The Bar
This is my bar. It's my favorite thing in the world.
It was designed in a British pub on cocktail napkins.
The scribbling & doodling took place in La Paz, Bolivia on a cold Andean night like so many cold Andean nights I experienced in La Paz, Bolivia.
The man that drew the Pacena-ringed-cocktail-napkin-blueprint is an Oklahoma-(State)-trained- Bolivian-born-architect.
Architects
And he's one of my most favorite people in the world.
He is a storyteller (from a "NO WAY" story about Brian Bosworth to life in Barbados as a child) and a bbq chef philosopher ("You do what you love").
The "bar" project took more than 3 years to complete although it only took 6 weeks to build. The napkins sat, shamefully idle, in a drawer for a really long time.
Stone Soup
Stone Soup is one of my most favorite stories in the world.
It's (in my opinion) a story illustrating the power of enthusiasm, opportunity and possibility.
If you're not familiar with the story, it goes something like thisssss...
The chronicle of The Bar has a similar arc:
From "Can you really build me a bar?" inspiration to
"We're leaving Bolivia at the end of the year, get this thing built!" urgency to
"It will have to be able to move all over the world." practicality to
"I want it to be easy for the bartender: lots of drawers, lights, fridge, built in butcher block, storage for glassware..." functionality to
"What type of artistic carvings do you want on the patron side (Tequila-pun intended)?" aesthetics to
"Which Andean images do you want painted by the Bolivian-Internationally-Known Artist?" originality to
"How aged, weathered and worn do you want the (newly-vintage) bar top to look via purposefully-wayward hammers, chains and ropes?" pseudo-authenticity to
"Who are we going to invite to christen The Bar?" enthusiasm.
Inspiration, Urgency, Practicality, Functionality, Aesthetic, Originality, Authenticity, Enthusiasm
Every product is the result of a process.
Inspiration, Urgency, Practicality, Functionality, Aesthetic, Originality, Authenticity, Ownership
Ownership and Enthusiasm are key components to learning as are constraints (Urgency, Practicality, Aesthetic, Originality and Authenticity).
Inspiration was the, necessary, first step of this process.
Customs, Intents & Purposes
The Bar was Custom-Built to capture my time in Bolivia as I got ready to "spin the globe" to see "what's next". The artistry and materials are a testament to the five years (and generations before me) that are tied to that raw and mystical place.
It was Intentionally-Built to serve as a meeting place. A place for people to exchange ideas, lies & dreams. A spot to escape, portend, pretend, delude, deny & delay decisions. A place for good friends to meet. A good place for children to learn, contextually, about vices, excess and the importance of "people skills".
Finally, it was Purpose-Built to be dismantled, packed up and transported anywhere in the world. It came to be in Bolivia. It descended from the Altiplano, across the Pacific and into Singapore's deep water port where it has soaked up 8 years of the city-state's humid, frenetic lifestyle.
Journeys, Destinations & Destinies
The Bar will soon be emptied, dismantled, packed and shipped. It's been halfway around the globe and is heading back.
"What's next?" is home but it's been 13 years and you can't go back home.
It's familiar and, yet, strange.
It's exciting and scary.
It's time.
And, it's What's Next.
