JAMNOLA | Experiential Pop-Up

New Orleans, LA

*custom

To know Flavor Paper is to know that our wild wallpaper ride kicked off in NOLA’s Bywater back in 2003. So, when it comes to rallying around anything tied to our roots — especially art, food and music — we’re down to get down! Cue JAMNOLA (aka Joy, Art & Music–New Orleans): Crescent City’s first experiential pop-up dreamed up by FP pals Jonny Liss, Chad Smith and artist collective Where Y’art Works to celebrate the town’s intoxicating rhythm as seen through the out-of-the-box eyes of 30+ local creatives. Guess who’s in that mix? To help bring the immersive 17-room exhibit to life, we were tapped in to cook up an assortment of custom wallcoverings inspired by New Orleans’ cultural gems, as well as work the walls with a few in-line Flavors that embody the laissez les bon temps rouler vibe that we live and breathe. Naturally, crawdads and beads were on the menu, among other elements that make the Big Easy (and JAMNOLA) the place to be. 

The zones that we threw down for included:

  • The Bead Goes On: Two trippy, sexy zesty hollagraphic and Day-Glo bombed rooms bursting with a depth-bending beaded motif wallpaper we custom created to toast everyone’s infatuation with Mardi Gras beads and with reverence to dot obsessed Yayoi Kusama. Our team was drinking the Kool-Aid hard with this design so we added it to our portfolio, but in four spot-on colorways for today’s interiors. It's called Bead Obsession, obviously. We can, however, print it with more showy or soft color combos, special effects, really whatever satisfies your appetite. Pro tip: Give the paper room to run to really be wowed!  

  • Joy of Crawfish: Rather than learning how to bake bread during COVID, Flavor founder and creative director, Jon Sherman, whipped up an homage to NOLA’s favorite party crustacean — the crawfish — for this tasty and totally hilarious space imagined by painter Robert Durand and that serves up nothing but love for the local cuisine. Aptly called Mudbug Life, the bespoke paper is composed of scenes of some classic Southern pastimes featuring actual crawdads and painstakingly resourced miniature furnishings. It’s a modern take on a french country toile that captures life in the Big Easy...role reversed. This feast for the eyes was so much of a true labor of spice-soaked love that we also rolled it into our assortment. If you're diggin' it but have another color combo in mind that's cool, just let us know and we'll work with you on it. P.S. No crawfish were injured making this design; we cooked them first. Hmm.  

  • Who Dot?: It’s of course a riff on Who Dat?...and if your response is who’s who? then you’re not a Saints fan; we’ll forgive you; look it up. Football pride aside, we donated our Shyama Golden designed About Face paper — a client favorite, especially for bathrooms — that’s printed on a reflective chrome mylar so visitors can really get up in there and immerse themselves in the moment. Thanks to Erika Goldring for teaming up with us!    

  • Costume Closet: If you’re a true New Orleanian then you most certainly have a closet bursting with costumes for Mardi Gras or really any given Monday. Just ask Jon. To dress up this section we fashioned a design decked out in photographs taken by Erika Goldring of the incredible people behind JAMNOLA, in full carnival regalia of course. While this Flavor was done special for the exhibit, we can create wallpapers that toast your tribe or any other vibe. Just give us a shout. Cheers to Shel Roumillat for curating the space so well. 

While we’re certainly biased, JAMNOLA is seriously one of the most exciting, exceptionally executed and legit pop-ups we’ve not only experienced but also partnered with. You gotta get there and see it for yourself! And, if you make it and need restaurant recs you let us know. Shout out to the krewe behind the magic; we’re thrilled to be a part of the party!

Oh, and while JAMNOLA has deservedly received countless kudos in the press, we're particulary jazzed about the spot the TODAY show filmed, which includes Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager having a Mudbug moment, and hitting up other hotspots and hanging with local legends. 

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