︎The Buqué Series
Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid, 2023
Commercial photography project & video art
Conceptualization, shooting, editing, video making, video editing
The Buqué Series is an audiovisual project I conceptualized, executed, and edited in 2023 for the legendary hotel, specifically for its cocktail bar, Pictura—the hotel’s most artistically driven outlet.
The title? The French-derived term Buqué means:
1. The characteristic aroma of a wine.
2. A bouquet of flowers.
The spectacular space of Pictura, reimagined and redesigned by Gilles & Boissier, features a large-scale portrait gallery that fills nearly all the walls, showcasing some of the most important cultural figures of today. This gallery, masterfully created by Paula Anta, transports figures like Elvira Lindo, Jorge Pardo, and Campo Baeza back to the Spanish Golden Age, where they are captured in dramatic chiaroscuro. This gallery is visible from the bar—a museum-like gesture that I sought to continue through a series of videos revisiting classic still lifes, now infused with the presence of drinks.
The still lifes featured in the series draw inspiration from works housed in the nearby Museo del Prado and Museo Thyssen, primarily from the 17th century, though some date as late as the 19th century, connecting the bar to the local tradition of painting (PICTura). The project was a collective and collaborative effort, incorporating silverware from the hotel’s archives, floral arrangements by Brumalis, cocktails from Pictura, and fruits and oysters sourced from the hotel’s various restaurants.
Team: Elisa Palma, BRUMALIS, Marina Da Cunha & Itziar Nieto.
Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid, 2023
Commercial photography project & video art
Conceptualization, shooting, editing, video making, video editing
The Buqué Series is an audiovisual project I conceptualized, executed, and edited in 2023 for the legendary hotel, specifically for its cocktail bar, Pictura—the hotel’s most artistically driven outlet.
The title? The French-derived term Buqué means:
1. The characteristic aroma of a wine.
2. A bouquet of flowers.
The spectacular space of Pictura, reimagined and redesigned by Gilles & Boissier, features a large-scale portrait gallery that fills nearly all the walls, showcasing some of the most important cultural figures of today. This gallery, masterfully created by Paula Anta, transports figures like Elvira Lindo, Jorge Pardo, and Campo Baeza back to the Spanish Golden Age, where they are captured in dramatic chiaroscuro. This gallery is visible from the bar—a museum-like gesture that I sought to continue through a series of videos revisiting classic still lifes, now infused with the presence of drinks.
The still lifes featured in the series draw inspiration from works housed in the nearby Museo del Prado and Museo Thyssen, primarily from the 17th century, though some date as late as the 19th century, connecting the bar to the local tradition of painting (PICTura). The project was a collective and collaborative effort, incorporating silverware from the hotel’s archives, floral arrangements by Brumalis, cocktails from Pictura, and fruits and oysters sourced from the hotel’s various restaurants.
Team: Elisa Palma, BRUMALIS, Marina Da Cunha & Itziar Nieto.
