The Inauguration of Gustave

The Inauguration of Gustave is a screenplay set in the heart of London that follows the journey of Gustave, a young, and exceptionally bright, poet deeply immersed in the world of art and culture. Gustave's daily practice involves reading each morning in a coffee house, before returning to his humble writing desk to commence creative production.

 Particularly low on spirits one fateful morning, Gustave exercises defiance in the face of hardship by summoning the strength to drag his unwilling mind, body and soul through the city’s chief cultural institutions. It is upon his return home that Gustave's life takes a dramatic turn when he encounters the enigmatic Selwyn House, also known as "House of The Young Romantics” on his transition out of St. James’s into Green Park. Struck by the beauty and mystery of its inhabitants, ebbing and flowing in and around this secretive haven for romantics and visionaries, it is an inner commotion of courage and nervous anaemia that guides him to return to this sanctum sanctorum the following morning at dawn.

As Gustave delves deeper into the world of Selwyn House, he experiences a series of surreal and transformative events. From witnessing a sumptuous array of eccentric and charismatic artists sizzling with ideas and enrapt in a flow state of enduring creative productivity – in the Grand Hall – to the ethereal light that falls and sounds of the future that spring from within the bounds of the House’s Fourth Chapel. As he moves through an architectural sequence of spaces that has, embedded into its very fabric, pleasure, attitude and intellectual gravitas, Gustave is guided onto the flower path of self-discovery and artistic awakening. Through encounters with captivating characters such as the architect of the house, who in her role as Master of Ceremonies, commands an indefatigable eroticism or the pensive prima ballerino who is forever staring wantonly out into the ether Gustave finds a sense of belonging and purpose.

"The Inauguration of Gustave" is a celebration of romanticism, creativity, and the quest for connection. Inviting its audience to lose themselves in the timeless allure of art and the transformative power of cultural transfer and exchange. It aims to fuel our desire for a new type of public architecture within our metropolises – shelters that facilitate the activities of those who create and those who enjoy. In other words, an architecture that truly functions as a stage for self-expression, a place to cultivate meaningful relationships, and a home for all those who wish to be alone but need sociability for this.