Alexander & CO | 悉尼帝国酒店—华丽的复活

帝国酒店是悉尼同性恋夜生活的标志性场所，也是澳大利亚最受尊敬的LGBTQI避风港之一，它于2015年结束营业后又重新开张。当消息传出悉尼帝国酒店将于今年重新开业时，整个社区欣喜若狂。要了解这家深受同性恋喜爱的同性恋场所的标志性地位，请记住，1994年澳大利亚邪典电影《沙漠女王普里西拉的历险》(The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert)的开场场景就是在这里拍摄的。考虑到场馆不加掩饰的华丽和具有的传奇历史故事，当地设计事务所Alexander & CO对建筑的翻新既是对其遗产的颂扬，也是对其建筑特色的重塑，正如Alexander & CO设计事务所所说的那样：这是对剧院过去的戏剧风格和享乐主义的重新利用，改造成了一座失落却美丽的宫殿。

The gay community loves a comeback, a second act so to speak that embodies the liberating power of reinventing oneself. So when news spread that The Imperial Hotel in Sydney, an iconic venue in the city’s gay nightlife and one of Australia’s most revered LGBTQI safe havens, was going to be re-launched this year after closing down in 2015 the community was ecstatic. To appreciate the iconic status of this much loved queer pub, keep in mind that the opening scene of the 1994 cult Australian film ‘The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert’ was filmed here. Taking into account the venue’s storied past of unabashed flamboyance and unconditional inclusivity, local design practice Alexander & CO’s renovation is both a celebration of its legacy and a reinvention of its character. As Jeremy Bull, Alexander & CO’s Principal explains, “it’s a reclamation of the venue’s past theatre and hedonism reformed into something beautiful, a lost palace”.

Erskineville是悉尼市中心附近的一个社区，当地人亲切地称它为Erko。如今，它被命名为Imperial Erskineville，经过了从上到下彻底的改造，完美的混搭了不同风格、颜色和图案。这是对美学和视觉冲击的大胆表述，完美地体现了其多样性和开放性的价值。在酒店内，我们也可以看到其千变万化的设计：在一楼的Priscillas酒吧（这家酒吧的名字取自上述电影）将以素食为主的菜单与夜间的变装秀结合在一起；二楼是露天披萨店，旁边是鸡尾酒餐馆，地下室是舞蹈俱乐部，定期举办来自悉尼最好的酷儿团体的派对。

Occupying a prominent corner location in Erskineville, an inner city Sydney neighbourhood that locals affectionately call Erko, The Imperial Erskineville, as it’s now branded, has been thoroughly revamped from top to bottom in an eclectic medley of decorative styles, colours and motifs. It’s a bold statement of aesthetic pizzazz and visual delirium that perfectly embodies the values of diversity and openness. The same kaleidoscopic variety can be seen in the venue’s offerings: on the ground floor ‘Priscillas’, a pub-bistro that takes its name from the aforementioned movie, marries a vegetarian-centric menu with nightly drag shows; on the upper floor an open-air pizzeria is accompanied by a cocktail lounge, while a dance club in the basement hosts regular parties from some of Sydney’s best queer collectives.

拥有250个座位的Priscillas餐厅将内陆酒吧的神秘氛围与杂耍剧院的滑稽结合在一起，通过看似对立的美学进行和谐的融合，从内心唤起设计师对失落宫殿的概念。石材地砖、饱经风霜的实木地板和裸露的砖墙，巧妙地与大理石、天鹅绒和皮革表面交织在一起，辅以华丽的装饰、褶边和流苏；生动的粉色和洋红色彩大胆地与空间中粗糙纹理的自然色调结合在一起。在主用餐区，手工铺设的石砌拱门和定制的瓷砖图案与酒吧区西斯廷教堂天花板的同性恋壁画结合，而在私人用餐区，则悬挂着纸雕塑。整个一楼展示了各种不同用途的灯罩、复古吊灯、黄铜壁龛和流苏吊坠，当你步入一楼时你就会迷恋上这个空间。

Combining the mysterious ambience of an outback saloon with the zany gaudiness of a vaudeville theatre, the 250-seat restaurant Priscillas viscerally conjures the designers’ concept of a ‘lost palace’ through the harmonious convergence of seemingly contrasting aesthetics. Stone floor tiles, weathered hardwood flooring and exposed brickwork are masterfully interlaced with marble, velvet and leather surfaces and enriched by ornate trimmings, ruffles and tassels, while a vivid colour palette of pinks and magentas is boldly combined with natural hues and rough textures.Hand laid masonry arches and bespoke tile patterns in the main dining space are cheekily juxtaposed with a gay version of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling fresco in the bar area and a suspended paper sculpture in the private dining room. Various repurposed lamp shades, vintage chandeliers, brass wall sconces and fringed pendants showcased throughout the ground floor further enhance the sensation that you’ve just stepped into a wondrous place lost in time.

Priscillas餐厅装饰性的折衷主义也体现在它的烹饪产品中，包括一个以素食为主的晚餐菜单,由集团行政主厨Dave Clarke制作。餐厅每周七晚都有变装表演，午餐菜单上有汉堡和酒吧经典菜品，还有一个酸橘汁腌鱼，客人可以在这里吃到用木炭烹制出的腌制鲜鱼和烤肉。不用说，还有一种以drag queens命名的豪华鸡尾酒可供选择，这些鸡尾酒在酒吧的主要区域供应，旁边的温室和庭院则取代了原来的舞台。

Priscillas’ decorative eclecticism is also reflected in its culinary offerings that include a ‘Drag ‘n’ Dine’ dinner menu of mostly vegetarian & vegan dishes by Group Executive Chef Dave Clarke, accompanied by drag shows seven nights a week, a lunch menu of burgers and pub classics, and a ceviche bar where guests can nibble on marinated fresh fish and grilled meats prepared over wood or coals. Needless to say, there is also a sumptuous selection of cocktails named after infamous drag queens, which are served both in the main bar area as well as the adjoining glasshouse and courtyard that have replaced the original stage.

在楼上，一个鸡尾酒酒廊和一个露天平台有提供休闲的意大利美食，空间环境灵感来自中世纪Miami Art Deco艺术，Pop艺术，Studio 54, 和80年代孟菲斯的后现代主义。从历史上看，上层是drag queens的更衣室，所以室内装饰的华丽风格是向过去辉煌历史的致敬。

Upstairs, a cocktail lounge and an open-air terrace serving casual Italian cuisine comprise Imperial UP, a stylized environment inspired by mid-century Miami Art Deco, Pop Art, the glamour of Studio 54, and the post-modernist maximalism of the 1980s Memphis Group. Historically the upper level was where the drag queens’ dressing rooms were so the exuberant flair of the interior décor is a fitting homage to its sequin-laced past.

作为一个艺术社交俱乐部，鸡尾酒吧被阳光下泛白的粉色包围，配以芥末和勃艮第红酒，墙壁和地毯上有着滑稽的几何图案，还有一些古怪的复古收藏品，比如黄铜棕榈树控制台、立体台灯和十字绣织物椅。代表这次乌托邦狂欢节的是一个被涂上金色的“金色女士”图标，它站在棱角分明的酒吧台上，酒吧台采用彩色层压板和铬合金组合而成。

Conceived as an ‘Arts Social Club’, the cocktail lounge is enveloped in sun bleached pinks jazzed up by mustards and burgundy, zany geometric shapes stretching across the walls and carpet, and quirky retro collectibles such as a brass palm tree console, cubist table lamps and cross-stitched fabric bucket chairs. Overseeing this Mardi Gras utopia, is the ‘Golden Lady’, an icon repurposed from the lower floor and re-lacquered in gold, triumphantly standing atop the angular bar which is sleekly finished in coloured laminate and chrome.

外面的露台也在延续着流行艺术的氛围，这里的焦点不是一座金像，而是饮食店中闪闪发光的金色披萨烤箱，这是一个大胆的设计。澳大利亚首个同性婚姻教堂将于2019年在屋顶开放，同性婚姻于2017年12月在该国合法化。可以肯定的是，帝国酒店再次走进了澳大利亚酷儿群体的心中。

The same pop art-infused ambiance continues in the terrace outside where in lieu of a golden statue the focal point is the trattoria’s glittering golden pizza oven, a bold gesture akin to the fiercest drag queen sashaying onto the stage. With Australia’s first same sex marriage Cathedral due to open on the rooftop in 2019—same-sex marriage was legalized in the country in December 2017—it’s safe to say that The Imperial has once again found its way into the hearts and minds of Australia’s queer community.