The Audi Magazine Spring/Summer 2019

The Audi Magazine

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Spring 2019

Spring 2019

The Audi Magazine

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photo: Cyrill Matter, styling: Tobias Frericks, hair & make-up: Uli Wissel, model: Jourdan Copeland

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new kind of mobility.

Because, as the world changes, digitalization is reshaping our societies at an unprecedented pace and with a complexity and scope never before experienced. How do we intend to live in this new epoch of global upheaval where nothing is as it was before? How will we get around, how will we interact with machines, how will we earn our living and what will our hopes and aspirations be? Nothing in the history of life on this planet is more exhilarating than change.

Change has no beginning and no end. Change is ongoing.

Radical change brings with it opportunities and innovations like never before. By people who see the world differently.

Lighthearted people bursting with potential who strive for discovery. Pioneers who drive change forward and whose ideas pave the way to the future.

People who steer cities into tomorrow’s world, who create art that tantalizes us in whole new ways, and who combine time-honored values with progressive ideals. Transition spells new direction. This is the beginning of a new era.

Prepare to be inspired—by Audi.

From A

Fall / Winter 2018 Spring 2019

Author Roland Hagenberg lives in Tokyo and is used to big crowds. But even he was taken aback by the crush at the new Digital Art Museum.

For her photo shoot with musician Mavi Phoenix, photographer Hanna Putz chose a surprisingly old-school technique: analog, on film. Correspondent Andreas Fink reports from Chile on an haute cuisine chef who is raising an entirely new awareness for traditional cooking methods and local ingredients sourced in the wild. And photographer Jan van Endert spent many sleepless nights in northern Norway waiting to capture images of the northern lights. It was worth it.

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PHOTO: ROBERT FISCHER, THOMAS LOHR, PRIVATE, JULIA KERSCHBAUM

CONTRIBUTORS

WHY DO ES AUDI BE LIEVE IN CHANGE?

MILAN

Camilla Venturini, fashion entrepreneur

“MILAN HAS EVERYTHING WE NEED. ESTABLISHED STRUCTURES, PROFESSIONALISM, RELIABILITY—BUT ALSO SPACE AND CREATIVE DISCOURSE. THIS MIXTURE MAKES IT A FERTILE BREEDING GROUND FOR NEW BEGINNINGS.”

COPY: Nadine Kaminski, PHOTO: Lukas Wassmann, ILLUSTRATION: Raymond Biesinger

Milan, traditionally a center of finance, is reinventing itself as the epicenter of a burgeoning fashion, design and art scene.

The Venturini twins, creative entrepreneurs with a big vision, guide us around a city that offers the infrastructure perfect for evolving their ideas.

Camilla and Giulia Venturini are back in the city of their youth to put their fashion label on a firm footing. They know every hidden corner of Milan—and are thrilled to discover how things have changed during their absence. The Feltrinelli Foundation’s building (top) opened in 2016.

Countless international firms are currently setting up offices in Milan. Many of the pair’s friends and business partners don’t reside here but visit the city up to three times a month on business.

Over the past few months, several new but already very successful fashion labels have opted to maintain a presence here. People who decide what is in 24

The fact that stress could actually exist anywhere is easily forgotten inside the Bar Basso. “Here, you can rub shoulders with the architect of the Fondazione Prada or the creative director of Louis Vuitton. There are also the many young people from every corner of the globe who are making something of their lives,” says Giulia. For ambitious young professionals from Italy and further afield, she adds, Milan combines the best of both worlds. That sense of enjoying life, so often absent from the cities of northern Europe and the U.S., paired with an appreciation of quality and efficiency. This firmly paves the way for new ideas to emerge and grow. “Too much chaos is not good for beginnings you want to look back on with pride later,” says Camilla, concluding the discussion and the cocktail hour.

PHOTO: DAVID ORBAN / FLICKR

The city seen through the car window: imposing apartment blocks with open entrance gates that allow a brief glimpse of beautiful lush green courtyards within. This is the epitome of understated real estate. Everything is in motion, we’re not held up for long anywhere, the traffic is dynamic but also “polite”—even during rush hour. All the while, Giulia explains the logistics of her social circle in Milan. “Some of my friends are moving to Milan from other parts of Italy just because they are young and yearn for a big city with European flair. Then there are the parttime expats.”

We were expecting a mix of planted walls, concrete, purist cocktail glasses and light installations—and could not have been more wrong. In Milan, it seems that even the very hippest places also trade on their heritage. On the fact that style-conscious business travelers from Copenhagen or Venice Beach can come here to savor the timeless opulence that they’ve come to expect of Italy. The Bar Basso has been in existence since the 1940s and its signature drink is Once a traditional the Negroni. Some Milanese neighboreven say the drink hood bar, today an was invented here. international hotspot This iconic aperitif for design profeswith its bitter taste sionals: Bar Basso, and warm orange Via Plinio, 39, 20020 glow is served in a Milano. huge snifter that is best raised with both hands. The color palette of the decor is pastel. The golden hue of the well-worn wooden furniture also seems to emit a gentle glow. Waiters wear starched shirts. There are no tank tops, no tattoos. The coolest venue in Milan is an ode to elegance. “I believe

The sight of the Velasca Tower transports us from the 1940s to the 1950s.

The twins want us to see it because they feel it’s the perfect embodiment of Milan. “The tower is a one-off. I have never seen anything like it in any other city,” says Giulia with an almost apologetic shrug of her shoulders. “It appears both old and modern, and its situation is extremely unusual. Whose idea was it to plant such an angular, almost brutalist high-rise right in the heart of a low-rise Italian city?” Yet

still the contrast works: The 106-meter mini-skyscraper is fully woven into the web of its neighborhood. The relatively slender base, which contrasts with the rest of the building, is surrounded by nothing more than a narrow street, beyond which the construction of lowrise buildings continued unabated. In Milan, the new emerges from but does not replace the old. For a country like Italy, where many city administrations struggle with the burden of their history and where some have collapsed politically under the weight of responsibility, this has a role-model function whose importance cannot be overstated.

Perched on high-legged chairs at the window facade in the café on the ground floor of the tower, the two peer closely at all the handbags that pass them by.

Has Milan’s chic shaped their own style?

And that of their label? Giulia takes her time before responding. “To be honest, we are usually inspired to create new designs on our travels. But Milan provides us with the focus, composure and infrastructure to bring our ideas to fruition.” The business founders currently The Torre Velasca is find themselves in well worth a visit— an extremely com- followed by a coffee plex creative phase. or lunch break in Their first collec- That’s Wine. Piazza tion is finished and Velasca, 5, 20122 was well received, Milano. but buyers are now waiting with a stern gaze for the next highlight that will decide the future.

“The evolution of our brand is riding on it. Can we continue to develop while staying true to our DNA?” The pair enjoy being able to escape the pressures of work in Milan in a different way than in New York or Paris. “There, everyone is always trying to find out what you have in the pipeline, whether there is money to be made from it, and how new and exciting it is. If you fail, the gossip machine goes into overdrive—and if you succeed, your friends are falling over themselves to congratulate you. It’s a totally different scene here. To be quite

bit.ly/2UigIfu

that the cultural mindset of young decision makers, influencers, start-up entrepreneurs and artists around the world is currently undergoing an interesting change,” says Giulia into her Negroni glass. “Excess and rawness are no longer seen as a guarantee of inspiration.

People—especially creative types—want to surround themselves with classic elegance, seamless functionality and good food.” Destructiveness may well be exciting, she adds, but is no longer in tune with the times when it comes to really creating something of substance. “Sure, Milan is not as fast-forward as New York or Berlin,” concedes Camilla. “But it is also much less stressful.”

barbasso.com

As models and media professionals, the Venturini sisters have long been a force to be reckoned with on the fashion scene. The past year saw the sisters shift the focus of their lives from Paris and New York to Milan to set up their own business. The handbag label Medea is already available in concept stores from London to Los Angeles, and fashion magazines have singled out their Prima debut model as “the new It bag.”

vogue in Tokyo, London or L.A. spend a large portion of their everyday lives in Milan. “Lately, I keep bumping into people on the street whom I actually know from New York,” says Camilla.

She mentions a close friend who works for ultra-hip New York streetwear label Supreme, but who still has time to meet up regularly for an aperitivo. Milan is to fashion what Silicon Valley is to digitalization: The major flagship opening events, launch parties and advertising campaigns are—as yet—concentrated in other locations, but whoever wants to be someone in the industry and meet the right people needs to be here now.

At least on a part-time basis. And where does one go to meet the right people?

“To the Bar Basso,” respond the twins almost in unison. “It is world-famous— in certain circles. People from the world of fashion, design and art will find their way here no matter which major city they come from.”

PHOTO: ANDREA ZANI

medeamedea.it

It’s afternoon in Milan. Two of today’s hottest young designers wait with a dog in the drizzling rain. Short hair, no makeup, hoodies—far removed from blow-dry hairstyles and stiletto heels, the 30-year-old twins personify a fashion metropolis that is reinventing itself.

Giulia and Camilla Venturini are going to show us their Milan. The Milan of the future. After making us feel welcome and apologizing for the weather, they give the driver an address. Together, we thread our way through multiple lanes of traffic past the Piazza Duca d’Aosta.

TO MILAN

thatswine.com

TO MILAN

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A short breather outside the city gates (top). The twins are big fans of the Audi Apple Green custom paint job.

Right: With its edgy design idiom, the Audi Q2 blends perfectly into the Milanese backdrop.

At the age of 17, the twins were both discovered as models and traveled to the fashion capital for their first illustrious photo sessions. They subsequently both studied fashion design in Milan and went on to embrace the cosmopolitan lifestyle, working for photographers and magazines, fashion labels, publishing houses and showrooms in New York and Paris. They then extended their orbit beyond fashion, entering the worlds of art and music. Nowadays, they have an excellent network and have cemented their image as tastemakers. Meanwhile, the number of people posting attentiongrabbing photos of their Medea bags much lauded by the press on social media is growing exponentially. Their Milan office is located in a coworking space with an adjacent showroom. It is part of the 24/7 agency, which sees its role as providing a platform for young designers. In addition, the twins spend a lot of time at their production facility in Verona. “Our work there is more physical and involves inspecting the leather, testing out different handle variants.

Naturally, this is also why we rediscovered Milan as the focal point of our 32

lives.” Digitalization notwithstanding— the smell and feel of fine Veronese rawhide cannot be conveyed in an e-mail.

What sets the young entrepreneurs apart from other fashion designers, of whom Milan has more than a few? How are they shaping the new Milan? “We are working to create an image that is as personal and unmistakable as possible.”

The Instagram account, website and advertising campaign for the Medea sisters have little to do with what people generally still associate with Milan fashion.

There is no gloss, there are no faces airbrushed beyond recognition, there is no perfection. This is how they are actively refuting the popular preconceptions of recent decades. In the past, Milan was referred to as elegant, but unsexy. It was certainly important, but also a little too dull, too saturated and too businesslike.

These days, the Medea sisters and other up-and-coming young entrepreneurs are making the city their own, making it more honest, cosmopolitan and vibrant.

Especially as a mecca for fashion and design, Milan needs this new lease on life to not stagnate as a mere billboard for luxury, but rather to once again shape style and zeitgeist well into the future.

“The change taking place in Milan has nothing to do with old or new architecture. It is driven by people,” says Giulia, full of conviction. And it is taking place delicately, not mindlessly. “We also love Milan for its infrastructure that has evolved over decades, especially with regard to the fashion business. Here, we have the support we need to do things well and to remain competitive.”

When it comes to this infrastructure, Prada has always been one of the most important players. Since 2015, the brand has additionally shaped the city’s image through an unprecedented museum project. The art complex designed for Fondazione Prada by legendary architect Rem Koolhaas is our next destination. Located on the site of a former gin distillery, it features three completely new buildings and a further seven ex-

fondazioneprada.org/barluce

honest, Milan could almost do with a little more of that enthusiasm,” says Camilla. Scarcely any of her Milanese friends congratulated her on the success of Medea over the past year. “It’s not that people in Milan aren’t interested—but here, we “THE are judged on our personal merits rathCHANGE er than our business acumen. We are at TAKING home here.” As they have been for most PLACE IN of their lives. The MILAN pair originally hail from near the town IS DRIVEN of Garda, on the lake

BY PEOPLE.” of the same name.

Their first points of contact with an urban lifestyle were the picturesque city of Verona with its population of around 250,000 and, of course, Milan, two hours away by car.

TO MILAN

isting structures that have been lovingly redeveloped and restored. Rising above them all is a rather austere building whose exterior Koolhaas had covered entirely in gold leaf. It captures the light even from a steely gray sky, combining warmth and splendor with minimalism on a grand scale.

The exhibitions at the Over a total area of Fondazione Prada 12,000 square meare not the only visual ters, the complex treat: The museum houses pioneering café was designed by exhibitions and the cult movie director Prada family’s art Wes Anderson. Bar collection. “I have Luce, Largo Isarco, 2, visited exhibitions 20139 Milano. all over the world,” says Camilla, “but what’s currently on offer here is just truly amazing and at the very highest level internationally.”

currently experiencing an upturn. Our capital city Rome is struggling to stay afloat, whereas entire districts of Milan are being rejuvenated.” Here, the historic heritage does not feel like a museum or a deliberate contrast with modernity—it is preserved and carefully brought into the present day. Libraries are housed in brand-new structures, employment agencies in buildings that date back centuries. Like only a handful of other cities, Milan manages to incorporate all of its splendid urban palaces and create the impression of a casually coherent whole—despite the many architectural eyesores left over from the 1980s and the cool, angular new buildings. The change taking place here is not at the expense of history. Conversely, nor does history stand in the way of change, as it does elsewhere in Italy.

As we travel from the northernmost part of the city back into the hustle and bustle, we praise the many small parks that we pass on our left and right.

Giu­lia and Camilla take a rather more critical view. “So far, the city has not been particularly green compared with other large cities. Thankfully, things are now changing for the better.” Milanese architect Stefano Boeri delivered a truly remarkable statement for this new beginning with his Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) project. The two elab­ orately planted residential towers rise up unexpectedly in front of our windshield. Besides the dense, jungle-like flora that appears to drip from every balcony, it’s also the organic design that is particularly impressive. They almost seem to sway in the wind like trees—an optical illusion that is greatly enhanced by the typical Milanese interplay of sun and clouds behind the towers and the reflective external surfaces. “I left Milan ten years ago,” says Camilla, guiding our gaze with her index finger. Just a few years ago, she adds, this area around the central railroad station was not safe to walk around alone at night.

“When I returned recently, the change from back then was extreme. The city is

Camilla and Giulia love the informal vibe of their neighborhood. There is not a single osteria, car wash or wine bar in which they do not exchange a few friendly words with the proprietor.

Distinguished-looking men in their midsixties in gray suits who stare with a grim expression until served with a dish of virtually raw, divinely tender tagliata—the twins are every bit as comfortable in their company as they are in the front row during Milan Fashion Week.

“Sure, plenty of exciting design collectives, multifaceted art studios and hip The world’s finest fusion restaurants gnocchi: Hostaria have sprung up here Terza Carbonaia, recently. But we just Via Degli Scipioni, 3, like the relaxed at­ 20129 Milano. mos­phere of traditional Milan,” explains Giulia, responding patiently to our inquiry and pointing to her spinach-green gnocchi covered in rich sauce. It’s almost as if this sight alone says everything there is to know about their life in Milan.

terzacarbonaia.it

TO MILAN

When she greets us the next morning in her living room, there is a lot to take in visually. We did not suspect such grandeur behind the bare gray facade—and 33

The twins often meet for breakfast in Giulia’s apartment (left) to plan their day. Top: The sisters’ Medea label is currently causing a furor. Shown here is a croc-embossed model from the second collection. The bags, including their ultra-thin handles reminiscent of shopping bags, are crafted from the finest leather.

Negotiating city traffic in the Audi Q2. A must-see for visitors, Via Paolo Sarpi snakes through Milan’s Chinatown. Typical Italian wine bars are still to be found, such as the Cantine Isola (right) where the twins greet a friend.

TO MILAN

“The gallery and nightlife district of Brera close by is also very popular among the Milanese and tourists. That’s where you’ll also find the typical city alleyways that our friends imagine when they think of the Italian dolce vita,” continues Camilla. Ultimately, Milan is nowhere near as ugly and “un-Italian” as many believed. In reality, it is only slightly less picturesque than Padua, Pisa or Florence. She explains that you have to seek out its beauty because it’s not immediately apparent. “I like it here in Giulia’s neighborhood. The modern buildings give it a flair of its own. A 40

250, 000

sense of calm and frugality.” But only on the outside, as we reflect on the wild flowing, bottle-green marble and refined wood of the lobby.

and has reinvented an entire district to reflect this. Brera, Milan’s historic center, is thriving as the Brera Design District—a brand flanked by a joint marketing strategy. During the annual

MR. EXPO From 2010 to February 2016, Giuseppe Sala was CEO of the Expo Milano 2015 universal exposition, to which Milan owes large parts of its new face. Since 2016, he has been implementing his forward-looking ideas as mayor of the city. In Milan, he is still referred to as “Mr. Expo.”

Design Week, it hosts 180 events that attract

breradesigndistrict.it

Milan sees itself as the world’s design capital

dorchestercollection.com

On foot, we make the virtually seamless transition from 100-year-old district culture to the brand-new landmark district of Porta Nuova. The area around Piazza Gae Aulenti is bustling with life.

Imposing skyscrapers border on gen- One of the most erous lawn areas magnificent as walkways wind residences in Giulia’s their way through neighborhood gently curved beds welcomes guests: of evergreen plants. Hotel Principe di Here, Milan dem- Savoia, Piazza onstrates yet again della Repubblica, 17, that urban develop- 20124 Milano, ment must dovetail tel. +39 (0) 26 23 01 with people’s needs.

While part of the ambitious project, which has already won awards, is still in the shell construction phase, the completed buildings are now coming to life.

Boutiques, supermarkets, stylish restaurants—but no cars. Porta Nuova is a purely pedestrian district. After one last espresso on the futuristic piazza, we say our farewells in the shadow of the vertical forest, the symbol of the new Milan. 

300 exhibitors and 250,000 visitors to its picturesque alleyways.

Old money, new money The Milan Stock Exchange (Borsa Italiana) has an illustrious history. Now, it could gain new impetus thanks to Brexit: The London Stock Exchange is due to outsource its European bond trading activities to Italy in 2019.

DIGITAL EVERYDAY

PHOTO: DORCHESTER COLLECTION

in the apartment of such a young Milanese woman. Terrazzo floors, inlay, art deco door handles. But Giulia fills the apartment, which actually resembles a Fellini film set, so effortlessly with a blend of pragmatism and energy that the film set quickly morphs back into an authentic living space. Camilla has already arrived and is eating a cornetto for breakfast in the light-spangled kitchen. “A typical working day begins with us meeting at my place and taking my flatmate’s dog for a walk,” calls Giulia from the adjoining room, where she is desperately searching for her house keys between the colorful cushions on the big leather couch. It’s a million miles from the sparse urban chic typical of New York or L.A. We squeeze into the tiny, caged elevator that takes us from the third floor to the lobby. At the bottom, we are accosted by the concierge, who raises a finger in semi-feigned indignation: “Remember, no more than three people in the lift!” Giulia grimaces. “I love living in this little bit of Milanese history. But we are still regarded very critically.” Giulia’s neighborhood consists largely of buildings dating back to the early 1930s. They featured all the latest technical innovations of the time, she explains. So they are not just a piece of urban history—but also a piece of ambitious history. Though Milan could never be classified as old-fashioned, it was often overlooked compared with Paris or London.

TO MILAN

London, Moscow, Chicago, Singapore, Vancouver—and now Milan: The city is the first in Italy to introduce a contactless payment system on its subway network. All that’s required is a credit card equipped with EMV technology.

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This generation is driving change in our cities.

IS THIS THE FUT URE OF ART ?

Digital, interactive experiences beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.

Weightless Forest of Resonating Life. Interactive art installations as a fun project for visitors of all generations and for Instagram: At teamLab Borderless in Tokyo’s Odaiba area, floating bubbles react with light and sound when touched. Visitors are prompted to take and post photos.

TOK YO

Animals of Flowers, Symbiotic Lives. teamLab tells of the infinite cycle of life and death with a blossoming forest of animals.

When visitors touch them, leaves fall. Too long, and the blooms break up and the animals perish. The computer program recalculates this process again and again, avoiding repeated scenes.

COPY: Roland Hagenberg, PHOTO: teamLab

A 10,000-square-meter hall on a man-made island in Tokyo Bay is the site the artists’ collective teamLab chose for the Mori Building Digital Art Museum: teamLab Borderless. Every day, 7,000 visitors lose themselves in the interactive worlds of illusion created by 520 computers and 470 projectors.

Wander through the Crystal World. The LED sculpture reacts to visitors’ smartphones, creating thousands upon thousands of light combinations. Hideaki Takahashi composed celestial music to accompany them.

Forest of Resonating Lamps. If you stand very still, close to a Venetian glass lamp, it starts glowing in a particular color.

It also affects the other lamps nearby, before spreading throughout the room. Colors triggered by other visitors blend as they meet.

The Way of the Sea in the Memory of Topography—Colors of Life. A field in a hilly landscape with insects and large-leaved plants. As the seasons change, the light transforms from stark blue to pastel green to autumnal gold. The visitors’ movements affect the insects’ flight and the air current. Flower petals scatter in all directions. Rice stalks bend in the wind.

Light Evaporating with People. Rays of light form into spaces and objects that approach the visitors, who in turn impact the shapes and become part of the installation. Here, again, the background music was composed by Hideaki Takahashi.

TO TOKYO

teamlab.art/w/waterfalaudi

Sunday in Tokyo. The automated, driverless Yurikamome train speeds across the Rainbow Bridge.

Passengers are squeezed in as tightly as though they were on their way to work. Behind them looms the skyline of this 35-million-strong metropolis. Ahead is the man-made island of Odaiba.

There, too, the skyscrapers rise like sentinels, free time is spent shopping and the Japanese take comfort in the dense throngs of people around them. Need to get your bearings? Keep an eye out for extravagances such the 20-meter-high statue of the anime robot Gundam—in destroy mode.

Or the replica of New York’s Statue of Liberty. Or the Fuji TV headquarters, which suggests a futuristic Soviet command center. And in between, queues and more queues. Forty minutes in line at Starbucks. An hour at the ferris wheel. And two to three outside the Mori Building Digital Art Museum: teamLab Borderless. The 10,000-square-meter entertainment hall has a name as long as the lines at its doors—comprising parents with children, tourists full of digital anticipation and dating couples.

Ken Kato’s office lies in the museum’s nerve center with its coils of cabling, blinking servers and stacked boxes. Dressed in a black suit and a T-shirt, Kato is in his thirties and is a legal adviser in charge of PR. Soft-spoken yet businesslike, he sets the parameters for our discussion: “No questions about our team members’ private lives.” The staff of teamLab, as teamLab sends a this company is called, numbers over 400 around the world. “A friend put digital waterfall casmy name forward,” says Kato, who was among the first to come on board. cading down on an “Recruitment was initially based on personal recommendations, but today Audi R8 from a height headhunters scout for our talent. Four out of five are designers, engineers, of 16 meters. Splashmathematicians, programmers and artists.” The remainder, including Kato, es and drops react are lawyers, media planners, organizers and finance experts. Everyone reinteractively, subjectmains anonymous, signing artworks only “teamLab.” The concept is the ing the waterfall to brainchild of Toshiyuki Inoko, a former mathematics, architecture and IT constant change. The student, who came up with it 17 years ago. To this day, the 41-year-old tireart installation was lessly spurs on the members of his art collective to create three-dimensional, created for the digital environments that aim to take viewers out of the real world, amaze Audi Forum Tokyo them and get them involved interactively. “The future of art demands that we several years ago. break down the limits of perception—which is why the word ‘borderless’ appears in the museum’s name,” Kato says. In the search for a permanent home for the collective, his boss Inoko won over Japanese property giant and museum operator Mori.

Together they opened the Odaiba complex in 2017—to much acclaim. Seven thousand visitors pass through the doors daily and the 25-euro tickets sell out weeks in advance.

Kato leads us from his glaringly bright control center into the pitch darkness of the Borderless world. Here, enveloped in celestial music, you initially think you are alone. Instinctively, your eyes search for a reference point, your feet test the firmness of the ground and your hands probe for obstacles until your dreamwalking companions start to appear—at first there are ten, then fifty, then hundreds. Transfixed, they spend hours in a labyrinth where food and drink are prohibited but photographing for Instagram is not only allowed but encouraged; it’s part of the marketing strategy. In the field of blooms, for instance, where flowers blossom as mothers stand motionless and leaves fall when they depart. “Again, again!” a child cries. The mothers turn around and the spectacle unfolds once more. Writing rains down from the darkness ten meters above. Children try to catch the words, but when grasped they melt away. A cloud of luminous butterflies surrounds visitors. Spaces and themes blend seamlessly into one another. The foam on the crests of the meter-high waves resembles TV snow. They wash up against the hilly floors with scurrying lizards as a misty strobe thunderstorm brews. The effects are breathtaking, exploding the boundaries of conventional museum fare. Which is why you try to categorize these unfamiliar phenomena differently—for instance, by recalling a disco or a rock concert, Disney World, a planetarium or space travel in IMAX dimensions. The futuristic, kaleidoscopic blaze of color even harks back to the 1960s. If Timothy Leary had been able to access this technology (520 computers, 470 projectors and the same number of movement sensors), would he have sworn off his LSD experiments?

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TO TOKYO

“Art has yet again reached a turning point,” Kato says. “First it was just chalk in caves. Then weatherproof materials. And finally photography, which called into question the main function of painting—pure representation. Technology frees art from its material constraints, its frame, and drives it from the traditional showroom out into the world.” The lawyer adds drily, “Without a team and the appropriate financial backing, future artists won’t get very far.” Factory-style art production was not born with teamLab. Michelangelo, of Vatican fame, had hordes of assistants producing art on an assembly line, while pop artist Andy Warhol frequently contributed no more than his signature. Today’s stars are following in their footsteps. For Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Yayoi Kusama and Takashi Murakami, media impact and marketing are just as important as the content of their art—if not more so. So it was fitting that Murakami was the first to exhibit teamLab’s work. His gallery, Kaikai Kiki, sold teamLab editions for $5,000 that are worth twenty times that today. Unlike Murakami, however, the actual creators are not known by name. The teamLab collective must remain anonymous. Will future collectors be content to own artworks unconnected to any personal backstory or to a myth that grew over decades? Time will tell. Human beings have a long history as hunters and gatherers, and they can live this out again in the digital world. But they also want to bring something home, something tangible as a token of an otherwise abstract memory.

As though teamLab had intuited this dilemma, the Odaiba complex features a tea house. It is called En, which means “circle.” Here, too, lights play in the all-enveloping darkness, moving in slow motion to form a meditative ring of paint and brush strokes on the wall, and making wondrous flowers blossom in the cups, projected with absolute precision onto the green tea. The first sip feels like a mouthful of outer space. “Our tea house exists only in the here and now.

There’s no repeating the experience in the future. When this is all over, we’re destroying the plans and programs,” Kato says. Decreeing the uniqueness of Toshiyuki Inoko, the a digital work of art even though it could be reproduced in infinite iterations founder of teamLab, is teamLab’s concession to our hunter-gatherer instinct. Here, you can get grew up in the south a bead on it, touch it in the form of a cup, and then take it home by buy- of Japan, on Shikoku ing the tea in the shop. When teamLab produces certified programs and art island—home of in limited editions to raise their value, it is voluntary. Not, however, when the legendary sculpan installation like the one in Odaiba is never offered outside of Japan in tor Isamu Noguchi. the first place. That has not happened yet, but there has also never been Architect and Pritzker a complete replica of the Odaiba project in Europe. (Last year’s Massless Prize winner Toyo Ito exhibition in Helsinki featured only partial aspects of it.) The Japanese are opened his architecknown for their custom of taking trash home rather than carelessly throwing ture museum TIMA it away. Anyone who finds a wallet takes it to the police station. Crowds of there in 2011. people form orderly lines while they wait for the subway—without anyone managing the process. Treating the world we all share with respect is an unwritten rule. Everyone abides by it. And that is why the artificial fields of flowers can survive unsullied in Odaiba.

The forest of crystal rods also remains undamaged, as do the soft carpets and the Venetian glass lampshades, even with 7,000 admirers marching past at arm’s length every day. It is also doubtful whether Western authorities, ever concerned with public safety, would green-light a presentation platform like this. The darkened, 10,000-square-meter labyrinth is full of unexpected bumps and steps. But perhaps this challenge is precisely what the collective needs to retain its avant-garde credentials. What happens when all borders truly disappear? What will make teamLab Borderless different from Disney World, a disco or a rock concert then? Kato the lawyer sees no cause for concern. “Nowadays, each and every one of us can change the world, and it’s easier than ever before. But that also means it’s much easier for other people to impact my own world. That’s our fate. We can’t change it. So what is there to be afraid of?” 

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The beginning of a communicative technology transformation.

HOW WILL WE TO MACHIN ES? The language of a new epoch.

voice recognition

VOICE RECOGNITION

PHOTO: PARAGON SEMVOX GMBH

Dr. Norbert Pfleger, computer scientist and computational linguist

“TO ENABLE GENUINE DIALOG ON AN EQUAL FOOTING, WE NEED SMART COMPANIONS WITH THE ABILITY TO TAKE THE CONTEXT—OR KNOWLEDGE OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD—INTO ACCOUNT.”

Intelligent and compassionate— computer scientist and computational linguist Norbert Pfleger discusses the advances and challenges involved in programming a voice assistant that really understands us humans.

INTERVIEW: Steffan Heuer, ILLUSTRATION: Jonathan Castro & Raymond Biesinger

Dr. Pfleger, more and more people have voice assistants at home or in the car. What needs to happen behind the scenes so that I can ask a machine, “What’s showing in the movie theater tonight?”

NORBERT PFLEGER: The first stage is the voice recognition system that records a map of the voice’s frequency characteristic—which means the words the system believes it has heard. Good microphones with a noise-suppression function are extremely useful here. This gives us an initial idea

of what the user might have said. For this reason, we need a dialog manager as a second step to derive the most likely interpretation based on the particular context: What did the user mean? Then we need access to background information—usually devices, applications and web-based services—to determine which movies are showing in which theaters, for instance.

In other words, you need rapid access to as many databases as possible?

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Dr. Norbert Pfleger holds a PhD in Computer Science and worked at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) from 2002 to 2008.

He is co-founder and managing director of paragon semvox GmbH in Saarbrücken, Germany. The company emerged in 2008 from a project conducted at the DFKI and now develops semantic technologies and voice communication solutions—including a natural-language speech dialog system in the Audi A8. In 2018, the company became part of paragon GmbH & Co. KGaA.

speech-assisted

semvox.de

THE AUDI MAGAZINE:

TO VOICE RECOGNITION

Exactly. A really smart digital assistant must be able to take the context—or knowledge of the outside world—into account. For example, I am currently sitting in Saarbrücken at just after eight o’clock at night.

So, I’m interested in movies that are available in the late showing at around ten. Plus, a good assistant must include acquired information. For instance, if it knows I prefer action movies to tales of romance, it can use that information to recommend

making such recommendations. Why is that?

In reality, the problem often comes down to simple things like the user’s accent or double meanings. Today’s smart speakers are simply not yet at the level of an assistant because they lack contextual data as well as acquired information about the user. On the other hand, good systems are capable of dealing with ellipses—that is, incomplete sentences—or references.

Our system in an Audi A8, for

a suitable movie for me. None of this is possible without intelligence, which is also the only way that the assistant can genuinely add value. At the end of the day, you need a component that can present this acquired information in a useful format. What do I convey verbally? What do I prefer to display on the screen?

After all, it makes no sense to read out a long list of 40 movies.

instance, knows that I have just talked to someone on the phone and understands what I mean when I say “Take me there” after hanging up.

Let’s be honest—today’s most common user interfaces are generally incapable of

audi.com/a8

TO VOICE RECOGNITION

Based on the current state of the art, what are the biggest hurdles standing in the way of truly intelligent voice assistants?

There are two areas of particular relevance here. First of all, the services are not yet sufficiently integrated and networked to enable delegation of 65

TO VOICE RECOGNITION

tasks. You could call it “insufficient intelligence.” Today’s assistants are essentially a collection of standalone applications. For example, I have to say, “Hello voice-activated service, tell MyTaxi that I need a cab.” As a user, I have to know the name of the app or skill and must understand how to operate it. Put simply, I have to perform an unnecessary number of steps. What I actually want is to say “Call me a cab” and the system does the rest. It’s similar to the problem with using smartphones, where you have to spend ages scrolling back and forth to find the right app.

And the second hurdle?

On top of everything else, they are all still very technical interfaces that interact with me in a pretty inflexible way. What’s missing is the sense of compassion, of empathy. I’m looking for an assistant that understands me and addresses my feelings— one that can engage with me on an emotional level. If it can attune to the user’s emotional state, the dialog will be better.

Picture me in the car, stuck in traffic and stressed out—I’m unlikely to appreciate receiving a reminder to dash to the store to pick up something. However, if 66

TO VOICE RECOGNITION

the system knows how I’m feeling, it can convey the information in a different way. Smart speakers these days are mainly used to perform simple tasks such as controlling the lighting, playing music and sending messages. But if systems are to take over more and more everyday tasks, they must engage with us in a different way to avoid causing frustration and acceptance problems.

They are even used in medical technology. One of our customers manufactures a robotic camera guidance system used in keyhole surgical procedures.

The surgeon can control the camera with his voice while keeping both hands on the surgical instruments. This provides huge benefits in terms of flexibility because the surgeon does not need to wait for the theater nurse or assistant. Virtually all warehouses now employ speech dialog systems that tell workers where the next product is located so they can keep both hands free. In short, voice control can be used to optimize numerous

Despite its early stage of development, how has voice recognition altered our everyday lives so far?

There’s no denying the increasing use of these systems in our

daily lives—especially by children. I see this in my family. For my two daughters aged six and ten, it is the most normal thing in the world to talk to a device, for instance, to change the TV station. They instantly and intuitively understood that this is an efficient way of doing something.

And what about in the workplace?

There too, these types of systems are becoming increasingly popular because they save time and money—for example, when it comes to dictating text in law firms or for doctor’s letters.

workflows and reduce waiting times.

technology transformation

What does the future hold? Outline for us how voice control will define the networked world in five or ten years.

I wouldn’t say it will define things, but rather that voice control will support us in our everyday lives. Although these systems will be available around the clock, they will operate very much in the background so that we are not constantly aware of them. I anticipate that we will be dealing less with machines as opposed to relying on a combination of multiple interfaces 67

TO VOICE RECOGNITION

TO VOICE RECOGNITION

such as voice, gestures or touch screens with artificial intelligence. These systems will not need that many commands. Instead, they will use what they have learned from and about us to offer smart and therefore subtle support. Conventional operating interfaces will gradually be phased out and replaced by a superordinate system—with intelligence operating behind the scenes of my day-to-day life.

modal system, where the user has a choice. The fact that I can switch the lights on or off using a voice command is completely superfluous when I’m standing right beside the switch, but very useful if I happen to be sitting on the couch.

What other, rather more futuristic operating possibilities do you see on the horizon?

If you examine the range of interpersonal communications, there are still lots of possibilities.

Ignoring keyboards, touch screens and

gestures for a moment—is voice really the most natural way for us humans to communicate with machines?

It is one of the most efficient ways, but not the only way. It always depends on what I want to do at any given time. Take the process of dictating an IBAN code, for example. That doesn’t work well even in human-tohuman communication because I can say the wrong number or write something down incorrectly. This kind of information is best typed directly into a device or photographed. So, what we’re talking about here is a combination, or multi68

communicate naturally

We exchange information using gestures, facial expressions and looks. All of these are important input sources for the future. The ability to exercise control using thoughts is the next major, exciting step to deducing something without the use of words or actions.

Given these many areas that have yet to be developed, is a truly intelligent voice assistant still a long way off or just around the corner?

Despite the enormous strides we have made in the areas of miking and voice recognition, the technology as a whole is still in

its infancy. We have yet to create what can be described as a truly intelligent companion.

This is always apparent whenever I give lectures and ask my audience which of them uses a smart speaker. Between 80 and 90 percent raise their hands. But when I ask if they consider these systems to be genuine assistants, not a single hand goes up.

Machines don’t care whether we say “please” or “thank you,” they merely respond to commands. How will voice

control change our interpersonal relationships?

That’s a question of perspective—the extent to which we manage to incorporate empathy so that a system does not merely execute commands but engages with me on an equal footing. This will influence our behavior toward machines. It is also a question of product design. The assistant must display a certain form of politeness or personality, and then we will reflect that. On the other hand, this type of system should not come across as being overly human as this would merely raise 69

TO VOICE RECOGNITION

Many users have concerns that a box that is part of their everyday lives is always listening and may even be recording or sharing that information…

There is a need for clear-cut boundaries to be set in this area.

I don’t expect the type of centralized cloud services used for voice assistants today to continue in their current form into the future. The edge computing paradigm—for instance, where I

ALEXA ON BOARD

have a server in my own home— will become increasingly important. As an individual, I should have a digital representative in the shape of an assistant where I control where data is stored and processed, and which I can bring with me to use on other platforms. Admittedly, this will mean moving away from freeof-charge models. Instead, my intelligent companion will play such a key role in my life that I will be willing to pay for it.

This scenario will also do away

In the new, fully electric Audi e-tron, customers can specify Amazon’s cloudbased Alexa Voice Service through the Connect+ package (provided as standard for 3 years, can be extended thereafter subject to a charge), which is seamlessly integrated into the car’s MMI operating system—no smartphone required. This enables customers to not only stream music and audio books through services like Amazon Music and Audible (subject to separate paid subscription and data allowance). It also allows them to order groceries or use smart home controls to lock the doors at home, control the lights and close the garage door directly from the vehicle.

The website (see link at right) shows 15 unconventional applications of voice technology—from a Google Home with a broken heart all the way to talking plants.

man and machine

What areas of your everyday life should remain off limits to voice assistants?

I would cast the net a little further. There are undoubtedly areas such as the bedroom or the children’s room that should be kept free of electronic devices.

This relates to the issue of electronics-free space that is so important to ensuring a degree of mental hygiene. 

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bit.ly/2EgIYcO

with a fundamental acceptance problem, namely the legitimate fear among users that their data could be misused.

58 In a survey conducted by Strategy Analytics (“Smart Speaker User Survey—US Results,” see link at left) in the U.S. in the summer of last year, 58% of respondents indicated that they used two or more smart speakers at home. A total of 62% use one in the living room, 41% in the bedroom, 39% in the kitchen and 12% in the bathroom.

bit.ly/2DZtM3E

our expectations, which would be swiftly disappointed.

TO VOICE RECOGNITION

Please, thank you Even voice assistants appreciate politeness. For example, users in the U.S. can say, “Hey Google, please set a timer for ten minutes,” and Google Assistant will respond, “Thanks for asking so nicely!

Ten minutes, starting now.” Google calls this function “Pretty Please.” Amazon’s Echo also has an almost identical feature.

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Enter now and win!

Go to: scionlabs.de/audi

PHOTO: WOLFGANG ZLODEJ, BANG & OLUFSEN

Tell us what you think!

Take part in the Audi Magazine survey with the chance to win* a new musical travel companion—the Beoplay H9i.

To get started, go to: scionlabs.de/audi

*To be entered into the draw, you need to complete the Audi Magazine survey. The closing date for entries is September 30, 2019. Click on the link to read the competition terms and conditions. The winner will be selected at random. AUDI AG employees as well as the Audi Magazine editorial team and staff are excluded from participation. The judges’ decision is final.

The Audi Magazine survey is conducted by the independent market research institute Scion. All data in the survey will be processed anonymously and treated as confidential.

Talking with artificial intelligence will soon be a matter of course.

TRANSITION SPELLS NEW DIRECTION. Clever minds open the way for creative freedom.

MR. RE YNOLDS MR. FA LK - PETERSEN MS. PHOENIX

TO SAM REYNOLDS

RIDER REACHING FOR THE MOON Sam Reynolds is one of the world’s best mountain bikers—and a leading designer of trail obstacles for pro riders. At the Audi Nines MTB, he gives his imagination free rein.

PHOTO: MOTION MEDIA FILMS

PHOTO: FRASER BRITTON / MONSTER ENERGY

bikepark-idarkopf.com

COPY: Stephan Gnir

He hurtles down the steep, dusty slope at breakneck speed. Then the launch off the ramp. High above the canyon gap, he stretches his legs out behind him, sailing verticalHunsrück-Hochwald ly through the air. is set to be the His only contact next big biking region. with the bike is his Trails, jumps, steep grip on the handleberms and lots of bars. He flies 22 other obstacles are meters Supermanunder construction style before landing at Idarkopf, a former safely on the othski resort, which er side of the gap. will be the largest This jump at the bike park in Germany Red Bull Rampage when it opens in mountain bike event 2019. in the U.S. state of Utah was the feat that put Sam Reynolds on the map in 2015. The image of a cycling superhero soaring across a canyon went viral.

Even today, the native of West Sussex in England is still asked about it—but he doesn’t consider that a reason to wax nostalgic. “It was definitely a high point in my career,” the 27-year-old

says. “But I’m always looking forward to unique new tricks.” Sam Reynolds has been a professional mountain biker for nine years now. During that time, he has racked up countless international successes and pushed the boundaries of what is possible on a mountain bike.

But cycling is not his only hobbyhorse— he also designs mountain bike trails.

And ranks among the world’s top builders of wooden and dirt ramps. The two pursuits focus above all on one thing: progress. So Sam Reynolds got the job of designing the trail for one of the most prestigious mountain bike events the world has to offer: the Audi Nines MTB. At the end of the competition season, the invitation-only group of worldclass riders set the bar for the following year’s tricks on the massive jumps.

The event series debuted in 2008 as a freeski contest called Nine Knights. An additional summer event, a mountain bike extravaganza, launched in 2011.

Originally held at various locations in the Alps, the Audi Nines MTB moved to the Hunsrück-Hochwald region, smack 79

Free as a bird: Tricks like this “one-handed Superman seat grab� have made Sam Reynolds a global icon.

PHOTO: SYO VAN VLIET

He loves the feeling of freedom that mountain biking gives him.

PHOTO: KLAUS POLZER

an impressive course. In the picture on the right, Reynolds dances the “no-foot can-can.”

PHOTO: FLORIAN BREITENBERGER

Trail of tiers: Not far from the new Idarkopf bike park, Sam Reynolds and his team discovered the perfect setting for building

TO SAM REYNOLDS

the Moon!” From an astronaut in a spacesuit to a satellite dish as an obstacle, the trail had it all.

PHOTO: AUDI AG

One giant leap: Sam Reynolds and the Audi Nines always let their imaginations run wild. This event was bannered “Send it to

PHOTO: AUFMSCHLAU.CH

audinines.com

On this “lunar mission,” Reynolds served not only as trail designer, builder and host but also as a guinea pig, since the seasoned pro is always the first to test out any new jump. “There aren’t many people on the planet who can build the kind of jumps that propel you 18 or 20 meters. Sam has more experience at that than anyone else in the world,” says Audi Nines organizer Nico Zacek, who is himThe Audi Nines self a former freeski Winter for freeskiers pro. But Zacek’s adand snowboarders miration for Reynruns from April 22 to olds extends be27, 2019 in Sölden, yond his skills as a Austria. Expect trail builder to his breathtaking tricks performance as a in a show-stopping par­t­icipant: “His snow park at the mountain biking innovative winter experience on monsport event. ster trails is just incredible. He rides with great style and has awesome control of the bike.” This skill is the key to his success. In 2018, the seasoned Reynolds claimed the honors for Best Freeride Line at the Audi Nines MTB. What sets the Audi Nines apart is that it is created by riders for riders. The competition is held over the course of an entire week.

Photographers and cameramen document the mountain bikers’ runs over a series of obstacles. There are no external judges. At the end of the week, the participants themselves review the video

footage and select the winners in various categories. “Being ranked by judges is a big problem in our sport because their scores are based on very personal opinions,” Reynolds explains. “But you can hardly argue with the best riders’ decisions. They know what’s tough. So it means a great deal to me when they like my performance.”

Reynolds discov- Spectacular world ered mountain bik- premier at the ing as a kid, when 2018 Audi Nines friends showed him MTB: Dawid Godziek that you could do was the world’s a lot more with first mountain biker this kind of bike to land a “quadruple than just pedal to tail whip.” During school. “I was in- the trick, the Pole stantly hooked,” spun his bike he recalls. “It gave four times around me a sense of free- the handlebars dom and indepen- in mid-air. Difficulty dence that I totally level: off the charts! loved.” Reynolds started out doing time trials but soon switched to tricks over jumps. After racking up initial successes in national competitions, he turned pro at 18. From early on, he took a shovel to the UK’s forests to create his own ramps and trails. Then, in 2014, he built his first giant kickers for his own event, DarkFest, in South Africa. “At the time, those were the biggest jumps ever created,” he says. He has been designing the trails for the Audi Nines MTB with Austrian aces Andi Brewi and Clemens Kaudela since 2016. They study the specific conditions at the event location and discuss options. “I start out by proposing my absolute dream course,” Reynolds says.

“Then Clemens and Andi decide what’s actually feasible.” Finally, a 3D drawing of the trail is produced on a computer.

But once the backhoe and shovels are out, it merely serves as a no-stringsattached guideline. Sometimes, an obstacle can’t be built because there’s a boulder in the way. Or a new idea pops up during the build. “We always adapt to conditions on the ground,” Reynolds says. “And experience is a big part of

bit.ly/2Q8hYmh

in the middle of Germany on the border between the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, in September 2018.

It’s here that Bikepark Idarkopf—the biggest mountain bike park in Germany—is currently taking shape. And not too far away, the Audi Nines MTB organizers discovered the perfect location to build a mind-blowing trail devoted to tricks: an abandoned quarry close to the village of Birkenfeld. “It looked like an alien planet out there. It was perfect,” Sam Reynolds says of the barren, rocky landscape. The site immediately lent itself to the slogan: “Send it to the Moon!”

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Airtime: In an abandoned quarry, Sam Reynolds shoots off a ramp high into the air. At the Audi Nines MTB, leaps like this won

PHOTO: FLORIAN BREITENBERGER

the Brit the Best Freeride Line title.

From the rider’s perspective: bit.ly/2B94n5I

And the crowd perspective: bit.ly/2DHZfYL

that.” Each year, they make it their mission to produce ever bigger and more creative obstacles for the Audi Nines MTB. “Evolution is the lifeblood of mountain biking,” says the Englishman.

“It’s the only way to keep fans’ and riders’ interest alive.” Constant progress is the reason he’s still riding strong at 27. He admits that landing a new trick is the best feeling in the world. What spurs him on is the drive to taste that feeling over and over again and keep on improving.

He considers the Audi Nines MTB the perfect playground for that. The team tweaks the jumps so the riders can continually try out new tricks. “That’s why there are more world firsts here than at any other event,” Reynolds says.

“Fans everywhere just can’t wait for the latest highlights on video.” With that, the Englishman The performance that has hit on another made his name: At standout feature of the 2015 Red Bull the Audi Nines: The Rampage, Sam Reynorganizers bank on olds performed a trick the footage spreaddubbed “Superman” ing on social media that saw him fly 22 —with tremendous meters over a canyon. success. Millions of fans around the globe click through the videos. Offbeat obstacles such as a wooden knight’s castle at a previous staging and the giant satellite dish at this one pique fans’ interest in the shots. “The Audi Nines is definitely the most progressive freeride mountain biking event on the planet,” Reynolds states. What grabs him is the professionalism coupled with a megadose of insanity: “You need that to keep the adrenaline rushing and push the sport to its limits.”

As a mountain biker, Sam Reynolds shines not only because of his constant striving to reach new heights but also his exceptional versatility. Most of today’s top mountain bikers usually specialize in one discipline. But Reynolds is at home on all kinds of mountain bikes, from the small, maneuverable dirt bikes 88

to the big, full-suspension freeride versions that make pulling off tricks more challenging. “I used to be seriously focused on competitions. But now I get to go wild on all bikes and in Dirt: Extremely videos. My spon- robust bike with a sors have given me smaller hardtail their full support.” frame for jumping His move away tricks. Enduro: from just competi- Full-suspension tive action is, how- mountain bike for ever, also linked to single-track riding. a severe accident. Freeride/downhill: “The 2012 crash A robust MTB good in France when I for downhills and cracked my verte- trails in bike parks. brae was a turning point for me. It changed my outlook on things.” Like so many stars in extreme sports, before the crash he felt he always had to go for the sickest tricks. He was not aware of the pressure he was putting himself under. Since coming back from the accident, he still pushes the envelope—but only according to his own rules. That caused a stir at Red Bull Rampage in 2016. A year after performing his legendary “Superman” jump, he refused to participate in the popular and highly publicized competition. The reason: the lack of safety nets, which he considered a serious risk.

“It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Reynolds says, although he is more than happy with his current situation. “Nowadays, I get to travel to spectacular locations and shred radical trails with awesome people.” Nico Zacek is impressed that, for all his success, Reynolds has kept his feet on the ground: “Sam is a well-mannered guy who is an absolute professional with amazing skills. Plus, he’s hungry. He’s always thinking up new projects.” So it’ll be exciting to see what ideas he brings to the Audi Nines MTB in 2019. 

PHOTO: JOHN GIBSON / RED BULL CONTENT POOL

TO SAM REYNOLDS

The Breitling Cinema Squad Brad Pitt Adam Driver Charlize Theron

LAND

PREMIER

AIR

SEA

#SQUADONAMISSION

BREITLING BOUTIQUE BÖRSENSTRASSE 2-4

FRANKFURT

BLUE-SKY THINKING

Avinor is a Norwegian state-owned enterprise that operates 45 airports and has set itself an ambitious goal: By 2040, all short-haul domestic flights will be on electrically powered aircraft. We talk to Avinor CEO Dag Falk-Petersen about cleaner, quieter and less cost-intensive air travel.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSNAP / UNSPLASH

INTERVIEW: Bernd Zerelles

PHOTO: STACEY ROZELLS / UNSPLASH, AVINOR

“To reduce the total emissions from aviation, we must do better than business as usual.”

TO DAG FALK-PETERSEN

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In which areas does the use of electric aircraft make most sense? Will it be a niche market?

For roughly the first decade, electrified aircraft will be an option primarily for short-haul flights with a limited number of passengers—for instance, on routes between secondary hubs or between smaller regional airports and major ones. In Norway, electrified aircraft could even replace the 38-seater Dash 8 planes that are widely used for regular passenger services. As battery technology continues to improve, larger electric airliners could also be introduced. Based on our discussions with aircraft manufacturers, we believe that we could have electrically powered regional 50–70-seater planes within the next decade.

Both Zunum Aero (backed by Boeing and JetBlue) and a consortium consisting of Airbus, Siemens and Rolls-Royce are examples of aircraft producers that have very interesting plans.

Although the first electric air-

avinor.no

EVIATION ALICE

Aircraft manufacturer Eviation is currently developing a new electrically powered nine-seater for commercial use. A battery capacity of 900 kilowatts per hour is considered sufficient to achieve speeds of 480 kilometers per hour over a range of just under 1,000 kilometers. The Alice model is expected to be ready to take to the skies before 2020.

Wingspan: 16.12 meters

ILLUSTRATION: FELIX HACKMANN

Isn’t electrifying air travel still way out of reach?

To reduce the total emissions from aviation, we must do better than business as usual. That’s why we have already spent more than a decade investigating sustainable aviation fuels. In January 2016, Oslo Airport, one of the facilities operated by Avinor,

became the first in the world to offer sustainable aviation fuels to all airlines. We extended the program to Avinor’s Bergen Airport in 2017. For more than a decade now, we have worked together with the Norwegian airline industry on various projects geared to reducing aviation’s CO² emissions. A case in point: By introducing new energy-efficient aircraft, the two biggest airlines in the country, SAS and Norwegian Air Shuttle, have more than halved their emissions per passenger kilometer since 1998. The problem is that these measures have been outpaced by growth in traffic.

This sparked our considerable interest in developing electric airplanes.

zunum.aero

Mr. Falk-Petersen, Avinor is neither an airline nor an aircraft manufacturer—it’s an airport operator. What made you decide to electrify air travel?

DAG FALK-PETERSEN: Society today is dependent on air transport.

This is especially true of Norway due to its location on the edge of Europe and its far-flung, rugged landscapes. In order to provide passengers with the best possible vacation and business connections, there needs to be ongoing innovation at a local as well as, of course, at international level. We are looking into electrifying aviation because we believe it is the right thing to do, and because we believe it makes business sense. What’s more, climate change unquestionably represents a huge challenge for our planet. All sectors of society—including aviAn airplane has a ation—must reduce life span of up to 30 energy consumpyears. To complete tion and switch over the transition to electo renewable retric aviation, airlines sources. If we don’t would have to order take this challenge several thousand new seriously, the indusplanes to convert try may face higher their fleets. Even if taxes and sanctions, the technology were which would imalready available, pact our business. that’s not going to So this is why we happen overnight. need to develop low or zero-emissions technologies. When we succeed, aviation will no longer be part of the problem, but part of the solution.

THE AUDI MAGAZINE:

Length: 12.2 meters

PHOTO: NOORULABDEEN AHMAD / UNSPLASH, AVINOR

“When we succeed, aviation will no longer be part of the problem, but part of the solution.”

TO DAG FALK-PETERSEN

craft will only have a limited range and capacity, there is a market for them. Of the 45 airports we operate in Norway, many are not that far apart as the crow flies. That means many domestic routes could already be served by electric aircraft using technology already available today.

the roughly 350 kilometers as the crow flies between Oslo and Bergen doesn’t need the same quantity of fuel as on a flight to the Canary Islands. And the same goes for electric aircraft.

They are only provided with as much energy as is required for their routes and the market they serve.

What are the main advantages of allelectric airplanes?

One obvious advantage is that electric aircraft don’t produce any exhaust emissions. As an added bonus, Norway produces 99.8 percent of its energy from renewable hydroFrom 2020, all jet power. That means fuel sold in Norway we already have a must comprise virtually emissions0.5 percent advanced free solution. Aside biofuel. This will from reducing CO², then be increased to another factor im30 percent by 2030. portant to us and, Sustainable aviation of course, to those fuel will be critical who live in the vifor long-haul flights cinity of airports is for years to come. minimizing air traffic noise. What’s more, lower energy costs and less maintenance should also substantially cut operation costs.

That would open the door not only to new routes and better connections but also to new market opportunities for our customers.

To increase an aircraft’s range, it is crucial to reduce its weight. In view of how heavy batteries still are, is that feasible?

Weight reduction is a key principle for all modes of transport.

Fresh designs, lighter materials and new technologies—in the case of batteries, too—will further improve performance. At present, it’s impossible to say just how far we can push the envelope in the short term. This is why most electric aircraft designs already incorporate some kind of range extender. Within the next decade, we can expect battery capacity to allow for regional flights of 500 to 700 kilometers. A range extender—in the form of either a turbo generator or hydrogen fuel cell—to recharge the batteries would then come in handy. 

Aircraft fuels should ideally be lightweight, have a high energy density and occupy a minimal amount of space.

Does electric power fill the bill?

At first glance, that seems like an unrealistic wishlist. But you have to take into consideration that gas turbines are only 30 to 40 percent efficient, while electric engines achieve 95 to 98 percent. Plus, the fuel capacity on board is rarely fully utilized. A Boeing 737 traveling 98

...the ultimate cabrio jacket.

STRAIGHT OUTTA VIENNA

Mavi Phoenix is being celebrated as Austria’s latest music hopeful. She’s a shooting star in a discipline usually dominated by men: rap. For this young artist, that’s an incentive, not an obstacle. Her repertoire also includes one especially vital skill: focusing laserlike on her goals.

COPY: Birte Mußmann, PHOTO: Hanna Putz

“AS A WOMAN, YOU STILL GET SKEPTICAL REACTIONS WHEN YOU STRIKE TYPICAL MACHO POSES ON STAGE, EVEN IN THIS DAY AND AGE.”

maviphoenix.com

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The 23-year-old Austrian sits on the Nader. Her decision bed in the middle to take a stage name of a pile of clothes. symbolizes a The wheeled suitnew beginning. She case she took on borrowed the her just-completed name from the actor multi-week tour River Phoenix. rests on the floor nearby. It has been quite some time since she was last in Vienna, where she now makes her home, for several days at a stretch. Despite her packed schedule and all the stress that entails, she appears relaxed. With an easy laugh and an unmistakable Austrian accent, she talks about the weeks she has just spent in a minivan: “Traveling around with the crew was definitely my kind of thing. But I don’t think I’m really the type of person to live out of a suitcase for weeks.” Glancing around at the mess, she grins and brushes the hair out of her face. For our photo shoot, she has not overdone it with the makeup, opting instead for a look that is as casual as everything else about her. She does have her own hairspray, however, to tame any stray strands that might interrupt the sleek shape of her long blond bob. Even at her young age, she is an absolute professional in such matters. She selects her first outfit quickly, with no hesitation. Mavi Phoenix wears trendy sneakers with casually pulledup gym socks. One pair of her shoes features little removable applications.

She combines them with sweat pants, a turtleneck and a denim jacket. Ranging from playful to hip, her accessories include a fake-snakeskin fanny pack and homemade bracelets cobbled together out of her last tour’s merch. She likes experimenting. And not only in her music.

“It’s mainly about finding myself. I’m much more self-aware than at the beginning, in 2015/2016. That’s why I have such a positive outlook on this whole thing, because I’ve gained more self-confidence through the music and through Mavi Phoenix. It’s great when you can stand in front of people and simply be who you are—and they accept you for Mavi Phoenix’s real name is Marlene

it. That really builds you up,” she reflects.

A coming-of-age phase is nothing unusual for a woman in her early twenties. But her music career definitely is.

“WINNING A GRAMMY IS MY BIG GOAL.”

David Bowie, U2 and Queens of the Stone Age were the soundtrack of her childhood. Music-loving parents shaped her taste. When they separated, the long car trips shuttling between their two homes played a key role in her musical education. Mavi grew up with her mother in Linz, while her father lived in Vienna. It takes two hours to drive from one to the other. As soon as they were in the car, they would crank up the music and sing along. This tradition was so firmly ingrained in the native of Linz that she always wondered what was wrong when her friends’ parents gave her rides and their cars were silent. And having music permanently in her ears wherever she went thanks to an MP3 player was a revelation for her. That also awoke her interest in the technical possibilities associated with sound. “I simply have a love of music in me. That’s my calling.”

Her early, timid desire to make music of her own has morphed into an unshakable drive. Asked where she sees herself in ten years in terms of her music career, she answers with a wide grin, “Well, by then I would like to have won one of the big awards.” Meaning a Grammy. “Or at least be nominated in one or two major categories.” While that may sound like a pretty ambitious goal, it is not that much of a stretch given her career trajectory so far: Mavi Phoenix is considered one of Austria’s great musical Mavi Phoenix shares hopes. And that is an apartment with true even beyond four roommates in the borders of her Vienna. Their rituals home country. She include cooking was nominated for together and staging an Austrian Ama- video game com­ deus Award—in- petitions. The motor cluding as Artist of racing games are the Year—in 2017. Mavi’s favorites.

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Vienna is the city the 23-year-old artist currently calls home.

Here, on the blue

found everything she needs to propel

tic device she has adopted over the moving again to years as a hallmark pursue her dreams. she has had since day one. That is because of an early gift that paved the way for her career: When she was eleven, her father gave her an Apple MacBook. She used its pre-installed music software to arrange her own tracks. As a member of the digital native generation, she quickly learned how to use the tools through nonstop experimentation. “I think it’s great that anyone can make music nowadays. If you enjoy it, why not? I see it as an opportunity, not as a problem.”

One of the programs she played around with included the famous auto-tune effect that she still uses today. “I realize I’m not one of the best singers on the planet. So I like using this effect to get more out of my voice. I’m not afraid to admit it. But if you think I can’t sing at all, you’re dead wrong.” She will also be offering her fans songs without auto-tune in the future. Because she will never let critics pigeonhole her. And that is one of this young artist’s greatest strengths: She has her own opinions and she voices them. Never one to shy away from a debate, she instead seeks dialog. For a young woman in her early her career forward.

But she can imagine

On stage, she is energetic, striking cool poses or whipping her hair around while headbanging. She loves interacting with the audience, both when the mood is frenetic and when she reacts with irony to a crowd that may not have chosen to spend an evening with Mavi Phoenix voluntarily. In such cases, she has no qualms about offering up a cheeky remark—without ever getting nasty, of course. She understands that gigs like that are part of what you sign up for when you’re just starting out. Like so many fields, the music industry may have grown faster and more accessible thanks to the Internet, but that has not canceled out certain fundamental rules of play. The young rapper doesn’t get worked up about it. After all, she aims to rise to the very top. And she never loses sight of that goal.

Dealing with criticism also goes with the territory, whether it is leveled at her personally or at her music. Among the most artistically controversial and most frequently debated features of Mavi’s music is automatic pitch correction, aka auto-tune. It is not so much a stylis-

twenties, Mavi Phoenix appears quite thoughtful and willing to question views. With one exception: She takes no notice whatsoever of hate comments on social media. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of those. “The anonymity of the Internet gives the strangest people a stage. I try not to let things like that get to me. Often you can tell that these people have not made the slightest effort to understand my lyrics or me as an artist.”

Danube, she has

PHOTO: JACEK DYLAG / UNSPLASH

So what is her genre? Rap. It falls in the musical category of lo-fi pop. Her songs bear titles such as “Janet Jackson,” “Bite” and “Ibiza.” Fans can stream her latest album, Young Prophet II, or purchase a vinyl version. You could search for quite a while—not to mention fruitlessly—for Mavi Phoenix CDs; this is a medium her generation of artists does not find relevant. Vinyl, however, is now enjoying a renaissance—or

maybe it never went out of style at all.

Mavi Phoenix’s lyrics are clear and direct, always catchy without getting too complex. “Music has to grab me right from the first bar.

The beat, sure, but Mavi Phoenix was the lyrics, too. It born in Linz. shouldn’t be mean- She associates the ingless, but not too concept of “home” cerebral, either. I try with the city, to apply that prin- of course, but also ciple to my songs, unspoiled nature. too,” she explains.

Having attended an English school and learned to speak the language with no accent at all, Mavi never considered rapping in German an option.

PHOTO: RANDY KAMBODSCHA

And again in 2018. She has also made her first forays onto international stages, her last tour taking her not only to major European cities such as Vienna, Paris, Rome and Barcelona, but as far afield as Los Angeles. Personally, Mavi Phoenix considers Buddy system: Alex the latter her greatThe Flipper is not est success to date. just a good friend of “I love interacting Mavi’s; they also pro­ with the audience. duce songs together.

That was amazing in every city—but with a crowd of English native speakers it was something else again, it was huge. Absolutely incredible. And, of course, it’s also true that if you want to be somebody in the music business, you have to make it in America. Especially in my genre,” she says.

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This diminutive young woman has felt just how tough the music business can be in a variety of situations—such as when she strikes typical macho poses on stage. “That would be totally normal for a man. When a woman does it, you can still sometimes draw skeptical looks, even in the 21st century. That is nuts.” Mavi Phoenix doesn’t let that throw her. On the contrary, she wants to be an ambassador for a woman’s right to be strong. To a certain extent, this role—like many elements of her career—was more or less randomly thrust upon her, without her really raising her voice to demand it. A young, female rapper who just belts out her opinion?

To many, that can only be one thing: the embodiment of feminism. But that was never the reason prompting Mavi to take the stance she does. As a political person, it is simply her nature. “Staying real is important to me,” she says. That is why she also consciously chose a stage name that is similar to her real name.

Marlene is Mavi. Mavi is Marlene. Yet she does not aim to be the perfect example of a woman in the music business.

She just wants to do her thing. And keep moving ahead “I WANT in one direction only: TO straight—just like her style of music.

STAY REAL.” 107

TO MAVI PHOENIX Mavi Phoenix released her single “Ibiza” in summer 2018. If the title led you to expect a summer dance track, you’d be wrong—it’s about a rocky relationship. The artist explains: “‘Ibiza’ describes the situation where you realize you’re not right

PHOTO: CRISTINA SALGAR

for each other. But it’s incredibly hard to let go because you’re still stuck in all the memories.”

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The only way to push boundaries is with imaginativeness.

A NEW K IND OF TAST E ?

Radically modern cuisine preserves traditions.

PHOTO: CLAUDIO VERA

Rodolfo Guzmán transports indigenous Chileans’ cooking into the modern age. He views his restaurant Boragó as a platform for the country’s cultural identity.

An experimental journey in 16 courses.

COPY: Andreas Fink, PHOTO: Cristóbal Palma, ILLUSTRATION: Raymond Biesinger

PHOTO: LOREM IPSUM

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from plants, using almond rather than cow’s milk. “At first, we had one ingredient and would make one, two or three dishes out of it,” Guzmán recalls. “Now we have up to 300 options per item. That is a whole universe of knowledge and possibilities.” Rodolfo Guzmán expounds upon his work with missionary fervor. At the age of 19, he went to work at a restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina. After literally starting out as a The Basque Country dishwasher there, he left as the dessert chef. Later, back in Chile, he experi- has been among enced first a rapid career rise and then a serious depression. By the time he the hottest spots on was 24, he was already a chef de cuisine and watched most of his coworkers the culinary scene come into the restaurant every day as if it were a factory—with no interest since the turn of the or inspiration. “I was working like crazy, but what for?” Unable to answer century. Today, this question, he moved in 2002, first to Madrid and then to the Basque there are four threeCountry, a region that was in the midst of a creative culinary boom. There he Michelin-star found his way into three top kitchens, the third of which was the Mugaritz, Basque restaurants. the country inn that has spent 15 years among the top ten in the world’s gastronomy rankings. When Guzmán returned home from Spain at the age of 26, he had absorbed the radical approach of the Mugaritz master, Andoni Luis Aduriz, with his experimental quest for new textures and techniques. But the main thing he had was his restaurant, “complete in his mind.” Two years later, he opened it.

2. Picoroco, pewén and Chilean hazelnuts—“The flavor of the picorocos is as elegant as that of the Patagonian king crab,” says the chef of Chile’s first premium restaurant enthusiastically.

“But we only get them a couple of months a year.” Rodolfo Guzmán is sitPeople have been ting in his little office over the restaurant before the kitchen gets running. living from farming At noontime on a Monday in the Southern Hemisphere’s spring, 25 cooks and raising livestock have just arrived for work. Six hours remain until the first guests are due. in the world’s The boss has set aside quite a bit of time—far more than he actually has—to driest desert for explain his vision. Guzmán, who is 40 with an athletic build and intense blue 10,000 years. eyes, stands up and rummages around on a shelf until he finds a topographic Today, the Atacama map, which has to be folded out due to his country’s unusual shape. Chile is Chile’s treasury. is around 4,300 kilometers long, but no more than 150 kilometers wide in The world’s largest most places. Guzmán has cross-hatched and labeled the map in different reserves of copper colors. To the west: the Pacific Ocean, which never gets warmer than 12 are buried underdegrees Celsius due to the Humboldt current. To the east: the snow-covered neath it, not to Andes mountain range, nearly 7,000 meters high. Chile’s northern section mention gold and belongs to the Atacama, the world’s driest desert, while the south is covered the lithium used in by forests that are among the rainiest regions on the continent. “In Chile, batteries. it’s not only the topography that’s extreme, but the climate as well. That’s why many plants only thrive for a few weeks or months at a time. When a restaurant decides to serve mainly wild plants, it has to change its menu constantly. Our two tasting menus change according to nature’s rhythm. That’s why the Boragó restaurant is in a permanent state of flux.”

5. Roasted flowers à la Van Gogh and morels cooked in seaweed bladder—At Boragó, the food is not served by waiters but by the 25 cooks whose work the patrons can observe live through the glass wall separating the kitchen from the dining area. A young chef emerges with a deep plate in which four blooms, golden yellow like Van Gogh’s sunflowers, rest. Then he presents a brown, steaming package that turns out to be a section of a type of algae that has been sealed on all sides and baked. The chef opens a pre-cut lid, revealing two morel caps. Halved, and combined with a flower and the garum made by fermenting salt and sardines, the morels are substantial enough to stand up to the grand Petit Verdot with which the sommeliers open their eight-course wine pairing—all exclusively from Chilean vineyards.

4. Pajarito butter and freshly baked marraquetas—Compact: Chile’s favorite type of bread, four rolls attached to one another, crisp, fresh and aromatic—served in the shape of pralines. They are accompanied by butter with an airy moniker: Pajarito, or “little bird,” is what rural people call the blend of yeasts and bacteria—the same thing that turns milk into kefir—long ago imported from Asia. Rodolfo Guzmán has been experimenting with this fermentation aid in the Boragó lab ever since the restaurant opened, initially with dairy products. Now he can also make kefir

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PHOTO: JESS WOOD / FLICKR

3. Cold pulmay—On the southern island of Chiloé, pulmay is a hearty stew of clams, chicken and smoked pork, with sausages, cabbage, potatoes and cacho de cabra peppers. Boragó serves it as an intense, ice-cold drink, devoid of textures but with notes of shellfish, smoke and chilies.

This brew is one of around 700 dishes Rodolfo Guzmán has developed and whipped up over the past 12 years. In a way, it is the potable essence of the Boragó. “Our cuisine is very profound,” Guzmán says. “It is rooted in the Mapuche traditions. And in the over 13,000 years that these people have been living in this part of the world.” Guzmán’s philosophy for the Boragó is to design a modern Chilean cuisine based on the natives’ ingredients, preparation methods and cooking techniques. There’s one catch: The Mapuche were never farmers but hunters and, above all, gatherers of plants, mushrooms and fruits. So if you want to cook or recreate their dishes, you can’t just order the ingredients from a farm. You have to go out and hunt for them.

PHOTO P. 115: RODOLFO GUZMÁN PHOTO: MANUEL GONZÁLEZ OLAECHEA Y FRANCO / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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1. Chilenito—These cookies are familiar to every Chilean child: round, made of two layers with a filling in between. But this chilenito is grass green rather than sugary white; savory rather than sweet; frozen rather than baked; and it melts on the way from your hand to your mouth. The top and bottom layers are made of sea plants, and the filling tastes of squid. Its creator will later announce this impishly as “a wisecrack” to get things going, but not until the gourmet adventure through deserts and forests, over rocks and fields, deep into this country’s past and possibly into the future of food for the world, has reached its explosive finale. It is a two-and-a-half-hour display of culinary precision and accurate mise en place. A spectacle of textures, colors and aromas.

And a radical reimagining of Chile’s national cuisine.

6. Loco, lavender and almond tofu ice cream—Concholepas concholepas, known in Chile as loco, is a standard item at coastal seafood restaurants. There, this sea snail is prepared like a Peruvian ceviche, with onions, lemon juice and cilantro. But the nation was not quite ready for a chef who combined seafood with almond ice cream. When Rodolfo Guzmán opened his first Boragó in 2006, most of the guests were his friends and relatives. But often, Ceviche: fresh, raw the dining room was deserted. Chile had no experience with haute cuisine fish and plenty and no interest in its natives’ traditions. And, because neither the media nor of onions, “cooked” in travel guides wanted to write about Guzmán’s food, very few foreigners lime juice and spiced found him. The only thing that grew during his early years was his mountain with chilies. This of debt. He ran a conventional catering service on the side temporarily so energy-packed Peruhe wouldn’t have to abandon his dream. “I had no partner, no rich family, I vian treat is all was completely on my own. In retrospect, the Boragó was financial lunacy. the rage with foodies.

It’s really a miracle that we exist today.”

7. Rock vegetables from Punta de Tralca organized by layers—A fan of five wafers each separated by a load of chlorophyll. The Chilean coast, one of the longest in the world at 6,435 kilometers, is mostly rocky and covered with brush that defies the Pacific’s high salt content and low temperatures. Scientists have long known that this green scrub contains nutrients. But Rodolfo Guzmán was the first to discover their culinary potential. When he put algae and seaweed on the menu, food critics and elite chefs alike scoffed at “the guy with the green stuff.” Nowadays, however, plants such as the algae known as kolof, salty sea strawberries and crunchy sea carrots are turning up on more and more Chilean bills of fare. The runaway favorite is a bright green

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The Atacama desert has its own life. Hot during the day and icy at night, it is home to unique plants full of flavor notes that the taste-gatherer Rodolfo Guzmán can’t find anywhere else. He uses the essence of the rica-rica bush to season the ice cream in the center of a giant macaroon, which he finishes with syrup made from the fruit of the chañar tree.

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leafy plant that thrives on the bare cliffs and doesn’t need soil. This herb with three leaves and yellow blooms happens to consist of 38 percent protein. Guzmán dubbed it trebol de roca, “rock clover.” “Nobody knew about it before us, and now they’re cooking it all over Chile.” Over 250 different halophiles, or organisms that thrive in high salt concentrations, have been served up by the Boragó team to date.

8. Razor clam cake with rock salad and kolof broth—Black as coal, this porridge is served in an equally dark bowl. It is dotted with bright green, sturdy leaves arranged like an artichoke flower.

The dark-colored mound conceals light clams, the invisible heroes of this creation. To experience the true joy of this dish, you have to get all four elements on your spoon at once: the tender clam, the slightly sweet beans, the crunchy salt-water vegetables and the strong sauce. This specialty appears in different variations depending on the season. There might be sea urchins under the bean paste, for example.

10. Red plum leaves, grilled duck on a miso made of murra—This creation is a composition in crimson. If you type the word Boragó into an image search engine, this is the dish you will find most often. The ducks are bred on an organic farm the Boragó runs outside Santiago, which delivers any ingredients that aren’t gathered out in the wild. Now that the restaurant is fully booked every night, logistics has become a vital issue. Today, to experience one of the two daily tasting menus—Raqko (seven courses) and Endémica (16 to 19 courses)—you have to make reservations at least a month in advance. The Boragó has ranked among South America’s top ten restaurants for the past five years. At the end of October, it came in at number four on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, ahead of the continent’s premier addresses such as Astrid & Gastón in Lima and D.O.M. in São Paulo. That was the rating that saved the Boragó. In 2013, when the Latin American version of the 50 Best Restaurants first came out, Rodolfo Guzmán was on the brink of bankruptcy. Barely two years later, he was rid of his burden. “Many of our guests only come to Chile because of us. We have put our country on the gourmet map,” Guzmán says today.

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PHOTO: CHRISTIAN CÓRDOVA / FLICKR

9. Fish cooked al rescoldo with white roses and caldillo de congrio—This is an eel that rises from the flames. Or what remains of them. Rescoldo refers to the Mapuches’ millennia-old tradition of cooking roots and vegetables in the embers of the previous night’s fire. The results of this long process: The water escapes from the roasted food gradually, intensifying the flavor. And then there’s the smoke. Rodolfo Guzmán adapted this technique for the congrio, or cusk-eel, a fish which is found in the South Pacific and has a “OUR CUISINE strong, slightly sweet taste. Plenty of intensely flavorful collagen is packed into a part of the fish most restaurants would never offer their guests. IS ROOTED But at Boragó, the serving chef peels back a coatChiloé means “place ing of ash and flour to expose a fish head cut in half IN THE of seagulls.” The large lengthwise, from which he nimbly spoons the cheek MAPUCHE island in the southern muscle. This prime cut is served with a delectable part of Chile is sauce made of eel broth. If you’re wondering what a TRADITIONS.” considered the locus young, blue-eyed city boy has to do with indigenous of Mapuche culture people’s cooking techniques, he answers, “Plenty. There’s Mapuche blood and cuisine. The in my veins, which happens to be true for 80 percent of my countrymen. world’s most widely Except most of them don’t want to admit it.” Guzmán was well acquainted cultivated variety with the ingredients and cooking methods from his childhood: His father’s of potato, Solanum family comes from the southern island of Chiloé. Unlike most of the rest of tuberosum, is indigSouth America, Chile was never completely controlled by the Spanish conenous to the area. quistadors, and has been searching for its national identity ever since gaining independence 200 years ago. Guzmán is convinced that his home country will not find itself until it fully owns its indigenous roots. Could his cooking help pave the way?

“Yes, I see the Boragó as a platform for Chile’s cultural identity.”

Over 6,000 kilometers long, Chile’s coast is rocky—and covered with vegetation. The chefs at the Boragó work with 250 saltresistant plants. And when carrots are served, they are first marinated in sea water, then dried, wrapped in aluminum foil and gently cured at 55 degrees for two months.

PHOTO: CLAUDIO LOREM IPSUM VERA

Patagonia—synonymous in Chile with mountains, forests, water and plenty of wind. The rain forests of Valdivia produce the maqui berry, which Guzmán serves on a cracker. The bottom layer consists of a tartare of guanaco, the llama’s wild relative, hung for 15 days.

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11. Morel, nalca-chicken candy and lleuque vinegar—Wild plants, perfectly transformed into a triple amuse-gueule between the two Endémica meat courses. The seasonal ingredients are gathered by the Boragó’s production unit—200 families in the country’s various regions who constantly fan out in search of the products listed on a huge chart on the wall of Rodolfo Guzmán’s office. His assistant organizes replenishments, some of which arrive by air, occasionally exposing Guzmán to criticism. “I define sustainability differently. I think of all those 200 families, most of whom are of native descent, who get not only a regular income from the Boragó but also the feeling that their knowledge is valued. This knowledge paves the way for a reorientation of Chilean cuisine, and that perspective stretches far beyond the walls of this building.”

12. Lamb cooked “à la inverse,” mille feuille of wild apples from Patagonia—At long last, here is the fulfillment of the promise made to guests before they even enter the restaurant. Rodolfo Guzmán repurposed the former terrace, turning it into a fire pit where a tantalizingly aromatic lamb roasts. Gutted and spread out on a metal cross, the roast stands nearly upright in front of the embers.

That’s the custom in the southernmost regions of the continent, on both sides of the Cordilleras. But it wouldn’t be the Boragó if this tradition hadn’t Guzmán has turned been tweaked. Pitmaster not only the tables but the entire animal. His chefs roast the lamb for 13 hours far from the coals, from the inside and with the head up.

Not until seven in the evening, when the first guests arrive, is the fire fanned and the skin exposed to intense heat.

Each minute detail of this process is described in the illustrated tome Boragó. Coming from the South, published by the London-based art imprint Phaidon in 2016. Its 288 pages include a block of detailed recipes for ambitious cooking geeks who can get their hands on Mapuche ingredients. As he approached the task of gathering all his data and recipes, he realized that his project had reached a crucial turning point. “For us, this book represents the starting point, after ten years. It wasn’t until the end of 2016 that we had the feeling we had finally started cooking. Everything before that was a learning process.”

14. Ice brûlée of bitter plants from the Atacama desert—Cold conversion: Like a classic crème brûlée, but on the rocks. A brittle crust covers ice cream bursting with flavor the likes of which you can only sample in the Boragó. This dish is the essence of many trips to the desert. “At first, you hardly notice any vegetation. Just some low scrub,” Rodolfo Guzmán writes in his book.

“But if you bend down, you notice many different kinds of plants, whose leaves, fruit, twigs and roots also taste incredible.” Guzmán believes that the extreme aridity along with the constant temperature fluctuations—up to 30 degrees Celsius in the space of a day—generate flavors you can’t get anywhere else. For this taste gatherer, it was a revelation: “My imagination was on fire.

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ILLUSTRATION: RODOLFO GUZMÁN

13. The black sheep of the family—This dessert is made from the milk of the Chiloé sheep, a rare wild fruit called arrayán only harvested three weeks a year, a roasted marshmallow and vinegar. If you find this combination a little odd, Rodolfo Guzmán agrees with you: “Yes, sometimes we are pretty crazy.”

Rodolfo Guzmán has loved ice cream since his childhood. Two of his creations in dialog: The caramel crust on the ice brûlée conceals extracts of Atacama plants and pears. The sandwich contains the super-aromatic “rose of the year,” which only grows when rain falls in the world’s driest desert.

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Automated subway Santiago de Chile’s location in the basin of the Mapocho valley has caused a significant smog problem, prompting the national and city governments to put more money into the public transit system. South America’s second-longest subway network now comprises six lines with 118 stations spread over 119 kilometers of track. Three additional lines are planned. Line 6, inaugurated in November 2017, is fully automated.

It was as if I had discovered a whole new planet!” He now wants to share this knowledge and all his other discoveries in the forests, mountains and coastal areas not just with the patrons of his restaurant but with all his fellow Chileans. A complete encyclopedia of Chilean ingredients is slated for publication next year. It is to be followed by a second volume in which he explains to his country how to cook these unassuming treasures.

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THE IMAGES IN THIS PHOTO EDITORIAL ARE TAKEN FROM THE BOOK BORAGÓ: COMING FROM THE SOUTH BY RODOLFO GUZMÁN, PUBLISHED BY PHAIDON IN 2016.

16. Cold glacier—A light, frozen mouthful. To be eaten in one bite and right away, the chef advises. And he watches gleefully as smoke pours out of the guests’ noses and mouths. Another wisecracker. 

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15. Rose of the year ice cream sandwich—A dessert as rare as hen’s teeth: The magenta flowers whose beguiling honey scent envelops these frozen nibbles only grow when it rains in the world’s driest area. Sometimes years go by without a harvest. October 2018 was generous, so several sacks of this delicacy arrived at the Boragó. One of them is now lying on the table in the cooking lab. It’s actually a carry-on the chef will be taking with him to Portugal and Spain the following day; he is besieged with requests for the bloom. “That’s a real honor for me, of course,” Guzmán says. He has received offers to open offshoots of the Boragó in Middle East countries and North America. But he has turned them down. And in other Chilean cities? “Maybe someday,” he answers, citing other projects that take “IT WAS precedence. Guzmán points to cans, jars and food storage boxes lining the shelves. “We’ve been experimenting here for years. And we have discovered AS IF I HAD so many things that could benefit far more people than just the guests at the DISCOVERED restaurant.” That prompted the chef who was nearly bankrupt five years ago to open the first scientific center for Chilean foods. It will be housed in the A WHOLE same building as the future Boragó, which is currently under construction.

Starting next year, scientists are to systematically evaluate Guzmán’s basic NEW findings. Food conglomerates have expressed interest, as have the cosmetPLANET.” ics and pharma industries. In fact, new, natural foods could do Chile a lot of good. The UN health organization warned in November that 31 percent of women in the country are overweight, the highest number in all of South America. Rodolfo Guzmán foresees an especially bright future for the halophiles thanks to all their vitamins and proteins. Perhaps rock clover, that 38-percent-protein wonder, will be the new Latin American superfood. The new avocado? Or quinoa?

HEART OF THE COMMUNITY Chile’s metropolis is actually 37 cities, not one. Santiago in fact only refers to the commune in the center of this agglomeration. The Santiago Metropolitan region is home to some 7.2 million people, i.e. over 40 percent of the country’s population.

SKI CITY Very few of the world’s capitals can claim to boast ski resorts. Santiago has three: El Colorado, La Parva and Valle Nevado are less than 50 kilometers from the city center. And the beaches of the Pacific are just over an hour’s drive to the west. Slight drawback: The water is ice cold.

30 0 meters is the height of the Gran Torre Santiago, South America’s tallest building. Situated at

the point where the three middle-class areas of Providencia, Vitacura and Las Condes come together, it houses Costanera Center, the subcontinent’s largest shopping mall. The 61st floor offers a sweeping, panoramic view from behind glass, with an open-air roof terrace above.

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A breath of fresh courage creates room for free thinking.

WHAT’S NEXT ?

The answer to the questions of our future.

A NEW KIND OF ELECT RIC MOBILITY

TO A NEW KIND OF ELECTRIC MOBILITY

THE NEXT BIG THING: THE EPITOMIZES MODERN MOBILITY AS PART OF A COMPLETE ECOSYSTEM.

COPY: Birte Mußmann, PHOTO: Jan van Endert, CGI/POSTPRODUCTION: RECOM

Our mobility is in a state of flux. Big data, digitalization and connectivity have become the buzzwords of this transformation. Mobility has long since evolved beyond mere transportation from A to B. Instead, today’s vehicles have metamorphosed into mobile devices that support drivers across a wide range of scenarios. And in this change process, alternative drive systems are playing a vital role. Electric mobility is one of the pillars support- With its “Audi. ing tomorrow’s transport solutions—one that enables emission-free driving Vorsprung.2025.” locally. It is gaining traction in society—not just as a suitable option for short corporate strategy, hops, but also for long-distance trips thanks to ongoing technological devel- Audi is driving opments and a burgeoning charging infrastructure. It treads softly but steps the change triggered out boldly in terms of dynamics and performance. In these changing times for by digitalization, mobility, Audi is launching an offensive to promote a range of options that sustainability and include the electric drive. The new Audi e-tron, the four rings’ first purely urbanization. electric-powered production model, represents the first foray into this field as an innovative ambassador for tomorrow’s mobility. With this move, the company is focusing not just on the vehicle itself but also on the bigger picture. The electrifying SUV is integrated into an ecosystem that encompasses a range of private and public charging system solutions coupled with bespoke related services.

Audi e-tron combined electric power consumption (in kWh/100 km*): 26.2–22.5 (WLTP); 24.6– 23.7 (NEDC). CO² emissions combined (in g/km): 0 (*Where stated in ranges, fuel/electric power consumption and CO² emissions will depend on the chosen equipment level.)

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ITS SOUND IS A OF POWER AND SUBDUED TIMBRES.

*Electric power consumption and CO² emission figures for the Audi e-tron can be found on page 137.

And not just the ecosystem surrounding the Audi e-tron is impressive, but also the car’s performance: This SUV dances to the unmistakable tune of electric mobility. Behind its subtle audible presence lies a dynamic drivetrain that packs a mighty punch. Its two electric motors—one for the front axle and another for the rear—generate a combined output of 265 kilowatts, which can even be boosted to 300 kilowatts for short periods. This means the Audi e-tron* can sprint from a standstill to 100 kilometers per hour in a mere 5.7 seconds. You’ll be instantly impressed by the powerful drivetrain as you pull away and it stays just as compelling out on the road. To deliver this level of performance at every turn, the vehicle battery must be suitably charged—which is where the ecosystem comes in. The lithium-ion battery installed beneath the cabin can store up to 95 kilowatt hours of energy. When fully charged, it provides for a maximum range in excess of 400 kilometers in the realistic WLTP test cycle*. The Audi e-tron is the first series-production car technically designed for a charging capacity of up to 150 kilowatts. In addition, the SUV can be charged on the move with direct current (DC, up to 50 kilowatts) or alternating current (AC)—at up to 11 kilowatts as standard, and at up to 22 kilowatts during the course of 2019 with the help of the optionally available second on-board charger (OBC).

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THE AUDI E-TRON AMP UP COMFORT AND FLEXIBILITY.

INNOVATIVE

OPENS UP NEW PERSPECTIVES O N THE ROAD AHEAD.

You can plan a journey while on the move with the help of the e-tron route planner from the myAudi smartphone app or directly using the Audi e-tron’s navigation system. Supplied as part of the Audi connect Navigation & Infotainment package, the route planner comes as standard for three years and can be subsequently extended subject to a charge. In both cases, the optimum route with the required charging stations is displayed. Besides the battery’s charge level, the e-tron route planner takes traffic conditions into account and calculates the arrival time including the necessary charging time. Both DC high-power charging points as well as most AC charging points are shown.

The optional Audi e-tron Charging Service gives drivers easy access to over 70,000 of these AC charging points, initially in 16 European countries. Further markets are to be added in due course.

To start using this service, all that’s required is a single card or the myAudi smartphone app. Customers complete a one-time registration in the myAudi service portal and take out an individual charging contract. Billing is then done automatically. Due to come on stream in the summer of 2019, the optional plug & charge function will make charging even more convenient going forward by enabling the vehicle to authenticate itself for charging at the respective charging station.

The Audi e-tron’s design credentials are also as innovative as they are progressive. The car embodies the brand’s new design idiom fused with the traits of the Ur-quattro—visually highlighted by the blisters over the wheel arches and reflected in the striking contours of the Audi e-tron. Optional virtual exterior mirrors make their debut in an Audi production model. Compared to standard mirrors, these are much narrower and reduce the vehicle width by 15 centimeters.

They employ cameras integrated into their flat supports. Inside the car, the cameras’ images are displayed on OLED displays located in the interface between the instrument panel and the door. A touch function allows the driver to make various adjustments to the display, such as repositioning the image displayed or zooming in and out. The MMI Navigation system provides a choice of three views for different driving situations—for the highway, turning and parking. These virtual exterior mirrors are not only designed with the digitalization era in mind. They also enhance safety because they reduce the blind spot compared with standard exterior mirrors. Their design also achieves superior aeroacoustics for enhanced ride comfort. More importantly, they pay dividends in another critical area of electric mobility: aerodynamics. Along with factors such as rolling resistance and inertia, this has a major influence on a vehicle’s range—hence the importance of the drag coefficient.

Reducing it by one hundredth extends the range by five kilometers in the typical usage profile. The drag coefficient of the Audi e-tron is 0.28. With the optional virtual exterior mirrors fitted, this drops further to 0.27. This value was achieved by measures applied to various sections of the body.

The innovative exterior mirrors are one factor, but the standard adaptive air suspension also plays its part: From speeds of 120 kilometers per hour, this technology lowers the body of the vehicle by as much as 26 millimeters from its normal height. The front of the car is also optimized with the addition of two louvers behind the Singleframe grille that are activated by small electric motors.

The power control unit can close this cool-air intake across wide driving ranges so that air flows over the hood.

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THE AUDI E-TRON IS A NATIVE.

Cutting-edge technology is also what defines the e-tron’s interior design. What’s more, the “wraparound” dashboard inside the Audi e-tron cabin brings ease of use into sharp focus. Extending in a generous arc, it envelops the cascading instrument panel with pronounced horizontal lines that reach to the sculpted door trim panels. The wraparound harmoniously integrates the hood above the standard Audi virtual cockpit, whose sleek display is visually framed as if freely suspended, as well as the displays of the optional virtual exterior mirrors. With its displays angled slightly toward the driver, the optional MMI touch response is all about digitalization and, despite the inherent sophisticated technology, aims for a minimalist look. Thanks to the touch displays, rotary/push-button controls are (mostly) a thing of the past. Controlled by touch and swipe gestures, the MMI touch response technology is as intuitive as a smartphone. The system provides feedback in the form of haptic, visual and acoustic signals. Digitalization extends beyond the vehicle itself thanks to a dedicated data module that allows the Audi connect system (provided as standard for three years, can be subsequently extended subject to a charge) to link the vehicle to the Internet. This gives both the user as well as the internal systems access to real-time information—for example, regarding the free capacity of public parking facilities or for hazard notifications.

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Likely starting from fall 2019, the vehicle’s ecosystem is set to feature yet another Audi innovation—functions on demand, a concept that enables selected functions to be added even after the vehicle is delivered. So digitalization will be increasingly making its presence Extreme conditions: felt at Audi showrooms everywhere. The Audi e-tron delivers the relevant Prototypes of the hardware and software. The specific software can be activated on request: Audi e-tron were put monthly, annually or for the lifetime of the vehicle. Not unlike computer through their paces software, trial periods will be offered. In this case, however, they will relate in Swedish Lapland. to equipment such as lighting packages or multimedia functions. Behind these Track-maker Lenny innovations is a clear message about the direction in which tomorrow’s moand his team are in bility is evolving: Gone are the days when customers purchased a vehicle with charge of providing their desired equipment level set in stone. State-of-the-art mobility calls for perfect icy conditions. access-all-areas flexibility. Digital literacy and networking capabilities are a must. Whenever and wherever. Meeting these requirements calls for more than just a cutting-edge vehicle. It calls for an ecosystem—just like the one within which the Audi e-tron resides. 

BY THE WAY

“GALLERIES RUN BY YOUNG ART DEALERS ARE USUALLY INCUBATORS. WE FEED EVERYTHING THAT’S EXPERIMENTAL AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT.”

Nathalie Halgand, 35, gallery owner En route to the photo shoot with Mavi Phoenix, we noticed Nathalie Halgand’s gallery. The art dealer with Tibetan and French roots opened her own showroom near Vienna’s Naschmarkt in 2016. With that, she ended a dry spell of nearly a decade when not a single gallery was launched by a young entrepreneur in the Austrian capital, and breathed fresh life into the art

The Audi Magazine—Masthead Publisher AUDI AG, I/VS-23, Content Distribution—Media/Channel Planning, Auto-Union-Straße 1, 85045 Ingolstadt, Germany Responsible for AUDI AG Michael Adolf Project Director Anja Weinhofer Central Coordination and Editing Vera Kraus, Julia Kamm Responsible for Editorial Content under German Press Law Michael Adolf, Anja Weinhofer Publishing House & Concept loved gmbh (info@loved.de) in collaboration with Mirko Borsche (Bureau Borsche/bureau@bureauborsche.com) Editor-in-Chief Bernd Zerelles Editor Birte Mußmann Final Editing Timo Ahrens Authors Andreas Fink, Stephan Gnir, Roland Hagenberg, Steffan Heuer, Nadine Kaminski Creative Direction Mirko Borsche (Bureau Borsche/bureau@bureauborsche.com) Art Direction Julia Kerschbaum Layout Stefan Kaetz Managing Director Peter Matz Publication Coordination Daniela Sutter Internationalization Helge Lenzing Picture Editor Peggy Wellerdt English Adaptation Burton, Münch & Partner, mail@BMPwriters.com Advertising Sales G+J e|MS, Am Baumwall 11, 20459 Hamburg, tel +49 (0)40 37 03-0 Final Artwork Manuel Caliebe, Hilko Wiegmann Lithography Otterbach Medien KG GmbH & Co., 76409 Rastatt, tel +49 (0)72 22 952-0, info@otterbach.de Production Coordination Cross Marketing Produktion GmbH Printing Pruskil GmbH, Carl-Benz-Ring 9, 85080 Gaimersheim Contributor Mieke Haase Cover Cyrill Matter (photo), Uli Wissel (hair & make-up), Tobias Frericks (styling), Jourdan Copeland (model) Table of Contents Jesse Echevarría (photo) No responsibility will be accepted for unsolicited manuscripts and photos received. Despite careful selection of sources, no responsibility can be taken for accuracy. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. © 2019 The Audi Magazine. All rights reserved. Article number: 949/2101.00.18 THE AUDI MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED TWICE A YEAR. THE NEXT ISSUE IN 2019 WILL BE AVAILABLE IN AUTUMN AT WELL-STOCKED KIOSKS. YOU CAN ALSO DELVE INTO OUR STORIES EXPLORING FUTURE MOBILITY AT ANY TIME ONLINE: WWW.AUDI.COM

PHOTO: HANNA PUTZ

scene. She has been on the lookout for exciting young artists ever since.

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