Prada Mode returned for its eighth edition as a travelling social club combining contemporary art, music, dining and conversation. Hosted at ICD Brookfield Place in Dubai, the two-day programme centred on a new edition of Damien Hirst’s Pharmacy.

Kennedy London appointed Evolution to realise the artist’s concept within the landmark venue.

The task was to transform the space into an immersive cultural environment where the artwork, hospitality and social experience operated as one connected experience rather than separate event components.

The space needed to operate as a bar, dining setting, discussion venue and cultural installation, with every surface and object contributing to the recognisable world of Pharmacy.

The Challenge

Damien Hirst’s concept relied on a highly controlled visual identity. Medical references, bold surfaces, lighting, furniture and suspended artwork needed to be integrated with precision so the environment felt intentionally designed rather than a collection of individual production elements.

The installation also had to be delivered within an existing premium venue featuring eight-metre columns and complex overhead conditions. Safe rigging, accurate scanning and close coordination with lighting designers and project supervisors were essential to protect the artwork, maintain the architectural integrity of the space and achieve the intended creative vision.

The Solution

Evolution carried out a comprehensive ceiling scan to support the safe and precise rigging of artwork and artificial track lighting, working with FARO Studio and under the supervision of VCA Projects, the approach provided the technical confidence required to integrate suspended elements within the existing venue structure.

A custom central bar became the focal point of the social environment, supported by bespoke comfort furniture designed to encourage dining, conversation and evening interaction. The layout allowed the space to transition naturally between hospitality, cultural engagement and entertainment.

The visual identity of Pharmacy was extended throughout the venue through a life-sized medical display cabinet, transparent printed vinyl applied to the glazing and wallpaper wrapping across the eight-metre circular columns. These interventions transformed the existing architecture into an active part of the installation rather than a backdrop.

A miniature DNA molecule fabricated in Styrofoam created a suspended centrepiece above the guest environment, reinforcing the medical and scientific references that defined Pharmacy while adding a distinctive visual feature to the space.

Delivery Highlights

• Two-day Prada Mode cultural and hospitality programme at ICD Brookfield Place.
• Comprehensive ceiling scan supporting artwork and track-light rigging.
• Custom-built central bar and bespoke comfort furniture.
• Life-sized medical display cabinet interpreting the Pharmacy concept.
• Printed transparent vinyl and specialist wallpaper across the venue architecture.
• Suspended miniature DNA molecule installation.
• Coordination with Kennedy London, FARO Studio and VCA Projects.

Outcome

The venue was transformed into a fully realised edition of Pharmacy, where the bar, furniture, medical references and suspended installation worked together as part of one cohesive environment. Guests experienced Prada Mode as a cultural and social setting rather than a traditional event space with artwork added around it.

The success of the environment came from the integration of creative intent and production detail. Detailed scenic craftsmanship allowed a complex artistic concept to function naturally across dining, discussion and evening programming while preserving the distinctive visual identity of the installation.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Kennedy London

Evolution Events: Supported programme coordination, venue integration and delivery alignment with Kennedy London and the wider Prada Mode schedule.

Evolution Scenic: Led the scenic realisation, ceiling survey, central bar, medical cabinet, column treatments, window graphics and DNA installation.

Evolution Furniture: Delivered the confirmed bespoke comfort-furniture package supporting dining and conversation.

Evolution Technical: Supported the confirmed artwork-rigging and artificial track-lighting integration within the venue environment.

Victoria's Secret launched a new fragrance in Dubai in 2021 through an activation designed for media and influencers before opening to the wider public over the weekend.

Evolution used the product itself as the creative source. The perfume bottle's silhouette, the fragrance finishes and its visual mood were translated into video, projection, drapery, graphics and decorative details throughout the boutique.

The experience operated at two scales: an immersive retail environment that brought guests close to the product, and an opening-night projection on the Burj Khalifa that gave the launch a citywide moment of visibility.

The Challenge

A boutique has limited space and an existing retail identity, so the activation needed to feel transformative without preventing the store from functioning. The design also had to retain its polish when the audience shifted from invited media and influencers to public visitors.

Digital features, projection and decorative treatment needed to express the fragrance coherently rather than competing for attention. The Burj Khalifa moment introduced an additional layer of technical and content coordination beyond the store itself.

The Solution

Evolution designed custom video walls in the silhouette of the perfume bottle, creating an immediate product reference and a central moving-image feature within the boutique. The form made the technology part of the fragrance identity rather than a generic screen installation.

Graphic projection, signage and decorative elements extended the product language across the store. Dramatic drapery added depth and softness, while smaller visual interventions maintained an elegant and consistent mood around the retail environment.

For the exclusive opening night, Evolution coordinated a dedicated projection on the Burj Khalifa. The landmark moment expanded the launch beyond the boutique and provided media and influencers with a powerful public expression of the product reveal.

The activation remained in place for the public weekend, allowing a broader audience to experience the same design story while the boutique continued to operate as a retail space.

Delivery Highlights

• Immersive fragrance launch for media, influencers and the public.
• Custom video walls shaped around the perfume-bottle silhouette.
• Graphic projection, signage, drapery and decorative treatment.
• Creative direction based on the product's finishes and visual identity.
• Special opening-night projection on the Burj Khalifa.
• Public activation retained across the launch weekend.

Outcome

The launch made the fragrance physically recognisable before guests encountered it as a product. Its silhouette, texture and mood were present throughout the boutique, creating a coherent path from visual discovery to retail engagement.

The Burj Khalifa projection gave the opening night a memorable external moment, while the public weekend extended the experience beyond the initial invited audience without diluting its sense of glamour.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Victoria’s Secret 

Evolution Events: Led creative development, brand interpretation, public and influencer journey, Burj Khalifa coordination and activation management.

Evolution Scenic: Produced the bottle-shaped video-wall surrounds, signage, drapery and decorative retail environment.

Evolution Technical: Delivered the video walls, graphic projection and technical coordination for the Burj Khalifa projection.

For Sole DXB 2019, Jack Morton Worldwide commissioned Evolution to design and construct a triple-deck Adidas pavilion within Dubai Design District.

The creative language drew on the gritty architecture of the London Underground. Rather than applying an urban graphic treatment to a conventional stand, the structure itself became the brand experience through layered levels, structural rhythm and integrated retail display.

A second-level VIP viewing deck extended the purpose beyond product presentation, giving invited guests a premium relationship with the festival’s main stage and making the pavilion part of the wider event experience.

The Challenge

The design needed to achieve the visual density of an underground transport environment while operating as a functional retail, hospitality and viewing structure across three levels.

Because the pavilion carried guests above ground level, structural performance and approval were central to the concept. The experience could only open if its immersive design was supported by a robust engineering solution and Municipality compliance.

The Solution

Evolution designed and built the structure using an innovative TSG hybrid system, creating the industrial geometry and layered architecture required for the London Underground-inspired environment.

Retail displays were integrated directly into the pavilion so products appeared within the spatial story rather than inside a separate merchandising zone.

The upper VIP viewing deck was positioned to create a premium outlook towards the Sole DXB main stage. This gave the stand a role beyond retail and encouraged guests to remain within the Adidas environment during the live festival programme.

A detailed STAAD structural analysis was completed to secure Municipality approval, aligning the visual ambition with the safety and compliance requirements of the three-level temporary structure.

Delivery Highlights

• Triple-deck Adidas pavilion at Sole DXB 2019.
• Creative direction inspired by the London Underground.
• Innovative TSG hybrid structural system.
• Integrated retail displays and urban architectural details.
• Second-level VIP viewing deck facing the festival main stage.
• Detailed STAAD analysis supporting Municipality approval.
• Complete design, construction and compliant event installation.

Outcome

The pavilion gave Adidas a visible architectural presence within Sole DXB. Visitors could browse product, explore the layered environment and experience the festival from an elevated brand-owned viewpoint.

The immersive quality came from the building itself: structural design, retail function and hospitality were combined into one recognisable urban experience rather than added as separate stand features.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Jack Morton Worldwide

Evolution Events: Led client coordination, festival-site planning, approval management and delivery integration with Jack Morton Worldwide.

Evolution Scenic: Engineered and constructed the triple-deck pavilion, integrated retail displays and VIP viewing structure.

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture - Evolution Site Services - Evolution Technical