Hyundai Motors is taking Olympic visitors to a "very dark place" to show them a "path to a brighter future," according to Robert Sawatzky of CAMPAIGN LIVE. Its "jet-black pavilion," now widely-described as "the darkest building on earth," set in contrast to the "bright ice and snow of the Winter Games, is impossible not to notice." Some have described it as a "black hole, pulling bystanders in" toward "deepest space." That is "no coincidence." Sprayed with Vantablack VBx 2, derived from the darkest pigment on earth, the nanotechnology-developed exterior "absorbs 99% of the light that hits it." The effect, as described by its designer, architect Asif Khan, is not merely a "window looking into the depths of outer space" from afar, but "makes you feel on moving closer" and entering the building "as though you are being absorbed into a cloud of blackness." There are "no Hyundai cars on display." Hyundai Exec VP & CMO Wonhong Cho said, "Normally a commercial brand builds a pavilion to exhibit their own products and services. But this time we don’t display any cars. We just want visitors to touch and feel what Hyundai’s brand represents and also what Hyundai wants to talk about" (CAMPAIGN LIVE, 2/13).
