A 'new' Kinetic Playground now resides directly across from The Aragon Ballroom on Lawrence Avenue in Uptown, Chicago. The club takes it's name from the famous music venue of the early 1960's, which helped launch the Rock 'N Roll Era in Chicago. Famous for its light shows, the original Kinetic Playground, located in the former Rainbo Arena on Clark Street, hosted such rock greats as Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Who and Jethro Tull.
Although the new Kinetic hosts all types of live music the owners wanted the exterior image of the club to convey the roots of it's predecessor. The club's large street facing windows run nearly half a block and were ideal for a large scale mural display. The overall design direction was based on record stores of the 60's that would cover their windows with rock posters. The design was composited of over 30 individual illustrations and 'tribute' posters that feature many of the acts that played at the original club. The mural was printed and applied to the windows with a 3M film that has small holes in it that are imperceivable when looking at the art from the outside but allow transparency from the inside of the the club.
| Completion Date | September 2005 |
|---|---|
| Illustration | M. Cimek |
| Related Links | The Kinetic Playground |
Hendrix window. Click to view full size
Full mural. Click to view full size
Side windows. Click to view full size