PROJECT

DESCRIPTION

Paintings discovered in the Altamira Caves, Iberian Peninsula, from around 12000 years ago, captured a beautiful moment in the historical course of human civilization: when the cave dwellers still lived in a barbaric age, the early spark of an open flame taught them to cook food. It was an age of violent hunting and survival, but also an age of evolution and civilization. Our early memory, deeply and genetically imprinted with a mark of flaming red and rock black, continues to light up our passion for “roast meat and barbecue grill”.
Zhengyi Barbecue Flagship Store is located at Shop 102, No. 25th Building, Shanhigh Sunshine Garden, Longhu District, Shantou, Guangdong Province, in a floor area of 350 m2. It is a Japanese-style barbecue that celebrates the ceremony of “meat eating” as a concept passed down from the primitive culture. The work has a design theme called “Anthem to Flame”, in dominating tones of red and black, displaying both a steady composure and an explosive power. The elements of rock and flame are directly reflected on its entrance door, where the pitch-black façade and crisscrossed dark-brick hallway meet a striking strip of crimson, the color of the setting sun hidden in a big cloud of dusky coal black. The flaming red and rock black are interlaced in a non-restricted space reproducing a sense of cave or furnace. The sculpted walls and ceiling, the powerful calligraphy on the menu board, and the nearly unsheathed katanas hung aside, are saturated with the smell of sanguinary austerity from the ancient hunting grounds. It brings an instant refreshed thrill to the diners, piquing their interest and appetite. When plates of red meat are served, the charcoal fire heats the stove plate. The grave hunting ground is rapidly turned into a paradise for gourmet palates. The red wall reflects the light from above, greatly stimulates appetite while the rock black-colored table devours any distraction, urging the diners to satisfy their desire for the roast meat by gobbling down one bite of delicious food after another.
Compared to the first floor, the second floor presents a tranquil space more than a sense of hunting. There is an increase of the proportion of black color in the space, while reducing the visible red. This helps to inhibit excitement and outburst in a slightly dim light, waiting for the firelight and the bright color of the food to serve as contrast, before they sweep away the displeasure and hunger of the diners and make them laugh in contentment. Bamboo weaving, wood fences and barriers are the decorative elements on the second floor to separate clearly divided individual areas, while the cutout design subtly interconnects the space, as if forming a whole part and ensuring privacy at the same time. Behind the shoji screen standing by is a whole new world, where bright light sets the grill oven ablaze, and stove fire burns vigorously. Layer upon layer of partition is the symbol of the guardian, setting a clear boundary. The whole room under the guardian of the Katana ornament hanging on the wall at the other end of the room, known as Zhengyi or Justice Sword, reveals a style of stability and calmness.