The new book is due for publication via Prestel on 25 April 2023.
Temporary Pleasure – a rave architecture collective – have announced a book looking at nightclub architecture, design and culture from the 1960s through to the present day. The forthcoming publication, which they have been developing over the past few years, builds on the timeline of ephemeral club spaces that Temporary Pleasure founder John Leo Gillen created and shared via Instagram back in 2020, at a time when physical clubs and venues were shut due to the Covid pandemic.
Temporary Pleasure: Nightclub Architecture, Design and Culture from the 1960s to Today “peers inside these iconic spaces” archived on Gillen’s timeline poster. This looks at the history of nightlife spaces and culture – in particular DIY and temporary venues – looking at different clubbing scenes across the world from Ibiza in the 70s to the emergence of the Superclub, grassroots rave movements and more.
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Last year, the DIY collective launched a fundraiser to bring a new temporary club to Dublin. The project saw them build an ephemeral club venue in the Irish city, realising their intention “to empower new community spaces and reimagine architecture and nightlife in Ireland.” The Dublin project was launched in response to the crisis faced by nightlife in Ireland, where archaic licensing laws (amongst other factors) have contributed to a steep decline in the amount of nightlife spaces, with fewer than 50 clubs left. Last autumn, Irish Ministers approved an overhaul of the outdated laws which will enable Irish clubs and venues to stay open until 6am. The new bill is set to come into effect this year.
Temporary Pleasure – which is made up of architects and club creatives focussed on grassroots and community approaches to club culture – have also run club-building workshops and projects in places including Barcelona and Prague. Their projects focus on creating “a club that only exists in a certain place at a certain moment. For a few weeks or just a night, before it changes shape and location again.”
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