Cercle n8

A NEW EXPERIENCE BEYOND LUXURY

ISSUE N.8

Arts Travel Fashion Culture Interiors Sports Leisure Economics

Monique Hollinger From Zurich with love

Italy Inside

E D I TO R ’ S L E T T E R the crackdown against corruption in China. Today ethics matter. Before some brands argued that trumpeting values other than ‘pure luxury’ diminished the enjoyment of the product on display. Having a conscience, they suggested was, well, a bit killjoy. Today, that type of statement would make most of us recoil with shame.

‘The definition of success – and the way it is perceived by others – is changing. Many successful people now want the brands they use to reflect their concerns and aspirations for a better world. This is true not only in Western luxury markets, but, increasingly, amongst the affluent middle classes of Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.’ Frédéric de Narp, CEO of Bally.

Feeling good has been extended to being good. The luxury industry’s intimate knowledge and appreciation of high-quality materials, manufacturing and notions of provenance, alongside its smaller scale (in comparison to mass fashion) position it to become a leader in the sustainability space. Every month, I see this change afoot whether it be fairtrade gold and jewellery, or eco-hotel luxury or its equivalent in some luxury category.

For much the same reason, Cercle Edition N8 is evenly balanced between articles about the hedonistic side of luxury and articles that go beyond appearances. Cannes may be red-carpet-based but this year there was a return to films that express a social vision. Razzmatazz with attitude!

Then we have Lucy’s Doughty exposé on human trafficking, followed by an article about Formula E racing. The latter surely proof (if any were needed) that luxury and principles can co-exist. Then again, the Expo at Milan juggles many issues in the air, while providing magnificent architecture, cuisine and entertainment.

Dear Friends, People may come and people may go, but luxury lives forever. From the dawn of time people have searched for ways of standing out from the crowd.

Luxury - access to a lifestyle bedecked with objects and possessions of supreme quality and beauty - confers precisely that distinction. Indeed, it the distinction itself, more than the possessions themselves that constitutes the essence of luxury.

Patrons and consumers of luxury have always created not just the tastes of their particular generation, but also played a key role in cultural and social history, defining their nation’s sense of aesthetics and value.

The desire for extraordinary craftsmanship has not waned. Today we can no longer simply look back to the great eras of art and craftsmanship of the Renaissance or the 18th century. Luxury like everything else is changing with the times.

The advent of digital technology and the global market that it entails - have inspired new visions, new opportunities and also it seems new dangers.

Once, for instance, the wealthy operated behind a veil of discretion - while today ‘all the world’s a stage’ and the glamour accompanying this lifestyle is visible as never before.

Alongside this display of high living and glamour is another visual narrative.

In a wired society, mobile users the world over are witnesses to the tectonic movements that are blowing apart twentieth-century concepts of stability, power and the established order. Outside the hallowed offices of power and wealth, we are all consuming images of distress.

On our individual screens, we see that millions are on the move worldwide, fleeing from poverty or war in search of a better life. The stress signals are everywhere: mass migration, human-trafficking and the threat of climate change make our future uncertain. Such upheavals do not play very well against a spectacle of luxury consumption. And therein lies a new and present danger.

I think it is important for the luxury industry and all of us collectively to protect luxury’s reputation. Times change. We’ve already seen, for example,

In short, the question: How does luxury keep its soul and yet implant itself in the future is an important one. And now it’s officially so. That’s because an insider at the luxury summit in Monaco made his opinions clear, warning that ignoring the plight of the dispossessed and not so lucky could prove a costly mistake.

Mr Rupert is nothing if not forthright. In his speech he warned of the damage that could follow from the visible disparity between rich and poor the reliance on low wage economies and the subsequent erosion of a middle class. His auxiliary point was that while some gorge on fattened profits, others grow more desperate and angry as new technology and robots displace them in the workplace. Resentment is in the air and it is essential to debate further possible solutions.

In an odd way there is some symbolic symmetry here between the warning note sounded in the Opening Address about social cohesion and the positive decision by the Richemont group to open their e-commerce platform to their competitors. For what is this other than sharing instead of operating in an exclusive way?

Perhaps there is a political lesson to be drawn from this commercial decision.

For what is this other than choosing to share together rather than play the winner-takes-all game. To protect ourselves from the threat of extinction, as has happened to other power elites, we need to consider how to share power and the wealth more fairly. Only then will we be able once again to sleep happily at night. Empathy is essential.

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Gabriele Salvadori Founder & Editor-in-Chief

HEDERA GENEVE, 19 avenue dumas, Genève 1206, Suisse -www.hederatime.com - info@hederatime.com

CONTENTS 08

MY VISION OF LIFE |

12

BUSINESS |

16

GREXIT |

18

V E N I C E B I E N N A L E 2 015 |

22

ART BASEL |

26

LOV E YOUR HE A RT |

28

BE AU T Y |

30

R E A L ESTATE |

32

ESSAY |

36

IN CON V ER SATION W ITH |

40

INTERIORS |

46

A ROUND THE WOR LD |

56

C O N N E C T I N G C I R C L E S | HARRY’S

58

HOT RODS & HY BR IDS: IT’S A LL HOT AIR |

62

AIRPL ANES |

66

C A N N E S F I L M F E S T I VA L |

70

L Q P S T A K E S A T G L O R I O U S G O O D W O O D | K AT H E R I N E

72

M Y FAVO U R I T E S |

80

BACK TO V ENETI A N GLORY |

84

T R AV E L S |

KS ENIA M E ZEN TS E VA

90

FA SHION |

LO V E M E E V E R Y D AY

92

PL ACES TO STAY |

94

HU BLOT LOV E S A RT |

96

LOUIS X III COCK TA IL |

RICHARD MILLE

LITICS

R A I H A M I LTO N

MAITE PLIMMER ALI BAGHERZADEH

NINA MOADDEL FERRUCCIO DE LORENZO

KEMPINSKI GRAND HOTEL DES BAINS C AT H E R I N E M C Q U E E N

LUCY DOUGHTY DENISE RICH

E R I C K VA N E G E R A AT MILAN EXPO BAR GADDO CARDINI

JOHNNY KUKULJAN E VA P OT EL G R AY

MONIQUE HOLLINGER ALLISON ZURFLUH

N A DYA A R S E K I N A PAO L A A BO N DIO DEBORAH HUNG

10 0

W E E K E N D I N PA R I S |

10 3

O P E N I N G D A Y 2 015 P O L O S A N D I E G O |

10 4

C H L OE’S BI RT H DAY PA RT Y |

108

DI V I N E PA RT Y |

110

A R T B I E N N A L E PA R T Y A T T H E S T. R E G I S |

112

OPENING OF GA R AGE MUSEUM |

C AT H E R I N E M C Q U E E N

BLANCA URIBE

KAZ ALZARKA

ALISA ROEVER S T. R E G I S

N A DYA A R S E K I N A

For Advertising please contact Nadya.Arsekina@ccercle.com Publisher Cercle Ltd ® 5 Vigo Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 3HB, UK Cercle is a ® Registered Trademark.· Printing in whole or in part is expressly forbidden without written permission from the publisher. The publisher declines any responsability for manuscripts and photos sent directly. The views expressed in the magazine are those of the contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine. © 2015 - Cercle Ltd ®.· All right reserved.

MY VISION OF LIFE MY VISION OF LIFE

DR E A M M AC H I N E S

Dreams of Childhood

Driven by Passion

As a child, my parents were mostly indulgent about my constant desire to take things apart in order to see how things work. I loved cars, aeroplanes and the vastness of space.

Richard Mille is like a “playing field” for watch lovers. Together with our customers we are like kids living out our mechanical dreams.

I couldn’t hitchhike my way to the galaxy, but I could lose myself in the world of cars. Even today I catch myself dreaming about building together my own car. I hope, I will achieve this dream in my later years.

One of my strongest memories is what I did to my confirmation watch.

In France, you get a watch when you are received into the Catholic Church. After one or two days of having it, I dismantled it totally. The only trouble was that I was completely unable to reassemble it. I think this incident was an early indicator of my fascination with watches!

I want to give French people and people round the world something new to see. Developing is a passion, it’s fun. I can’t claim that I or my company is saving lives. But if you operate on the principle that testing limits and coming up with new ideas represents the better side of being human, then we stand for something that matters.

Coming late into the business, I also knew that I had to do something spectacular. That’s why I decided to aim high: developing the notion of ultra-luxe watches. I’ve promised myself that we will never become a sleeping brand. Every year we bring 8 to 10 new models.

A FOOLISH CONSISTENCY IS THE HOBGOBLIN OF LITTLE MINDS

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Audemar Piguet also supported me. In the late 1990s, I laid out my ideas. They said: “Wow that’s pretty interesting. ” And while telling me they thought the concept was likely to fail, they nonetheless offered their facilities, workforce and expertise. (I should add they took out a bet too!)

Perhaps that is the mark of true friendship. Taking out a bet against someone but then helping them succeed. I think what people were responding to was the freshness of my ideas. This made my initial period of experimentation more painless than otherwise. And then came, the final triumph: I got to prove them wrong.

Planning a Revolution For years the watch fraternity has been more or less improving upon the discoveries and inventiveness of the past. In 1492 the mechanical watch appeared simultaneously in Italy, Germany and France. That’s rather a long time ago.

I swore my watches would be unlike anything done so far. A revolution, if you like. This explains my initial pitch to Fabrice Deschanel, who heads a think-tank for watches. I asked him to help me create the first racing machine for the wrist. Then I laid in front of him two photographs: one of an old Ferrari engine and one of a new Formula One Renault engine and said: “There’s been far too little innovation down the years. I want my watch to be the Renault of watches!”

Being a Createur I used to work as an accountant in a watch company called Mauboussin.

Inside me was a very frustrated designer who wanted to do things entirely differently.

One of my close colleagues, Dominique Guenat, was convinced that the odds were stacked against me. Nonetheless, as a friend he was ready to rally around me. I am perverse in this one respect. I like to do things unconventionally and surprise people.

P i l l a r 1: I n n o v a t i o n | Pill ar 2: Architecture. || Pill ar 3 : A Companion for Life |||

M Y T HR E E PI L L A R S INNOVATION It’s the science part of our work and very close

to my heart because of my fascination with the world of aviation, cars and machinery.

A favourite example would be our decision to incorporate silicon nitride into many of our designs. You find it in high spec engine parts – for example in the engine of Nasa’s space shuttle. It has extraordinary friction reduction properties so it’s brilliant for what we want. It also weighs a lot less than other more conventional watch materials. This is the kind of alchemy I love.

We also pioneered North Thin Ply Technology (the use of an unbreakable and very light type of carbon) in haute horology. It’s a wonderful invention; you find it woven into the sails of the world’s fastest yachts and into the chassis of Formula 1 race cars. Again my interest in it stems from its incredible lightness; we now use it for most of our cases.

ARCHITECTURE: I admire French architects such as Jean Nouvel, Jean-Michel Wilmotte, Jacques Ferrier. Outside France I admire men such as Santiago Calatrava, and Frank Gehry. What do they have in common? They all love curves.

Now we are getting copied but when we first launched nobody, absolutely nobody, produced cases in the shape of a tonneau as we do.

We even initially worked with an architect when we began our research and development programme to make sure we got the 3-D aspect right.

The Shape of Time

I’ve always been known for the creation of very macho watches. This is partially about styling but it is also about their ability to withstand extreme treatment. Our watches are like the Special Forces. They have been designed to confront any situation.

But as a French man I am not going to forget the importance of women.

That’s why we showered so much time into our Tourbillion Fleur. It was almost impossible to do because we decided to incorporate an automaton that mimics the petal opening and pollination process of the magnolia flower.

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The magnolia flower opens and closes its pin-coloured gold petals at intervals of five minutes, or on demand using a pusher located at 9 o’clock.

For the pollination movement, we created a flying tourbillion that came out of ruby-set stamen.

A COMPANION IN AND THROUGH LIFE: Just as great buildings need to be comfortable to live in as well as marvel at, so I am insistent that every watch we produce is comfortable to operate.

Historically, the watch industry has been lackadaisical about this. A watch is often too heavy or it rubs the skin. Others are maybe difficult to wind.

Worse still, many struggle to perform when the going gets tough. I think these flaws are shocking.

Living with Time From my perspective a watch should feel like a companion: close and trusted. The qualities I screen for are dynamism, 100 per cent reliability and distinctiveness.

I want each watch that joins the Richard Mille “maison” to stand out from the crowd. I search for that specific “je-ne-sais-quoi”. The same qualities I seek in colleagues and friends.

Granted, it sounds a bit strange to call a watch : “A Companion On Your Wrist”. However, it expresses my view that a watch must fit someone’s life and lifestyle.

At the same time, I hate pointless exhibitionism or gimmicks. That’s as boring as a boastful man or woman. If they fail that test, then they’re out of the running. For this reason, you’ll never see a minute repeater on any of our watches.

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Contrarianism I’m born a contrarian. You shouldn’t outsource your creative imagination.

You need to be bold and visionary not listen to the crowd.

That’s why I don’t pull in focus groups to test my gut instincts. If I do a marketing study I can guarantee, I will produce a flop!

I knew my best chance was to burst into life at the very highest level of luxury. I wanted to open a segment that hadn’t existed before.

You could say we are the Candy and Candy of watch design. I call it Extreme Watchmaking: extreme costs, extreme innovation.

Money and Time Most if not all finance and marketing directors would tell you I am mad.

So it’s lucky I’m the boss.

Our aviation watch has already taken us 7 years and it’s still not finished.

As Rhett Butler said in Gone With The Wind: “I don’t care a damn”. I’m a perfectionist and a new watch takes whatever it takes.

Fortunately I have accumulated a loyal base of watch aficionados who understand this level of dedication and are willing to pay for it.

Extreme Watch-Making One of my most famous collaborations in this regard has been with Rafael Nadal. We’re well matched as we are both obsessional. Even the placement of his water bottles is important to him.

Clearly he was worried that the watch could cause an alteration to his forehand and backhand moves. So our first task was to persuade him that we had the ability to work around any problem that arose.

Every day was an adventure of sorts. When I started with him we did nine months of training together. He broke 5 or 6 time pieces in that initial period. I needed to accept this because when he’s playing in a Grand Slam or any tournament, he is effectively going into the battlefield.

We soon had a library of knowledge about what could go wrong! Sweat was a problem. Deceleration was a problem. Acceleration was a problem.

And that’s just the opening list!

“Impossible” is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools” Napoleon.

It’s lucky that I’m almost bald because there are times when I would otherwise have been pulling out every tuft of hair I possess. On one occasion, the glass fell out, on another the hands fell out and then the crown fell out. Looking back, it was a nightmare. But it was in another way fabulous fun. And, fortunately, all that study and hard work paid off.

Our latest watch can cope with 500s gs of force.

The Art of Watches My watches may be high tech but they are also works of art in their own right. We don’t, for instance, use machines to finish any of our timepieces even although it means that right at the end we may find ourselves having to scrap 35-40 per cent of the hand-crafted material.

It’s another expense that I factor in but it’s not one I regret. Hand-finishing gives character and beauty to every watch rather than standardised perfection. The latter however “perfect” is too sterile and clinical for my personal taste.

invasion.” The suggestion is that even in terrible circumstances there is a right and a wrong choice. Having a conscience is critical. The experience showed everyone who they were. Clearly not everybody had equal choices and many would dispute the extent of “this” freedom. But choosing and having a conscience takes us to the heart of our humanity.

Personally, I believe there is a lesson buried in this statement – however one interprets it. It is that under under pressure and in adverse circumstances where everything seems dark – you still have the vital freedom to make the right choice. This is something that we may be in the process of having to relearn.

Connecting with others Many people are aware that Richard Mille sponsors the St Barth’s regatta.

What I love about Les Voiles de St. Barth is that as it grows, the spirit remains the same, with human relationships being key to its success. It’s a very bonding experience.

I’ve also become involved with a foundation set up by one of our ambassadors on the island, the sprinter Yohan Blake. He sets aside 20 per cent of his revenue to a foundation for underprivileged young people in St Barth’s.

One incident stands out in my memory. I was watching one of these young men working on a boat and suddenly my eye settled on his bare back. It was covered with scars. I was shocked. It really brought home to me what these young men are up against. I committed then and there to building a school for the foundation. This is increasingly the kind of thing I love to do.

New Projects For me, the revival of the classic State Concours in the form of the Chantilly Arts & Elegance is a perfect example of the alchemy that can be achieved by mixing and matching different disciplines It’s also stylishly French and I love every aspect of it.

As you may know the Concours was traditionally as much a showcase for the future as for the past. In 2014, 10 concept cars were presented. Given my life long affair with cars, I’m immensely proud of being part of this revival. I also love the way in which designers from different mediums ( in this case fashion and cars) collaborate.

On the subject of art, I’ve found that one thing often leads to another. I may be getting older but I’m not planning on retiring or slowing down in any way. For example, recently we acquired an editing house called :Edition de circulation Art. This company has an amazing history since it was started by Picasso. You can’t beat that. I hope to publish many books.

It’s too early to divulge but I have a number of surprises up my sleeve.

Life and the Universe I think the limited time we have on earth makes me more philosophical.

It’s the secular version of religion where important questions get asked.

Sartre said something which, however shocking it sounds, makes enormous sense to me. “We have never been as free as under the German

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BUSINESS

FT BUSINESS OF LUXURY SUMMIT 2015 The gap between rich and poor threatens envy, hatred and mass migration. If ever one man needed to make a difference, it’s now.

Rai Hamilton, a career financier and business novelist assesses how Johann Rupert can take the lead.

By Rai Hamilton

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W

hile the FT Business of Luxury Conference was in full swing in Monaco last week, a 27-year-old Tunisian rammed a fishing boat into the side of a merchant vessel off the coast of Libya.

He then pulled a large bung out of the hull and capsized the vessel drowning 800 desperate migrants including children and babies. Each soul had somehow found 5,000 euros for the voyage in which they were crammed and locked in the hold and space below decks. Only 28 survived.

The implications were much more than the worst maritime disaster since the Second World War. However, the wider point was lost on the media who slaked their thirst for carnage and drama by slanting the story on merciless people-trafficking gangs estimated to be making up to £20 billion a year from their human cargo.

They also missed any comparison that this was a fraction of the wealth amassed each year selling Everyone at this Luxury Conference in Monaco came of their luxury goods. The point had not been lost on Johann Rupert standing as the main platform speaker in front of the own free will. They are - or they are connected - to the 0.1% of the 0.1% or, even perhaps, the 447 people who have amassed 700 millionaires and even billionaires in the luxury trade. close to $7 trillion. Here was a chance to get a message across.

Johann’s advantage was not that he looked uncannily like the The message is that everything in commerce moves freely cuddly Rupert Bear. It was that he had recognised the link except people. There is still not even an approximate figure for between his industry and the flood of African migrants. Instead the number of migrants who have died in the attempt to reach of repeating the words of Marie Antoinette ‘If they are hungry, Europe by sea. why don’t they ring the bell?’ he said the unthinkable. ‘What keeps me awake at night is how society will cope with structural Expert opinion says the number could be over 100,000. This is a global phenomenon in which a large proportion of desperate unemployment, envy, hatred and class warfare’. people in the 99% take desperate measures to escape conflict, Hang on a minute! Did I just hear Luxury Brands confirming that persecution and poverty.

each person has a moral responsibility to make a contribution to Where does their 5,000 euros for the crossing come from? something other than their cash-pile?

It comes from ISIS, who are happy to pay. To prove a point, The real point of my reporting the extremes of the Monaco the British police yesterday arrested-four illegal immigrants at extravaganza alongside one incident amongst the tens of Dover. They claimed to have arrived to take over England. The thousands of drownings is not to point out that bodies are police laughed and said ‘It would take a million of you to take being washed up on the beaches where children are playing over England’. The four laughed back and replied ‘They are the length of the Mediterranean. It is to explore whether here already!’

Johann Rupert had really got through and addressed a reality There will always be those who really want a luxurious existence that no one wants to hear. and who can afford it: they are the bulk of the target audience Inequality of income and wealth are not good for anyone and of the Luxury Brands. These customers know what is luxurious nowhere on earth is this more obvious than in Monaco where and they appreciate the cost; because of that appreciation they the rich are competing to strut their stuff. The consolidation of can wear it with pride. Members of that worried group who hide wealth and capital in so few hands is the fuel that makes the a significant proportionate of the world’s wealth are the froth on the top of that natural customer base and should be considered a Luxury Goods Market. bonus. The important point is the attitude. The coffee tastes the However, the disparity is economically inefficient because it same with froth and without the froth. It is not necessary to blow depresses demand, a point made famous by Henry Ford. It is the froth in someone’s face. also socially divisive. If you are born poor in an unequal society, you are much more likely to end your life in poverty. It is a lie to It is a matter of balance and sensitivity; a matter of marrying tell a poor Somali person that he can become a millionaire just wealth and success with humanity, so we all have a chance of living together. We know that terrorism has no frontiers and by working hard. cannot be defeated. We also know that capitalism and all of

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its inherent flaunting of wealth and inequality and abuse is no advertisement. However, beauty is beauty and the creation of beauty is a gift that is an inherent part of being in the Luxury Brands industry.

It is this balance of creating beauty and having it appreciated that should be the target. A seven carat flawless diamond is a beautiful thing. But it’s equally beautiful to address the issues of greed by looking after the children, feeding them and educating them on a regional level. There is every reason for the superrich to initiate these ideals because they would be using money they can never spend. Many of them are so powerful they could restructure regional policy at the stroke of a pen. However, it takes one of their own to get that message across, otherwise it’s useless bringing up the subject.

The difference is like the father who, sitting with his son, sees the new limited edition Ferrari go past, and the father remarks that it is a special car and one day his son might just get to drive one. Alternatively there is the father who tells his son ‘There goes the capitalist bastard who has crushed the working classes.’

As my grandfather taught me, ‘Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.’ That’s why the social media giants

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must acknowledge they have a responsibility when they carry videos that incite our young people to violence. Meanwhile, they avoid any mention that a major cause of all violence is that a quarter of the world’s money has been made unavailable for any kind of economic value or socially progressive investment – that quarter equates to a 9% annual reduction in buying power worldwide. The lack of buying power hurts an economy all the way up to the Luxury Goods Market.

If Johann Rupert wants to focus the minds of the luxury industry on income inequality, proper employment and morality, he is in an excellent position to capture the attention of the superwealthy. Every luxury brand would benefit from this attitude, and it’s commendable that Johann has brought this problem out into the open. He knows both sides of the coin, just as he knows that an idea that is not dangerous is not worthy of being called an idea at all. Now the entire luxury brands market is holding its breath because the needle is moving. “We cannot have the 0.1% of 0.1% taking all spoils” says Mr Rupert. “We are destroying the middle classes at this stage, and it will affect us. It is unfair and it is not sustainable”.

The exhortation is long overdue. What is more beautiful than

the luxury brands market should pick a simple ideal that has the potential to change the world and they themselves will be rewarded in every way. The cost is nothing compared with the value of what happens.

I will point out that there is work to do on attitude. A famous brand only recently paid compensation of $1.1 million many years too late after their factory closed in Bangladesh.

This in the same year that their colourful advertising budget aimed at provoking thought about global injustice was $121 million. The industry could start by having a word with them because people from the world of luxury need to start initiatives such as these. More importantly, actions like these will help ensure the survival of luxury brands.

a happy child? I am reminded of the story about my friend, a successful banker, who was adopted and brought up in an Amish village. His father suggested the whole family should visit Monaco before the son went into the world. The mother stood looking at the cars outside the casino, while the father and their then teenage son checked into the Hotel de Paris. It was the first time either of them had been away, and they were amazed by almost everything they saw - especially the two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and then slide back together in the Hotel de Paris lobby. The father had never seen an elevator and he told his son: ‘Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don’t know what it is.’

While they were watching in amazement, a large older lady went up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls slid open and the lady went inside into the space. The walls closed and they watched the small circular numbers light up sequentially.

They continued to watch until the last number lit up and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order.

Finally the walls opened up again and a gorgeous 20-year-old blonde stepped out. The father leaned down to his son and said quietly ‘Go get your mother.’ The moral of this story is that

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ECONOMICS

ACROPOLIS NOW!

By Maite Plimmer

I

n what can best be described as a marital union of states, Greece has proved to become its expensive mistress audaciously testing the limits that precedes a potential messy separation. Yanis Veroufakis, who seems to be de escalating the speculation of a “Grexit” claims that he doesn’t believe that “any sensible European bureaucrat or politician will go down that road”, which leaves us to the big question many of us in Europe and creditors around the world are thinking; How can we ensure this doesn’t happen again?

Before even contemplating the possibility of another Greek styled crisis we must address whether Greece was ever mature enough to enter an economic and political union with the economies of the likes of Germany and France whom for starters had clearer statistical credibility and more stable government budgets. The answer shows not quite. Following the restoration of democracy in 1974, Greek government after government embarked on ambitious left wing economic objectives with what seemed to be little regard to fiscal responsibility and the concept of a balanced

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budget. With cooked books, being Europe’s highest defense spending nation and holding an annual deficit growth of almost 3%, Greece was formally admitted into the European Union and later in 2001, invited to join Europe’s single currency despite a 97% debt to GDP ratio (today 180%) and a lack of structured economic institutions.

Today the European Union looks like a school with a power vacuum, the E.U power seems to have temporarily devolved and been picked up by international lenders and the German government driving at the front seat of the Unions and its relationship with Greece. Recent polls in Greece have shown 79% of the population in favour of remaining within the European Union whereas 51% of Germans favour a Grexit according to a ZDF poll. Mr. Tspiras’ words accusing the IMF and money lenders of “criminal responsibility” about having allowed the social and economic fragility that tends to come during times of austerity is a bitter irony given the economic track record of Greece. For the past 40 years, Greece has failed to produce an adequate environment for

business, has failed to provide a stable economy through a more efficient oversight of its budget, it has not allowed its debt problem to be dealt with even during its years of strong economic growth during 2000-2007 and even so now it continues to deny the harsh realities that must come with paying the price for its reckless economic policies.

Having said that, research conducted by the ECU Group have concluded that the E.U is doomed within two extremes. Either it puts together a plan for disintegration of the union or it accelerates its plans for full

remains major disparities between core pillars amongst societies within the Euro group. Greece and Portugal for instance have the lowest savings per capita within the area, and have the lowest educational impact per capita to the national GDP. For a group that is based or should be based on common economic principles to promote stability, the rising democratic unpredictability within Europe is its main obstacle.

In conclusion, debt repayment through the form of austerity however hurtful it is to the state and people, is the right way to go for a country that has enjoyed decades of living beyond its means. It should address its defence costs that are currently ranked highest within the NATO alliance after the United States; this apparently due to a common misconception regarding an imminent Turkish invasion. Greece must look at serious alternative debt repayment options rather than focusing on high taxation which has secured less revenue than anticipated (a reiterating theme within the Greek economy that has seen 23.5% of its economy vanish into offshore accounts), and must focus on structural economic reform including a more efficient tax collection system, stricter oversight on government budgets, a more efficient way of opening business (which is tainted with complications and involves several government agencies) and collection of reliable statistical data collection for analysing future trends.

The need to implement austerity highlights failures on both sides; the European Union for having jumped the gun on introducing economies, that were clearly not ready both in regards to fiscal and political stability, failing to demand states to operate fiscally responsibly as well as demanding that nations attempt to balance the books and manage its debt. Greece failed to live within its means, failed to manage its troubling deficits despite years of strong economic growth and failed to meet the demands of a modern economy. The lack of vision by the Greek government and a sense of entitlement by the Greek population has put the whole country in very precarious situation.

This is not the first time European leaders have had to get tough on Greece on its debt issue. Collective Greek governments have favoured the idea of higher taxes on corporate profits rather than structural reform. At the start of this decade, governments led by Papandreou, Papademos, Pikrammenos and Samaras have failed to make progress in their promises. In 2011, Greece pledged to sell off 50 billion euros worth of state assets in industries ranging from banks, shipping, baseball stadiums and water treatment facilities in aim of reducing their debt burden. To much surprise this wasn’t done, mostly due to political pressure by interest groups and individuals who deemed the actions illegal. Today, the Greek government’s suggestions of higher taxes would raise the unemployment figures, drive away business and cripple confidence; counterproductive to long term stability and economic growth which the international money lenders and the E.U are so adamant about.

integration of member states that can be best described as the forming of a super state. Were the latter to happen, serious issues must be addressed that were avoided in its humble beginnings, especially with economies like Greece, failure to address the issues in Greece could very well lead to a Grexit despite the optimistic outlook of Mr. Vaoufakis. A Grexit would further damage the long term economic outlook for the Greek state setting in motion a decline in business and investor confidence in the region, it would force the Greek state to adopt its past currency and face the upsetting reality of seeing its assets lose almost half of its value estimated at 8% of its economy and would see inflation rocket at around 35%. Much better is not anticipated either on the E.U sides whom would lose out on 2% of its overall GDP but most importantly would have injected a fear within business confidence on whether or not the European Union its house in order and whether or not a Grexit could become a precedent. Were the E.U wish to remain loyal to its member state, it should and must put its foot down on more issues than one. Debt repayment being the most obvious one . According to the ECU there

Therefore it is of my opinion that austerity isnt about punishing the Greek people and government into submission but holding them accountable for their actions. The state of affairs in Greece is both a show of dangerous government intervention in the economy, stimulus spending and a weak fiscal oversight. Accepting E.U and I.M.F demands comes with homegrown dangers. Mr. Tspiras’ political party has openly declared it would not support the Prime Minister accepting any deal that pushes more austerity which is currently being seen as a war on Greek sovereignty, but more austerity is inevitable. This would no doubt push Greece further into extremes and people with little left to lose to revolt.

In a country very familiar with coup d’etats, more civil unrest will test the nations police and security services whose allegiance should lay with the stability of the state. With a Grexit looking unfeasible, this leaves Greece one Darwinian solution - adapt or perish as it is now. .

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ART

Venice BIENNALE

2015

Following several days of previews and star studded parties, the 56th edition of the Venice Biennale officially opened to the public on May 9. The world’s most prestigious non commercial exhibition of contemporary art, the Biennale runs until November 22 and features 79 national pavilions and 44 separate associated exhibitions.

By Ali Bagherzadeh

T

itled “All the World’s Futures”, this edition has the first African, Nigerian born Okwui Enwezor, as its artistic director. Mr. Enwezor, director of the Haus der Kunst in Munich, has chosen a distinctly political and anti-capitalist theme which seems out of tune with Venice’s Zeitgeist. Although probably wanting to echo the financial meltdown of 2008 and ideas such as those percolating from Thomas Piketty’s best-seller, “Capital in the 21st Century”, the absence of a wide-spread ideological shift away from capital since the 2008 financial crisis makes Mr. Enwezor’s theme seem ill timed. Worse than Venice sinking, the whole theme sank into irrelevance when the three main preview days saw endless parties, countless billionaires, traffic jams of super yachts, clicks of red soled shoes and spendthrift spending by all - without the slightest nod to the notion of restraint, let alone to Das Kapital, which was being continuously read out loud in one of Mr. Enwezor’s guided installations.

In addition to what seemed a self righteous theme, the main exhibition organised by Mr. Enwezor, and his artistic direction of the event’s gestalt, including lacklustre national pavilions, make this Biennale the least memorable in recent times. A change from the historic June opening in order to coincide with the opening of Milan’s Expo also kept many away, especially the American contingent busy with the fairs in New York.

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As to the individual exhibitions, with uncomfortable frequency, they are dotted with shows that could be seen as having overt commercial motives. Unconsciously rebuking the whole notion of Mr. Enwezor’s theme, resource rich nations present expensively, expertly and professionally organised pavilions let down by works not worthy of the large sums spent staging them. The reverse case is Iran’s pavilion. There, the nation’s stellar art is compromised by inexperienced and pedestrian curation which provides what seems like a jumbled exhibition of a mid market auction house. Again, it is money that talks and not the event’s artistic theme.

anatomical sculptures. Among her mise en scene, Lucas places cigarettes in the most unlikely of places, but generally risks sameness by harping back to the irreverence of the Young British Artists of nearly two decades ago. Japan’s Chiharu Shiota manages a visual coup with an irresistibly beautiful installation of thousands of red strings each hanging with a key at its end. Switzerland’s Pamela Rosenkranz has painted the Swiss pavilion a sea coloured blue-green, covered the inside of the pavilion with PVC and then filled the resulting giant cavity with a pool of monochrome liquid matching the skin tone of a Northern European baby; the result is breathtaking and moving.

But there are some bright spots amongst this general trudge. Fondazione Prada’s “Portable Classics”, shown at the foundation’s permanent home in the Ca’ Corner della Regina, explores, with exquisite attention to detail, the origins and functions of miniature reproductions of classical sculptures. Prada gives the event’s most beautiful endeavour.

Outside of the Giardini, Iceland and curator Nina Magnusdottir had artist Christophe Buchel install a mosque in a Venetian church, generating much controversy and debate.

Ultimately it offered more provocative gimmick to most, and blasphemy to some, than high art.

Nonetheless, this mosque, housed in the Santa Maria della Misericordia church in Cannaregio, whether worth a visit or not, was closed by order of Venetian authorities.

In the Giardini, which houses 30 permanent national pavilions, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and Switzerland all have solo shows that easily stand apart. The American Pavilion features a multi media installation

by Joan Jonas who provides wisdom, sophistication and maturity all infused by freshness. The British Pavilion has been painted a custard yellow and shows a solo exhibition of British artist Sarah Lucas’ giant and shocking

Still outside of the Giardini, Iraq’s RUYA Foundation, chaired by Tamara Chalabi, has placed Iraq’s pavilion in the Ca’ Dandolo Palace on Venice’s Grand Canal. Curated by Philippe Van Cauteren, the exhibition of works by five Iraqi artists also include drawings by Iraqi refugees as selected by the renowned Ai Weiwei. The elegant exhibition manages to

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be a sophisticated yet tender ode to Iraq and her travails.

Angola’s inaugural participation in the Venice Biennale garnered it the prestigious Golden Lion of 2013. This year Angola places its pavilion in the Palazzo Pisani on the Campo Santo Stefano. Curated by Antonio Ole, the exhibition has works by Mr. Ole and four other artists explore post colonial themes. The show is relevant and well done with Binelde Hyrcan’s video installation providing a touching and allegorical journey through Africa’s complicated post colonial landscape.

The Axel and May Vervoordt Foundation has mounted the Proportio Exhibition in the Palazzo Fortuny. Curated by Axel Vervoordt and Daniela Ferretti, the exhibition is an eclectic show. The piano nobile is turned into a classical library worthy of Dorian Gray. Other rooms feature exceptional works by numerous artists including Anish Kapoor, Marina Abramovic, Marta Dell’Angelo and Shuji Mukai. This exhibition should be on everyone’s must see list.

The art world, meanwhile, is already plotting and try looking forward to the 2017 edition.

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ART

Preview

ART Basel

By Nina Moaddel

W

hen you talk about the Swiss fair, Art Basel, it is almost necessary to clarify it by stating the obvious “Art Basel in Basel”. Indeed, Basel is in Basel. Over the course of its 45-year history, Art Basel, the premier contemporary art platform, has packaged and spread its singular cultural brand around the globe, with outposts in Miami Beach and Hong Kong. But, while the Miami fair is an undisputed success, luring celebrity visitors and generating headlines around the world, the fair’s hometown edition remains the pinnacle of its field. Dealers save their best works for the fair, and collectors come primed to buy, with demand for first-rate art so high that prospective buyers queue and literally break into a run when the doors open for the “First Choice” preview at precisely 11 a.m. on the preview day (usually a date in June). The fast pace never slows.

When Swiss gallerists Ernst Beyeler, Trudi Bruckner and Balz Hilt founded Art Basel in 1970, a cohesive platform for artists and gallerists to gather and showcase talent under one roof, they could have hardly imagined the extent of its growth and the global brand that is Art Basel today. Over four decades later it seems everyone with an eye or interest in art and design grabs the chance to see and be seen at the fair and its counterparts. The inaugural edition, held at the current location of the Swissotel, saw artists mingle in the crowd, including Henry Moore, Robert Rauschenberg, Gilbert & George. Everywhere paintings were hung ceiling to floor like a nineteenth century salon. Three years after its launch, Art Basel welcomed 281 exhibitors and over 30,000 visitors.

While other emerging art fairs partnered in the 1970s, specifically in Cologne and Düsseldorf, Art Basel remained independent.

In 2002, Art Basel was launched in Miami Beach, under the leadership of former director, Samuel Keller. The fair widened its scope again when it debuted in Hong Kong in May 2013. Basel was no longer just a quaint city along the Rhine: it was a global brand. Along with the expansion came the sponsorship deals. In 1994, UBS became the lead sponsor of the fair and the cordoned VIP lounge was introduced. Associate partners Davidoff, the prestigious Swiss cigar brand, Audemars Piguet, the independent high-end watch manufacturer, and NetJets, the world leader in private aviation, support Art Basel across its three shows. The VIP car service at the show is by BMW.

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KUSAMA

ART BASEL IS DIVIDED INTO EIGHT SECTORS GALLERIES: The main sector of Art Basel, features over 220 of the

world’s leading galleries of modern and contemporary art from over 30 countries. Visitors are presented a breadth of works including paintings, drawings, sculpture, installations, prints, photography, video and digital art.

FEATURE: The feature sector presents galleries with precise curatorial projects, showing both historical and contemporary work.

STATEMENTS: In this sector, Art Basel presents exciting new solo projects by young, emerging artists.

EDITION: Leading publishers of editioned works, prints, and multiples exhibit the results of their collaboration with renowned artists.

UNLIMITED: Unlimited is Art Basel’s unique exhibition platform for projects that transcend the limitations of a traditional art-fair stand.

There will be around 70 works ranging from large-scale sculptures and paintings to video projections, installations and live performances.

Highlight of Unlimited this year will include Ai Weiwei’s ‘Stacked’ (2012), created out of 760 symbolic Forever Bicycles, the most widely used bicycles in China, presented by Galleria Continua (San Gimignano, Beijing, Boissy-le-Châtel).

PARCOURS: A series of site-specific sculptures, interventions and performances by renowned international artists and emerging talents,

presented by Art Basel galleries. Each year, Parcours seeks to engage with a different area of the city of Basel, and this year will take place around the Münsterplatz area near the Basel cathedral. Parcours is open to the public and free of charge.

FILM: Art Basel’s weeklong curated program of films by and about famous artists.

Conversations and Salon, the extensive program of talks and panel discussions accompanies the gallery presentations in Basel offering audiences access to first-hand information on the international art world.

In addition, a number of satellite fairs have sprung up around Art Basel and appear to be profiting from its high profile. Liste, bills itself as “the young art fair in Basel”. In contrast to the polished perfection of the big fair, Liste has a definite raw edge - and that suits its galleries just fine.

Another major satellite fair is Design Miami Basel, the global forum for collectible design. The 10th edition presents more than 50 participating galleries exhibiting historic and contemporary design alongside a strong cultural program of commissions, talks and satellite shows.

For most, the major draw of Art Basel is collecting - it’s often said that there’s no better place to find the good stuff - but for those with extra time and beyond the traditional booths, Basel’s cultural institutions offer significant exhibitions. Fondation Beyeler will present a major exhibition of Paul Gauguin, bringing together many significant masterpieces from leading international museums and private collections. The Schaulager will show ‘Future Present’, an exhibition devoted to the collection of the Emanuel Hoffmann Foundation, representing its first extensive public presentation in over 30 years.

WHAT IS NEW THIS YEAR? This year sees the launch of BMW Art Journey, which has been created to recognize and support emerging artists worldwide.

The BMW Art Journey will allow the winner Samson Young to embark on a creative journey across five continents. For his project, Young will undertake a worldwide tour of iconic bells,

AIWEIWEI

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documenting them and creating works of visual art and music composition in response to them.

What I am also looking forward to seeing is a new installation by conceptual artist Rirkrit Tiravanija, German architects Nikolaus Hirsch/Michel Müller and Finnish chef Antto Melasniemi. ‘DO WE DREAM UNDER THE SAME SKY’ can be seen and experienced as a visually striking large-scale work at the entrance to the fair.

The installation invites the viewer to enter a sphere of recovery and community amidst the excitement of the art fair.

Creating a place of hospitality, visitors can engage through the activities on offer, such as drinking of herbal tea plucked fresh from the on-site garden, the preparation and eating of food.

The food will be based on Thai tradition and will be available with no fixed schedule, menu or price list: compensation is self-determined, by self-serving, serving others, donations or even participating in the cooking or washing up. Now that is something you did not expect at Art Basel!

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H E A LT H

LOVE YOUR HEART Evidence-based screening to prevent and control cardiovascular disease worldwide

By Dr. Ferruccio De Lorenzo “ I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The old man’s terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment! – do you mark me well I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer, I refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me - the sound would be heard by a neighbour! The old man’s hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once - once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled gaily , to find the deed so far done, But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. At length it ceased.

The old man was dead. I removed the bed and examined the corpse.”

Edgar Poe. The Tell-Tale Heart.

compared to men in the same age range.

The Machevellian tendencies of the narrator in Poe’s macabre tale have a deliberately sardonic edge to them. But the point is made. The anatomy of our heart is critical to not just to our personal welfare but also that of the nation.

Hypertension has the greatest projected medical cost, partly because the population as a whole is aging but also - as already explained – by the huge amounts of stress that modern life now generates. We live at a rate that some would say is entirely unnatural. Meanwhile, obesity continues to stalk our nation. Obesity adds to the overall strain weighing down on the public purse.

In the next 20 years, more than 40% of the US population is expected to have some form of cardiovascular disease, and this will triple the total direct medical costs of caring for hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and other forms of cardiovascular disease from the current $273 billion to more than $800 billion, according to a new policy statement from the American Heart Association (AHA).

Nor is it only the old or relatively old at risk. Contemporary life is taking its toll on younger generations as well. The strenuous outdoor life that was once a norm for both children and adults has become a rarity in contemporary life. We are far more sedentary as a species than ever before and that is not good as far as our hearts are concerned. Computer screens and our hectic 24/7 lifestyles are the very opposite of what we all require to remain fit and healthy .

As a result, too many people in middle age or even younger are falling victim to heart disease and the cluster of illnesses – including strokes – that come from blocked arteries. Many well-known people have had strokes at a relatively young age: actor Kevin Sorbo; actress Sharon Stone; Senator Mark Kirk (R Beau Biden, son of U. S. Vice President Joseph Biden and Tedy Bruschi, former linebacker for the New England Patriots; to name a few.

Another fascinating insight is that women can actually suffer heart problems because of emotional stress. Investigators discovered blood flow restrictions were more likely to be triggered by emotional stress than physical, and that - in these circumstances - women suffered from a noticeable drop in cardiac blood flow. The poetic tradition had it right all along. Heart sickness is not just an imaginative trope. You can grow ill from it.

Most at risk are women in later middle age. In a project accessing the effects of mental stress, women under 55 had three times constricted in blood flow to the heart than their male cohorts. While, in the 56-64 age group women had double the reduction in blood flow to the heart

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BUDGETARY COSTS. Economists and taxpayers are also in for a heart attack when they look at the excel columns. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the US and accounts for 17% of overall healthcare expenditures. By 2030, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease is expected to increase 9.9%, with the prevalence of heart failure and stroke increasing approximately 25%.

Should this come to pass, total direct costs will increase to $818 billion by 2030. Nor is this all. Lost productivity arising from sick leave is close to $275 billion.

Nor does the picture look much healthier this side of the Atlantic. The total bill for cardiovascular disease per year to the European Union, including costs for medications, informal care, lost opportunities and productivity cost, is spiking at more than 196 billion Euros.

We know the cures and remedies so really it is a matter of will. In the UK, for instance, reductions in blood pressure and cholesterol account for over half of the 34% fall in number of deaths from coronary heart disease between 2000 to 2007. There’s been a very effective study conducted in the European union called EUROASPIRE III on this subject What this showed was that with the right changes put in motion ( whether this was through total prevention or modification of diet) the quality of life can be increased substantially. When you put a figure on it, the average cost-effective ratio per quality-adjusted life (QUALY) comes to £ 10,752 per individual. The data collected for this study was comprehensive involving research from eight countries in the EU. In recent years, heads of states and governments in UN meetings have made commitments to mount programmes that will help target the reduction of cardiovascular illnesses in September 2011. The main goal should be the identification of people at high risk of heart disease and the related illnesses that are bundled up with cardiovascular disease.

As attention is drawn to the magnitude and scale of the problem, questions about which programmes can produce the best results are inevitable. For example, UK-National Screening Committee (UK-NSC), the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges have all expressed concern about the potential harms for healthcare, including cardiovascular, screening – particularly as it moves from hospitals and surgeries to third parties.

In response, the BMA and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges issued a statement that there are significant risks with direct-to-consumer tests and many tests are unreliable and inaccurate. In addition, in their joint statement it was mentioned that is impossible for people to distinguish between private testing services that may do some good, and those of no value or even potentially harmful.

The UK-NSC agrees that there are a number of accepted principles of screening that the NHS professionals should adhere to – stressing, for instance, that they should only offer screening if there is proven evidence that, overall, the benefits of screening outweigh the potential dangers to the individual concerned. This means that screening should not be offered in the absence of known evidence.

MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE. Many individuals think they are doing the right thing by doing a screen test. Not so. Surprisingly, healthcare companies, including the three top national UK players (BMI Healthcare, BUPA, Nuffield Healthcare), were found to offer screening tests with no proven benefits. (These conclusions were reached by an expert panel, including members of the UK-NSC, who assessed the findings and reports of the various screening programmes offered by these companies.

services or centres throughout the countries. The major investment would not be in the equipment, which is now relatively inexpensive and portable, but in trained staff. Asymptomatic individuals – that is people who seem to warrant further investigation - should be referred to these specialised centres by their own physicians. Cardiovascular disease is largely preventable through training an adequate workforce, using clinical practice guidelines to improve care, improving management of population risk factors.

To misappropriate Gandhi, I end with this reflection.

“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”

Here money is often taking precedent over the interest of the patient.

The UK health screening market was assessed to be worth around £100 million in 2009 (data from Laing & Buisson. It is quite clear, therefore, that there is a consolidated interest in projecting the “status quo” of the screening industry.

Prescribing unnecessary medicines is also a problem. According to a study funded by the National Institute for Health Research, and conducted by researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK - fewer than half the patients who are started on a statin therapy by their general practitioner are actually at high risk of developing heart disease. In fact it gets crazier still!!! Over a two-year period only about one in three patients who should be taking statins were prescribed them. Conversely, unnecessary medication was given to one in 10 low risk patients. This means that of those who were prescribed a statin, only 42% (21 101 of 50 558) actually needed it.

So what would I advise? Well, treating people at high risk of cardiovascular disease with aspirin, a statin, and two blood pressure lowering drugs is highly cost effective and would save about as many premature deaths as the population strategies.

Dr. Ferruccio De Lorenzo is a Consultant Physician at Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London. Email: fdlx@btinternet.com

Next, I suggest setting up more cardiovascular evidence based screening

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BEAUTY

BEAUTY IN

ST.MORITZ “Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”

- Franz Kafka

KEMPINSKI GRAND HOTEL DES BAINS - ON TOP OF THE ALPS What is it that makes a grand hotel a grand hotel? It is a hotel that is ahead of its time. It is a hotel that creates traditions and cultivates them for decades. Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains is a grand building with rich traditions. When the doors open, you feel welcome in its very unique atmosphere. Here you’ll find service with a genuine warm smile, comprehensive knowledge and advice from the concierge and above all, the relaxed yet sophisticated attention you deserve.

Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains is located in St Moritz Bad, right at the Mauritius Spring, the actual root of St Moritz itself. It is the only five-star hotel in St Moritz immediately opposite of the cable car station to the ski and hiking region Corviglia. It offers its guests the unique opportunity to put on their skis right outside the hotel. The legendary Hahnensee ski-run ends directly in front of the hotel and the cross-country ski runs of the Engadine ski marathon pass by it too. The sports centre and local swimming lakes are also within easy walking distance.

Enjoy the very best from the Swiss Alps in perfect quality. All our rooms, suites and residences are elegantly and timelessly decorated and reflect unpretentious luxury and stylish class. The historical – but contemporarily depicted – motifs bear witness to the glamorous past of St Moritz, while the technical equipment and all of the services are state-

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of-the-art.

In the distinguished restaurants, the food is somewhere between traditional and cosmopolitan in a place of exclusive hospitality. But even the most exquisite food alone would not be enough: what really matters it the interplay of pleasure, style and entertainment at any time of the day or night. All of the restaurants are award winning. The Lobby & Bar offers all-time classics, as well as modern-inspired highlights.

KEMPINSKI GRAND HOTEL DES BAINS – SUITES & RESIDENCES Enjoy stylish elegance and luxury living. All of the suites look different and are designed by renowned architects. Some are a bit more opulent and colourful, while some pour on the typical Engadine charm with a lot of indigenous wood. They are always noble, luxurious and cosy. Choose from a selection of exclusive one, two, three or four bedroom suites on one or two floors, featuring large living rooms, connecting dining areas, full kitchens and generous closet space. The balcony or terrace invites guests to enjoy the breathtaking view of one of the most famous valleys of the world. All your wishes can come true in glamorous St Moritz.

KEMPINSKI THE SPA – BEAUTY IS ALWAYS IN VOGUE Dive into Kempinski The Spa: simple, noble, natural and alpine.

Experience what natural elements and pure alpine products feel like

with all the senses.This uniquely noble atmosphere is created by glacier water, Bergeller granite and Engadine woods. Saunas with different temperatures and humidity, a heated swimming pool bathed in light, exercise rooms with top-of-the-line fitness machines and a separate ladies’ spa make the perfect environment for relaxation.

Whether you choose a smoothing exfoliating scrub, body or facial treatments, massages and poultices or a beauty programme lasting several days, Kempinski The Spa is a journey inspired by the European cycle of the seasons. Drawing on the elemental wisdom of nature, our treatments both invoke and restore the body’s natural equilibrium.

The products contain the power of the alpine nature. Kempinski The Spa offers a harmonic range of products from Valmont and Alpienne.

HydraFacial MD® is the new beauty concept of the Spa, in which the active ingredients, such as antioxidants, vitamins and hyaluronic acid, are introduced directly into the deep layers of the skin. The use of LED therapy activates the skin’s own production of collagen and elastin skin cells. Without a scalpel and Botox, fine lines and wrinkles, dry or dehydrated skin and irritations are treated successfully. Kempinski St Moritz is the first Swiss Alps resort to offer HydraFacial MD® treatments.

Water is a vitally important element. The Mauritius Spring originates in one of the hotel’s buildings. It has been excavated, is within comfortable distance from the hotel and available to our guests and visitors of the spa.

The famous doctor Paracelsus described the St Moritz Mauritius Spring as one of the healing springs of Europe. There is also direct access from the hotel to the medical centre housing sport medicine specialists, better ageing specialists, cosmetic surgeons and general practitioners.

KEMPINSKI THE SPA – EXERCISE, SPORT AND PERFORMANCE Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains is the first hotel in the Engadin to offer gene analysis for guests and athletes. Under the direction of Mirko Colombo, sports science graduate, nutritionist and medical wellness coach, guests will be guided though a personalised training and diet programme to find their optimal metabolism.

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R E A L E S TAT E

LONDON RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE

By Catherine McQueen

10

T

GOOD REASONS TO INVEST

he story of the London residential property market is essentially a simple one of supply and demand.

There is a lot of demand and not enough supply. More land cannot simply be produced when there is more demand.

The supply is fixed. According to a report commissioned by PwC, London is currently the world capital for Finance, Business and Culture overtaking New York, Singapore and Beijing. The burgeoning technology sector is growing every day attracting a mixture of start up’s and established corporations. There are more billionaires living in London than anywhere else in the world. The Sunday Time Rich List puts that figure at 72, followed by 48 in Moscow and 43 in New York. These are people who could live anywhere and yet they choose to take residency in London.

Whether one chooses to live in the city or not it still remains a fact that investing in the London property market has yielded some

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impressive returns particularly over the last decade. Currency factors, political stability and a trusted rule of law attract investors from all over the world, especially to the residential side of the market, which is seen by many as a safe haven in which to preserve wealth.

IF YOU ARE STILL NOT CONVINCED HERE ARE 10 GOOD REASONS WHY INVESTING IN THE LONDON MARKET COULD STILL PROVE TO BE A WISE DECISION

1) PERFORMANCE Whilst of course, as all the financial literature will tell you, past performance is no guarantee of future success, it can however be an pretty good indicator.

In the past 10 years prime London real estate has risen 127%. The liquidity of the London market generally means that entry and exit are always possible.

Changes in the demography and affordability constraints mean that there is now more

demand for private rental accommodation in London than there ever has been. This means that if you are looking at an investment property that you do not intend to live in finding tenants should not be a problem. The private rental market in the UK now stands at a value of approximately ÂŁ900 billion yet only 2.5% of this is currently owned by institutional investors. This looks like it might be set to change so now could be a good time to get in.

Typically in London rental yields stand at 5% however in prime central these are generally lower as the properties themselves have an extremely high price tag. However it is prime central that has recently shown the strongest capital growth.

2) BASIC HUMAN NEED Equities have no doubt performed well over the years, bonds maybe not so much especially since the events of 2008 and the subsequent low interest rates but the plus that residential real estate has over the other asset classes is that people will always need somewhere to live.

Food, water and shelter are all basic necessities

the highest rental yields in London. However looking at past performance it is prime central, Mayfair, Chelsea and Belgravia that have provided the highest capital growth. It should also be remembered that lower yields are often interpreted to mean lower risk. However when looking at capital gains it is interesting to note that research has predicted that the biggest gains will be in the sub £1million market when it comes to residential real estate in London.

BNP Paribas have predicted that the value of those properties will grow by 46.4% in the next 5 years, more than those in the £1 million - £2 million bracket.

of human life. A negative yielding Swiss bond; not so much.

3) TAX BREAKS Whilst too much debt is clearly not advisable a little can help give a generous tax break when it comes to tenanted investment property. Any interest paid on the loan can be offset against any rental income received. A further 10% can be claimed back for any ‘wear and tear’ if the property is furnished.

4) DEMOGRAPHICS

9) HUB FOR MEDIA, TECHNOLOGY AND FINANCE

London has a population of 8.61 million; it’s highest on record, having grown year on year since 1998. In January 2015 it surpassed its previous record of 8.6 million, which it held in 1939.

London has been a strong financial centre since the beginning of the concept we now know as finance, which actually has its beginnings in Italy with the Bank of Medici. Admittedly it has wavered slightly over the years and has on occasions lost its place at the top to both New York and Singapore. However with London’s revival it is now back at the top being crowned the World Financial Centre again this year.

Never in its history has London been this populous and it is predicted that many more people are set to come. The Greater London Authority forecasts 49,000 new households will come to London every year whilst the London Plan only allows for 42,000 new homes in London per year.

Again this brings in the factors of supply and demand with not enough affordable properties for people to buy. These people will then look to the rental market again pushing up demand and therefore price in that sector.

5) PLANNING LAWS There is much debate suggesting that the planning laws in London should be relaxed to enable much needed homes to be build on the Green Belt surrounding the city. This would of course increase the supply of housing but there is yet to be any indication that any such action is in the pipeline and it is very unlikely that extreme build up will ever be allowed.

Therefore the planning laws, the way they stand at the moment, mean that supply will stay down and of course to take the famous quote, from Mark Twain, “Buy land, they’re not making it anymore”. Except in Singapore at Marina Bay oh and Dubai at Palm Island but anyway …

In short the UK has some of the tightest planning restrictions in the world and although there has been talk of reforming them this has not yet happened.

6) MONETARY POLICY It looks like low interest rates are here to stay, at least for 2015 anyway and they are unlikely to rise significantly for several years yet.

Lending has also become more relaxed with mortgage approvals up consecutively over the last 2 months this year after several months in decline. So not only is it a good time to borrow

money conservatively the prospects of being able to do so are also improving.

7) SAFE HAVEN The UK has a very strong rule of law and the UK property market is protected by that rule of law, which is respected and trusted the world over. There is a certain understanding and surety that comes with buying property in the UK that you might not get buying property in other regions.

Also with other markets and asset classes so volatile over the last few years, London residential has for the most part held strong, growing in value approximately 5% a year and by as much as 10% in the last year. Many people from all over the world feel comfortable buying in the UK safe in the knowledge that the law and their rights will be up held should any problems arise.

8) MANY DIFFERENT MARKETS WITHIN THE MARKET From social housing to some of the world’s most expensive real estate London has something for all types of investors. It is some of the less expensive areas such as Newham or Harringay that will actually provide some of

BNP Paribas recently commissioned a study into the Technology and Media sector, often branded together with telecommunications under the moniker TMT, and discovered that 64% of these companies were intending to hire more employees in London in the next 3 years leading to a growth in headcount of 18%. Not only is this good for commercial real estate in London but also for residential too as strong industries create jobs and attract people to fill those roles. These industries build industries around them. For example many say that LA is a oneindustry town and when an event occurs such as The Writers Strike in 2007 that shuts down that industry it is not only those people that are affected but also the people working in the other industries that serve that one industry.

Such as the sandwich shops, dry cleaners, lawyers and accountants. Likewise with London the strength of Finance, Media and Technology have created jobs, attracted people and many other industries have grown up around them.

10) THE AVAILABILITY OF DEBT Not only do we currently have historically low interest rates but we are also in a period of low bank margins. This means that it is possible to achieve good financing rates that can be secured against real estate As London property is seen to have generally stable income yields as well as capital gains there are an increasing number of both UK and international financial institutions willing to lend competitively against those assets.

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E S S AY

THE VATICAN GOES TO WAR “People ask me how I got involved. My simple answer is that it’s kind of difficult to say “no” to the Pope. In fact it’s unthinkable. So when the Vatican asked me to be one of 35 participants in a conference about human trafficking, I had to say: “Well of course.” Accepting his invitation, has changed my life. I realized Pope Francis was instructing me to help in the Church’s mission to fight one of the most horrific evils of this century. I’m a Catholic and the Pope is my spiritual mentor so I see myself as part of his human army.”

By Lucy Doughty

REBEL WITH A CAUSE It’s not an issue that many people at the top of the society want to associate themselves with. Whether you focus on child abuse, gang masters in Europe, the latest exodus of people escaping Africa and parts of Asia or forced labour in UAE, the subject matter is scarcely dinnerparty material, even if sanitized.

As a result, the perpetrators have a much easier time of it than they should. In that respect I sometimes feel my role is akin to the role of Tessa that Rachel Weisz played in The Constant Gardener. Obviously, though, I’m not planning on getting murdered.

I’m just aware of having crossed a line. There are some very powerful people in the world who are benefiting from the tide of misery. So it’s pretty obvious you may encounter intimidation and threats if you start making a difference.

Some will say this is an over-dramatization on my part. But what I’m really pointing out is our success cuts off the income of some pretty unscrupulous people around the world.

It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to realize the implications.

Campaigners have, do and will be killed.

However, it’s obviously a lot more dangerous to campaign in Mexico than in the UK… Thank God.

THE BUSINESS SIDE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING There’s a phenomenal amount of money sloshing about in the wrong hands. And, shockingly, most of those involved in the cycle of exploitation get away with it scot-free. Only one person is apprehended for every 800 people trafficked.

The International Labour Organisation Campaigners assert that over 30 million people are actual or virtual slaves. Human trafficking is the fastestgrowing criminal business in the world – second only to drug trafficking.

It hit me when one of the delegates at the conference got up and spoke.

He told us that we’re talking about a business that provides £100 billion profits a year - or $150 billion dollars. That’s massive.

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And of course it penetrates into many different parts of the world economy – as indeed the Pope pointed out in one of his speeches dedicated to the subject.

“I think of the many men and women labourers, including minors, subjugated in different sectors, whether formally or informally, in domestic or agricultural workplaces, or in the manufacturing or mining industry; whether in countries where labour regulations fail to comply with international norms and minimum standards, or, equally illegally, in countries which lack legal protection for workers’ rights.”

Pope Francis.

CURRENT SITUATION HERE AND ABROAD Worryingly, the problem is increasing rather than decreasing. At one of the conferences organized by the Catholic Church, figures were presented to us that proved beyond all reasonable doubt that the number of those seeking help had risen fourfold.

There are as many routes into slavery as there are slaves. Everybody’s case is personal. Obviously it is the poor who are most vulnerable; for this reason, a fight against slavery is not just against the gangs and traffickers who manipulate people’s desperation, but also against poverty itself.

When you look at human trafficking in more depth, you quickly learn that thousands of people fall into slavery because they have been utterly misled about what awaits them in the destination country. It’s so unbelievably cruel but happens time and time again.

DECEPTION AND MANIPULATION Here are a few scams that illustrate the extent of the problem. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Moldavians or Romanians hoping for a job in Germany; or a Polish person applying for a job in the UK or Italy; or a Filipino or Nepalese person applying for a construction job in one of the Arab states, deception is a key mechanism in the manual of slave-trafficking.

The intimidation and beatings come later.

- Many women in prostitution in India are often from Nepal or Bangladesh. Someone said they could get them a good job

in India and they woke up locked in a brothel. Or worse still a member of their family effectively sold them – either to reduce the strain on their family budget or for debt relief.

- Even young educated women can be outwitted. Someone may tell them that they can teach a foreign language in another country or will be looking after children. When they arrive, they find they are destined for either prostitution or must work for free.

- In Europe, the desire of Poles of all ages to better their economic prospects has made them a target for exploitation. A case that sticks in my mind was the situation of Polish workers who ended up packing chickens for a Devon supermarket. They were sleeping 3-4 men to a room on filthy mattresses only. No sheets, no sanitation, no cooking facilities.

These were Polish workers conned by a bogus recruitment agency. The gang masters deliberately mix up the nationalities to make it hard for any person in the chain of command to communicate. Their mobile phones are taken from them when they arrive in the UK. These events and dynamics are paralleled and reproduced within the United States and elsewhere around the world.

THROUGH THE VICTIMS’ EYES I’m nothing like as well qualified as others to speak on this as others are.

It’s the grass root workers and the people who man the shelters, along with the victims themselves who have the knowledge and right to tell their stories.

I take my hat off to both groups. Undoubtedly I get the easier side of the bargain. The foundation and I get to give the money and then other people leverage that money to its best possible effect. To do that well takes enormous dedication, resilience and understanding.

My grandmother who was a marvellous woman said something that I think really applies to what we’re discussing. She was always telling me that I must not assume I have understood people correctly. At the time, I didn’t necessarily appreciate the wisdom and humanity of this remark.

Now I absolutely do.

“Your perspective”, she would warn “is coloured by your relative privilege. You think like a comfortable person.” Behaviour that is inappropriate in the eyes of people who live a privileged existence is often perfectly logical to people who are in a desperate state. As a result I’m slow to make judgements and I always try and look at what people doing in the context of their background rather than my own expectations.

and that they need to train in soccer academies in the UK to reach their potential. Obviously, the parents believe they are sending their children to a better life. But as soon as they get to England they are enslaved.

My husband’s family were passionate about football. Nigel supported Nottingham Forest, bought it and then became its Chairman. His oldest son is a professional midfielder. So for all of us, this particular deception hits home.

TAKING ACTION Talking shops are all very well, but it’s absolutely vital not to get hung up on formulations and endless memos. Pope Francis was very clear about what the priority for us should be. He said: “Collaborating with this cause is not enough for a Christian”, “We’re called to commit to the cause, even if this means risking one’s life.”

BEARING WITNESS

In a way I’m lucky because I’ve been given a ready-made role. I’ve got the Foundation behind me. This gives me the freedom to offer financial grants and, secondly, I’ve been invited to sit on a number of boards and round tables. This provides me with a template for action.

I carry my grandmother’s words down the generations. I don’t want my children just to know people just like them. I want them to know the children of people who are unemployed and to realize how lucky they are and to do something with that luck as well.

Other things too fall into place. When I’m in London, I attend Westminster... It’s my church and as it happens Archbishop and Cardinal Nichols has become one of the most vocal spokesmen on the evil of human trafficking.

Obviously, education in this respect is a gradual thing and as a mother I am careful not to overwhelm them. However, I equally believe in introducing them gradually to the issues that matter. For example, I think my son who has just got confirmed is old enough to know about the Football Academy Scam.

The diocese has a particularly strong policy group that calls itself the Santa Marta group. It’s called that because many of the participants, including myself, first convened at the Pope’s guest house in the Vatican. Back in London meetings have been held and action has been taken for the two years successively.

African parents are told that their children have been talent-spotted

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SUCCESS But for my part, I think our strongest achievement to date is to have brought together the church, the law enforcement agencies and 27 victim organisations around the world in the same room. This tripartite structure with the church, police and victim organisations working in tight co-operation with one another is now being used as a template around the world.

From this a number of permanent changes to fight the problem has emerged. The Met now has a Human Trafficking Unit and the Government has brought forward a Modern Slavery Bill. We’re the first country in Europe to do this.

We’ve also opened Bakhita House in central London at a secret location to rescue and support women who have escaped enslavement. For Catholics there’s already a lot of symbolism attached to the name since St Josephine Bakhita is a patron saint for trafficking victims. Born in 1868 in Darfur, Sudan, she was kidnapped at the age of nine and sold into slavery, first in her country and later in Italy... Pope St John Paul II declared her a saint in 2000.

The aim of the house is to give rescued women love, therapy, shelter and the essential skills they need to put their lives back on track. We also help them with repatriation if this is what they prefer. It costs £350,000 per year to operate Bakhita House London for women. While we need millions more to fund the reach of the global Bakhita Initiative, this House in London is a start, a symbol of hope, and provides real help to women 12 at a time.

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT When problems get to be as overwhelming as human trafficking it’s easy to despair at the magnitude of the problem. There’s a countervailing strain in Christianity and the other great religions that tells us every little action has an impact.

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

In science it’s the butterfly effect. Incremental actions can end up having an impact in unforeseeable and exciting ways.

There’s an excellent illustration of this alchemy in action from South America. A National Park in Costa Rica employed locals to act as warders, training them in scientific sampling methods into the bargain. Their observation skills are now on a par with the post-graduate PD students from Pennsylvania University who work alongside them. The locals have employment so no longer are tempted to log trees and they stop being poachers as well.

Back to how best to combat human trafficking.

Shelters – such as those we provide – rescue people from the problem post hoc. In the end, however, the most important thing is to find ways of preventing the misery and suffering that occurs in the first place. And that means establishing opportunities and protecting people in their countries of origin so they don’t set sail on a mission of hope that turns into a nightmare of slavery.

MY EMOTIONAL INVOLVEMENT Most of us, like to shy away from the worst that human nature is capable of because it is hard to compartmentalise that knowledge. You have to become conscious of the worst and yet not allow that evil to seep into your being and destroy your optimism and belief in a better future.

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Momentarily I get depressed by the images that now occupy my memory. But then I remember that my knowledge is vicarious not lived.

And that reignites my determination not to wimp out because there are vulnerable people around the world waiting for people like you and me to do something rather than avert our gaze.

One of the things that I have found most shocking is the dead look in many of the girls’ and women’s eyes. They look straight through you.

It’s tragic. One of the first thing the foundation tries to do is to try and give the girl back her sense of identity... But we have to be careful.

These girls have had their trust in people systematically removed. Their spirit is broken. You can see from their eyes what they’ve been through...

It’s as if they are half-dead.

The feelings, emotions, fears they display break my heart. We can’t rush things at all. We try and provide them with a safe haven so that they are able to recover their sense of trust over time. And if they’re young, we need to make them feel young again.

“We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

That’s what makes me determined to do whatever I can. I am doing what I can, although it may not be enough. And if my grandchildren one day come to me and ask, “Why didn’t you do something” at least I will be able to tell them, - within my means - I’ve tried.

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I N C O N V E R S AT I O N W I T H

DENISE RICH

Denise Rich has been one of the most active songwriters of the last decade, with Oscar and multiple Grammy nominations, and work appearing on platinum albums by Celine Dion, Marc Anthony and Mandy Moore.

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D

enise was born Denise Eisenberg in Worcester, Mass. Her parents, Holocaust survivors, had fled Berlin, where they ran a family fur business, to begin a successful shoe factory in Massachusetts.

Q: When did your interest in music begin?

A: Since I was a child I have always written songs. I was always trying to make the

line of melody better. I even taught myself how to play the guitar. So you can picture me playing my first songs in our bathroom! But, I never for one moment thought it would turn into a career. Just the opposite: I grew up, married and had kids.

Q: Materially, you did not need to forge a career. Despite this you went into a very competitive world and rose to the top. What do you think explains your success?

A:

I’ve always had a hard time communicating my feelings. When I was young, I found it easier to translate what I felt and my emotions through melody and lyric. As a kid I loved to try to re-create lyrics; but it wasn’t until I was married and had my children that it really started to come naturally. It was the first time I understood, the expression: “The music started to flow.”

One day, while living in Switzerland I received a magazine about music through my mailbox; inside I saw there was a songwriting contest. At the time I didn’t have much confidence in the quality of my writing but I decided nonetheless to enter a few songs and to my complete amazement I ended up winning! From there on I had a lot more confidence and as a result began to take my writing far more seriously.

With my new- found confidence I took a music writing class and got my hands on a list of 100 song publishers and sent them my material. One of them reached out to me and set up a meeting. At that time they were looking for a 70’s go-go act and asked me to come up with a song. On a flight to Switzerland some lyrics came to me, and as soon as I woke up, I was singing and writing what would be my first #1 hit, Frankie by Sister Sledge. It’s about teenage love. It was a #1 hit for six weeks.

Hey Frankie?

I was walking down the street one day When I looked up I saw a friend Hey Frankie, do you remember me?

Denise Rich & Kim Kardashian .....

He looked at me and then I blushed ‘Cause I remembered I loved you so much Way back then we were friends Going together but then you left me Frankie, do you remember me?

Frankie, do you remember?

You were fifteen, I was twelve It was summer, we were so in love.

I never loved anyone this much Look at me, I’m thrilled to your touch.

Hey Frankie, do you remember me?

Frankie, do you remember?

Oh how you brought me down (down, down) All I did was run around (around) You’ll never know how much I loved you Frankie, do you remember?

Do you remember me?

Frankie You walked me to the Deli then

We sat in the booth where it all began I looked into your big eyes and Said to myself we coulda had twins Hey Frankie, do you remember?

Oh how you brought me down (down, down) All I did was run around (around) You’ll never know how much I loved you He looked at me And then I blushed ‘Cause I remembered when I loved you so much Way back when we were friends Going together but then you left me Frankie, do you remember me?

Frankie, do you remember me?

Frankie, do you remember me?

Do you remember me? Me, Frankie Oh Frankie, oh Frankie my baby Do you remember me?

Frankie, do you remember me?

Frankie, do you remember me?

Do you remember me? Me, Frankie My Frankie, my baby Frankie, do you remember me?

Frankie, do you remember me?

Frankie From there I went on to complete my first album, Sweet Pain of Love and was signed to MCA in London. After a year long tour through Europe I decided I wanted to focus primarily on writing and started working with a number of fantastic artists including Kool & the Gang, Alan Rich and some of the best writers in the US. When I returned to New York, I was able to work with some of biggest names in music, Celine

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Dion, Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin, and Mark Anthony to name just a few. I also started writing for movies including Runaway Bride and To Wong Foo. I switched from MCA to BMI and had my first #1 spanish hit as well as my first Grammy nomination. By this time, I was writing for all music genres, disco, pop, country, Spanish and R&B.

Q:

It’s said that some of your lyrics were prompted by events in your personal life. How much does your life experience feed in to what you like to write about?

A:

I draw my inspiration from my life experiences. Many of my songs are about my own personal experiences including my divorce and the loss of my daughter, mother and sister to cancer.

Q:

Do you feel you have been a voice for women’s issues through the medium of song-writing?

A:

As a woman I feel that I’ve definitely address all issues that are one’s life experience.

I myself have gone through a lot of loss and I think that reflects strongly in my writing.

Q: Who were your key influences?

A: It’s hard to say who all my influencers

are as I have so many. A few that come to mind include is Odetta, Marvin Gay, Judy Collins, Prince, and Michael Jackson.

Q:

Do you have an established routine when you are writing a song?

A:

When I am in a writing session, it’s always a tradition of mine to pray for clarity and good team work. When you’re writing in a group, it’s important to leave your ego at the door. I’ve always felt that it’s important to write what’s best for the song no matter who it is you’re working with.

Whether I’m writing either alone or in a group session, I never answer the phone. All my focus is put toward my co-writers. I remove any distractions so that we can focus 100%.

Q: You’ve worked with all sorts of people

including Jessica Simpson, Marc Anthony and Patti LaBelle. Are there particular moments when working with any of these personalities that you can share?

A:

Jessica Simpson once performed a song I wrote while she was entertaining American Troops. That was special. The name of the song was I Have Loved You.

Q:

Can you speak about your charity

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Denise Rich & Natalie Cole Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research. A mother’s grief has been transformed into a very effective lobbying and research organization...

developments in the field of cancer research that you feel are particularly promising?

A: The original catalyst for my philanthropic

Yes, it’s a very exciting time in cancer research! When Gabrielle died in 1996, not one drug had been approved for treating leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma in years. Today, nearly 20 years later, more than 25 new drugs have been approved by the FDA, five of which were only approved since 2013... The most promising field in cancer research today is immunotherapy; this is yielding incredible results by harnessing the patient’s own immune system to attack the cancer.

work and my Foundation, Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research, was the loss of my mother, daughter and sister to cancer.

Gabrielle, my daughter was just 27-years-old when we lost her to Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). It was her dying wish that we work to create a Foundation that would fund the best and brightest researchers.

Gabrielle believed in the power of research and we feel that by funding these cutting-edge scientific projects that we are helping to lay the groundwork for even more breakthroughs and discoveries.

I plan to continue in any way I can to help find a cure for cancer. In my case that means fundraising and supporting medical research and young scientists.

Q:

Your charity is one of the largest sources of non-governmental funding for blood cancer research in the US. Are there particular

A:

One of our Medical Advisory Board members, Carl H. June, MD at the University of Pennsylvania pioneered the CAR-T cell therapy and is curing patients of their leukemia. While these therapies show great promise, they can also make a patient very ill. So one of our new grantees, David M. Barrett, MD, PhD from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, is investigating these modified immune cells in order to reduce negative side effects. It really is an extraordinary time.

Q: How would you describe your philosophy of life?

A:

I’ve known a lot of tragedy and that has made me realize that life is very short you only go around once in this life. I’ve been lucky to be blessed with a positive nature. My grandmother always use to say “when you laugh everyone laughs, when you cry, you cry alone.” I prefer not to live in the past when there’s so much to live for in the present.

symbolic expression to the name: Gabrielle’s Angels. How deep is this belief or is it more a manner of speaking?

Since the loss of my daughter, my belief in angels has become very deep as I believe that we go on for many more lifetimes. I believe that angels or good spirits guide us on both sides of life.

The Foundation’s website: WWW.GABRIELLESANGELS.ORG FACEBOOK /GABRIELLESANGELS TWITTER /CURECANCERNOW VIMEO /GABRIELLESANGELS INSTAGRAM /GABRIELLESANGELS

There’s so many positive experiences in life and I prefer to focus on the good that can be done in life, such as helping in the fight to find a cure for cancer. Music is strong tool and I’ve been very lucky to be able to use my music as a form of encouragement. It’s a universal language that inspires people and gives them a vision of hope.

Q:

What do you plan to focus on in the next decade or so?

A: As a writer I wanted to give back so along

with BMI we have created a writers retreat in Aspen where we bring in writers from LA and work together for four days. It’s a great way for me to become more passionate about my writing, as well as an opportunity to write with talent of a younger generation. I love to relate to the younger generation.

Q: Who in your life has inspired you most?

A: My parents and my children. We are a very close family and there has always been so much love and no judgment.

The belief that angels guide us has given

Denise Rich & Lorraine Schwartz

I DRAW MY INSPIRATION FROM MY LIFE EXPERIENCES. MANY OF MY SONGS ARE ABOUT MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCES INCLUDING MY DIVORCE AND THE LOSS OF MY DAUGHTER, MOTHER AND SISTER TO CANCER.

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INTERIORS

After years of speculation, Rolls-Royce announced that it is working on a 4X4 SUV model to expand its line-up. This decision will obviously re-fuel the discussion between those in favour and those against such an institute of tradition and exclusivity, expanding out into entirely new concepts and market segments.

By Erick van Egeraat

P

ersonally, I am not at all against such blunt moves into new territories; quite the contrary, I find these new combinations, not just in the car industry but in other sectors also, absolutely fascinating. Nor is this statement based on my stylistic expectations. Whether or not this new Rolls-Royce is styled well or not, or if Aston Martin will do better with its new Lagonda SUV; for me personally these are neither really relevant nor interesting questions to dwell upon.

They are as irrelevant as the question if a RollsRoyce can also be an SU. It is like stating that the new music album of the Icelandic artist Bjork cannot be considered an actual Bjork

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album. She made the album herself..., she did and that is it, period.

Consider these superfluous concerns; like the question whether or not an SUV made by Rolls-Royce is even necessary. Look at nature’s marvellous diversity. No-one wonders if the decorative feathers of a peacock are really necessary. No-one debates if these feathers increase the ability of the peacock to fly.

No, for me the real fascination in this announcement is something else altogether.

What I find fascinating is the phrase with which the upcoming new product was introduced: ‘Effortless Everywhere’.

EFFORT AND VALUE As an architect and designer with more than 35 years of practice, it was this phrase that drew my immediate attention. It also confused me, why? Well, one can hardly state that creating or building a Rolls-Royce happens effortlessly, or that Rolls-Royce stands for something we think of as uncomplicated or easy. Are we generally not of the opinion that value is created, only when it results from some form of exceptional effort? And is, not all that we consider good or valuable, hard to find?

‘Effortless Everywhere’ has indeed many complementary connotations.

For me however, it summarizes what I aim the results of my work to be: fascinating, tantalizing, positively overwhelming, but also completely self-explanatory, comfortable on every level, and never a nuisance to its user.

To design and build such a sophisticated product as a high end luxury car is an incredibly complex process with many overlapping disciplines. The margin for error is enormous, yet no error can be tolerated. The marketing power phrase ‘Effortless Everywhere’ is, I have to assume, that this effort is ( and never should be

) of any concern to the person experiencing or driving the car. And yes, evidently it suggests that this meticulous machine can bring you everywhere you want.

ARCHITECTURE NO-ONE WONDERS WHETHER THE DECORATIVE FEATHERS OF A PEACOCK ARE REALLY NECESSARY.

In architecture, the oldest form of intelligent creative work of mankind, one would perhaps expect the same meticulousness to exist.

That after thousands of years we would have evolved into design methods and construction techniques which would allow us to surpass any expectation easily.

But the differences are in fact enormous. In the building industry the margins for error are anticipated, and the technologies used often lag far behind those of other industries. The building industry develops exceptionally slowly and sometimes even takes a step backwards.

There are some world famous architects who consider it no problem whatsoever to state that such things as serious leakages, or repetitive breaking of glass surfaces simply comes with occupying their signature designs. It is an industry that very often is able to get away with all sorts of shortcomings that we deplore

if they occur in other categories such as; our food, clothes, cars, cell phones and other highend digital hardware. Ten thousand years after the first outstanding structures where erected, hundreds of years after great master like Palladio or Borromini, we still find it difficult to handover our crafted architectural structures in an immaculate and flawless state.

Incredible, is it not?โ จClearly there have been areas where we have made serious progress.

Our interiors for example, are being produced with a level of care and attention to detail which could start to be compared with these very high-end products we are all so well familiar with. But to the extent that they can be compared with a present day Rolls-Royce and what it stands for?

PRIVATE RESIDENCES To achieve this kind of quality, more, much more has to happen. For the private residences I work on, my team and myself have decided to start taking care of all the details, from overall design to faรงade-technology and -engineering, to all the intricacies of personalized home automation, garden landscaping, up to full furniture, glass and china ware, bedlinen

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and decoration selection. We have started to consider it our job to take full control, to leave no subject out of sight. All with the ambition for the total ensemble to make perfect sense.

But even at that point it still remains a challenge to get to the same level of completeness and perfection. The industry that surrounds real estate does not deliver that level of quality.

SUPERYACHTS I’VE ALTERED THIS SO AS TO BE A LITTLE LESS PR, PR! The yachting industry is well-known for achieving high-end results in design and detailing; but they too have their fair share of snags and hitches. The majority of naval designs and realizations are far from up to date; regularly falling back to styles of past generations. More importantly they generally do not achieve any of the obvious perfection, we take for granted as a given in the high-end products which surround us.

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Recently I have had my own experience in the field of Superyacht design. We have just delivered my first ship MySky; a Superyacht of 55 meters that received the 2015 World Superyacht Award in May of this year. The team from the Dutch shipbuilder Heesen Yachts that built the ship, provided us with a starting point for finesse and craftsmanship that is quite rare to find in, say, real estate.

That was a great help, but this was not enough.

Achieving the desired result was anything but effortless. In fact we had to push all the very qualified people we had to levels of ambition that were also new to them. Everybody concerned had to push themselves to the limit, but all rose to the challenge and ended up achieving what we specified. I tell you it was far from easy!

The result is not only a ship that conforms to the specifications laid down by the owner but, as importantly, we’ve attempted to provide yet further dimensions of comfort. So in the end, this ship has been transformed into ‘full floating comfort’ giving a result that follows the maxim: being ‘effortless everywhere’.

LUXURY OF TRAVEL Such a well-designed and well-built yacht offers sophisticated solitude to those of us who lead very demanding professional and personal lives. This is not just luxury travel; this kind of travel is luxury in its best form.

Travel is undoubtedly a way of life and allows you to see the most exceedingly and exclusive, luxury lifestyle artefacts in the world. And done well, travel itself is the ultimate luxury.

The modern-day luxury traveller can take off at his or her convenience and turn it into an exceptional experience, learning thereby about all manner of things. But for many of us, the real luxury is to be able to visit whichever location you wish to learn about on your own terms. It is this personalized style of travel without having to bother with the schedules laid down by a third party - be that an airline or a cruise ship that really equates to luxury.

There is always a new definition of luxury on the horizon, an innovation that restructures how we can enjoy comfort.

This new definition of luxury is not about a continuous increase of size and quantity; on the contrary. It is also about not being recognized as belonging to a small subset of the privileged few. Put another way, it is not about more rather it is about striving for a level of quality that has maybe not yet been achieved.

And this is good. It is what makes culture.

Everyone, in every culture, admittedly or not, strives for more comfort, more luxury. But luxury is not to be mixed up with finding the coolest places, or being on the right lists, or about following the best reviews. It is all about finding the quality that brings you the most personalized comfort.

Luxury is all about you. Personally I travel for work all the time. I spend substantial amounts of my life in planes and hotels. My continuous experience teaches me that only a handful of people truly and fully understand full comfort, service, hospitality and quality. This is because true luxury is not a simple commodity. If luxury is considered a product, than it is one that is in constant flux. Modern-day luxury is liquid and solid at the same time.

LUXURY LIVING

natural stone, wood and modern materials.

Currently I design the new apartments for the Mercury Tower in Moscow, until very recently Europe’s tallest building. This new elegant building is a multi-functional skyscraper with offices, luxury apartments, as well as recreation and retail facilities with a total of more than 80 floors. But what is currently luxury in a super high-rise tower in the centre of a metropolis? Is it its height, its size, its opulence? To me, all true, but not true enough to be part of today’s definition of luxury. The luxury we are looking for needs to be more uncommon, more specific.

These compact apartments come with a range of services such as floral-, concierge-, guest apartment-, car wash-laundry- and cateringservice. In addition, the building will boast several restaurants and a health and fitness club that offers exclusive membership to the tower’s inhabitants.

We introduced a formula which is as simple as it is effective. Despite some exceptions worldwide, some people still may have the stomach to buy excessive lavish apartments, but more people might have an interest to invest in true value for money. So instead of following the usual real estate prerogative of making the everything-is- possible-do-it-yourselvesapartments, we create small but fully fitted and furnished high-end apartments. Ranging from 60 to 210 m2, these apartments come with the best technologies, finished in the very best

This tower does not need to be endorsed by the whims of the financial markets. It offers real and tangible products, measurable quality, and true comfort for comprehensive prices. It is all about the right kind of luxury.

AVAILABLE LUXURY.

PLACE TO BE There are indeed many different views on how to define luxury. Yes, we all make our lists. We know where to go to; we all know what is hot and what is not. And do not get me wrong, that all is still luxury. But is it close to the quality Steve Jobs has been devoting his entire life too?

Everybody gives this term a different meaning.

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All over the world, I have my own favourite restaurants. And yes, I also follow list and reviews. But more and more I realize that in spite of the joy that the sharing of experiences can bring you, being there where you feel the comfort and quality which suits you, that is the real thing. Already for a long time, for me it is not about being part of those who know the places to be, but to be in the places I can truly call mine.

And when it comes to designing the places which I can truly call mine, my own experience of luxury is the determining factor.

Philosophically, I realize that the act of design is about what I want to have before I yet possess it. You create - or certainly I create - so that I am no longer forced to choose another person’s ideal. I want my ideal.

UNAIZAH That is why I am very happy to work everywhere, or better said: anywhere. For me building an excellent shopping mall in a Siberian city (Surgut, Russia) is just as appealing and rewarding as it is to do an office tower on the prime business district of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

We are involved in the design of a completely new city centre for the city of Unaizah, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Large international architectural offices build big projects in Jeddah and Riyadh. Many more design towers and

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resorts in Dubai, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. But are these cities really becoming more interesting cities, or do these new towers merely add more glass facades to the expanse of air conditionedcar dominated streets?

The city of Unaizah understood that attracting talented people, and to keep them, is not about being like the others, it is about being exceptionally specific. So we designed a city that has shadow, provides streets alleys and squares, all completely void of cars (all parking is underground) and is completely directed at pedestrians. The future, I believe, will be about being specific; about being original and about providing comfort and bliss. That is luxury too.

What is striking though is, that the involved parties’ expectation about the level of quality accorded to this project in the Middle East are downbeat. Why is this? Why is it that we apply different standards of expectations so easily?

Which set me thinking...What is behind the fact that we seem to be willing to accept different standards for our high-end real estate –cities, buildings, homes and interiors included as opposed to the strict criteria we judge all our high-end cars, watches, phones by? Is it because our architecture etc. is custom-made, bespoke? Is this the price you pay for the fact that we do not factory produce our real estate and interiors?

But even a one-off bespoke suit is handed over to you with attention to the smallest detail.

Such a suit or dress does not suffer from the hands of the artisan; it thrives by it. And what about our real estate? It’s a conundrum that has been haunting me for years.

LAZY It was when I visited Sofia, Bulgaria, last month.

An experience that once again confirmed my earlier beliefs. Travelling in a country and a city where I honestly didn’t expect too much.

It all occurred as a pleasant surprise. Searching for the obvious “best restaurant in town”, I was brought to the outskirts of Sofia. The eatery was presented to me at the bottom of a new upper-middle-class real estate development called Vitosha Park; the kind of development, one of which recently every city in the world is being blessed by. The place will not make it on many of the best restaurant’s lists. Neither will its architecture and interior (though not entirely unambitious) make it in architectural record books. And the restaurant will most likely not receive a single Michelin star. But I am ready to state that it has been one of the best dinners I have received in Europe. The food was excellent with its ingredients fresh and well selected. The cooking tasty, but still not rich or uncompromising as many famously fashionable starred chefs can make you believe food should be.

And I realized once again: Where perfection and luxury is not achieved by factory production and meticulous quality control, you are left in the hands of the real professional.

The true dedicated believer who only has own experience and capacities with which he can serve and create. And how the chefs at Lazy in Sofia demonstrated this!

I recommend Lazy restaurant to everybody who like to taste good and honest food; you have to go there! The visit to Lazy made me concluded that there are some places in the world that may not be the most well-known, or even not the most celebrated and frequented places at all, but they are simply the best of the best. That is where you find modern-day luxury. And what about Rolls-Royce’s luxury teaser ‘Effortless Everywhere’? The answer lies in the words effortless.

A lot of effort from real dedicated professionals leads to effortless consumption and to ultimate luxury. Rolls-Royce can provide such through excellent fabrication techniques, design and quality control. Talented chefs (who want to serve real tasty food) and great architects (who are able to make real bespoke products) can only do it themselves.

Erick van Egeraat, Architect.

Rotterdam/Moscow.

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AROUND THE WORLD

THE LARGEST FOOD POP UP IN THE WORLD

By Margharita Wailes-Fairbairn

Food, chefs and décor. These three ingredients lay the foundation of any restaurant. On this definition, the Milan Expo in 2015 is a world pop-up restaurant with every nation showcasing its national cuisine.

However, the pomp and circumstance around national cuisine is only half the story.

The other half of the story is less festive but of huge significance.

It is the existential challenge of feeding today’s population of seven billion which by 2050 will likely become a massive 9 billion. Whether the initial cause is war, drought, a collapsing economy, corruption or disease, millions of people are on the brink of death because they cannot feed themselves or their families.

THE PRAYER OF THE FROG BY ANTHONY DE MELLO

“Once upon a time, there was a man intent on building his house. He wanted it to be the most beautiful, warmest, and coziest house in the world. Others came to ask for his help because the world was on fire. But he was only interested in his house, not the world. When he had finally finished, he found that there was no longer a planet on which to place it.”

USA If you’ve seen Schlosser’s frightening film FastFood Nation then it’s abundantly clear that the American attitude to food needs to substantially change. It is a culture of superabundance and waste.

Biber, ‘s pavilion includes the erection of the world’s largest vertical farm. There is added poignancy because the wood for this was salvaged from the Coney Island boardwalk - damaged by Hurrican Sandy. .

On the food side, organisers are keen to stress a change of heart.

“American Food 1.0 was all about processed food made from so many ingredients you couldn’t count. Now it is about subtracting, it is about where food comes from.

Simplicity is the key”, said Lauren McGrath, one of the organizers.

SOUTH AMERICA Francisco López Guerra Almada, Mexico Pavilion, Expo Milano 2015 Rather intriguingly, Mexican cuisine was declared part of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco.

The Mexican pavilion, put together under the direction of Franciso Lopez and in consultation with the biologist Jan Guzzy, is inspired by a cob of corn arranged in what appears to be a series of transparent

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corn husks.

The interior space, meanwhile, takes its inspiration from the way in which the Aztecs irrigated the land: Channelling water through curved terraces. The layout encourages visitors to follow the stream to a space which displays the culinary wealth of Mexico.

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UAE The United Arab Emirate’s pavilion designed by Norman Foster is one of the more astonishing architectural feats on display.

It evokes the narrow streets of a dsert city that is constructed around tall, wavy walls.

The pavilion emphasizes the role of green energy . As you walk through the interactive pavilion, digital tablets provide information about what lies beyond the horizon.

The structure of paths within are constructed to resemble courtyards in ancient desert cities at the end of which visitors will finally reach an oasis.

Visitors also learn about systems such as irrigation aqueducts that have supported agriculture in the region.

Arabian feasting is also on display. displays of modern Emirati dishes.

BAHRAIN OF GREEN

ARCHAEOLOGY

The Bahrain Pavilion was built by a (Danish) studio Anne Holtrop in collaboration with landscape architect Anouk Vogel.

The exhibition Archaeology of Green invites guests to rediscover the scents, flavours and traditions of Bahraini culture.

KUWAIT CHALLENGING NATURE Water is the focus of many desert nations.

Kuwait greets visitors to its pavilion with a

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curtain of water that spells out “Water is the element for survival” in English, then Italian then Arabic. It’s a very dramatic way of reminding people of this vital resource Kuwaitis have overcome such natural problems, desalinating sea water, greening residential districts, building tree-rich public parks.

Andrea Maffei Architects and QATAR

VIETNAM Image Credit: VTNA architects This pavilion is formed out of bamboos and is crafted to look like a series of lotuses. This is because the lotus is Vietnam’s national flower.

The flower, seeds, young leaves and roots are all edible.

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CHINA The China Pavilion stems from the vision of a 48 year old Tsinghua University professor. It’s designed as a cloud hovering over a “land of hope”. Beneath the extraordinary roof constructed, visitors get to see exhibitions and installations gathered from 40 provinces.

So as to remind visitors of Chinese farming traditions, a field of wheat surrounds the pavilion. This merges into an interactive installation created out of LED lights hooked up to electronic stalk to resemble 30,000 stalks of wheat.

The other dimension of the pavilion is a series of galleries – with thematic names such as “The Origin of Life”, “The Power of Growth”, “The Dream of the Seeds”, “Light of Life”, “Cycle of Life” & “The Culinary Arts” Finally, there is a group of companies grouped under the name of “Seeds of China”. These companies have pledged to conserve natural resources and improve food security.

AFRICA Africa continues to defy and disappoint agriculturalists.

More than 30 million people are going hungry across Africa from the west, to the Horn and the south, says the UN’s World Food Programme Will the current century be the time when Africa finally comes into its own? It is a country of huge resources but still struggles to sustain its population.

Against this background, it is hard not to view some pavilions with a degree of worldweariness. The farce of Zimbabwe is a glaring case in point.

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MOROCCO

JOURNEY OF FLAVOURS The Moroccan pavilion is a Kasbah: a reflection of this Berber architectural style that characterises southern Morocco, and exists in perfect harmony with the environment and lifestyle of its communities The site is punctuated by five gardens representing the different ecologies present in Morocco. This shows off not just five ecosystems but also the diversity of the countryside and landscape of Morocco.

From the Northern provinces of the Mediterranean and the fertile plains of the Gharb, the visitors pass through the rich, urban and industrial coastal areas and the mountains that lie at the heart of Moroccan rural identity before finishing in the magnificent desert provinces of the South.

ZIMBABWE The participation of Zimbabwe - throws into relief the limitations of statement exhibitions such as this.

THE BASKET OF EDEN, A FAILED COUNTRY THAT IS A BASKET CASE Mugabi’s policies of expropriation have proved catastrophic for many of the population.

During his reign, Zimbabwe’s per capita income has slumped from $1,640 down to $661. As for the economy, it’s 36 per cent smaller than it was in 1998.

Most of the new occupants of the farmland had no knowledge of commercial farming and returned, in the best of cases, to subsistence farming. This has had knock on effects everywhere. As land fell into disuse, agricultural production dwindled - causing companies that processed packaged, and exported agricultural produce to shut down.

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AUSTRIA The Austrian pavilion’s theme, Breathe Austria, addresses air as the “primary source of sustenance”, with an internal forest that produces 62.5kg of pure oxygen every hour.

The theme of the universal exposition is well aligned with the Millennium Goals of the United Nations. concept.“Food and Culture”, “Educate to Innovate” reflects how we can use our ancestral culture to find answers in terms of food production, food and other aspects that we project into a better and more sustainable future.

BRITAIN The decline in bee populations has become a very serious issue.

This pavilion is about pollination and pollinators, but it’s also a story about the way we need to bring together disciplines, about the way that science and art and business and nature and technology all need to combine forces.

If bees go, so do we. That’s because bees contribute pollinate 84% of European vegetables. Those who like to put a figure on it reckon they thereby contribute £134 billion to our farming economy.

Rather than shovel across a stack of grim facts, the pavilion has decided to visualize the problem in a stunning way. Thw two-story sphere is lined with lights that flash to replicate the movements of bees,

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drawing attention to collapsing bee colonies.

During the event, British chefs including Tom Aikens, Angela Hartnett and Ken Hom will be serving food made with UKsourced ingredients and produce, while fashion designers will demonstrate sustainable British clothing design.

FRANCE The French pavilion shows how the world can overcome the problem of finite agricultural land. The designers have envisaged and created a latticed wall and roof that uses hydroponics to grow hops , herbs and vegetables vertically.

The point about hydroponics is that it utilizes nutrient-laden water rather than soil for plant nourishment. This allows populations who live in arid regions of the world with a means to grow food for themselves.

GERMANY

remain indifferent when they are urged to obey the imperative “Be”: This playful command is designed to be a play on sound and sight.

By being Be(e)active , visitors are taken on a the flight path of a bee as it flies across fields, orchards, gardens and cities.

Visitors also get to learn ecological facts when they hold a special piece of cardboard over designated displays in the walk-through landscape which delivers further information.

ITALY Want it to become Milan’s innovation park.

Built out of special concrete that looks like more like plastic.

The exhibition Identiita Italian at Palazzo Italia and the Tree of Life. It tells the story of what it calls the relevant powers that together make Italy what it is. These are the Power of Expertise; the power of beauty; the power of the challenge and the power of the future.

A FIELD OF IDEAS People who move towards Field of Ideas German Pavilion Milan Expo the 2015 Milan Expo cannot

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SWITZERLAND

FOOD FOR THOUGHT The Swiss have also shown a considerable amount of ingenuity in their use of digital games to demonstrate the type of problems that need addressing. One, for example, pits visitor against visitor so encouraging each and every one of us to reflect on our own behaviour as consumers.

Designers intentionally constructed the pavilion out of four towers. Each on of these is filled to overflowing with food products from which the visitor can draw freely. However, there is a limit to the resources available and, exceeding it, means depriving other visitors of the same opportunities.

Thanks to the modular shape of the structure, as the towers are gradually emptied the level of the platforms on which the towers stand is lowered, thus allowing the public to see how much they have consumed.

Along the same lines, a ‘3- minute farmer’ free mobile app game developed by Genevabased Swiss Tomato. This gives visitors a view of the challenges producing food before it reaches supermarket shelves - the stories of smallholder farmers and their fight against crop health problems.

Currently 30-40% of crops worldwide are lost to pests, threatening local, national and global

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food security. Reducing this loss by just 1% could feed millions more people.

The wing of a butterfly.

Together with the cities of Geneva and Zurich, Basel will represent urban Switzerland at the Expo Milano’s Swiss pavilion.

Under the title of “Spirito di Basilea”, Basel’s Expo appearance will refer to the principles of chaos theory and pursue the question whether the flap of a butterfly’s wings can set off a tornado.

BRAZIL T HEME: “Feeding the World with Solutions” The design conceived by Alexandra Kayat and Gabriel Ranieri is all about connecting people and spaces, with an open floor plan and unique “net” walkway that provides unexpected spots to lounge and socialize.

“We tried to work with the idea of a plaza”, explained Raphael França, a member of the Studio Arthur Casas team. “We wanted to have a non-building somehow, by cherishing the idea of a very ethereal pavilion.”

C ONCEP T: Provide technological solutions to the problems of global food development, both to make healthy food accessible and to prove Brazil is at

the forefront of technology.

CHILE THEME: “El Amor de Chile” DESIGN: A large horizontal box supported by concrete columns to create space to relax underneath; the wood represents Chile’s growing forest areas.

CONCEP T: Take visitors through Chile’s extreme geographical diversity, from snowy mountains to the world’s driest desert; the landscapes will hopefully show the country’s pursuit of balance and dedication to preservation and sustainability.

CONCLUSION DESPITE THE HYPE and the good intentions of some, the Milan Expo has come under the microscope in all sorts of ways.

Many, for example, have pointed out that there is a deep irony in the fact that the exhibition is a highly visible expression of the problem of over-consumerism.

Above that there is a contradiction between the theme of the fair and many of the key sponsors – notably Coca Cola and McDonalds.

This uneasy balance is what drove many to take to the streets on May 1st Perhaps however, the person best placed to voice this unease is Pope Francis on the day of the fair’s opening he made one of his most powerful speeches to date: “Expo is a propitious occasion to globalize solidarity.

Let us not waste it,” warned Francis. “In particular, the theme of ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’ brings us together. We must thank the Lord for this as well, for choosing such aWn important, essential issue . . . provided it does not remain only a ‘theme’, provided that it is always accompanied by awareness of faces, the

faces of the millions of people who are hungry today, who will not eat a meal worthy of a human being today. I would like everyone who visits Milan Expo, as they walk through these wonderful pavilions, to feel the presence of those faces. It is a hidden presence, but one that ought to be the actual centre stage of the event: the faces of men and women who are hungry, who get sick, and even die, from inadequate or even harmful food.”

And yet, as those who fought so hard to bring the World Expo to Italy, Italians and the world need to believe that the exposition will do something.

“Tomorrow starts today” declared Matteo Renzi (pictured), Italy’s young, reformist prime minister. Like Mr Renzi himself, Expo 2015 may have promised more than it can deliver, but so far it seems to be delivering more than some people expected.

“Expo – said Italian Prime Minister Renzi – is a gamble not yet won, but it’s a gamble we can succeed at. Everyone, from the nameless worker to the police, is doing a tremendous job.” “Today, the future of a country with an extraordinary past begins, but also one that has a future that now embraces the world” he said.

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C O N N E CT I N G C I R C L E S

THE MAKING OF A LEGEND THE HISTORY OF HARRY’S BAR

By Stefania Girombelli

I

t all started in Venice, when Giuseppe Cipriani senior while working as a barman at Hotel Europa in Venice, struck up a friendship with a young sad American student, Harry Pickering, who was staying in Europe with his old aunt, her companion and her dog. Bored beyond endurance, he used to drown his sorrows by knocking back a series of cocktails at a bar that he adored.

Relationships between aunt and nephew were tempestuous. After a particularly stormy encounter, she left him alone in Italy with no money at all. At this point, Cipriani offered to lend his new friend, 10,000 lire.

It was the winter of 1930, and he never lost hope of seeing his money again. His faith was rewarded when, on one unusually cold February morning, Pickering walked in to pay with the money owed. But that was not all: as a token of his gratitude, he gave Cipriani an extra 40,000 lira with the suggestion that the two men could open a bar together. “Let’s call it Harry’s Bar”, he said, and a legend was born.

Located on the first floor of an abandoned rope warehouse towards the bottom of a rather quiet spot in Piazza San Marco, Harry’s Bar was designed to be destination in its own right. At 50 square meters in total, first impressions are of a typical ‘cozy’ Venetian restaurant: but, look closer and it becomes evident that Harry’s Bar was anything but typical.

In fact, a great deal of thought had been given to selecting the perfectly proportioned furniture, glasses and cutlery that create the room’s ambiance. Moreover, Cipriani and Pickering invited Baron Gianni Rubin de Cervin, the owner of the Palazzo Albrizzi and a patron of the Europa bar, to design the simple and elegant interior – now famous for its art deco style and hand-painted marine figures and motifs that dot the walls. The two men were adamant about two things: the décor must never feel oppressive and needed to convey a lightness of being.

Harry’s Bar opened on May 13, 1931 and as Giuseppe Cipriani said: “ If all the clients who now say they were among the first to walk through the doors that day actually did, the bar would have had to have been as large as Saint Mark’s Square.’

For years, the famously relaxed atmosphere has been imitated, but never

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reproduced. As Arrigo Cipriani describes it, it is luxury on account of its simplicity. Yet it is simplicity that consists of many different details which when taken together is a complex recipe. From the décor that is timeless and comfortable ( never imposing), to the service, carried out with verve and warmth, to the traditional food that conjures up wonderful memories, right through to the crispness of the linen tablecloths - all contributes to a luxurious simplicity that countless people now associate with the word: “Harry’s Bar. ” Harry’s Bar is also the birthplace of two inventions that have travelled the world. The Bellini, that perfect and refreshing cocktail which combines pureed white peaches and prosecco. Invented by Giuseppe Cipriani Sr. at Harry’s Bar in 1948, it takes its name from the fifteenthcentury Venetian painter Giovanni Bellini whose pink glow in one of his paintings inspired Cipriani’s creation. The second “gift to the world” attributed to the proprietor is Carpaccio. This apparently was created in 1950 so as to satisfy some diet restrictions of, Countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo, an habitue’ of Harry’s Bar.

The lure of fame For over 80 years that have followed its opening, Harry’s Bar has become one of the most famous restaurants in the world. Unchanged since 1931 and staying true to its founding principles, it has served over the years many eclectic patrons including some of the biggest names of the twentieth century.

Truman Capote, playwright Somerset Maugham and Noel Coward all drank at the bar. Ernest Hemingway had his own table during his time as a regular from 1949 and set several scenes from his novel Across the River and into the Trees in the bar.

From Kings and Queens to Hollywood legends and writers, Harry’s Bar has had a devoted clientele over the years whose appreciation of attentive service, good cuisine and a uniquely charming atmosphere brought them and the generations after them back time and again.

The restaurant has been and continues to be overseen by Arrigo Cipriani and in 2001 was declared a National landmark by the Italian Ministry of Culture as an incredible witness to the Twentieth century.

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CARS

HOT RODS & HYBRIDS-

IT’S ALL HOT AIR “This almost orgasmic hyperbole is not merely typical of automobile ‘journalese’. Its very excesses are an expression of the way in which the car has almost become an object of worship.”

By Gaddo Cardini

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T

he car is probably society’s most potent symbol of individuality. Ever since Henry Ford began mass producing his famous Model T, we have had at our disposal an instrument of personal empowerment like none other. Apart from the freedom of movement it conferred on ordinary people who previously had seldom moved beyond the confines of work and family, the car has become a symbol - a totemic release from restraint that is psychological almost as much as physical.

Given its triumph over restriction, it’s not surprising that the automobile has come to assume an almost anthropomorphic status - a western equivalent to a Melanesian Cargo Cult which assigns superhuman attributes to inanimate objects and so confers power on their possessors. The mild mannered man who becomes a bear behind the wheel of a vehicle; the youth who hides his acne behind the windshield of a souped up sports coupe; the ageing lothario who hopes his shiny new Lamborghini will act as a time machine, restoring him to his long lost potency. In short, cars are symbols of sex, style and power as well as freedom. Given this transformative capacity, it’s not surprising that they are often described as possessing the human attributes their owners would like to claim for themselves: “Staggeringly pretty... Big chested power... Hairy chested handling” et cetera are typical of some of the epithets the wordsmiths of Autos in Wonderland concoct.

Unfortunately however, success easily turns into excess: the runaway triumph of the automobile is now headed for a potentially terminal road block. As penguin chicks are dying in their thousands of pneumonia because of persistent and unprecedented rainfall in the Antarctic; as the ice continues to melt - ironically offering ever more enticing

THE DRIVER HURLED THE SQUIRMING, SQUIGGLING LS ( LOTUS) INTO A GLORIOUS, SMOKETASTIC SLIDE...

opportunities to global corporations to drill for yet more oil - it is clear that man’s remorseless dependence on fossil fuels has to be cut back if we are to avoid a future that will be unbearably unpleasant.

Currently the three quarters of a billion vehicles in the world produce one quarter of its CO2 emissions. Within ten years that number of cars and trucks is estimated to increase to over a billion; placed end to end, they would go round the world 125 times.

The obvious alternative to oil and gas is electricity. Responding to the call, Toyota among other motor manufacturers, developed the Prius, a hybrid vehicle that could be powered by electricity (preferably in urban areas) and run on diesel on the open road. Initially, hybrid cars looked like a compromise that successfully reduced consumption of gasoline while keeping the oil companies onside. But it didn’t take long to realise that ecologically the planet was facing

a far harsher reality: at the moment there are roughly a million hybrid cars in the USA, and together they only account for 0.5% of America’s oil consumption. The hybrid car looked increasingly like gesture mechanics - not much more than a nod towards ecological continence.

The fate of the hybrid was famously sealed by Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault/Nissan, when he remarked “a hybrid car is like a mermaid: when you want a woman you get a fish; when you want a fish you get a woman”. The fully fledged all-electric car was born. So, the job has come full circle: The snake is now eating its own tail.

In fact, electric cars are no novelty. The study of electricity had been advancing rapidly since the 1820’s. Michael Faraday invented the electromagnet in 1821; Joseph Henry developed the first electric motor ten years later. In 1834, Thomas Davenport build a rotary electric motor to power a miniature electric rail car that ran on a table top. Twenty years later, in 1854, Wilhelm J. Sinstedin invented a rechargeable lead/sulphuric acid battery. This process was carried further by Zenobi Theophile Gramme in Paris, who patented the first dynamo.

From there it was all Downhill Racer. By 1883 electric streetcars were operating commercially in Brighton in England and Thomas Parker was on the point of launching the first production electric car using a rechargeable battery. In 1893 the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago featured William Morrison’s four wheel electric road vehicle, and three years later electric cabs based on his design were operating in New York. Sadly for the future of the electric car, significant quantities of oil were simultaneously being discovered in the United States and becoming available at a price most ordinary Americans could afford. In 1901, Ferdinand Porsche designed the first

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gasoline/electric vehicle - effectively a hybrid.

But attempts by devotees of electric power to retain a foothold in automobile production soon collapsed. Refinements in the transmission systems of internal combustion engines combined with the power of the emerging oil lobby in America render it invincible.

May 9 2015. We are engaged in the first European leg of a new experiment in Formula One, and something weird is happening The assembled cars look just like Formula One racers - gaudily painted carbon fibre bodies shaped like Barracudas, low slung on wheels with tyres almost half as wide as a normal car. But it’s the silence that hits you. Auto junkies who obsess over Formula One are used to a sound so intense, so overpowering, it seems their eardrums must be in danger of colliding with their brains at any moment, with damage to both. But this time it’s like watching a film with the sound turned down - these cars glide onto the grid as silently as ghosts.

With ears as pitch perfected as a concert violinist, these guys are maestros of the varoom, varoom: For them, a virtually silent Grand Prix constitutes a pretty hefty credibility gap. But, ironically, the speed freaks are now being overtaken by the pace of change. From this year, engines are becoming more standardised

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and have been reduced in size and capacity, affecting both speed and - critically - noise.

Previously, afficionados could tell a McLaren Honda from a Ferrari SE15-T, or a Mercedes AMG Petronas from a Renault STR10 at a distance of 400 yards by the sound alone. And what a sound! - Like attempting to cut rhenium diboride with a circular saw as a 1.6 litre turbocharged 90 degree reciprocating engine ( they call them power plants now) screamed down the straight at close to 200 mph; the way it sobbed as the gears shifted down going into a bend, and then yelped like an American Bandogge on a blood scent as it accelerated away again.

For the connoisseurs of engineering esoterica, these miracle machines were the mechanical equivalent of works of art, and their sound was their signature. The risk now is of becoming like lepidosterists faced with a sudden reduction of butterflies to a single species.

Ernest Hemingway once wrote: “There are only three sports - bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering. The rest are merely games”. The question for fans is how to translate the heavy weight image of their beloved sport to an electrified substitute? How to persuade them that the ePrix is not a toytown event, more Tigger than tiger?

Next up, the plan to stage a series of all electric Formula One Grand Prix. Like Canute, devotees of motor sport have often tried to ignore the turning of the tide against fossil fuels, clinging to the hope that dire predictions of global warming were little more than ‘greenwash’ put about by kill-joy scientists, keen to protect their research grants. But the grim reality revealed by evidence can no longer be denied: Inevitably, electric vehicles are the future.

The voices of the commentators are hoarse with excitement. And despite the erie quiet, much of the inheritance of traditional F1 remains. Pile ups,cars flying through the air shedding parts like an exploding space capsule and crashing back to earth along with the championship hopes of the driver. The ePrix cars go as fast as their petrol powered progenitors; they demand the same levels of nerve and skill from their drivers. There is

And so, back to May 9 “...We go green in Monaco and it’s a really good start from Buemi...

Ambrosio is trying to challenge di Grassi - not quite close enough... Bit of a lockup... Oh, there’s the wing gone of Jean-Eric Vergne -he’s gone into the back of the one behind. That’s started the concertina effect. He comes around and suddenly sees a car upon the air... I think Prost hit Abt and that sent Bruno Senna leaping into the air... A classic Monaco pile up. Loic Duval’s been taken out. The two Andretti cars have hit each other...”

still the knife edge balance between risk and reputation and the ever present threat of death and destruction. In an attempt to develop its fan base, the organisers have also introduced a ‘fan boost’ system. Fans get to vote on which drivers should be given something called a ‘KER-like’ boost during the race. The three most popular drivers get a one-off boost of 30 KW of energy for five seconds. Whether or not this attempt at interactivity will attract new devotees the sport remains uncertain, but it’s unlikely to satisfy the old guard.

The intention of E Formula One is partly to dramatise the future of electric cars by means of high profile events like this. However, no matter how spectacular the events in Monaco, Berlin, London or wherever else E F1 races will be run, is the immediate future of electric cars in general remains very uncertain. The vehicles are clean, environmentally friendly and their performance at all levels is exceptional. But the design of the cars has far outrun the capacity to power them. This is no problem in a formula one race, where there are mandatory pit stops and batteries can be changed. A domestic car with a full tank of fuel can run for 300 miles or more before refuelling. The most that can be achieved with an electric power source is less than half that. Recharge can require up to an eight hour delay in the journey. That’s if you can find a nearby charge point. The fact is that the electric car needs a low cost, long life, high storage capacity battery and - and curently - it doesn’t exist.

The problem is that electricity is expensive to create (often using power stations fired by fossil fuels) and is both expensive and inefficient when it comes to storage. The collective power of all the batteries in the world would only supply ten percent of its energy needs!

It’s obvious that electric cars have been conceived and developed with little thought to the infrastructure that will be needed if they are to present a credible alternative to what we have now. Even an infinite number of charging stations does not get round the problem of the time it takes to top up your battery.

Some progress is now being made in this regard. Scientists at MIT are working on liquid metal batteries which appear to offer a considerable improvement in performance, But the main difficulty remains one of insufficient infrastructure. Instead of an infinite proliferation of storage points, the best solution might be to exchange your battery rather than recharge it yourself. Filling stations would be replaced by facilities where you would pull in, attach yourself to a computerised system that automatically removes you battery and replaces it in a matter minutes with a recharged one. With no better solution in sight, and the prospect of the planet being dropped like a live lobster into a boiling bouillabaisse of halogens, organohalogen, nitrous oxide and CO2, this looks like the best bet. First though, we have to tackle the superpower oil companies’ lobbies!

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AIRPLANES

TARMAC TROPHIES EBACE 2015

“This year, the event drew nearly 500 exhibitors and nearly 60 aircraft on display. EBACE 2015 attendees came from more than 100 countries, from the European region and beyond.”

T

By Johnny Kukuljan

he trade audience are pinning their hopes on a recovery. They sense that the pendulum has swung and that despite the crackdown on bribery in China, Asia is where the opportunities for big growth now lie.

Or that at least is their hope. The figures certainly work. According to Ledbury Research, China should have almost as many billionaires in 2017 as the U.S. Meantime,

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China has only about 2% of the business aircraft that are registered in the U.S.

Yet, as of now, the champagne bottles are stuck on ice rather than popping open. That’s because the industry must adapt to the Asian mind set and the purchasing habits that dictate their likely willingness to buy.

Aware of this, companies are now scrambling over themselves to build their networks - or as the Chinese call it: “guanxi”. Secondly, they are also having to talk about the whole sector in a way that captures the attention of prospective wealthy Chinese buyers.

Sometimes the results are hilarious and unexpected. Western billionaires and their

agents are famous for scouring the technical section of the brochure and poring over the running costs. Asians, however, ( for all their reputation of being natural engineers) are said to yawn with boredom if they are bombarded with this type of information early on. Instead they wish to be inspired and assured that what they are buying is almost impossible to buy.

Exclusivity is all.

As a result, marketing directors have gone into overdrive, creating tongue-twisters and a load of weird vocabulary to entice those with the money to sign on the dotted line. The result is a string of new terms that have cynics in the press corps rocking with laughter. They includes some marvels such as: “runway jewellery”, “tarmac trophies” and “portable wealth”.

Still on the subject of inspiration, this year’s EBACE also featured the first-ever Inspiration Zone with a focus dedicated to the industry’s future. The Inspiration Zone, positioned on the exhibit floor, was the location for a session on Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

SUPERSONIC AND INSPIRATIONAL

Undoubtedly the stand that drew the most orgasmic gasps of pleasure were revelations about Aerion’s AS2 supersonic business jet.

“With this plane you can have breakfast in New York, fly to London, stay for four hours and fly back to New York for dinner,” said Mr. Bass, the CEO who has spent the last fifteen years trying to bring

the project to fruition.

alongside those of Aerion in Reno, Nevada.

Aerion, opened its order book with a price tag of $120 million. The first 50 customers however will receive preferential pricing and other benefits available only during the first round of orders.

Superior Interiors.

Not a snip, but it’s cheaper than the A380 ‘superjumbo’ jet which, on occasions, has been bought as a private business plane - despite the fact that in its more normal configuration it seats 525 people and retails at $300 million.

Another sign that the tipping point has been reached is that Airbus recently announced that they have become a joint development partner.

In practical terms this means that engineers from Airbus’ Defence and Space Division will work

Another area that looks set to become a new trend is a new focus on interiors. The newcomers drawing the crowds were Mercedes Benz and Lufthanza. Together, the two companies will develop an “innovative, luxurious and integrated cabin concept”. The effect is spectacular. The ambience created is much closer to that of a luxury hotel suite or an upstate home than that of an aeroplane The effect is spectacular. The ambience created is much closer to that of a luxury hotel suite or an upstate home than that of an aeroplane.

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CINEMA

CA NN ES FE F ST I LIVAL M

By Eva Potel

A VERITABLE GOLD MINE

T

he scene is a seaside tent; inside an event billed as “literally dripping with gold” is in full swing. The watch and jewellery company is hosting a party to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Palme d’Or.

It might not have been tactful to mention that at almost that exact moment fifteen miners were facing death trapped in a Columbian gold mine. But, intentionally or not, the irony of this party is perfect.

The Cannes Film Festival has increasingly become a veritable gold mine for luxury brands that exploit this high profile event for an advertising potential all the more seductive by being linked to an event with cultural aspirations. The hope is to add some class to the endless parade of celebrities and their satellite lookalikes, and for the armies of wheeler dealers desperate to prove they have the muscle to out-hustle their rivals.

The message paraded on all sides is that wealth is intrinsically virtuous and that the luxury which accompanies it is part of the Natural Order of Things. At least one promotional video shows fashion models cavorting with joy at the quantity of jewellery and couture they are wearing.

EXTRAORDINARY TALES OF SURVIVAL It was the Greek philosopher Epictetus who remarked that: “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” Not an idea that would get many votes at Cannes, or anywhere else these days.

However, the famous Stoic made a further point that, this year at least, has particular relevance to the film festival: “It is not what happens to you that matters, it is how you react to it”. Epictetus believed that we are governed by fate we cannot control. The best lives are therefore lived by those who can accept what fate hurls at them while displaying a will to survive.

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It’s unlikely that the films for this year’s Cannes festival were selected with Epictetus in mind. But the fact is that France is still reeling from the shock of the attack on Charlie Hebdo. So it may not be a coincidence that the films chosen seem to have more of a political slant than has sometimes been the case in the past. In their widely differing ways, many of the chosen films are tales of survival - of people faced with extreme adversity and their attempts to deal with it.

LA TETE HAUTE Then we have the film that opened the festival, La Tete Haute, starring Catherine Deneuve, a woman well into her sixties who can still easily give most of the twenty year old models on display more than a run for their money.

The film tells the story of attempts by a judge and a social worker to salvage the life of juvenile delinquent Maloney, who is addicted to hotwiring cars and attacking everyone. Maloney is eventually rescued from his otherwise inevitable fate by the caring concern of his social worker and the judge and a relationship with a girl who seems herself to have been a graduate of similar circumstances. In a nice echo of Epictetus, an English translation of La Tete Haute is Chin Up. The Lobster, the film that won the Jury Prize, is an altogether more unusual look at survival. The story describes a world where finding a mate is a matter of life and death. Contrary to what you might think, this is not a parody of the desperation with which people trawl dating agencies looking for a partner. Instead it’s set in a dystopian near-future where the penalty for not getting hooked up within 45 days is to be turned into an animal – admittedly one of your choice – and sent into the woods.

Director Yorgos Lanthimos already has a track record of bizarre films to his name; The Lobster is unlikely to buck the trend.

in an alien environment - and the lengths they will go to do so - is brilliantly captured, (and further sustained) by riveting performances from previously untried actors.

CAROL And so, finally to Carol. Predictably, this film about a lesbian relationship between Carol, a rich socialite in her fifties and Therese, a young shop assistant in 1950’s New York, has had the media sweating in a lather of excitement.

But despite all the brouhaha, Carol is a tightly controlled film that works more by understatement than sensationalism. The somewhat straight laced manners and mores of 1950’s Manhattan are so accurately observed they become almost bit players themselves.

To have created a film as mesmerizingly intense as this is, in today’s world, where upfront sexual advocacy has almost become a defining characteristic of who one is, is a remarkable tribute to all concerned - writer, director, composer, director of photography and most especially the actors.

CHRONIC The setting of Chronic is also apposite to the theme of survival and won Michel Franco, Best Screenplay. Franco’s philosophy seems to fall pretty well in line with that of Epictetus.

“Most things you have to accept and then move on. You don’t change them...These people who believe in change are in therapy for ten years or always reading a book about how to be happy. But then they fall into another problem”.

The film describes the life and work of David, a home care worker so apparently devoted to his terminally ill patients that he becomes a sort of substitute relative. This is sharply contrasted with the real relatives who, by contrast, seem numb, almost disconnected to the imminent fate of someone they are supposed to love.

While giving almost nothing away, the film hints that what is driving David is something more than simple devotion - although he displays that too. It’s as if he is on some sort of pilgrimage: perhaps a journey of repentance for something that happened in his past.

JAQUES AUDIARD AND DHEEPAN The winner of the Palme d’Or was Jacques Audiard’s film, Dheepan. The subtext of

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Dheepan is the implied correlation between the jungle warfare of the Sri Lankan civil war and the viciousness of gang warfare in the Paris “banlieus”. As the French say: “Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.”

But the real force of the film derives from a closely observed story of three people, isolated in an alien environment, knowing nothing of each other than that their survival depends on staying together - something that can only happen if they somehow develop bonds strong enough to ensure that they do.

The film opens with scenes of Dheepan together with other Tamil freedom fighters laying dead palm leaves across corpses on a funeral pyre before burning his own military fatigues. Cut to a refugee camp where everything depends on Dheepan assuming a false identity and finding a new family.

Family is created by linking up with a young woman who, for the same reasons, has persuaded an orphaned child to pretend that she is her mother; identity is provided by three passports of people who have died and some minimal instruction on how to assume their new impersonations.

Some critics have objected to an ending they see as collapsing into unnecessary violence. But the desperation felt by immigrants who fear they will die if they cannot reinvent themselves

Christmas time and Therese Belivet (Roony Mara) is working as a temporary assistant in a Manhattan toy shop. Given the intelligence of Phyllis Nagy’s script, the irony of this must be intentional. Enter Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett), looking for a present for her daughter. The wary look of cautious recognition exchanged between the two women is one of the film’s greatest moments.

When the couple leave Manhattan, heading west, it becomes clear that this is a film about emotional survival: one that can only come about by breaking out of the prison of conventional custom and practice. The car journey and frequent later scenes in a car act as a metaphor of this escape.

WOMEN AND HEELGATE Mention of the film Carol brings us neatly to the other important theme of the Festival - women. For the first time for twenty-eight years, the film that opened the festival (La Tete Haute) was directed by one of the host country’s most respected female directors Emmanuelle Bercot..

For many years now, there has been a lot of arm waving in the film industry about the subordinate roles assigned to women and the small number of them who are chosen to direct. For instance, of the 250 top grossing films, only seven percent were directed by women and only twelve percent had women as the chief protagonist.

Nevertheless, this year at least, Cannes has attempted to do something about the situation, even if it’s only by moving the debate up the

agenda and more into the open. The Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman, fronted the official poster and veteran French director, Agnes Varda, 87 this year, received an honorary Palme d’Or. In the same spirit, Calvin Klein hosted a party to celebrate female achievement in film.

Belatedly, the Cannes Film Festival had come to recognise an uncomfortable dichotomy between a festival with the highest cultural intentions and what was in danger of becoming an ageist, sexist grabfest, where the emphasis may be on women, but certainly not in a way that brings light to the eyes of those of a feminist persuasion.

Unfortunately this worthy experiment in gender equality was somewhat blown off course by what the press now call “Heelgate”. This was an incident so hilariously inappropriate to the occasion - a PR disaster so precisely timed and so perfectly executed you’d think it had been strategically planned.

Belatedly, the Cannes Film Festival had come to recognize an uncomfortable dichotomy between a festival with the highest cultural intentions, and what was in danger of becoming an ageist, sexist grabfest, where the emphasis may be on women, but certainly not in a way that brings light to the eyes of those of a feminist persuasion.

Instead, away from the screenings, Cannes has become a vast catwalk. This is a parade - a galaxy of sylph-like creatures, nubile slenderellas, decked out in enough trappings and trinkets of superfluous wealth to make a sizeable debt in the balance of payments of a small country.

Then comes the furore of “Heelgate”.

Apparently over-zealous security guards would not allow important women access to the screening of the opening film, Carol - because they were wearing flat shoes!

Carol a film precisely chosen to celebrate the role of women in cinema - a story of the lesbian attraction of two women, played by two outstanding female actresses (Cate Blanchett and Roony Mara) and directed by a woman (Emmanuelle Bercot) A quick check of the res code revealed no such ruling about flat shoes, causing the organisers to eat indigestible quantities of humble pie.

But of course there’s an upside. This ridiculous incident, by its very absurdity, will linger long in minds of future organisers. So this could be the much needed spur for change.

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SPORTS

L’ORMARINS QUEEN’S PLATE STAKES AT

Glorious Goodwood

By Katherine Gray

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What would you do to win an all-expenses paid trip to one of the hottest cities in the world right now? What if we told you this package also granted you a VIP ticket to Africa’s most exclusive horse racing festival and one of the most anticipated events on Cape Town’s social calendar…

“Our trip to South Africa was magical, not only is the country stunning but the events that L’Ormarins invited us to whilst out there were second to none,” were last year’s winner, Charlie Elmy-Britton’s comments after returning from her prized trip. “The race day was fantastic, the races, wine, food and company sensational. The only problem is we now want to go again!”

Quintessential summer horse racing and fashion steeped in English tradition. Seductive South African blues and whites fused with contemporary British summer style of panama hats and linen suits. This is what you get when you pair the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate of Cape Town and Glorious Goodwood of London. The former being South Africa’s oldest and most exclusive horse racing event, tracing its roots back to 1861 when the race was first run in honour of Queen Victoria.

The latter being London’s most prestigious mid-summer thoroughbred flat racing festival. Both are recognised as two of the great annual racing festivals around the world.

In 2013 Glorious Goodwood and L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate joined forces by entering into a reciprocal agreement whereby Goodwood sponsors the Glorious Goodwood Peninsula Handicap G2 on L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate day, while L’Ormarins returns the favour with the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate Stakes G3 on the fourth day of the famous Glorious

Goodwood festival. This year the relationship between the racedays has been strengthened further by Glorious Goodwood planning to send a group of its racecourse members to the 2016 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate as part of a brief escape from the British winter for a sunny sojourn in the Cape.

What makes the partnership all the more exciting for racing fans and guests is the fabulous prize awarded to the Best Dressed Lady at these two events: the winner at Glorious Goodwood receiving an all-expenses paid week’s trip for herself and a partner to attend the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate in Cape Town and visit the idyllic Franschhoek valley, home of L’Ormarins Wine Estate, in the height of the South African summer. And vice versa.

Adam Waterworth, Managing Director for Goodwood Racecourse said, ‘This is the first time we have introduced a Best Dressed Ladies competition to Glorious Goodwood and we are delighted that our sponsors for the day, L’Ormarins, are offering such a fantastic prize of a trip to South Africa in January. We look forward to welcoming our racegoers dressed in blue and white.’

On 31st July this year the racing faithful of the revered Downs in Sussex will be joined by the international racing fraternity of South Africa as well as Europe’s successful and beautiful in attending the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate Stakes. Some there for the world-class racing, others to feel part of something special, but only one lucky enough to win a once in a lifetime trip to one of the world’s most desired cities, Cape Town, and its most loved racing event – the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.

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M Y FAVO U R I T E S

MONIQUE

HOLLINGER “A society and cosmopolitan hostess who throws legendary parties in St Tropez, Gstaad and Miami. A woman who has an eye for business yet knows how to chill. Seeking a life/ work balance between doing up luxury properties in fabulous places and relaxing with friends and family. In downtime she loves to practise yoga , tennis and SUP�

Photographer: Adrian Portmann Make up & Hair Stylist: Nina Tatavitto

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My FAMILY

LOVE AND MARRIAGE

I am very happy to have been born and raised in an academic family. My father was a Professor and Doctor of psychology and pedagogy and my mum is a teacher. I wouldn’t say the atmosphere at home was like that depicted in Amy Chua’s Tiger Mother, but it certainly meant that I grew up pretty grounded. I think all children born to teachers get the message that they need to work rather than lark around.

At the age of 22 when I was still living with my mother and father, I met the man who was to change my life.

You’ll probably associate Gstaad with glamour and skiing. For me, however, it has an additional layer of meaning since it’s the place where I first encountered, my future husband, Thomas Hollinger. I originally set eyes on him at at Après Ski at the Golf Hotel which therefore remains one of my unforgettable favourite places!

Thomas is not just the man of my life but also my soul mate. That makes me a lucky woman.

At 22 everything seems exciting and knowing him was certainly that. Shortly after our first date, he suggested we should go to the Caribbean for a holiday. He introduced me to the world of luxury and booked a flight on “Concorde” via New York. It was such an extraordinary experience, one of thousands I will never forget.

a simple matter. In France there are all sorts of hoops to leap through. I think it helped that we are both Catholic because it would have been hard to find a Lutheran priest to marry us. We approached father Michel and with his help and (a lot of sweet-talking!) my lifelong dream became a reality. I had a white wedding in the church of St Tropez. It was everything I wanted: Beautiful, serene, prayerful.

From then on we met more and more and soon were inseparable. At the time, he was definitely considered the catch to end all catches or what the French style Le Chaud Lapin of Bern.

My HOMETOWN I was born in St Gallen and grew up near Basel.

I remember it as a fantastic place to be brought up and I was definitely happy.

My father was always quite busy but my mum was always there for the family: for me, my brother Christoph and my sister and best friend, Regine. During school and studies I started to work as a model and Mannequin and at the age of 18 I participated at the Miss Switzerland competition. The latter was a great experience as I could travel across three continents to represent Switzerland as in South Africa, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) and Hawaii at international Miss competitions.

GLOBAL CITIZENS We both love to explore different countries and cultures. When I was still in my mid-twenties we travelled all the way around the world.

Later, we realised that it was time to put down some roots together. This was the moment of commitment, I suppose. And that’s when we decided to get married. I was 28.

Once we committed we then bought our first residence.

We bought outside Switzerland, buying a Chateau in MY FAVOURITE summer place: St Tropez. And that’s too where we decided to exchange our vows.

My WEDDING Getting married in St Tropez was definitely not

I think it’s important to personalize the wedding ceremony in as many ways as possible. The whole family got involved. My father played the organ and I chose my sister as chief bridesmaid. I found it a very emotional moment when she led me into the crowded church and walked me up the aisle.

We took over Villa Romana for the party afterwards, and also hired Jean Roch’s VIP nightclub for the dance. I’ve always loved both places. But I don’t remember if we ever made it there in the end. As you can imagine my head was in a complete whirl so some of the details are a bit hazy.

AT CERTAIN TIMES OF THE YEAR, I LIKE TO ESCAPE THE RELAXATION AND SPORT FREEZING SWISS WEATHER. At certain times of the year, I like to escape FOR THIS REASON, THE the freezing Swiss weather. For this reason, FAMILY BASE BECOMES the family base tends to be Miami Fisher Island through the winter months. This is – capital MIAMI FISHER ISLAND letters - MY FAVOURITE island. It’s one of THROUGH WINTER. THIS the few places on earth, if not the only place, IS – CAPITAL LETTERS - MY where it’s impossible to get bored.

Fisher Island is also the place where I discovered FAVOURITE ISLAND! 7 4 | Issue N8

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the joys of SUP (Stand Up Paddle). It’s definitely becoming my new favorite pastime and sport. I love the time I spend on water with my children exploring the Virginia Key which happens to be very close to Fisher Island.

It’s amazing what you get to see from the perspective of your boat and paddle. I liken it to the experience of crossing a big aquarium: We saw manatees, baby sharks and lots of other beautiful fishes. The more stable we got we started to practice yoga on the paddle. My daughter is very good. She does headstands, wheels, crow and side crow yoga poses with me on the paddle.

My CHILDREN About one year after our wedding our son Louis was born and I decided that I was the luckiest mother on earth... Then another miracle happened a year and a bit later. My daughter, Estelle, did not wish to wait any time in the womb and arrived on earth much faster than planned. This was the luckiest moment of my life. Having both, a boy and a girl only one year and 3 months apart was like a dream. Until today I am so thankful for that.

Time flies by: Louis is already old enough to attend a Gymnasium...

My CAREER As I explained, I was still pretty young when I first met Thomas. As his principle business interests are property-based, I decided it would be a sensible idea to do my undergraduate work in the field of Swiss real estate together with architecture.

This left me qualified to play Thomas’s different companies soon I became an active partner. investments were, and continue to German part of Switzerland.

a role in and quite Our main be, in the

Today, I’m developing a sideline in interior design. I get a real thrill from doing up luxury properties.

At the moment, we’re concentrating on properties in Gstaad and the premium market of Zurich.

Judging by results, this side of the business definitely has potential. In Gstaad, I have already had guests such as Madonna. She told me that she adores my style. Her opinion has given me a great deal of confidence.

Recently, I also started to dabble and experiment in creating my own Art. My very first venture in this regard was an OM sign on

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a piece of hand-crafted wood where I tried to play with indirect light reflections. As I become more adventurous more and more of my work is going to fill the walls of our chalet.

At the moment I am finishing building our new residence in Zurich. Do you know it took us three years? That tells you something about the scale of the renovation. But I’m really pleased with the result.

Now I’m about to change focus and work on a new chalet in Oberbord Gstaad and two residences directly on the lake of Zurich. There I will aim for a much more modern style which will be a new departure for me. I think it’s a good idea not to get stuck in a rut and to be open to new ideas.

TODAY, I’M DEVELOPING A SIDELINE IN INTERIOR DESIGN. I GET A REAL THRILL FROM DOING UP LUXURY PROPERTIES. AT THE MOMENT, WE’RE CONCENTRATING ON PROPERTIES IN GSTAAD AND THE PREMIUM MARKET OF ZURICH.

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My FAVOURITE FASHION Fashion is my passion. I’d say I was either a completely dressed up person or a dress down girl. Nothing in between.

You will see me either in sportswear or totally dressed up ready to go out. My favourite designers are Philipp Plein, Jitrois and Versace Atelier.

Even so, I always try new brands and in my closets you will find plenty of other designers such as Chanel. When I was 22 my husband bought me all Chanel clothes I wanted. I was ecstatic. That’s over now... Chanel was cool at that time and my friends teased me and even nicknamed me Chanel.

My FAVOURITE FRIENDS Nothing is complete without friends. That’s why I LOVE St Tropez. I met my best friends from around the world in this tiny fishing village. But in July you won’t see any fisherman and this little town turns into the best high society party temple on earth.

Every evening there is a soirée in one of my friends residences or on their yachts. It’s by far the best time to be in St Tropez.

Last year I hosted the LOVE & PEACE Party at my residence Chateau Borelli and I loved it. Everyone is asking me if I do it again...

And yes I will... In 2016!!

The OM by Monique Hollinger

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PLACE

BACK TO

Venetian Glory Newly opened St. Regis Venice San Clemente helps spur a revival

By Allison Zurfluh

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A

private boat makes the semi-hourly jaunt from bustling St. Mark’s Square to quiet,manicured San Clemente Island, where guests mingle with flutes of Prosecco at an elegant waterfront restaurant. We disembark into a world of lush, extensive gardens and cultivated peace unheard of on Venice proper. San Clemente Island is one of dozens of islets dotting a 32-mile archipelago largely unacknowledged by the 25 million tourists that flock to Venice every year; Venetians, however, know that the soul of Venice lies beyond the famous piazzas and flagship attractions. It can be found in the canals, water streets, and private islands of the vast lagoon. A world of aficionados – a kind of Venetian underground – has begun developing islands that were abandoned over time. On these islands is reemerging an organic lifestyle that embraces sustainable living, an appreciation for art and music, and the pursuit of spacious ease. A time of renaissance has come.

Muscle to back a passion Purchased by the Turkish behemoth Permak Group in 2013 for Euro 150 million, the 15-acre San Clemente Island tells a long and varied tale of an oasis. Hospice in the 12th century, the islet was converted into a Lateran monastery that offered upscale accommodation for the Venetian Republic’s jet-set until the 17th century, when it morphed into a military fortress. After 20 percent completion of an investment that soars into the ballpark of Euro 25 million, St. Regis Venice San Clemente Palace reopened this year as a Starwood Luxury Collection destination with a mission to become “one of the best hotels in the world”.

When open space is luxury Wide, stately hallways flanked by tall windows usher in copious amounts of light. 190 guest rooms, 48 of which are luxurious and well-appointed suites such as the Royal and Presidential Suites, are expected to set the bar of Venetian hospitality at a new level and draw visitors out into the lagoon. The expansive building boasts timeless Venetian décor with contemporary elegance, underpinned by the brand’s bespoke butler service. Vast outdoor offerings include an outdoor swimming pool, tennis court, and golf course; and the entire island can be privatized. And with the only helipad in the lagoon and its own 11th century church, it’s an appealing destination said to have caught the attention of Hollywood darling George Clooney while planning his wedding to Amal Alamuddin; the groom, too late, found the hotel already fully booked.

Waking a world lost ART The reopening and ongoing restoration of St. Regis parallels a lagoon-wide renaissance of the organic Venetian lifestyle.

Art being as essential to Venetians as a plate of spaghetti alle vongole, the famous Venice Art Biennale is only a small part of that. On San Clemente Island, two exhibits are an extension and celebration of the event, this year with sculptures by the Polish artist, Igor Mitoraj, as well as an Expo Milano 2015-endorsed project coined ‘A journey through Art and Food’. Dedicated to water, the ACQUAE Venice project is the only collateral

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Universal Exposition event.

Off shore in Murano, the American glass artist Judi Harvest has turned an abandoned field into a lush Honey Garden where she keeps a colony of some 40,000 bees.

There, in her adjoining studio, she creates paintings and glass works under the project Denatured: Honeybees + Murano, which addresses a disorder that has been destroying bee populations worldwide and causing a real threat to food production. Her work also promotes artisanal glassmaking, which has seen a drastic demise in recent years, supporting a rebirth of authentic Venetian culture and economic sustainability.

CUISINE Farther up the archipelago on Mazzorbo Island, Gianluca Bisol revives culinary tradition, starting with indigenous Dorono grape cultivation on a centuries-old vineyard. Like so many ancient manuscripts that lie dormant in Venice’s prestigious libraries, the grape hasn’t grown here in over 600 years. Bisol seeks to revive what some call Native Venice, the cluster of islands first inhabited in the 6th century, and to preserve the culture of the lagoon.

On Mazzorbo, he’s opened the Michelinstarred Venissa restaurant that uses vegetables and herbs grown right there on the island.

MUSIC In addition to hosting well-heeled weddings for privileged guests, the church on San Clemente Island, which borders the sea and overlooks St. Mark’s Square, was built in the Romanesque style and dedicated to a Pope. Said to be one of the lagoon’s greatest treasures, it makes weddings on the island private and picturesque. Concerts are sometimes held by the Venetian Centre for Baroque Music, a foundation whose drive to preserve authentic Venetian baroque offerings counters spurious versions of the genre meant to attract more tourists to the Venician lagoon.

In the current conversation that seeks to define what luxury really is, as the global frenetic lifestyle reaches an all-time high, Venetians are making an about-face and reviving what they’ve always done best.

Expo Milano 2015 Chef Ambassador Davide Oldani said, “The future is less, but higher quality. Greater authenticity. A sustainable lifestyle.”

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T R AV E L

RO ME PO SITAN O

By Ksenia Mezentseva

I have two passions in life – Food and travel. They are the two friends that help me discover the wonderful, adventurous, unpredictable world that we live in.

I travel for work, for fun, to see my family, to reconnect with friends, to run away from the hectic pace of business life and to, most importantly, absorb new experiences along the way. I love to visit places that I have visited many times before , providing the opportunity to discover new facets each time. I also love to go to new destinations and learn the culture, history, traditions and sample new food. So it comes naturally to me to research, taste and recommend the great ‘upscale’ and ‘super casual’ restaurants, wine bars, cafes, and gelaterias that I encounter on my way.

So, as I said, I have two passions. No wait, I have three: Food, Travel and Italy! As Guiseppe Verdi said “You may have the universe if I may have Italy” and he was so right.

Just like him I love Italian people, their hospitality, the history that takes you centuries back and that never fails to surprise you and, yes, the food. (Of course I love the classic, always fresh and delicious food.) In this blog I would like to share my love for food in the two most wonderful, never-to-miss Italian cities – Rome and Positano.

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ROME

GROM

We all know that “all roads lead to Rome” and that’s why it is always so full of people – Italian out-of-towners, foreigners, Romans. They all eat and all visit the restaurants that the city has to offer. And oh, there are definitely so many choices. And while you may want to find yourself in some, you very definitely want to give others a wide berth.

Another wonderful gelato chain. Grom has stores in many Italian cities as well as in Dubai, New York, Osaka, Malibu, Paris. The shop offers home made ice-creams as well as milk shakes, granitas, sorbets and hot chocolate. You will find several locations around the city.

B R E A K FA S T

They say that it is healthy to have three meals and two snacks during the day. When in Italy I find it very hard – the food is so great that I constantly overeat. But it is so worth it! I have tried many restaurants in Rome and I find it hard to narrow down my choice to just a few recommendations. After a long debate here they are!

Italian breakfast is often on-the-go, especially in big cities like Rome. It is often consumed at a bar where you would have a latte, cappuccino with a small panini or brioche. There are no eggs and bacon for breakfast unless you are having it at a hotel where the international options are offered. There are many small bars all over Rome. Try to walk into one for a true local Italian breakfast experience.

COFFEE Italians are very serious about their coffee.

There are certain rules you need to follow if you don’t want to be taken for a tourist.

1.

Latte, cappuccino, macchiato or any other coffee with milk should be taken in the morning only and never after a meal.

2. The word espresso (that you are allowed

to take after your meal) does not exist. If it does exist for you, it should not, under any circumstances, be used in Italy. A single espresso is called un caffe, a double espresso is called un caffe doppio.

3.

If you decided to have a coffee in the middle of the day (without a meal) remember that you should never sit down. It a quick fix and should be taken as a shot in one go.

LUNCH AND DINNER

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G E L ATO Italians consume crazy amounts of gelato – and they have a reason. Most of it is handmade – Italy is the only country where the market share of handmade gelato versus an industrial product is over 55%. You will see many gelaterias with bright coloured, unique flavoured stands all over the city. My two favourite chains are:

G E L ATO CRISPINO

DI

SAN

There are several locations in Rome – the first to try is either the one that lies by the Trevi Fountain or the one off the Pantheon. San Crispino is known for its exclusive flavours – you will find honey, chestnut and rum, whiskey, dried fig flavoured gelato along with the many classical and fruit tastes. The ice cream is fresh, handmade and does not contain any preservatives or artificial colouring. Be prepared to stand in line as everywhere else in Rome.

A place to see and be seen – actors, politicians, celebrities and jetsetters come here to lunch on the outside terrace. The restaurant is located on Piazza del Popolo and is just steps away from the shopping streets of Piazza di Spagna.

As you can guess from the name the menu is Bolognese and ao more meat oriented. Try the classic Prosciutto di Parma, Tagliatelle al Ragu or the Lasagna; then finish your meal with mouthwatering Tiramisu.

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The place to try the famous Roman fried

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Located near the Pantheon this coffee shop is rumoured to be the best in Rome. There is no seating and there is always a line, so be patient, but it moves quickly. There are many different blends that you can taste at the bar as well as buy roasted beans to go.

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Often referred to as Café Grecco, it is a historic landmark that opened in 1760. The café was named after its Greek owner. It’s a landmark and a great spot for a quick coffee in the midst of the crazy Piazza di Spagna and the busiest boutique shopping area.

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artichokes - carciofi ala guidia is located in the middle of Old Jewish Ghetto! Piperno has existed since 1860. For your meal you can choose to sit anywhere between the outside terrace and the three traditional looking rooms. The menu is excellent and of course the artichoke is a must.

Finish your meal with the famous Palle del Nonno – Ricotta and chocolate puffs. Call before you go as it is closed parts of August.

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I tried it this February while in Rome for a weekend and loved it. Located not far from Coliseum this small restaurant is a gem and can be combined with sightseeing the area. The food is absolutely fabulous – try the Tortello al Rosso d’Uovo – a big Raviolo with ricotta and spinach filling with a raw egg yolk, and the pear cake or the apple cake for dessert is a must. The restaurant is small, cozy and has a very friendly staff and semi open kitchen.

It is great for dinner and lunch too. Book in advance as it gets very full.

A N TI CO PAGNA N E LLI

R I S TO R A N T E

VIA GRAMSCI 4, CASTEL GANDOLFO

If you want to take a sightseeing day trip combined with amazing food experience without having to travel too far from Rome visit Castel Gandolfo – the 17th century summer residence of the Pope. The residence was closed for visits for the past 25 years and has just recently opened to the public. The beautiful gardens are a ‘must see’. Make sure to book tickets several weeks in advance – the availability is limited and the demand is high.

Located not far from Piazza Navona and just a few meters away from Tiber River Assunta Madre is one of my favourite seafood restaurants in Rome. The selection of fresh fish is displayed at the entrance and you really do have options to choose from! Try the antipasti crudi e caldi the raw and cooked antipasti selection (good to share), spaghetti vongole and of course the fish. You can trust the waiter with the recommendation of the fresh selection of the day. Reservation is a must as the restaurant is favoured by

Antico Ristorante Pagnanelli is located on top of the hill overlooking Lake Albano just nearby the residence. It is one of the best dining experiences in the area and even in Rome. When booking (and it’s a must) ask for a table by the window or on the narrow terrace overlooking the lake. The views are breathtaking. The restaurant is family run since 1882 - the portrait of the great grandfather of the current owner will greet you by the entrance. The setting is very elegant but not too formal. Try fantasia di mare – a raw fish and seafood antipasti and tagliolini con caccio e peppe – a traditional Roman pasta with cacio cheese and black pepper. My absolute favourite! After your meal, ask for a tour of the wine cellar - it is an experience on its own. Carved out of volcanic rock it has over

celebrities, locals and an international crowd alike and is always full.

3000 bottles – a paradise for a wine lover like myself.

LA PROS C UI TTE R I A

P O S I TA N O

If you don’t want a full meal and would like to taste delicious salami, prosciutto, pastrami, pancetta, lardo, bruschettas and fresh mozzarella served on a wooden board try Prosciutteria! The place is tiny and looks like a cosy wooden deli. Inside there are 4-5 small tables and a table for 4 outside, be

Every guide you read about Positano will start with the same quote which I am not going to use and be original. It is an excerpt of John Steinbeck’s 1953 Harpers Bazaar article about his trip, where he says: “Positano bites deep.

It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real

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VIA DELLA PANETTERIA 34

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prepared to have people standing by the bar as well – there is not much space! The “restaurant” does not have a license (it is officially a shop) so expect to get up and order your food at the bar, a friendly casual service and simple local wine.

The meats and cheeses are delightful and the atmosphere is very local and welcoming.

after you are gone”. Oh wait, did I just use it?

Nevertheless he was so right.

Positano is the heart of the Amalfi coast - it was once a carefully guarded secret but has become a major tourist attraction. A little colourful town set on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean sea in Campania region of Italy 40 minutes away from Naples and just across from Capri Island.

In the centre of the picturesque village you will find the Santa Maria Assunta Church. This summer it is being renovated so you need to walk on the wooden pathways set around it.

There isn’t any major sightseeing in Positano, so plan to shop for huge colourful lemons, enjoy the scenic walks, take a day trip to Capri, and another one to Ravello, buy some loafers from the little store just below the church, owned by a nice Italian man and his Japanese wife and eat, eat, eat!

There are several casual restaurants by the beach in Positano. Don’t be misguided by their “touristy look” – they are fun, delicious and wellpriced. My two favourite ones are located side by side - Le Tre Sorelle and Chez Black.

LE TRE SORE LLE VIA DEL BRIGANTINO 27

Founded in 1953 by the Giovannina sisters the restaurant is located in the very centre of Positano. The staff is young, friendly and English speaking as in most places in Positano. Try the fresh carpaccio di carcioffi – the artichoke salad, the various frutti di mare cooked raw, in salads, fried or grilled and the homemade desserts.

C H EZ BLACK

VIA DEL BRIGANTINO 19

Chez Black is good for both lunch and dinner.

It has a big terrace and no matter where you sit you are more or less outside. The owner, Salvatore Russo as well as his son Gianfranco who now runs the restaurant will be having their meal next to you, at the table right by the entrance. The menu is simple and fresh. The thin crust pizzas are great for lunch, and if you are a girl you will get a heart shaped one. Try Zuppa di Pesce Locale - the famous fish soup, the grand seafood plate that is good to share for parties of 3-4, spaghetti con ricchi di mare – the sea urchins pasta and of course the fragolini del bosco – the wild forest strawberries served with vanilla gelato or lemon and sugar for desert.

The staff is very friendly – you will want to come back.

BAR B RU N O

VIA CRISTOFORO COLOMBO 83

If you want to have a more affordable meal with a good local menu, try Bar Bruno. Located on the hilltop of Positano it is the place where

locals dine. Don’t be put off by the roadside location – the food is great and the night views of Positano are breathtaking.

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LA TAGLI ATA

Although Don Alfonso is located in Sant’Agatha, 18 miles away from Positano I cannot leave it out of my list as it an essential gastronomic experience.

A two Michelin star restaurant, New York Times the “best restaurant in Italy”. Don’t miss it.

VIA TAGLIATA 32B

La Tagliatta is a hidden gem that is located in a tiny village Montepertuso – . A short drive up from Positano and you find yourself on top of a mountain with incredible views of Capri and the Galli Islands.

First time we came to Tagliatta we didn’t know you need to be very hungry. There was no actual menu for lunch or maybe we didn’t see it and the portions were huge. We trusted the staff with “today’s specials” and were treated to an incredible lunch of fresh tomatoes salad, spaghetti aglio olio, some seafood, homemade meatballs and delicious side vegetables. Do not miss the tiramisu. You don’t need to have dinner that day!

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SANT’AGATA SUI DUE GOLFI

Founded in 1890 by Alfonso Laccarino the restaurant is now run by his grandson Alfonso, his wife Livia and their partner Mario. Don Alfonso is located in the boutique Relais and Chateaux which also belongs to the family. The two grand rooms have a modern design with a classic feel to it. The bright magenta walls echo the flowers painted on the elegant dining chairs as well as the beautiful freshly grown roses that decorate each table. The menu has a farm-totable concept - all ingredients are grown locally in the family’s gardens. Come hungry and have the tasting menu – the food is delicious and

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beautifully presented and good value for money.

At the end of the dinner either Livia (who generally looks after you throughout dinner) or some other family member will be happy to show you around the property. Check out the library and make sure not to miss the breathtaking ancient wine cellar located in a Pre-Roman tunnel. It features over 25,000 bottles and a cheese aging room. I dine at Don Alfonso every time I visit the Amalfi coast and have never been disappointed. I really hope you get to experience it too.

LA SPO N DA

VIA CHRISTOFORO COLOMBO 30

Last but not the least La Sponda is another unforgettable Michelin star experience on my list. Chef Matteo Temperini who used to work in Alain Ducasse in Paris, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence and Don Alfonso 1898 in Sant’Agatha, all 2 Michelin star restaurants, will not disappoint you.

Located on the beautiful terrace of Le Sirenuse Hotel La Sponda is one of the most romantic candlelight dinners you will have accompanied by traditional guitar and mandolin music. The terrace overlooks the dome of Santa Maria Assunta and the harbour. The menu is local with a modern twist, all prepared from home-grown ingredients. The wine list is substantial and presents beautiful French, Italian and international bottles.

The service is formal but extremely friendly. You will leave the restaurant full, happy and a little drunk!

LOVEME

e v e r yday

T

he Lovemeveryday Resort Wear collection is seen on the beaches of St Tropez and Monaco and dotted in London boutiques and Spring 2015 marks only it’s third season. Designer, Soude Booth, loves sand, sea and embraces all that embodies summer including sailing, cycling and of course warm days on the beach. She lives in the French Riviera and longs for travel out of the city to various destinations around the world.

After a summer spent sailing the Mediterranean Sea for three months she set out to create a capsule must have summer resort wardrobe.

Lovemeveryday Resort Wear is a collection which includes kaftans, maxi dresses and separates in silk chiffon, silk satin and silk cotton. The pieces evoke effortless luxury, can be worn everyday, are easy to pack and take a woman from day to night in the most glamorous fashion. Each piece is uniquely designed in a print inspired by nature and fused with an imagination of fantasy.

This season Lovemeveryday Resort Wear has opened their first boutique in the heart of Côte d’Azur and also sets out to reach beaches of St. Tropez.

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PL ACES TO STAY

GR AND HYATT CANNES

HOTEL JW MARRIOTT

I N T E R C O N T I N E N T A L

HOTEL MAJESTIC

HOTEL MARTINEZ | Cannes

Cannes

C A R LTON | C a n n e s

BARRIÈRE | Cannes

GR AND HOTEL DU CAP FER R AT,

HOTEL DU CAP-EDEN ROC

HOTEL FA IR MONT

MONTE-CARLO BAY

A FOUR SEASONS HOTEL | Cap Ferrat

Antibes

Monte Carlo

HOTEL | Monte Carlo

METROPOLE HOTEL

HOTEL BYBLOS

HOT EL DE PA R IS

HOTEL VILLA BELEROSE

Monte Carlo

S t .Tr o p e z

S a i n t Tr o p ez

S t . Tr o p ez

THE PENINSULA HOTEL

HOTEL DE VENDOME

HOT EL H YAT T PA R IS

CLIVEDEN HOUSE

Paris

Paris

MADELEINE | Paris

West B erk shire

CHEWTON GLEN

HOTEL CA FE ROYA L

CHILT ER N FIR EHOUSE

THE CONNAUGHT

Hampshire

London

London

London

BAGLIONI HOTEL

HOTEL SOFITEL ST JAMES

THE M AY FA IR HOTEL

THE BE AUMONT HOTEL

London

London

London

London

BULGARI HOTEL

FOUR SEASONS

BULGARI HOTEL

ARMANI HOTEL MILANO

London

Milan

Milan

Milan

EXCELSIOR HOTEL GALLIA

C A R LTON HOT EL

PA R K H YAT T

PA L A Z ZI NA GR A SSI

Milan

BAGLIONI | Milan

Milan

Venice

HILTON MOL I NO ST UCK Y

BELMOND HOTEL CIPRIANI

BAUER HOTEL

T H E S T. R E G I S V E N I C E S A N

Venice

Venice

Venice

CL E M EN T E PA L ACE | Ve n i c e

HOTEL MONACO & GR AND

AMAN CANAL GR ANDE

FOUR SEASONS

CANAL | Venice

Venice

Florence

II SAN PIETRO DI

HOTEL LE SIRENUSE

Positano

GR AND HOTEL QUISISANA

C A PR I PA L ACE HOT EL

KEMPINSKI GR AND HOTEL

POSITANO | Positano

Capri

Capri

DES BA INS |S t . Mor itz

C A R LTON HOT EL

GR A ND HOT EL PA R K

PA L ACE

LE GR AND BELLEVUE

St. Moritz

Gstaad

Gstaad

Gstaad

THE ALPINA

HOTEL DES BERGUES

M ANDAR IN OR IENTA L

INTERCONTINENTA L

Gstaad

Geneva

Geneva

Geneva

LE RICHEMOND

HOTEL DE ROUGEMONT

BAUR AU L AC

THE DOLDER GR AND

Geneva

Rougemont

Zurich

Zurich

SOCIAL SEASON

HUBLOT LOVES ART, VENICE BIENNALE

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SOCIAL SEASON

LOUIS XIII COCKTAIL

“Macau is quickly becoming the luxury capital of China with its glittering nightlife and incredible shopping,” said Stephen Hung, Chairman of Louis XIII. “At Louis XIII we hope to create a new brand that provides the gateway to a lifestyle that is global, refined and remarkable. What Louis XIII offers reaches back to an earlier tradition of luxury that was truly exclusive, personalized and bespoke. From what my friends from around the world tell me, that has appeal far beyond Macau and China.

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LOUIS XIII MONACO PARTY EVENT Stephen & Deborah Hung offered a private preview of Louis XIII hotel in Macau at a pre-Grand Prix cocktail party at the Hotel Metropole, Monaco, attended by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco and other VIP guests.

Louis XIII Macau is scheduled to open in the summer of 2016. With only 200 rooms developed at a cost of over US$7 million per room, it will be one of the most lavish hotels ever built. Designed by noted luxury architect, Peter Marino, the hotel is based on a baroque fantasy accented with modern elements. The smallest rooms start at 2,000 square feet and the largest is 30,000 square feet. In September 2014, Louis XIII, placed the largest ever order of Rolls-Royces. Customers of Louis XIII will be transported by a fleet of 30 custom red extended wheel base Phantoms, two of which, accented in gold, will be the most expensive Rolls-Royces ever built.

The hotel’s flagship restaurant is L’Ambroisie, the only L’Ambroisie other than the famed original in Paris. L’Ambroisie Paris has held 3 Michelin Stars continuously since 1988.

Possibly the most unusual element of Louis XIII is its ultra-high-end shopping experience: the Atelier. For the first time, a collection of the world’s greatest fashion and jewellery brands have gathered under a single roof to offer their personalized, bespoke services. Access to the Atelier will be by invitation only and the shopping will be completely private. Jewellery will start at US$1,000,000 and only couture fashion will be sold.

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SOCIAL SEASON

LOUIS XIII COCKTAIL

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SOCIAL SEASON

WEEKEND IN PARIS The first ever International Gala for the Rafael Nadal Foundation was held in Paris on the 23rd May with the aim of raising funds for the Rafael Nadal Foundation Centre. This centre in based in Mallorca, where Rafael is from and has, as its main aim, the provision of education through sport in the belief that sport is a fundamental tool for both personal and social integration.

By Catherine McQueen

A

round 400 people attended the charity event in Paris, which was held at the Hotel Inter Continental Paris Le Grand in cooperation with Richard Mille. The event attracted top names from sport, business, fashion and society. The Spanish ambassador to France, Ramón de Miguel, the ATP World Tour president Chris Kermode, and president of the French Tennis Federation and Roland Garros Jean Gachassin were some of the dignitaries in attendance. Also present were business personalities including Richard Mille and the designer Tommy Hilfiger, together with representatives from companies such as Nike, Babolat, Kia, Telefonica, Melia Hotels, Mapre and Banc Sabadell. Top model and former face of Lancôme, Ines Sastre, was also in attendance. Guests at the Gala enjoyed a signature dinner by internationally renowned Spanish chefs Juan Mari Arzak and Elena Azak and their French colleague Christophe Raoux, who brought together the best of their gastronomic creations to offer a unique and unrepeatable meal.

Presented by French sports journalists Lionel Chamoulaud and Nelson Monfort, the event kicked off with a rendition of the aria ‘Nessun Dorma’ by Spanish tenor Josep Bros. Speeches were made by both Rafael Nadal and Richard Mille touchingly highlighting the fact that their’s is not just a business relationship but indeed a mutual friendship with Richard now feeling very much part of the Nadal family. The dinner was followed by a performance by Spanish singer Luz Casal, much loved in France, who offered a show of some of her best-known songs, which proved the perfect ending to an exclusive event.

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LE GALA

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SOCIAL SEASON

LE GALA

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OPENING DAY 2015 POLO SAN DIEGO

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SOCIAL SEASON

CHLOE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY

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SOCIAL SEASON

CHLOE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY

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SOCIAL SEASON

TH E DIVINE PARTY

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SOCIAL SEASON

ART BIENN ALE PARTY AT THE ST.REGIS VENICE SAN CLEMENTE PALACE

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SOCIAL SEASON

OPENING OF GARAGE MUSEUM Garage Museum of Contemporary Art officially celebrated the opening of its new Rem Koolhaas-designed building in Gorky Park with a wide range of exhibitions, performances, and special events. Founders Roman Abramovich and Dasha Zhukova, along with Director Anton Belov and Chief Curator Kate Fowle, hosted over 500 international guests from the fields of art, entertainment, and business, including representatives from some of the world’s most prestigious institutions. The museum officially opens to the public on June 12, supported by a wide variety of public programs and opportunities to meet and interact with both artists and curators.

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