In New York, the World Cup frenzy meets its design-forward match. Crosby Studios, the design practice by Harry Nuriev, explores soccer’s (or, for some, football’s) cultural impact in a new exhibition. Home of Football: Home & Away was created in collaboration with Home of Football and curatorial collective Air Afrique. Located at High Line 9 and open through July 19, the show blends archival paraphernalia with the studio’s signature immersive and metallic world. The installation also marks the studios’ new retail concept which will continue to evolve in future projects.
The installation is divided into six chapters, spanning sports, art, fashion, design, and the ways they intersect. Behind a textured, metallic facade, a bright green world awaits inside. Through an entry of rounded walls, wall-to-wall green carpeting recalls a soccer field. The effect is dramatized by oversized curvatures of light, illuminating the installation with an otherwordly glow.
The circular motifs are abstractions of the shape of the ball as well as the center of the field. They’re continued throughout the space through soccer-shaped bean bags and rounded stainless steel display plinths.
Green and steel display cases, lit from within, feature rarities, including Lionel Messi’s first 2006 World Cup jersey and Pelé’s 1958 Brazil World Cup jersey. There’s more than than 60 match-worn jerseys, trophies, photographs, archival pieces, and never-before-seen memorabilia from The Manzano Heritage Collection.
Some of the jerseys are displayed on gently curving clothes racks or hung behind glass boxes, differentiating and layering the means of presentation. The concept translates “the energy and visual codes of football into a new media format that feels open and accessible, not only to football fans, but also to people discovering this world for the first time.” said Nuriev.
The space also integrates The Crosby Shop, the studio’s inaugural retail concept and a curated selection of some of Nuriev’s favorite brands in fashion, skincare, and technology. It falls alongside a Balira Coffee cafe pop-up from former Real Madrid star and World Cup champion Sami Khedira, who will make select appearances in the space.