What was the Prada Transformer?

The Prada Transformer is both brilliant and odd. Many people debate what it is between a fashion show stage, movie theater, or exhibition space. Well, it is all of them plus a film festival. The beauty of this structure is that the stage is not shared; each event uses up a different shape of the Prada Transformer.

Located in Seoul, South Korea, the structure was a joint design between Rem Koolhaas’s OMA and the Prada fashion house. Built in the form of a tetrahedron, the Prada Transformer features four sides of different shapes; circle, rectangle, cross and hexagon.

Video: Rem Koolhaas introduces the Prada Transformer

How did it work?

What happens when a certain side needs to be used as the stage? That is simple – a crane will rotate the structure so that the side intended for use faces downwards. This will automatically change the appearance of the structure, its form, and in turn, its function.

From past events, the rectangle is preferred for use as a movie theatre; the cross is for art exhibitions, the circle for special events and the hexagon for fashion exhibitions.

Although considered a temporary structure, the Prada Transformer turns 10 years old in 2019. The common feature that unifies the four shapes is a stark white membrane covering the entire circumference of the four structures. Before you see all the activities that can go on in the tent, one could easily mistake it for a circus prop.

The name of the Prada Transformer is quite symbolic and represents the fact that the pavilion can easily be turned manually to create a choice floor. Such work went into organizing that four special events have already taken place at this destination.

Video: Timelapse – Rotation of the Prada Transformer

Former location of the Prada Transformer

45 Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Exhibition & Film festival inside the cocoon

Exhibition: Waist Down

The first exhibition ever held at the Prada Transformer was the ‘Waist Down’. This is a themed exhibition that is traveling by nature. As the name suggests, the show is based on imagining and telling stories that touch on issues on parts of the body below the waist. Using humor, the exhibition is supposed to inspire emotional and cultural imaginations on sex, identity and desire.

Film Festival: Flesh, Mind and Spirit

‘Flesh, Mind and Spirit’ exhibition would later follow. A fascinating film festival, it included a series of events that involved cinema. Both enticing and dynamic, this exhibition is designed to showcase over two weeks, during which a series of 14 films are screened.

Exhibition: Turn into me

The third cycle of exhibition work to be installed was called ‘Turn into me’, incorporating a series of 3-dimensional constructions. Using humor and animation that provoke the viewer’s imagination, this exhibition featured skeletons, eyes, and images of human anguish.

Exhibition: The Students

The last exhibition, which completed a four-part rotation of the Prada Transformer building, was ‘The Students’ Take Over.’ Spanning over an entire day, this exhibition was dedicated to new art focusing on work done by students from various universities around South Korea.

Inside the Prada Transformer

Explore nearby (Gyeonghuigung, Seoul)