"Shock is good," says famed contemporary artist Francesco Vezzoli, who brings the neon-hued visual language of Milan’s disco heaven Plastic to NOWNESS for a weekend takeover. "The nightclub is a nice leftover from when my city was more creative, more daring; when the Memphis Group was the referenced group of architects; when fashion was blossoming and prêt-à-porter alive,” reflects Vezzoli.  

For today's short Rendez-Vous Vezzoli goes interactive, leaving the viewer to decide whether to indulge in creative narcissism and spend the night with him, or swipe left for an encounter with Italy’s fashion-darling Anna Dello Russo.

“I don’t think clubs are any longer places where you pick up people,” says the self-proclaimed anthropologist. “All of that has been substituted by social media. The entire culture of making yourself beautiful to go to a club has changed.”

After years spent in the underbelly of London’s Soho while studying at Central Saint Martins, travelling with his lauded exhibitions and working with pop culture priestesses such as Lady Gaga, Vezzoli’s return to Italy – and Plastic – was “like eating comfort food.” 

“When I decided to come back to Milano as my epicenter, I found myself at home,” he says. “In a sense I’ve always been a clubber, but after so many years in foreign clubs I was confronting myself with a local culture I never knew.”

The club in question is one of Europe’s oldest. A joyous, aspirational institution that subverted gender conventions and unabashedly celebrated romantic pop anthems from the 70s and 80s. But as the country’s politics changed, so did its unapologetically dirty dance floor, with Plastic coming close to shutting more than once. While not prone to nostalgia, when invited to collaborate with creative director Ivan Olita, Vezzoli drew on his emotional connection to the muses and performers from those late Saturday nights. This weekend is a valentine to that.   

Vezzoli TV continues the Plastic weekender tomorrow.