Buenos Aires Space-Age Landmark Dons Pair Of Monumental Headphones

Architizer News

Buenos Aires Space-Age Landmark Dons Pair Of Monumental Headphones

January 9, 2013

Photo: Sony

Nothing says “don’t bother me” like a downward gaze and a pair of chunky headphones strapped across your noggin. Who knew what worked for moody urban teens also works for (quasi-)Brutalist architecture? As part of an advertising stunt launched last month, Sony crowned the Planetario Galileo Galilei in Buenos Aires with a giant pair of inflatable headphones, making the irresistibly forlorn, rain-flecked building all the more lovable. The planetarium, which was designed by architect Enrique Jan and opened in 1962, was made over to commemorate “Silent Day,” a fabricated holiday that celebrated the release of new Sony headphones. Continue.

Hundreds of attendees/concert-goers gathered on the planetarium’s lawn for the “muted” party, where they swayed in, what appeared to observers, complete silence. (The participants were each wearing headphones synced to an on-site DJ that blasted dance music in their ears.) The planetarium’s own mufflers weren’t spewing out the good vibes, however, as they were made of 300 square meters of fabric. The installation lasted a single day (December 15), after which the headphones were removed, and the building was left by its ol’ goofy self.