Behind The City & Macallan Tasting Experience
Presented by:
The Macallan
Manhattan, New York ……… 2018
…the closest thing to time travel most of us will ever experience… The show is incredibly intimate…in the best, most dream-like way.
Forbes
Behind the City is exceptionally ingenious… both one of the sweetest and most sophisticated date nights on offer in these early days of summer… industriously inventive
The New York Times
Behind the City and the Macallan Tasting Experience were part of a bold and visionary brand partnership that captured the attention of NYC’s cultural scene, garnered extraordinary press and critical coverage, sparked widespread buzz on the socials, and, most importantly, offered a one-of-a-kind opportunity for guests to experience world-class artistry and craftsmanship.
The collaboration grew out of The Macallan’s desire to create a singular experience that embodied its celebration of exceptional artistry. They wanted to partner with world-class artists and eventually found their way to Third Rail Projects. What emerged was a totally unique project, where The Macallan supported—and made possible—a vision I’d wanted to create for years but had never had the resources to realize. This work was framed within a beautiful brand activation that we also designed for The Macallan in partnership with Motive, a stand-alone destination experience that was both a companion to that work and a platform to showcase other exceptional artists.
The result was something of a cultural coup: a brand activation that received a coveted New York Times “Critic’s Pick,” garnered a feature in Forbes, and received coverage from other major outlets. It enabled the creation of Behind the City, our most intimate work to date. Here, New York City itself became the stage, setting, and metaphor, where couples discovered unexpected, dreamlike environments and narratives hidden behind closed doors. From mysterious buildings and lavish hotel rooms to limousines and fleeting scenes glimpsed through windows, the experience was a rumination on love, getting lost, and the memories that we imprint upon the city and it imprints upon us.
Behind the City was presented in conjunction with The Macallan Speakeasy, a destination designed as an intimate gathering space to celebrate exceptional artists and serve as a portal to the theater work. Within the Speakeasy, I created a bespoke whisky tasting, weaving The Macallan’s history and commitment to craftsmanship into a deeply personal encounter with one of its premier expressions—an experience that echoed the appreciation of artistry and excellence at the heart of this event.
