
In 2024, the buildings and cities created by Tracey Snelling, microcosms of humanity and intimacy, were featured in the Venetian exhibition About Us. Today, the artist, originally from Oakland and based in Berlin, returns to Italy for her first collaboration with Seletti. Hotel Voyeur is a project encapsulated in a table lamp that replicates the façade of a hotel with six windows, each displaying brief looping videos. In the participatory philosophy that defines the most unconventional design company, this object can become a “distributed” hotel where visitors personalize the rooms with their own video. The project extends outside the Seletti store, thanks to an installation powered by Samsung Galaxy with a series of videos on the façade. The collaboration between Snelling and Seletti will produce new buildings in the future with the aim of constructing an entire ideal city.
The project expands further through a site-specific installation at Corso Garibaldi 117, on the facade of the Seletti store, which extends the Hotel Voyeur concept into an immersive experience. The installation translates the lamp’s design into architecture, recreating the facade of a hotel with illuminated windows, inside which the same videos featured in the lamp are displayed, thanks to cutting-edge screens provided by Samsung. Inside the showroom, visitors will find a faithfully recreated hotel room, with vintage furnishings and an atmosphere that fuels curiosity and imagination. Through a play of screens, mirrors, and projections, the installation challenges the perception of space and privacy, transforming the street into a stage where everyday life becomes part of an artistic composition.
My research has always been influenced by observing the lives of others, and this project with Seletti is a way to further develop this reflection. I have always been fascinated by popular places, by the architectures that people recognize as their own, and my works, since 1998, have followed this investigative path. I already knew about Seletti’s collaboration with Toiletpaper, so I knew the brand had a strong sensitivity to art, and I believe this project will lead to further and different developments in my work, says Tracey Snelling.
More info on the website Seletti