TDN Weekend December 2016 Issue 9
Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/934158
If you've ever even been past the 21c Hotel in Lexington, or stopped in for a drink in the bar, you will have no doubt noticed the penguins. Bright blue, and about two feet tall, they peer out from the windows, pop up in the bar, suddenly appear outside your door in the morn- ing, and occasionally show up in a guest room. Some people find them disconcerting (TDN social media director Justina Severni has almost a phobic reaction to them) while others find them charming. There are 25 of the bright blue creatures, and they were discovered by Brown and Wil- son at the 2005 Venice Bien- nale as part of a public art project. They appeared in the Louisville hotel in 2006, and guests reacted so well to them that they have become a part of the entire hotel chain. "The owners picked up on how much fun people were having mov- ing them, taking pictures and having fun with them. They decided it would be a cool idea for each property to have a penguin with a different col- or." Louisville is red, and Lex- ington is blue, quite possibly in an homage to the local univer- sity sports teams. (Duke Blue Devils fans are out of luck, though. The Durham 21c Pen- guins are fuschia.) Look close- ly, says Carter, and you'll find that 21c employees all wear a penguin lapel pin. I never no- ticed that, either...