Multidisciplinary creative studio PlayLab has collaborated with some of the biggest names across music, fashion and design – including Virgil Abloh, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Justin Timberlake, as well as brands such as Vans, Adidas, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Nike, Rimowa, Fenty and Skims. Now, the practice can add Golden Goose to its expansive portfolio after collaborating on this year’s ‘Haus’ exhibition.
‘Golden Goose Haus’ is quickly becoming an annual event. The Italian footwear brand, which was founded by Francesca Rinaldo and Alessandro Gallo in 2000, launched ‘Haus’ in 2024, a platform which invites a series of international talents to create genre-spanning installations in an event which coincides each year with the Venice Biennale.
Step into Golden Goose and PlayLab’s ‘The Forest For The Trees'
The installation took visitors away from the bustling canals of Venice and into the city’s industrial outskirts in Marghera, where Golden Goose was founded. Much like last year, where we saw Italian-Canadian artist and film director Marco Brambilla present ‘Altered States’, this year's exhibition, titled ‘The Forest For The Trees’, was also presented at the Italian footwear brand’s ‘Haus Marghera’ hub. Opening in 2024, it is split into different areas, including an archive, a library, a ‘playground’ – which is an auditorium – and a ‘hangar’, a large-scale exhibition area.
Coinciding with the opening of the 61st Venice Biennale, PlayLab's exhibition was focused on whimsy and wonder, conjuring a storybook-style scene – an analogy, said the brand, for the idea of possibility. The title of the exhibition is derived from the expression used by someone who is too involved in the details rather than seeing the situation as a whole; using this as a foundation, guests were encouraged to partake in the immersive installation to help create a bigger picture.
Tasks included throwing paper leaves into the soothing water feature, which was then followed by an arts and crafts-style activity, whereby miniature tree models were set up in the ‘academy’ area to be painted by guests. They were then added to the larger display, which had a joyful, childlike feel.
‘I think the world needs more people to listen to each other. The common ground is empathy and kindness,’ says Silvio Campara, CEO of Golden Goose. ‘I think what PlayLab has done is to bring you back to your youth when you still had emotional space to feel tender. No limits, no back-thoughts, simply be open-minded to listen, first of all to yourself, and then to other people.’
Other details of the installation, which was open for two days during the Biennale’s opening weekend, included a looping soundscape of nature sounds and illuminated visuals in a digital tunnel, creating a futuristic vision of the natural world. This 'tunnel' led guests to the ‘hangar’ space, where large-scale, theatrical trees were displayed, spotlit in the otherwise candle-lit space.
Campara is clear that Golden Goose strives to redefine luxury by stripping back the glamour and injecting playfulness into its work. ‘If I have to give a suggestion to all luxuries, I would say stop speaking for one second. Stop desire, and start dreaming. Stop excluding, and keep on including. Stop coolness, welcome kindness. Take your body, your soul, and your mind and dive deep into empathy. This is the future,’ he said.