From the Library: AREA

If you happen to be in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood, look for 157 Hudson. The building, which is now a high-end kitchen furnishing store has a storied history and was once part of the horse stables for American Express in its early days. It was also the location for one of the most famous nightclubs in the world.

It was here that Eric and Christopher Goode ran Area from 1983 to 1987. The night club blurred the lines between art and life and can best be summed up by a quote by John Cage from a sheet that was shared with prospective investors: “Art, instead of being an object made by one person, is a process set in motion by a group of people. It isn’t someone saying something, but people doing things, giving everyone (including those involved) the opportunity to have experiences they would not otherwise have had.”

Like Cage’s philosophy, the “project” blurred the boundaries between art, people, and music into a provocative and immersive experience. The space was always dynamic, changing every 6 months into a new theme such as night, cars, faith, acid flash, surrealism, red, and suburbia. It was the place to be and was frequented by anyone who was “someone” at the time. People like Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Madonna, Grace Jones, and Keith Haring were regulars.

Upon entering, guests would be greeted by a natural history museum-like hall of dioramas often with live people which led to a room for larger installations like hanging cars and giant boxes of cereal. The invitations were also works of art, featuring hollowed-out eggs with messages inside, pieces of Valveeta cheese, or a pill that once placed in water would reveal the invitation.

The nostalgia for this special time and place is best described by Eric Goode’s foreward in the book: “New York City in the early 1980s was probably the only time and place that Area could have happened on such a grand scale. Back then, almost anyone could rent a commercial space or warehouse, just about anywhere in the city, and open a club, restaurant, or bar. We had the freedom to create our own playground, to build or do almost anything we wanted, without concern for the laws, rules, ordinances, and regulations that exist today.”

AREA 1983–1987
By Eric Goode and Jennifer Goode
Published by Abrams 2013