John Leo Gillen on Temporary Pleasure and the Ephemeral Nightclub
John Leo Gillen, an architect who grew up in a nightclub in western Ireland, established Temporary Pleasure to blend the aesthetics of club architecture with the spirit of rave culture, resulting in the concept of the ephemeral nightclub. His notable works include Choreomania at Horst Arts & Music, Joyride at the Barbican, and The Superclub at WeCanDance. In 2023, he published Temporary Pleasure: Nightclub Architecture, Design & Culture 1960–Today (Prestel). In a conversation with designboom, Gillen contends that nightclubs diverge from traditional concert venues, engaging the audience as part of the performance. He critiques the resurgence of concert formats and questions if institutions drawn to club culture will truly appreciate its core. He cautions that the focus on image is eclipsing genuine experiences, reducing memories to mere snapshots. This interview appears in designboom's SPECTATOR AND SPECTACLE chapter.
Key facts
- John Leo Gillen was born and raised in a family nightclub in the west of Ireland and managed it in his teens
- Temporary Pleasure is Gillen's practice combining club architecture with rave emotion into the ephemeral nightclub
- His projects include Choreomania at Horst Arts & Music, Joyride at the Barbican and The Superclub at WeCanDance
- Gillen wrote Temporary Pleasure: Nightclub Architecture, Design & Culture 1960–Today, published by Prestel in 2023
- He argues clubs have reverted to the concert format they were designed to break, with stages, frontal sound and LED screens
- At Paradise Garage, Larry Levan played from a bird's-eye nest above the crowd, unseen by dancers
- Superclub recessed the DJ and wrapped balconies around the dancefloor but could not alter festival programming or staffing
- The interview is part of designboom's SPECTATOR AND SPECTACLE chapter, presented in partnership with SolidNature
Entities
Artists
- John Leo Gillen
- Larry Levan
Institutions
- Temporary Pleasure
- Horst Arts & Music
- Barbican
- WeCanDance
- Paradise Garage
- Prestel
- designboom
- SolidNature
Locations
- Ireland
- Barcelona
- Spain
- Dublin
- London
- United Kingdom
- Belgium