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ARTIST'S IDEAS KEEP CLUB FRESH
By Catherine Wilson
Associate Press Writter
MIAMI BEACH - A three-headed dragon glares down on club-goers, its red eyes flashing over the bar, its 33-foot green and red body hanging above the hallway and its tail suspended menacingly above the dance fllor.
The fantasy came fron the mind of artist Rodolfo Tejera. The reality is the centerpiece in the new Chinese temple interior at the trendy Club Nu in Miami Beach.
Tejera is a Mariel refugee who dropped out of sociology school in Cuba with the dreams of the United States. He arrived by fishing boat in Key West in 1980 on forged travel papers and spent five years in San Francisco's underground art scene before returning to Miami and stumbling 1½ years ago into the design job with the 18,000-square-foot high-tech nightclub.
"I walked in the door ane day and said give me some money to make you a wall," said the 37-years old set designer and sculptor. "From there, I was working."
With two weeks to go before the new set was unveiled, Tejera was almost chain-smoking as he stood in a dark, dusty workshop, the gutted shell of the former Beach Theater. Its sea-blue plaster ceiling is frayed at the sides, and pigeons nest on its outer edge.
Scattered across the concrete floor are the Chinese-style columns to fet over the club's posts; larger-than-life plastic foam statues of a priest, warrior and pagan goddess to cover a 27-foot wall; five wire-mesh framed Chinese figures for the club stage; Asian dog statues; bas-relief wall tile made from imprinted clay; Oriental screens; and red ceiling ornaments.
"On this one, we have three weeks of research and two months of work, not even two months," said Tejera whose black jeans and tennis shoes are covered by fine dust. He spent time in the library, the Chinese consulate and with Chinese friends as the ideas developed.
"What I'm looking for is quick, impressive." Working with the clay mold for the tiles, he said, "You just play with it when you have it in your hands."
It took 18 hours to frame the dragon with its 20-foot wingspan. He needed to finished the dragon by heating its plastic sheeting and then spray painting it.
Many of the designs are based on a harvest temple in the Forbidden City and a mountain temple near the Yellow River.
A console lighting system will vary the color scheme every 45 minutes to the decor a different look even on the same night.
The club opened in 1987 with an ornate Egiptian theme, was trasnformed at one point into Atlantis and most recently was an 18th-century palace parlor, complete with cream-colored fireplace relegated to the workshop again.
While most clubs will spend $250,000 every three or four years on mayor renovation, Club Nu spends about $70,000 per set and changes them every three or four months. Special "environmental installations" also are prepared for one-day events such as Halloween and fashion shows.
"This keeps the club fresh. When the people come, they're always amazed the club has changed in such a short period of time," Tejera said. "The sets definitely bring people in. Every time you change the sets, you see the sales going up."
A crew of eight to 10 professional artists, painters, sculptors and carpenters prepared the Chinese set, and the frenzy leading up to the move to the club is wearing on Tejera.
"Now I don't have time for my own things. I've planned to change the oil in my motorcycle
for three weeks," he said. "Always the last couple wekks is intensive. You sleep three to four hours."
Meanwhile, club owners are planning to take the old sets on the road, setting up concerts around Tejera's traveling designs. His raw workshop also will be used for special events when he puts his tools away.
And Tejera is just beginning to think of what he'll do next at the club. He has whimsical images of candy sticks and ice cream in mind. But it's all hush-hush right now.
Back to work.
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