dreaming. And I was. But as it’s the borderland between dream and reality that frames Lynch’s work, I went along to the chic rue Montmarte address anyway.
Lynch’s films exert a vivid grip on our imaginations, and his golden hub in the heart of Paris has the same madly dizzying effect. Already well known to the Parisian and international art set, the club has become a global go-to spot after its opening less than a year ago. Conceived and designed by the uber visionary himself, Silencio has Lynch’s esoteric fingerprints all over it.
Descending the staircase from the street (going down, down, down) feels like entering a Blue Velvetesque inspired dream. Shimmering honey surrounds relax and warm us, as we enter the distinctive golden tunnel – a sensory experience making us feel luxurious and uninhibited all at once.
A series of intimate rooms nestle inside the spectacular 2,100-square-foot space, each dedicated to a certain purpose or atmosphere. It’s a nightclub/cinema/art library/ bar/Curiosity Salon – and Surreal with a capital S.
Each of the rooms evoke Lynch’s visual style. The attention to detail is extraordinary. Mirrors are encircled by lights bend and curve to create a halo effect, enabling eerie reflections. Light and shade play optical games with your mind, allowing one to see into and around corners that the eye should not be able to see. Like a scene from Eraserhead, Lynch’s club suggests”Everything should be looked at. There could be clues in it.”
Vodkas in hand, we meander in the warm and intimate Art Library before becoming intrigued by the Yellow Forest smoking room, with its gold leaf walls and eerily twisted “trees”. The smoke and mirrors effect has the Forest shimmering with dreamy reflections, all the more spooktacular when dancers and performers glide behind a one-way mirror, unable to see the club members who enjoy private decadence before the club doors open for all at midnight.
And that’s not all they can see….
The intimate state-of-the-art cinema hosts films nightly, offering luxury via double-seater sofas and gold leaf wood-panelling. The night we visited Madonna’s WE was on the screen.
Music is another big player. The Kills and Florence & the Machine stortmed the big stage recently. Sundays are more mellow with the Piano Club.
It was the bathroom though, that really that got me, with its gold leaf studded floor and trippily lit mirrors – and therein lies another dreamy Lynchesque quirk – but I’m not giving all the secrets away – you’ll just have to go and see for yourself.
Details: Tuesday to Sunday: 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. until midnight for members and their guests. Open to the public from midnight.
Club Silencio, 142 de la rue Montmartre, Paris, 75002
