The mysterious nightclub created by David Lynch now has a location in New York

A little over a decade ago, French businessman Arnaud Frisch had a vision. At 142 Rue de Montmartre — home to the country’s most committed press during the 19th and 20th centuries — he would make his personal dream come true: a club that would give free rein to the fantasies of a public that was thirsty for a different kind of night out, involving the strictest privacy. “Silencio is a refuge where the noise of everyday life fades away, making room for authentic artistic and cultural encounters, as well as moments of reflection and creativity,” Frisch explains to EL PAÍS by email.

The same building where J’Accuse was printed — Émile Zola’s famous article against antisemitism — would become, in the hands of Frisch and his partner Antoine Caton, an ode to entertainment and escapism for a generation fed up with the global crisis brewing around them. A new benchmark for Parisian nightlife that wouldn’t only host parties, but also concerts, talks, contemporary art exhibitions and film screenings.

The announcement of its opening in September 2011 was a worldwide media bombshell. The idea was to have the filmmaker David Lynch as artistic director of the establishment, which would be inspired by the intriguing club Silencio (“silence,” in Spanish) — from which it would take its name — that appears in his film Mulholland Drive (2002). The American director drew up a multitude of drawings to create a dramatic set design that would connect an underground photography gallery with a private cinema, a library, a smoking room, two bars, a darkroom and (of course) a 7,500-square-foot stage.

The French architectural agency ENIA — credited with award-winning projects such as the Galileo Security Monitoring Center — was commissioned to execute this underground club with a budget of $3.2 million. The interior — the product of a hedonistic mindset — didn’t skimp on resources. Put together by designer Raphael Navot, all the furniture was designed exclusively for the establishment, such as the carpet conceptualized by David Lynch, which covers the main entrance hall, or the series of asymmetrical blackbird seats in the lounges. Domeau & Pérès craftsmen designed the upholstery throughout the space, while the legendary Ateliers Gohard workshop did the gilded wood coverings on the vaulted ceilings.

Having become one of the most famous clubs in the world, it’s still going strong 13 years after its opening. Lana Del Rey, Prince, Dua Lipa, Pharrell Williams and Kendrick Lamar have all performed on its stage. The club has created a solid relationship with Paris Fashion Week and contemporary art fairs, such as Art Basel and Paris Photo. It has never ceased to be a place frequented by beautiful and influential people, where they can rub shoulders for a few hours with Kate Moss or Jean Paul Gaultier. “Silencio is well known for its nightlife. Its walls have vibrated to the rhythm of Peggy Gou, Kaytranada and Virgil Abloh. In its cultural program reserved for its members, you can attend an exhibition by Ai Weiwei, witness David Lynch’s Carte Blanche festival, a performance with A$AP Rocky or Michèle Lamy, a talk with Alejandro Jodorowsky, a preview by the filmmaker Ruben Ostlund, a dinner organized by Massimo Bottura, or a sale of photographs by Larry Clark,” Frisch, the founder, lists proudly.

Frisch has managed to make the Silencio brand profitable by strengthening its presence in Paris and expanding the nightclub’s concept to other cities around the world. The first to be silenced was Ibiza in 2020, in the heart of Cala Molí. Despite the pandemic, Frisch successfully put a twist on the traditional beach bars of the Balearic Islands. The aim was to create an intimate sanctuary among natural fibers, Balinese beds and sand floors for the island’s creative avant-garde, where nature and art would dialogue freely. “Due to its hedonistic spirit, the island welcomes creative people and free spirits from all over the world,” Frisch explains. “It has evolved perfectly with the times, from the first hippies of the 1960s to the new temples of electronic music. Ibiza was undoubtedly the ideal destination to open a second Silencio.”

The values of Silencio, the entrepreneur continues, remained the same, but adapted to the new location. “We commissioned the architecture of the place to the Balearic collective Moredesign and created a concept of Mediterranean cuisine put together by chef Mauro Colagreco.”

On July 12, Silencio Ibiza exploded on social media with a surprise performance by Charli XCX. The rest of the summer will prove to be tough competition for the local clubs, as indicated by the schedule posted on Silencio’s Instagram account. Frisch makes it clear that culture continues to be the driving force behind the project. “We’ve had everything from an installation by Miranda Makaroff or the architect Charlotte Taylor, to a DJ set by Jamie Jones, a concert by Claire Laffut, or a cabaret by Ali Mahdavi.”

With the support of Kulapat Yantrasast — Japanese architect Tadao Ando’s right-hand man and founder of the WHY architecture studio — Silencio Ibiza has become a gastronomic refuge on the island. To the already well-known menu of the three-star Michelin chef Mauro Colagreco in the beachfront restaurant, this year, they’re adding Urusai, a Tokyo-style tapas bar with a brutalist esthetic. The concept was created by Arthur Cohen and Olivier Leone — founders of the Ojii and Onii-San fine dining establishments in Paris — who will offer a menu throughout the summer that enhances the local produce with a modern Iberian-Japanese fusion. The oriental theme continues with a listening bar, where you can hear vinyl records at sunset, along with a Japanese-influenced cocktail menu created by Rémy Savage.

When Crosby Studios broke the silence in New York

After opening a second location in Paris with Silencio Des Prés — the all-day open kitchen restaurant designed by Studio KO in 2021 — Frisch decided to fulfill his American dream. Located on 57th Street and Eighth Avenue — just a few feet from the defunct Studio 54 — the design of the new Silencio would fall into the hands of Crosby Studios, known for defending the aesthetics of the former USSR as an emblem of modernity. Its founder — the Russian artist Harry Nuriev, a collaborator of Balenciaga and Nike — would imbue some of his shades of red or brutalist lines in the creation of the new cult club.

“My vision was to bring that European feeling to the new location in New York… to combine different universes, while still respecting the space of Paris. Using the color red that I like so much — which was already present in the original design — was a gift for me. It was the perfect color for this project,” Nuriev explains to EL PAÍS. The endless red velvet mantle runs from floor to ceiling, leaving no room for artwork or any other adornment. Austerity prevails over detail.

Its location in Hell’s Kitchen — a familiar neighborhood for the artist, since he first lived there when he moved to New York — inspired the idea of a nightclub located in the basement of a building with an entrance on a noisy street, which contrasted with the minimalist and chic atmosphere of its interior. He points out that this process is in accordance with his theory of “transformism,” which — in the world of art and design — refuses to create something completely new, opting to instead work from already-existing objects. The furniture of the New York club adheres to this theory. “In reality, this is a legendary place to do it,” he notes.

David Lynch is another artistic reference that he mentions. The director’s esthetic — omnipresent on the set of his films — is clearly visible when you look at the curtains, the neon signs and the red color. All of these are elements that also appear in the set designed by Nuriev. “David Lynch is one of my favorite artists and it was an honor for me to continue the beautiful work he did in Paris,” he declares.

As expected, Frisch designed a star-studded cultural agenda for its opening in February of this year: from the aftershow of Nicki Minaj’s latest tour, to the exhibition of the art collection curated by Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz, or the performance of YG Marley, the grandson of the iconic Jamaican musician.

After establishing himself in the Big Apple, the question is inevitable: what will be the next stop? “Maybe Asia,” the businessman muses. The designer he will choose to execute his plan remains a mystery.

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