Public Records
Public Records was born out of 233 Butler, the historic Brooklyn ASPCA building, later occupied by a duo of vintage instrument restorers. The goal of the project was to celebrate the building’s layers of history and texture, while giving it new life as a vessel for human communion, utilizing humble utilitarian materials. The weathered walls and ceiling left intact, the monolithic bar was finished with discarded travertine tiles to integrate discreetly into the existing envelope. We designed a room spanning light fixture out of LED and metal piping in collaboration with Nitemind, framing four OJAS speakers hung by chain link from the ceiling. All fixed elements were built out of plywood and cladded in basic linoleum. Despite the space’s limited budget and DIY approach, the project was featured in Architectural Digest, Dezeen, The NYTimes, and various other publications.
UPSTAIRS
UPSTAIRS is a cocktail bar and listening room in a space formerly occupied by the iconic Retrofret Vintage Guitars at 233 Butler. The goal of the project was to create an environment that functioned as a sound chamber but felt like a high end lounge. We created strategies by which acoustic treatment disappeared into architecture with the aim of the room itself becoming an inhabitable sculpture. The enveloping walls were furred out in geometries that discreetly direct sound, while forming the seating contours. The bespoke OJAS sound system’s sub woofers were integrated into a wall so that the wall itself functions as a speaker. We designed custom chairs and tables in collaboration with local maker Joe Cauv. Artist Cristian Andersen fabricated a collection of stools and the entry light fixture that blur the lines between art and furniture. The project was featured in Dezeen, HD Mag, Hypebeast, and Surface.
The Nursery
Equal part event space and plant sanctuary, the goal of The Nursery was to convert a lifeless asphalt lot into a living ecosystem that houses both human and non-human life. In order to meet code regulations the space was required to be temporal. We devised a scheme to utilize Public Records existing storage infrastructure as the foundation of the intervention. Three shipping containers were re-organized into a U shape which provided the structure for a passively heated and cooled wooden truss and roll away door system. Another container was modified and outfitted as a sound booth. Masonry planters were constructed out of acoustic Soundblox in addition to the utilization of earth planted bamboo in key areas to further absorb sound. A mobile de-constructible sound system was designed to be moved in and out of the storage U. The project was a collaboration with Cactus Store, Mattaforma, Space Exploration, ARUP, OJAS, and NNN, and was featured in Dezeen, Surface, Hypebeast, and AN Interior.
Bush Terminal
Public Service is partnering with the New York City Economic Development Corporation to design and curate the anchor building to EDC’s MADE Bush Terminal multi-phase development on the Sunset Park waterfront. The project itself aims to provide work and fabrication space for local creatives and creative organizations, while championing environmental stewardship with an emphasis on maritime issues. We are currently in design on a large scale arts and events space that will host diverse programming across music, theatre, and visual activations, a cafe and bar, and a public gathering space for both campus and neighborhood residents. All spaces will be born out of and pay respect to the site’s rich textural history, and serve as identifiers for the cultural and social aspirations of the greater project.
95 Rockwell
95 Rockwell is a ground up 220 unit residential development in the Fort Greene cultural district, positioned between BAM, BRIC, and Mark Morris Dance Group. Public Service is serving as project wide Creative Directors and Interior Designers. Our vision for the site was to approach the residential typology with a spirit akin to more culturally minded projects, taking inspiration from the surrounding institutions and our own organizational interests and activities. Our mission is to create an environment that re-connects its inhabitants to nature, themselves, and each other, via sense activating and communion driving spaces.
Whitney Museum
In 2024 Public Records and Public Service launched a partnership with the Whitney Museum of American Art to curate and produce a series of live performances around the museum campus, titled “Form. Content. Meaning.” The ongoing series showcases a number of diverse experimental artists drawing connections between the semiotic nature of both visual and sonic art. This notion is a continuation of our perpetual interest in trans-disciplinary artistic process and the intersections between practices and mediums. Public Service designed a capsule collection of retail products exclusive for the Whitney and Public Records shops.
Durations
Originally conceptualized with the philosophies of Henri Bergson in mind, Durations is an annual festival exploring sound as an intentional means of connecting body and mind, memory and imagination, across time. Over three days of events, the programming connects sensation with experience by highlighting a diasporic lineup of electronic and experimental artists. Featured artists include Acid Horizon Andy Stott, DJ Healthy, Ex-Terrestrial, Francis Harris, Jan Jelinek , Leech, Lena Willikens, Lovefingers, Low End Activist , Luigi Tozzi , Marie Davidson, and Tim Hecker.
