On Wednesday, October 21st, the World Red Eye Cultural Exchange Speaker Series is kicking off at the Pérez Art Museum Miami. The inaugural installment of the series, titled “The Influence of Nightlife on The Modern Renaissance of Miami,” will gather a panel of nightlife luminaries to narrate an oral history of Miami from their unique perspectives. They will also be giving their insight on Miami’s nightlife future.
The event will be moderated by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, Alfred Spellman, who will highlight five cultural pioneers: Chris Paciello, David Grutman, Eric Milon, Navin Chatani, and Nicola Siervo.
Together, they will discuss the past, present and future of nightlife and the cultural impact on the city, which is bound to be colorful. After all, Miami Beach’s nightlife elevated the whole of Miami, attracting artists, photographers, models (and the rich playboys who wanted them) from all over the world.
Cofounder of Rakontur and producer of Cocaine Cowboys, Alfred Spellman, sums up the dramatic change, “If you came to Miami Beach in the early 1980s, you would’ve thought you arrived in the world’s largest outdoor funeral parlor, it was one of the few cities in the world where more people died than were born. The remarkable transformation of Miami since then into one of the world’s premier destinations can be directly tied to the nightlife culture that sprouted out of South Beach in the early 1990s and has since come to define the city internationally. Spellman knows a thing or two about nightlife. Not only did he live it, but he documented the underbelly of Miami’s Nightlife in a web-based documentary series called Clubland.
Another figure who was there to capture the fun since the late 90s, was photographer Seth Browarnik, founder of World Red Eye. “Prior to my ‘behind the scenes’ documentation of Miami nightlife, anything that went on behind the velvet rope was just hearsay,” explains Browarnik. Now there’s evidence. Not only do viewers of WRE’s photos get a taste of what’s going in the VIP section, but it’s essential to each night club’s popularity.
“Today, photography and nightlife go hand-in-hand with digital and social media, playing an integral part of the venue’s lifespan and validity. Without someone behind the lens capturing coveted moments among celebs and the social set, the nightlife industry would not have the high-profile it does now. Now, anyone can get up close and personal with some of the most sought after people in film, fashion, music and art with photography.”
Fittingly, the talks will not be without libations, which will be provided by Perrier-Jouët and Absolute Elix.
photos by Seth Browarnik for World Red Eye
