TL-10 by cecile Boche

trends & living shaping tomorrow

Trimestriel dédié aux talents, tendances et matériaux innovants dans le domaine du design, de la mode, du retail et de l’environnement urbain www.tlmagazine.be édition internationale

PHOTOGRAPHIE & DESIGN

LEICA

Milan

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Piazza del Design

En visite Royal Monceau, Seven Paris, Ampersand House & Gallery

mode Kerri Lee Miller

Tendances Oasis urbain Slow Food

Interviews & icon revivals

Numbéro 10 Avril - Mai - Juin 2011 Benelux – France: € 9,50 Hong Kong: HKD 110, Chine: CNY 110, Singapour: 18 SGD

I SSN 2031 - 8308

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Marcel Wanders & Erwin Olaf , Rolf Fehlbaum – Vitra, Giulio Cappellini, Yves Behar, V&A Londres – Le Culte de la Beauté, Charlotte Perriand au Petit Palais Paris, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Leonard Koren & Arik Levy, Valérie Barkowski, Terence Woodgate/E&S

content

CREATIVE SKILLS PHOTOGRAPHY / DESIGN/FASHION / ARCHI

Ringroad (Cairo) © Bas Princen

4 6 8

Colophon Contributors Edito

59 63 66 68 72 74 80 84 86 89 90 91

A discerning eye Charlotte Perriand Charlotte Perriand The art market under the microscope A city for two Le Corbusier - Jeanneret - Chandigarh The eye of the topographers Captivating images Arc en rêve The Bouroullecs laid bare Marcel Wanders & Erwin Olaf : The Dream team Surreal photography and design Ampersand House & Gallery, Brussels Design and photography as a lifestyle Design and Photography: The ping-pong effect Design galleries Paris A hotbed for cross-disciplinary designers Still life Painting moods The fables of Designer’s Days Paris Once upon a design... “Aesthetics” is about where your mind goes… A dialogue between artists, Leonard Koren & Arik Levy

SPOTTED 11

Milan, “Piazza del Design” Fifty years of glory

SPECIAL GUESTS 23 27 30

Rolf Fehlbaum Vitra, Home of Design Giulio Cappellini The style maker Design for need Yves Béhar shows the way

TRENDS 34 42 46 52

Italian Design Forever Young Slow Food Urban Oasis Heimtextil Highlights

ICON REVIVAL 53 58

V&A London : The Cult of Beauty Lancel Portrait of a star

FASHION 92 Airess by Delvaux Breathing new life into travelling 96 Kerri Lee Miller

RETAIL 109 Paris Palace, Royal Monceau The poetic art of Philippe Starck 112 Seven Hotel’s imaginarium 114 Valérie Barkowski: India’s new sophistication

EXPERTISE 118 122 124

The ecological impact of textiles When irrationality takes over 2011 will be electrifying An experimental table The unbearable lightness of composite

BOOK REVIEWS 126 Reviewed by Miles Standish

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CONTRIBUTORS

Cristina Morozzi (IT)

Jacques Barsac (FR)

Leonard Koren (US)

Yves Lavallette (FR)

She is the eye of Milan, an expert in the art of deciphering trends. Cristina studied architecture after graduating in Philosophy. She contributes to various journals: Gap, Modo, Interni, Driade edizioni. Very selective, she writes books about fashion and design and exhibits. She recently became artistic director of the young and innovative brand Skitch.

A prolific writer, and award-winning documentary maker with an insatiable curiosity for art and history (UNESCO award for Le Corbusier in 1990), this multifaceted man is also a pioneer of new audiovisual technologies, and has presided over a society of authors. Jacques Barsac and Charlotte Perriand were very close companions for fifteen years.

Founder and publisher of WET: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing, Leonard created one of the seminal avant-garde publications of the 1970s. He writes and consults about design and aesthetics-related issues. Among his books are Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers, and more recently Which “Aesthetics” Do You Mean?: Ten Definitions.

Photographs published in Zoom and Libération at the beginning of the 80s soon led to long-standing collaborations with prestigious magazines such as: Harper’s Baazar, L’Officiel, Pictured, Max, Elle, Marie-Claire, Jalouse, Soon magazine, Tiempo. His personal work is exhibited in museums, and collections around the world. www.yves-lavallette.com

Marie Farman (FR)

Giovanna Dunmall (uk)

François Épin (fr)

Fériel Karoui (FR)

After studying art history Marie became a freelance journalist and consultant specialising in contemporary art history and design. She writes about trends, deciphering the new seasonal forecasts for a number of lifestyle and fashion magazines. Marie is particularly interested in young, developing artists and the relationship between art and design.

A London-based freelance journalist and editor, Giovanna writes about travel, ethical consumerism, green issues, architecture and design for publications such as Colors, Green Futures, Design Week, Sublime, Conde Nast Traveller, Ode, Plenty, Ethical Living, Australian Design Review, Frame, Mark Magazine, Indesign, Wallpaper* and The Ecologist.

François is an art specialist responsible for Art and Design Sales Development at Pierre Bergé & Associés in Paris. His activities are a mix of research and advice. Constantly scanning the global marketplace for cutting-edge contemporary pieces, he also promotes young designers, helping them to get a foothold in the industry. www.pba-auctions.com

French Institute of Fashion and Communication studies graduate Fériel is a regular contributor to TL Magazine. A Globetrotting consultant, blogger, trendsetter, journalist and graphic designer, Fériel is interested in cultural exchanges and society’s constantly evolving fashion, art and design scene. http://anthropologiedelamode .blogspot.com

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EDITO

50 years of design in Milan A look in the rearview mirror…

With each passing issue, TL Magazine cultivates a culture of the transversal. Taking advantage of the 50th edition of the Furniture Fair to take stock of the Italian design scene, TL also explores the field of photography and design. As Susan Sontag points out in her essay On Photography, “the image is also an object, lightweight, cheap to produce, easy to carry about, accumulate, store.” The darkroom, full of shadows and light, leads us to the question of beauty that TL revisits through the exhibition dedicated to the Aesthetic Movement at the V&A in London, “The Cult of Beauty”, and via the thoughts of Leonard Koren imagined by Arik Levy. Drawing, design, fashion, art and photography, all these territories are reconciled and lead us to cultivate a look of curiosity and shared community values: leave a trace, change the face of the world, give meaning to something genuine with a symbolic look. When I visited the exhibition “Fotografia e Design, L’immagine Alessi” ten years ago, the debate on photography and design was wide-open. When the object takes shape in the picture this is where our perception of the world starts. It can be a photograph commissioned for an advertising campaign, or a more subjective approach, like a work of art. In his book L’imaginaire d’après nature, fifty years ago, Henri Cartier-Bresson wrote about the similarities between the act of photography and drawing, he’s not talking about design here, but he might well have been: “Photography is, for me, a spontaneous impulse coming from an ever attentive eye which captures the moment and its eternity… an immediate reaction; drawing a meditation.” I might add: design, an industrial and aesthetic application, a realisation of our desires, and our expectations that are relevant to our daily uses. Cartier-Bresson, armed with his Leica, was already aware of the potential

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magnitude of the medium of photography. If it was the slowness of the reportage, and image culture that fascinated him, he never strayed from the protected zone of reality and emotion. In the following pages, our gaze passes from the real to the surreal with Erwin Olaf and Marcel Wanders (Moooi), Bas Princen and Belgian architects David Van Severen and Kersten Geers; from the self-reflexive works of designers who use photography as a medium of creation and communication (the Bouroullecs at Arc-en-Rêve) to the commissioned images like those created by the Ballo family, whose pictures combine Italian design and photography. One thing is clear: the collectors, specialist galleries like Coming Soon in Paris, art fairs like Art Basel or Fiac and auction houses, quicken the pace of this media dialogue on modernity. Beware of overkill! Fortunately, it’s with immense pleasure, that we follow the indefatigable Charlotte Perriand in her quest for ‘objects found in nature’. Photography and design: isn’t it about having a ‘nomadic’ spirit, heading off on an archaeological excavation, travelling light with dreams in our pockets and our head full of images? I would love to get my Polaroid out to photograph you the moment you turn the page. Over time, the ‘beautiful’ images increase in value, and just as in the time of icons, the more they are copied, the more the true object becomes a source of ecstasy.

Lise Coirier Susan Sontag, On Photography, 1977, www.susansontag.com Claudia Zanfi and Francesca Appiani, Fotografia e Design, www.alessi.com Henri Cartier-Bresson, L’imaginaire d’après nature, ed. Fata Morgana, 1996. Thomas Seelig / Urs Staehl, The Ecstasy of Things, ed. Steidl, 2005.

spotted A selection by Boris Jeanrenaud & TL Magazine

Milan, “Piazza del Design” Fifty years of glory Milano, still a major source of design talent and innovation, is celebrating a half century of the furniture fair which now stretches from Rho-Pero to the bustling downtown city centre. Reinventing itself each year, the spirit of the ‘Maestri’ of Italian design remains palpable to this day. For the occasion of the Salone del Mobile’s 50th edition, TL Magazine presents a selection of original projects, punctuated with a few special destinations, for you to escape and recharge your batteries after the show is over.

Beehive Lamp Werner Aisslinger for Foscarini The perfect blend of formal purity and technological research, Beehive is the new table lamp designed by German designer Werner Aisslinger, in his first collaboration with Foscarini. Beehive is a genuine luminous sculpture, a perfect architecture of horizontal slits which traces the pattern of the structure in the surrounding setting with a charming, poetic effect www.foscarini.com

This article continues on our blog : http://blog.tlmagazine.be

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Byredo Stockholm Store In the past, the brand was distributed exclusively in the concept stores and temporary points of sale. Today, the perfumer and creator of Byredo cosmetics based in Stockholm has opened its first store in the Swedish capital. Set in a turn of the 19th century building in Stockholm’s Master Samuelsgatan retail centre, the store has been designed by Byredo co-founder Ben Gorham, together with Christian Hallerød and Johannes Svartholm, following the brand’s trademark signature pareddown style. http://byredo.com/

Takeaway Established & Sons Collection Just launched in Milan at Teatro Versace (piazza Vetra 7), the Takeaway references a common place object – a fast food container for everyday life. Folded from polished brass, this captivating box is available in a variety of materials and finishes, Takeaway takes its real value by the strength of the medium which gives this piece a presence weightier than its function of mere ‘container’. Three sizes in stock. Small: 9x9 cm, medium: 90x18 cm, large: 18x18 cm. Price on request. www.establishedandsons.com

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Cactus Sofa dedicated to Maurizio Galante by Cerruti Baleri Dedicated to the interdisciplinary Italian stylist and created within the framework of a project with the “Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture Parisienne” and produced by Italian firm Cerruti Baleri, this amazing sofa plays on the preconceived ideas that everyone perceives the cactus to be an unsuitable location for sitting, but in this case the opposite is true. www.cerrutibaleri.com

Green Islands Jean-Marie Massaud for Offecct The Green Islands bring the outdoors in. Looking for a bit more greenery in your day? Perennial designer JeanMarie Massaud may have just what you need. His Islands, for Swedish company Offecct, guarantee an up-close-andpersonal exposure to an ornamental growing thing, namely, whatever shrub, or flower, or meticulously pruned bonsai plant you feel disposed to introduce into the ottoman’s soil-filled hole. www.offecct.se

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TRON Chair Dror Benshetrit for Cappellini Cappellini introduced a range of unusual chairs - roto-molded and made from 100% recycled plastic – inspired by images from the Disney movie “TRON: Legacy”. Dror Benshetrit applies a unique finish on the individual seats, thus paying homage to the landscape of digital film. The raw data forms a jagged and angular surface, serving as a muse for a chair that is comprised of intersecting layers and textures of ‘digital’ rock. www.cappellini.it

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Moon Tokujin Yoshioka for Moroso Remember the sublime installation for the Panna Chair by Yoshioka in the Moroso showroom in 2006? Five years after the concept seat that fits the body’s shape like a glove, Yoshioka returns with the Moon collection that creates an atmosphere with a game of light and shadow inherent in the moon. Like every year, Moroso invites us on a journey. In 2011, the destination will be “Twilight-Tokujin Yoshioka”. www.moroso.it

Moa Baskets Eve Marguerre and Marcel Besau for Petite Friture Each basket is composed of woven elastic yarn, drenched in resin and pressed over a form. The elaborate structure and the diversity of colours give a unique style to these handmade baskets. A limited series of 147 units per model, numbered and signed will be available at Rossignoli, 71 Corso Garibaldi in Milano. RRP €200 www.petitefriture.com

Tableware collection Alfredo Häberli for Georg Jensen Manufactured with the expertise and technical know-how of Georg Jensen (Royal Scandinavia group) from porcelain, steel, oak, silicon or glass, each piece in the ALFREDO collection is versatile, sensual, and calls to multiple uses. Chic, fun and harmonious, the collection is mealtime staple for when you’re entertaining friends or just entertaining yourself. The ALFREDO collection -a TL favourite- will be available in Georg Jensen stores from Spring 2011. www.royalscandinavia.com www.georgjensen.com

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Sculptural Whisk LucidiPevere for Normann Copenhagen Practical and decorative, this sculptural whisk reminds us of the ubiquitous head scratcher. A product that usually is primarily functional and that has changed little over time becomes, thanks to LucidiPevere, expressive and different. Its combination of bamboo and plastic gives a natural and warm look and its use is clearly indicated by the purity of its form. A new cult object that should not be hiding in a drawer! RRP €20 www.normann-copenhagen.com

Alcantara INTERIORS Collection Under the artistic direction of Giulio Cappellini and Paola Navone, the new collection of Alcantara INTERIORS explores the world of fashion and design in addition to the classic car seats upholstery that have been its trademark since the 1970s. It is made of flexible and versatile materials and is available in five ranges of colours that when combined, offer infinite possibilities for variation and texture, whether they are embossed, embroidered, printed or pleated. www.alcantara.com

Hexagon FormUsWithLove for Träullit Swedish design studio FormUsWithLove have created the Träullit hexagon sound absorbing panels from wood shavings, cement and water. The process of making wood wool cement is quite simple: wood shavings are cut from logs, then mixed with water and cement and put in a mold to dry into shape. The result is a tile that is environmentally friendly, water resistant, moisture and sound absorbent. www.formuswithlove.se www.traullitdekor.se

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Hayón Collection

La Banane Hotel

Bisazza Bagno

St. Barthélémy

Bisazza presents its new bathroom collection with the emblematic Spanish designer Jaime Hayón. “The collection recalls the glamour of the 30s, with a Scandinavian touch and feminine forms”, says Hayón. The bathroom is transformed into a room rich with style and with a strong identity. www.bisazza.it

La Banane is a secret hotel, a confidential address, a unique intimate atmosphere. Nestled in the heart of a coconut grove, in a lavish tropical garden boasting hibiscus, frangipanis and bougainvillea, you are in the biggest homestead of the island. It pays homage to the heroes of Modernism with original creations by Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, Serge Mouille, Jean Royère and Juliette Derel. www.labanane.com

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Clip chair

Muffin Lamps

by Sebastian Herkner for Devorm

Dan Yeffet and Lucie Koldova for Brokis

To reflect Devorm’s brand philosophy, the Clip-chair has been designed to be environmentally friendly without wasting any material during the production process. The idea behind the ‘Clip’ is the colouring of the attachment between the back and the legs of the chair, whereas the colour stands in direct contrast to the wooden elements. The charm and the beauty of the Clip lie hidden in its functional simplicity. The Clip-chair will be officially launched at Ventura Lambrate, Milan. www.devorm.nl

Muffin is a collection of ambient lights designed by the Paris-based designers for the Czech glass lighting company Brokis. It consists of a series of pieces in oak and blown glass and combines Brokis trademark high quality products with a modern style. Muffin lamps can be hung or placed on their wooden base. They are curently exhibited at the Qubus Designshop of the Dox in Prague. www.brokis.cz www.luciekoldova.com

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Photography © Iwan Baan, © Vitra (www.vitra.com)

Interview by Lise Coirier

Rolf Fehlbaum Vitra, House of Design

VitraHaus is both spectacular and intimate. You enter into a ‘House of Cards’, which evokes the spirit of the Eames. This place to be was built a year ago by Basel-based and internationally acclaimed architects Herzog & de Meuron. It appears as a complex of multiple buildings resembling houses stacked on top of each other. The architecture itself makes a statement: it’s a puzzle, a construction game, a composition with multiple views overlooking the Swiss, French and German frontiers and their changing cultural landscapes. Dedicated to his mother Erika, Rolf Fehlbaum, Vitra’s CEO, shares his vision of the future of design with TL. TL

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SPECIAL GUESTS

fter a guided tour of the Vitra Campus which will be soon completed with a building by Alejandro Aravena, the famous innovative designer of Chairless (part of the profits are given back to save the Amazonian rainforest in Brazil), we came back to VitraHaus for the interview with the president of Vitra: Rolf Fehlbaum. The succession of different types of new architecture, which characterize the Vitra Campus reveals the spirit of the Fehlbaum family. At Vitra, there is a clear sense on vision and entrepreneurship mixed with a local and international identity where design is human centric and innovative, and not only functional or ‘packaged’ for friendly use. From the Eames to future living To quote Rolf Fehlbaum: “Design has to do basically with passion and love. Love for investigation with a business plan in mind. What interests me most is to dig deeper into industrial experimentation and processes, to challenge materials and technologies, which are the most

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SPECIAL GUESTS 4

“Beyond the surface, there is the know-how, the history of design and the eye of the designer who is shaping tomorrow.”

important ingredients for changing our life habits and attitudes. Beyond the surface, there is the know-how, the history of design and the eye of the designer who is shaping tomorrow. Vitra has been, in fact, a family business since 1957 and, thanks to my mother Erika, we are taking advantage today of the land that we own, creating new architecture. My father Willi was very attached to Charles Eames, and he taught me to respect his designs and not to use them as marketing instruments. The same approach applies to the classics by Verner Panton, George Nelson, Isamu Noguchi or Jean Prouvé. In my childhood, the Eames’s were my heroes and they are still contemporary. Their designs are enriched by many practices: filming, photographing, travelling and experiencing industrial progress in modern life.”

1 VitraHaus (view of the VitraHaus), Architecture Herzog & de Meuron 2 VitraHaus (overview), Architecture Herzog & de Meuron 3 Ettore Sottsass, Vases for Vistosi, 1974, Ballo exhibition at Vitra Design Museum 4 Rolf Felhbaum & Alexander von Vegesack 5 Barber & Osgerby, Tip Ton chair 6 Chair, Design Naoto Fukasawa, Vitra Edition 2007 — www.vitra.com/vitrahaus www.design-museum.de

A common design project Rolf Fehlbaum believes also that the generation of the Bouroullecs, Jasper Morrison, Maarten Van Severen, Alberto Meda, Naoto Fukasawa, Antonio Citterio… is leading a common project of opening up new orientations in office and home environments and, at the same time, creating a cocoon and a nest culture for keeping intimacy, affectivity and emotion alive. Social innovation is central to Vitra’s design culture. “I want to give space to the unexpected”, states Fehlbaum, “but also want to follow the shifts in technology and end uses of furniture within a context of public or private environments. Being avant-garde in the field of home collection requires a real knowledge of peoples needs.” The Citizen Office concept has become a very recognizable value at Vitra, which becomes apparent when walking around in its own professional spaces. As Rolf Fehlbaum mentioned, “real life is also happening at work, during working hours…” Finally, it would mean that developing new products and environments at Vitra does not mean fol-

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SPECIAL GUESTS

lowing rational themes but rather combining ergonomics, acoustics, comfort, a defined colour palette which is now developed by Hella Jongerius in her role as a colour consultant… in order to create the best coherent end product and services. When we look closely at the Vitra collection, there is a sense of femininity and emotion. The colours are not radical at all. There are pastel tones combined with soft materials, which are creating harmony and a feeling of wellbeing. Rolf Fehlbaum agrees: “The best male designers I work with at Vitra all have a developed feminine side of their personality. They put a specific stress on materials,

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quality and tactility, integrate technology and research into fields other than furniture, such as social interactivity, environmental awareness, mobility and change within the home and especially the work spheres.” A story of design through photography When we visited the buildings created by Nicolas Grimshaw, Zaha Hadid, Alvaro Siza Vieira, Tadao Ando, Richard Buckminster Fuller, Jean Prouvé, Frank Gehry or Sanaa, they gave us the impression that we weren’t on a pure industrial site but on a sampling of modern architecture. It’s the same with photography, the perception

changes depending on the photographer’s eye. “There are photographs we always remember like the Herman Miller Wire Chairs with the Black Bird by Charles Eames”, underlines Fehlbaum. “It’s true that we mainly look at the buildings and objects in the same way that the photographer captures the essence of things. This is for instance the case of the architect Luis Barragán with Armando Salas Portugal.” With the Ballo exhibition, which takes place until 3 October 2011 at Vitra Design Museum, there is a story of more than 50 years of Italian photography and design, which will be put into perspective.

This article continues on our blog : http://blog.tlmagazine.be

SPECIAL GUESTS

Interview by Lise Coirier

Giulio Cappellini The style maker

There are the numerous famous Cappellini landmark collaborations with Italian, Dutch and British designers. Among them Jasper Morrison, Barber & Osgerby, Raw-Edges, Tom Dixon, Marcel Wanders… Throughout Giulio’s career Cappellini has succeeded in stamping its creative authority on the international stage. Today, ever the enthusiast, Giulio continues the search for new and exciting talents for renewing the world’s creative scene. TL

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SPECIAL GUESTS

ow would you define your position and profile within the different brands you are dealing with? I love working on the global company image, the products – from the choice of designers to the identification of the piece – and communications. So art direction 360 degrees. What is the future of Cappellini and is it still important for you to be avant-garde? The future of Cappellini is to always be the same Cappellini, considering the developing market trends and the tastes of the consumer. Cappellini should always be contemporary, working hard on product innovation. Obviously, the avant-garde of today is very different from that of the 80s. How do you transfer all your knowledge to your team whilst maintaining this passionate and authentic approach which defines your personality and ‘mystery’ in the design world?

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I love working in a team trying to convey passion and curiosity to both the internal group and the designers for a design that is new and different. I am convinced that there is still much to invent and experiment with. What would be the ideal equilibrium for you between cutting-edge design and society’s needs? Is it important to be as human-centric today as in the past? Completely, giving the public what they expect from the company so that you work consistently and with continuity. It is important for a design object to enter a museum, but it is more important for it to enter into people’s homes. The consumer should not be scared by design but attracted to it. Are there some common themes in the ‘revival’ of Alcantara and the art direction you are developing within the Poltrona Frau Group? Yes, it is to project an image of a global

company with products that can be liked or not but that reflect the history, culture and tradition of a brand. Can you explain your vision and core values you have cultivated throughout the years? Are you proud to be Italian and why? I have always tried to work with consistency and passion, trying to make useful products that are especially beautiful, and trying to make the consumer dream. I’m happy to be Italian but I feel a world citizen. My curiosity allows me to compare myself with different cultures even if I feel very Mediterranean. Finally, what would be your ‘dream’ project? My dream is to not just work on furnishing projects but also dedicate time to communications and attention to projects for smaller everyday items, trying to give beauty to even the most trivial objects. I would also like to work more on projects regarding future ways of living rather than concentrating on individual products.

SPECIAL GUESTS

1 Jasper Morrison, Thinking Man’s chair, 1988 2 Exhibition at Superstudio, Milan, 2000 3 Shiro Kuramata, Revolving Cabinet, 1970 4 Marc Newson, Wooden chair, 1992 5 Giullio Cappellini seated on a Proust Geometrica armchair, designed by Alessandro Mendini 6 Marc Newson, Embryo chair, 1988 — www.cappellini.it

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Interview by Arnaldo Smet

Design for Need Yves Béhar shows the way

Making waves with some remarkable sustainability projects, Yves Béhar now has some of the largest corporations in the world beating a path to his door. TL Magazine went to find out what makes the Swiss-born designer such wanted property. You may know him from the ‘One Laptop Per Child’ project, the Canal+ Le Cube TV box or the Jawbone headsets. In no time Yves Béhar has become a leading voice in ‘green design’: a recycling system for Coca-Cola, a charging station for electric vehicles commissioned by General Electric, a paper chandelier for Swarovski, … all applied environmentalism which aims to show that a sustainable future is a reality today. Béhar and his San Francisco-based branding agency Fuseproject are advocates of industrial design that affects the whole con-

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sumer chain, not just focusing on the conception of a product, but also tackling issues of manufacture, supply and recycling - far-fetching ideas which most importantly for his impressive list of clients are doable and lucrative. His efforts have been recognized with numerous awards, including the coveted INDEX:Award and the Brit Insurance Design Award for his One Laptop Per Child project, providing affordable computing technology for children in developing countries.The ‘$100 dollar laptop’ is currently being distributed to millions of poor families with the support of governments all around the world. His Clever Little Bag for Puma, which has just been introduced in stores, is a game-changing packaging and merchandising system that re-

quires 65% less paper for shoeboxes and reduces carbon emissions by 10,000 tons per year. It so drastically cuts down on resources and waste that – if other companies follow suit -“it could change the retail industry forever”. On the tails of the inaugural Puma.Safe Annual Sustainability Lecture we met up with Yves Béhar to talk about his vision and the state of the industry... When did sustainability start being a leading factor in your work? I have always been interested in high efficiency, but in 2000 I designed packaging for PACT Underwear which was biodegradable and made of water-dissolving material. It showed me just how effective and exciting sustainable design can be. Ever since then I’ve been aggressively pursuing sustainability with my clients

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“I think sustainability is a tool any other designer can use.”

and making it part of the foundation of new businesses. I started working on ‘design ventures’, which are essentially entrepreneurial projects I do with the idea of creating 21st century companies that have sustainability and social good at the core. By claiming a financial stake in start-ups and young companies I am involved from the beginning in how they tell a story and connect with consumers. Jawbone is one of those design ventures, no? We’ve been doing Jawbone for seven years and it has proven incredibly successful. Recently you may have seen Mission Motors, a highperformance electric motorbike with recordbreaking speed. A few other design ventures will be launched in the coming months. Anything you can share with us? What are you working on at the moment? We have just unveiled XO-3, the next generation of the One Laptop Per Child in tablet form, and a new line of Sayl chairs for Herman Miller at their lowest price point ever. They are the most immaterial chairs, consisting of 90 % recyclable materials and with the lowest carbon footprint of any office chair. I actually chose Herman Miller as a company with such credibility in design and engineering to prove to people that low cost can mean high standards for design, innovation and the environment. Do you feel companies are warming up to the idea of eco-friendly design? I would say leading companies in their field are, but the majority still has no idea how to get started and what changes it demands of them. The companies I am working with, they are committed to making large-scale, structural changes that allow for a revolutionary transformation of their packaging and distribution systems. And

1 XO-3 laptop 2 Supersuede Wn’s, Clever Little Bag for Puma 3 Mission One, rear angle 4 Yves Béhar seated on a Sayl chair by Herman Miller – www.fuseproject.com

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sustainability is a driver of those changes. Does it sometimes come down to looking good on paper, because in the past few years so many companies have seemed to turn green without any significant results? Just looking good on paper doesn’t get you anywhere anymore. We live in a world where every consumer is a reviewer, a new world where marketing and advertising are losing their ability to pull the wool over people’s eyes. Consumers are getting savvier, they have a direct impact on the image of a company and how a product is experienced. For a company to not be sincere about their commitment to reach certain environmental standards is becoming harder and harder. Based on this change, thanks to the Internet and the transparency

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brought on by new technologies, companies need to go about it in very fundamental ways. The Puma.Safe project, for example, involves throwing overboard a logistics and distribution system that was conceived over the last twenty years. Such is a very radical investment for a company, not only impacting packaging, but also other stages of production. Your integrated approach to design, of being involved in as many aspects of the production process as possible, is a very attractive idea to build greener companies, but how easy is it for other designers to pursue it? I started ten years ago as a one-person shop and I am happy to report I have around 40 people working with me now. But 40 people in a world

of big marketing and branding agencies is actually quite small. I think sustainability is a tool any other designer can use. It isn’t just based on a certain aesthetic or trend, but also on the fact that you are transforming a company for the better; the fact that sustainability issues provide very compelling results for the business and most importantly for the consumer. It is what consumers expect nowadays. I do not believe in ‘design thinking’ that produces a theory and a handbook. I believe in ‘design doing’ which shows by example that this is feasible and inspires others to choose a similar path. We as designers are not just building furniture, we are guiding companies through design as the key touch point with consumers. And with such influence comes responsibility.

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Text by Cristina Morozzi

ITalian design

Forever Young

The Salone del Mobile’s 50th birthday is a great opportunity to reflect upon the state of Italian design. In spite of those who think that its glory days are over, a new generation of designers that are both ethical and visionary have ensured that Italian design is still in good shape.

ilan became the capital of design due to its particular socio-geographic conditions. It possesses a precious resource in the hilly area of Brianza. Only 30 minutes north of Milan, it’s little more than a green pocket of land, but it is inhabited by an exceptional concentration of skilled artisans, who have creativity in their genes and are open to all forms of experimentation. At the beginning of the 1950s there were plenty of houses that needed rebuilding and furnishing and Brianza was full of indefatigable hands capable of doing just that. This generation of Milanese architects wanted to update their way of living and found Brianza’s craftsmen and artisans to be the ideal accomplices in bringing their vision to life. These furniture companies, that were soon the envy of the world, were born from the

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relationship between architects with a design vocation and the carpenters of Brianza, who were endowed with a natural flair for their craft and a great desire to make and do. Milan, a byword for design excellence This network of family businesses, aided by a network of brilliant prototyping companies, constituted the backbone of the Italian design system. Vico Magistretti, Achille Castiglioni, Marco Zanuso, Ettore Sottsass turned Milan into the capital of design, but also Cesare Cassina, Aurelio Zanotta, Pierino Busnelli (B&B) and Giulio Castelli (Kartell), entrepreneurs capable of transforming a scribble into a product, or realising a project from a phone call (as Magistretti used to like to recount). This network of businesses continues to be open

to risk and experimentation, and continues to attract designers from all over the world. In Milan, designers do not need to be craftspeople, there are plenty of those who can carry out the task brilliantly for them, allowing them to concentrate on the creative and theoretical part. So many firsts, so many influences It is no coincidence therefore that the first and most important architecture and design magazines (Abitare, Domus, Casabella, Modo) were founded in Milan, and that the radical Archizoom practice (from Florence) moved here. Or that Milan is where the famous Studio Alchimia was founded in 1976 by Alessandro and Adriana Guerriero (who were joined in 1978 by Andrea Branzi,

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Matteo Ragni, Corian Tulip Bio fireplace — www.matteoragni.com

Odoardo Fioravanti, Wooden chair Frida for Pedrali — www.fioravanti.eu

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Massimiliano Adami, Modern cabinet Fossile, self-produced â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.massimilianoadami.it

Marco Ferreri, Poltroncina Airbag, leather armchair realised with the airbag technique, Prototype for Dainese

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Raffaella Mangiarotti & Matteo Baazicalupo, Deep design with the Blue bell lamp On the left Dandelion floor lamp — www.deepdesign.it

Alessandro Mendini and Ettore Sottsass), and where Memphis was created by Ettore Sottsass and Barbara Radice in 1981; both movements profoundly influenced the landscape of international design. The Milanese department store La Rinascente, which owes its name to Gabriele D’Annunzio, was one of the first stores to sell design furniture and sponsored and supported the Compasso d’Oro in 1954, a design award created by Gio Ponti. In 1961 Milan’s Salone del Mobile was born. The original core group, made up of companies located in Brianza who showed their bold and daring products, attracted an ever-growing number of participants from the rest of Italy and the world.

The Salone del Mobile, still going strong Today, the trade fair site alone hosts over 2,000 exhibitors. Thanks to the standard and quality of the furniture makers in and around Milan, it continues to attract international designers in their droves. They flood to Milan in the hope of finding a manufacturer capable of doing the impossible. And many do. The designer-cum-Brianza-based furniture company dialectical duo has created, and continues to create, iconic pieces that stand the test of time and remain forever youthful and resonant. You can’t speak of a Milanese style as such, because Milan as a design hub welcomes the whole world. But it is possible to talk of a common thread recognisable in

the impeccable execution of the Brianza-based manufacturers and their ability to combine innovation with artisan tradition, projecting themselves into the future without losing their concrete bond with the region. If the secret of the famous Biella wool is the soft water of its streams and torrents, the secret of the Milanese design scene is the virtuous relationship between designers and the local Brianza furniture companies. Celebrating in style Milan’s Salone del Mobile is turning 50 in 2011. If the events planned by the Salone’s organising body COSMIT are anything to go by, its birthday will be celebrated in grandiose

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Giulio Lacchetti, glass suspension lamp Kermesse for Danese Milano — www.giuliolacchetti.com

Luca Nichetto, Robo chair for Offecct — www.lucanichetto.com

Donata Paruccini, Cleaning shoes boxes for Eno — www.donataparuccini.it

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Lorenzo Damiani, T chair, 2009 Triennale, prototype for expo “Ma dove sono finiti gli inventori”, 2010, curator Marco Romanelli — www.lorenzodamiani.net

style and will aim to recount how the Salone’s story is also the story of Italian design and that their complicity is at the root of their enviable success. In collaboration with COSMIT, the Triennale Design Museum is dedicating an exhibition called “The factories of dreams” (5 April 2011-26 February 2012) to the men (and women), companies and projects behind the Italian design system. Curated by Alberto Alessi, and with a dream-like design by Marti Guixé, the objects dialogue with the designers and the entrepreneurs. Laura Curino’s play, “Mani grandi senza fine. Nascita e ascesa del design a Milano: i Castiglioni, Magistretti, Sottsass, Vigano,

Zanuso”, produced by the Milan’s Piccolo Teatro and Cosmit in collaboration with the Fondazione Giannino Bassetti, FederlegnoArredo and the Chambers of Commerce of Milan and Monza Brianza, tells the story of some of Milan’s major protagonists, bringing them back to life through Curino’s brilliant performance and her ability to capture their visionary spirit and human side with great perspicacity. Also sponsored by COSMIT, the Piazza Duomo will host a futuristic exhibition (“Principia- Stanze e sostanze delle arti prossime”) designed by Denis Santachiara and dedicated to the most innovative scientific discoveries that are presented as works of art.

Piazza San Fedele will be transformed into a forest of light, thanks to a design by Attilio Stocchi. Finally, Cosmit and Citroen will turn Via Motenapoleone into an open-air gallery showing ten works by ten young designers from the Salone Satellite selected by Beppe Finessi (who curated an exhibition dedicated to the first ten years of the Salone Satellite in 2007). Laura Curino’s moving monologues honour the memories, and bring to life past masters, but will the new generation measure up? Or is the excellence of these companies in Brianza destined to be colonised by designers from the north of the planet, and soon from the south of the planet.

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Paolo Ulian, Cardboard ceramic vase for Skitsch — www.paoloulian.it

Italian design reflects the times It may be against the current to say this as we, ever whining-Italians, lament a fall in creativity, but I want to state for the record that the new generation of Italian designers is of great depth. It may be less heroic than the generation of the masters. The current times are different: this is no time for heroism, but a time for consistency and perseverance. It’s not a time for resounding gestures (given that the world is already too noisy), but rather one for delicate and loving care and attention to detail. Like homeopathy, new design favours small doses and no shock remedies. It explores

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the details of life, the things that colour our everyday; it attempts to improve our quality of life, starting with the small objects that have so far escaped designers’ attentions. Many of the new designers, just like the past design masters, are ethical and visionary. They experience their job almost as a form of social commitment, while trying to draw out smiles from their potential audience at the same time. They design graceful objects, conceived to humour and support their users, rather than surprise or scandalise them. These are fluid times and no longer times for rifts or rupture. The soundtrack of design has changed in tonality too;

it is no longer Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, but symphonies by Mozart. I’m aware of widespread scepticism toward the new wave of Italian designers, so to convince you I’d like to present some of them to you. Many have already been introduced by the Triennale in their series of concise and articulate exhibitions (called CreativeSet) that document the state of new Italian design. On the contrary, I would like to bring some of their projects to your attention, in the certainty that they are capable of speaking volumes on their own about their raison d’être. www.cosmit.it

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Report by Hughes Belin, coordinator at Karikol

Slow food 42

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I advance through the aisles crammed with excited Italians, families, students and executives in black suits who have left work early. I close my eyes, and I’m there. I recognize the smell of ham, cheese and dust, the noise of the crowd and the clinking of glasses, even the noise of people patiently munching and chewing on samples of biscuits, pork products and and all kinds of other foods that will be on offer over the five days. This is my Mecca: the Salone del Gusto di Torino, the biannual international rendez-vous for Slow Food with the gourmets of the world.

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edical treatment deprived me of my taste for almost three months. I’m determined to make up for lost time. The desire for flavours and taste sensations is building up. This is where it all takes place. Part of a group of 1500 (happy) accredited journalists, my taste buds aren’t about to spoil this moment of communion. Slow Food is pure pleasure. Firstly that of enjoying food that tastes like it should. Slow food shouldn’t be taken literally, it’s not about “eating slowly,” it’s about taking enough time to be aware of what you’re eating. The more a type of food is characterised by its region and/or by the people that have grown it, cultivated it or transformed it, the more it becomes Slow Food. The breakfast cereal packets, that I won’t name here, are not Slow Food of course. Cheese bought from the farmer that we brought back from our holidays in the Cevennes (the cheese, not the farmer!), that’s a different kettle of fish, it’s highly likely that it will indicate the region and bear the “savoir-faire” of its creator and his animals. I’d even go so far as to say that there’s a little bit of love in Slow Food, courtesy of the men and women who produce this kind of food, but I can’t prove it.

The Terra Madre Reality Show The Western world is slowly waking up from a period of capitalist greed. One has only to look at the rise of environmental awareness in the population and parallel resistance to ecological ideals to realise how far we’ve come. We want more and more of what is real, no doubt to make up for the prevalence of everything virtual in our lives. It’s only fitting because we’re going too far. Who can still remember the taste of non-pasterized milk, pork and tomatoes from the garden? The Slow Food movement was started a little over twenty years ago by an Italian journalist – with slight anarchic tendencies – and has become the symbol of the struggle against the might of the multinational foodprocessing companies, and by default blind capitalism that seeks only profit. “The right to food is inalienable” repeats the founder of Slow Food, Carlo Petrini, and not for the first time. Certainly the right to consume as much safe food as we produce should be included in every constitution. Every two years, the Salone del Gusto attracts the Turinese, who are the first to admit that they’re only too happy to “taste the products that come from other regions of Italy.”

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Sicilia, bread from Castel Vetrano Tuscany, Testaorolo

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But it also gives rise to a global gathering of “Communities of taste” (small producers, cooks and academics) called Terra madre. It’s undeniable that Carlo Petrini has a good sense of marketing. But can you blame him, as he, like David, confronts the Goliaths of the food-processing industry who standardise products, taste, consistency, colours and who little by little each day reduce the diversity of agricultural products, and in doing so our food.

heritage of food, the seeds of know-how, but also and above all through the values it holds so dearly. Nothing is more current than these values: conviviality, rebelling against the power of big industry players, humanism, independence vis-à-vis economic interests, member involvement, impartiality, pleasure, or even humour. Exactly the same type of values that are shared by Linux, Wikipedia and other manifestations of the open source spirit.

The Slow movement advocates the benefits of food Slow Food is actually the fight for biodiversity, the safeguard of the genetic heritage of anything edible on Earth, the respect for traditions and ancestral savoir-faire, a love of the land and the regions, the enjoyment of tasting the innermost conscience of humanity: our food. “Food is a fundamental part of our lives and influences nearly all our activities,” sums up Carlo Petrini. The Slow Food movement’s ambition is to change the world, no less. Over the last twenty years of its existence, it has succeeded slowly but surely, (like the snail that has become its symbol) to establish its legitimacy through its large gatherings, its local chapters representing 100.000 members in 150 countries, its University of Taste, its concrete actions to safeguard the

I am what I eat… an act of conscience And perhaps the sensuality of a power one hundred times more erotic than the appalling soft porn advertising that certain clothing companies inflict upon us. With Slow Food, the five senses are continually solicited, stimulated. Eating becomes conducive to an explosion of sensory discoveries, concrete experiences and exchanges. If we receive the world through our senses, our memory is constantly challenged to give meaning to our sensations and transform them into emotions. “Slow Food is not a fad, but a well-established trend,” proudly stated Carlo Petrini at the close of the last Salone del Gusto. It’s a search for meaning. The deeper meaning of our relationship with food, and even of our life on Earth. The place of humans on the planet.

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Totem pot-au-feu, Magali Wehrung, CIV 2008, (Project presented at Lieu du Design until 30 April in the framework of the exhibition Food design – Aventures sensibles) Abruzzo, Mortadella Campotosto

— www.slowfood.com www.karikol.be www.slowfood.fr www.slowfoodfoundation.com

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Surf Erik Nyberg, Gustav Ström and Kris Van Puyvelde for Royal Botania Due to its innovative elliptical design, Royal Botania’s Surf lounger has its own shade and can be placed anywhere. Surf is anchored on both sides, making it the ideal swinging seat or hammock for two people at a time. Suspended in mid-air, the hanging lounger is “halfway between heaven and earth”. www.royalbotania.com

Pulp Christophe Pillet for Kristalia Simple in shape but technically complex, Christophe Pillet’s Pulp cantilever chair for Kristalia in polypropylene can be used both in-and outdoors. Pulp is a monolithic structure moulded to follow the shape of the human body. It’s stackable, easy to clean and resistant to wear and tear. www.kristalia.it

A seasonal selection by Jasmijn Verlinden

Urban Oasis

With Summer just around the corner, TL explores the latest outdoor concepts. 46

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This article continues on our blog : http://blog.tlmagazine.be

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Pattern Arik Levy for Emu ‘Pattern’, the family of chairs and tables designed by Arik Levy for Emu, has been extended with a square table and a bench and is available in five new colours. Inspired by the idea of transparency and structural lightness, the collection is produced in pressed and moulded sheet metal with a recurrent hexagonal pattern. Despite its weight, the Pattern furniture is extremely robust and weather proof. www.emu.it

Cabana

Grillage

Jose A. Gandia-Blasco for Gandia Blasco

François Azambourg for Ligne Roset

In 1996, Gandia Blasco revolutionised the outdoor design market by exporting Mediterranean style outdoor furniture to the rest of the world. This minimalistic garden tent by the Spanish brand stands out for its multifunctional use. Made of aluminium profiles and plastic fabric in white or bronze, the tent can be used as a changing room, lounge area or storage space. www.gandiablasco.com

Multiple award winner François Azambourg aims at uniting technical innovation and the expertise of traditional craftsmanship in his designs. His Grillage chair for Ligne Roset consists of a tubular steel base and a seat made from an elegant, folded piece of sheet metal. The overlapping grid beautifully follows the lines of the human body and creates an interesting spatial structure. www.ligne-roset.com

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Dune Rainer Mutsch for Eternit Dune is a modular and indefinitely expandable outdoor seating element created by designer Rainer Mutsch for the Austrian concrete manufacturer Eternit. The different modules of the bench are produced in a recyclable composite made of natural materials such as cellulose fibres. The result is a highly stable structure with a load-capacity of around 900 kg and a flexibility that fits different spatial situations. www.eternit.at

Plof

Nestrest

Oskar Vermeylen, Vincent Welleman, Yves Haeg and Pim van Eyck in collaboration with Associated Weavers

Daniel Pouzet and Fred Dety for Dedon

Four Design and Technology students at the Lessius University College in Mechelen won this year’s Awareness Award, an initiative from the Associated Weavers to give carpet production waste a second life. Plof is an eco-friendly, aesthetic solution that reuses shredded textile waste as a colourful filler. Plof will suit any interior, and is available in any requested colour and size. It can also be filled with different types of waste. www.awarenessaward2011.be

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The Nestrest lounger is the perfect place for relaxation, meditation and open-air conversations. The hanging pod, woven from 4cm wide threads of Dedon’s signature fibre, resembles an oversized bird’s nest: it protects its lodgers and gives them privacy and at the same time they can appreciate the landscape! www.dedon.de

Essentiel Piergiorgio Cazzaniga for Trib첫 For 2011, the Essentiel collection by Piergiorgio Cazzaniga for Belgian outdoor brand Trib첫 is available in pure white. The new colour scheme puts even more emphasis on the lightweight look and the airy but technically complex design. All the interlocking welded parts of the frame are hidden which creates the impression that the objects are made from a single, sinuous piece of metal. www.tribu.com

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Cordula collection MissoniHome Studio The Cordula outdoor collection is an elegant series of furniture which includes a chaise longue, an armchair with footstool and occasional tables in a choice of sizes. Multicolour cord fibres in the characteristic Missoni colours are hand-woven on a steel frame evoking the signature chevron design the brand is famous for the world over. www.missonihome.it

Paddo Lieven Musschoot and Mathias Hennebel for Sywawa Known for its “umbrella’s with a ‘haircut”, Sywawa is the frivolous subdivision of Belgian umbrella and parasol manufacturer Symo. Paddo has been designed by Lieven Musschoot and Mathias Hennebel who found inspiration in the fairy tale houses of dwarfs and elves. The result: a fashionable parasol with soft folds of fabric underneath the cap that move with the wind. www.sywawa.be

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For more inspiration: 1000 designs for the garden and where to find them by Geraldine and Ian Rudge  Published by Laurence King

RRP € 33 (paperback)

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Heimtextil Highlights Report by Jasmijn Verlinden

Messe Frankfurt successfully opened the new business year with Heimtextil, the leading international trade fair for home and contract textiles. TL brings you its Heimtextil favourites! www.heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com

1 Iris Maschek Wallpapers Cologne-based designer Iris Maschek started developing and manufacturing wallpaper in 2006 after a successful career designing textiles and wall treatments for a variety of European brands. Recognizable by their abstract patterns that create a stunning illusion of depth, these wallpapers bring minimalist but dramatic touches of glamour to any conceivable space.

www.irismaschek.com

2 Soft rocks South African Ronél Jordaan has been working as a textile designer for over thirty years and has built up a large body of work, largely inspired by nature and made from 100% Merino wool felt. Her felted rock cushions are hand-dyed, and available in a range of colours and sizes for indoor and outdoor use. www.roneljordaan.com

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3 Tomorrow’s textile professionals Inspired by the concept of ‘de-collage’, fashion design student Daniela Schmidt created a unique print by removing pieces of an original poster and digitally editing and simplifying the image. For her final year project at the HTW Berlin University of Applied Sciences, Daniela designed a collection combining décollage print with different materials such as silk, wool, denim and leather.

ICON REVIVAL

Interview by Giovanna Dunmall

The Cult of Beauty

A new exhibition at London’s V&A museum traces the development of the British Aesthetic Movement from its beginnings as a small avant-garde circle in the 1860s to its status as a broad cultural phenomenon in the late 19th century. The Aesthetic Movement sought to create a new kind of art, one that worshipped beauty, and that was free of confining Victorian notions of morality and propriety. The V&A is uniquely placed to host this exhibition since many of the Aesthetic artists lived in the neighbourhood (Kensington and Chelsea) and were inspired by the museum’s collections; the V&A’s scholars were also the first to identify and study the movement and many works by Aesthetic artists were acquired by the institution. We ask Stephen Calloway–lead curator for the exhibition–to tell us more about the show, the movement’s raison d’être and its enduring appeal and significance. TL

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ICON REVIVAL 2

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The Aesthetic Movement was about “art for art’s sake”. Do you think this ideal is current again today? “Art for Art’s sake” meant art that existed only in order to be beautiful; pictures that did not tell stories or make moral points; sculptures that simply offered visual and tactile delight and dared to hint at sensual pleasures. Today, the enthusiasm for art–both older art and contemporary–is enormous; museums and galleries are a major aspect of our cities and visiting them is a key aspect of cultural life. Today art is valued for its intrinsic merits–we are no longer as interested in art as propaganda, in pictures which seek to teach moral values. This idea of the nature and purpose of art derives directly from the ideals of the Aesthetic Movement. Why was this movement so significant in the arena of domestic decoration and furnishings? The Aesthetic Movement became the first example of the phenomenon that we would now call a ‘Lifestyle’; this was because the Aesthetic ideal applied not only to painting, sculpture and portraiture but also to dress, collecting and all aspects of the decoration of houses. Aestheticism proposed that to be ‘artistic’ was an essential touchstone of civilised existence and proposed a distinct set of attitudes and styles to cover all aspects of life. How did it influence the contemporary culture of design, and, to a lesser extent, architecture? The same daring spirit motivated innovation in design. William Morris placed the emphasis on fine materials and handcraft, but his furniture and other products were necessarily very expensive. Avant-garde architects and designers such as E.W. Godwin and Christopher Dresser were happy to work with manufacturers; they transformed the banal and pretentious furnishings of the middleclass home. Their aim was to make chairs and tables worthy of the name “Art Furniture” and to create ceramics, textiles, wallpapers and other manufactures exquisite enough for the houses of Aesthetes. The use of red brick and white painted woodwork in the style of the 1720s was called the “Queen Anne Revival”; the most famous examples of this are found in the artistic suburb of Bedford Park (west London) and in Kensington and Chelsea. Another key influence on architecture and decoration styles was the way in which artists lived. Artists’ studios were ‘palaces of art’ that were widely copied; the most celebrated was Frederic Leighton’s house (this house, with its famously exotic interiors including a tiled Arab Hall, still survives).

1 E.W Godwin, Mahogany sideboard, London, 1867-1870 2 James Bruce Talbert, ‘Juno’ Cabinet, London, 1878 3 Lawrence Alma Tadema, Chair, England, 1893 4 Bruce James Talbert, Design for ‘Sunflo wer’ wallpaper, England, 1878 5 Lawrence Alma Tadema, Studio Couch, England, 1893 — The exhibition, The Cult of Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900 runs from 2 April until 17 July

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icon revival

What were the greatest influences on the Aesthetic Movement itself? At no period were artists and designers so knowledgeable about and influenced by the past as in the middle decades of the 19th century. A designer of furnishings and domestic goods was expected to be familiar with the art and artefacts of Islamic and Asian cultures. The opening of Japan by an American fleet in 1855 ended the country’s long period of self-imposed isolation and real Japanese artefacts began to reach Europe. At first considered merely quaint these goods were avidly studied by artists and designers who discovered in them new kinds of beauty. At the same time Classical Ideals were very important. Throughout the 18th century the influence of the classical world dominated European cultural life, with ancient–mostly Roman–models providing the templates for architecture, sculpture and the decorative arts. As the 19th century progressed, artists and designers began to look beyond this cool Neo-classicism

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and recognise other, perhaps more romantic and exotic qualities in Greek art. You collaborated closely with Liberty on this exhibition. Why? Arthur Lasenby Liberty opened his shop on Regent Street in 1875. At first he specialised in imports from Japan, China, India and North Africa, selling to a wider public the ‘exotic’ furnishings, fabrics and accessories that were popular among Aesthetic artists. Increasingly, he supplemented these products with ones commissioned from British designers such as Arthur Silver. The name of Liberty became a byword for artistic taste in middle-class homes. The artists in the Aesthetic Movement seem to have become personalities in their day. Who are the modern-day equivalents of James McNeill Whistler, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Oscar Wilde? The movement has a very exciting ‘cast of characters’. These were in some ways the first celebrities–the relatively recent introduction

of illustrations in newspapers and magazines facilitated the spread of information about the artists and their houses at this time. Oscar Wilde carefully manipulated his ‘image’; he became famous through lecturing about the Aesthetic Movement and cast himself as the first ‘style-guru’. These days many artists are as famous for their ‘look’ and persona as for their work: in England Gilbert and George or Damien Hirst seem obvious examples. I would name Andy Warhol as the most famous example of all in recent years. Why does the Aesthetic Movement have such a hold on us still today? The Aesthetic Movement was a reaction to the ugliness, vulgarity and commercialism of the art and design of the day–today so many things are even more commercial–so there is room for reform. In fact, young art students seem to be taking a new interest in the beauty of materials and reviving old skills such as drawing. www.vam.ac.uk/cultofbeauty

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Lancel

Portrait of a star

A selection by Lise Coirier

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www.lancel.com

More than 130 years of eclectic history have left its mark on the luxury leather goods and silverware craftsman Angèle Lancel. He settled in Paris in the 1920s, on the boulevard des Italiens. A contemporary of fashion designers Jacques Doucet, Schiaparelli and perfumer Guerlain, Lancel innovated in the luxury retail sector rapidly opening a number of boutiques. Before venturing into Brigitte Bardot territory - who has designed the new BB bag - let’s look at some images that take us to the heart of inspired creations by Ms. Lancel, a woman who was liberated long before women’s lib became de rigueur, whose career was punctuated by the passion of love, paving the way for new creations: bags and fully accessorised ornamental cases displaying Parisian refinement; and to remain beautiful, a compact and lipstick complete with card holder or hidden pocket for secrets pertaining to love. A reflection of a city embellished with its grand boulevards and frivolous gaiety. An anthology of the haute couture spirit with a ‘French touch’, clichés brought to our attention courtesy of Studio Harcourt of Boulogne-Billancourt, famous for their studios and portraits of film stars.

Sournois, 1930 Boomerang, 1960 Secret, 1950 Irrévérencieuse, 1900

Photography / design 2

A discerning eye Text by Jacques Barsac

In a preview of the exhibition Charlotte Perriand – From photography to design… and from design to photography which opens 7 April at the Petit Palais in Paris, TL Magazine presents the guiding principles of this woman who transcends time and social order.

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Photography / design

It would never occur to any connoisseur of the work of this pioneer to spontaneously associate her name with photography. And yet, it was the recent discovery of hundreds of negatives lying dormant in her archives that brought to light the profile of a remarkable photographer, negatives which must be seen if we are to fully comprehend the body of work she produced from 1926 to 1999. Her work as a photographer, as beautifully demonstrated in the exhibition at the Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich, which has just ended, must now be included with her work as a designer that made her famous, and her work as an architect and urban planner. A scaled-up version of the exhibition will be shown at the Petit Palais in Paris from 7 April to 18 September. Indeed, the Centre Pompidou showed a series of Charlotte Perriand’s photographs in a retrospective of her work in 2005, as did the Victoria and Albert Museum in London for the exhibition “Modernism, designing a new world, 1914-1939” in 2006. During the 1930s – the years of political engagement parallel to her activities as an architect, designer, urban planner and activist –, photography was an essential part of her work, to the detriment of all her other activities. The photographic adventure started in 1927 and ended in Japan in 1940. Exhibiting throughout the pioneering period where modernity developed, she kept alight the hope of a better world which shattered in the Second World War. For

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©AChP_ADAGP 2010

Charlotte Perriand photography is a secret laboratory for her artistic and philosophical research; it’s a “machine” for reflecting on, writing down and stirring emotions, but also a tool for fighting as illustrated by her giant photomontages. Her photographic work, which addresses the main themes and questions of the Modernists in the 1930s, is in tune with the great movement of the avant-garde where painters, architects and photographers, sometimes mixed together, worked hand in hand in a common spirit, where each expression benefits from another persons judgement. Objects found in nature After the crisis of 1929 and the disillusionment with “the machine”, Charlotte Perriand’s photographic work expressed the new outlook on the world and the rush towards nature which was to profoundly renew artistic expressions. It was from 1933 onwards, in the company of Pierre Jeanneret and Fernand Léger - with whom she formed a close friendship based on intellectual and political complicity - that she threw herself into a conceptual adventure involving objects found in nature formed over time: pebbles, flint, roots, scraps of curled wood by the sea... They named their research “Art Brut”. While she was photographing the objects in her studio beneath the rooftops of Montparnasse, Fernand Léger would be drawing stones, roots, or pieces of meat etc. a few floors below. At the same period, Le Cor-

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To read Jacques Barsac, Charlotte Perriand and photography. A discerning eye 5 continents Editions, Milan, 2011. — Charlotte Perriand, A life of creation : Odile Jacob Editions, Paris, 1988. — Jacques Barsac, Charlotte Perriand, An art of living : Norma Editions, Paris, 2005. — Jacques Barsac, Charlotte Perriand and Japan : Norma Editions, Paris, 2008.

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Brussels International Exhibition, 1935 For the occasion of the famous Brussels International Exhibition of 1935 , Charlotte Perriand, collaborating with Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Fernand Léger, exhibited objects found in nature - the vertebra of a whale, flint from the mountains, calcite next to a fresque by Fernand Léger created specially for the occasion - as part of her “Maison du Jeune Homme”. Modern paintings and found objects interacted on an equal footing on a shelving unit titled “mur de collection”, which clearly indicated that the natural object is invested with the same mission as art. Compared to the spirit of the works of this event where official art triumphs, the intentions of Charlotte Perriand are a radical criticism of the present, a political demand: art for everyone, art for everyone; a questioning of academic values, the market value of art and thus of the cultural institution and its diktats: the museum. She advised everyone to “create works” from the collection of objects found in nature, whose evocative force is as artistically interesting as the modern sculpture illustrated in her photographs. At the time, the anxiety of sculptor Jacques Lipchitz spoke volumes. Walking furiously along the walls to inspect roots, wood chippings, bone and pebbles, he looked upon these objects as rivals to sculpture. In the “Maison du Jeune Homme”, the wall adjacent to the wall of the collection is made of slate from floor to ceiling so that the young man can draw and write on it. It’s the first time that an architect designs a device so that the user can have his say and express his thoughts. “The walls have their say…” was to become one of the slogans of May 68 thirty years later. She also exhibited her first photomontage illustrating the history of transport. The Popular Front, 1936 A woman of conviction, Charlotte Perriand set about communicating ideas about archi-

Fishbone, 1933 Charlotte Perriand in the mountains, around 1930 Art Brut, Mexico, 1933 Ombra Chair, 1954, Cassina Edition Jacques Barsac, Charlotte Perriand and photography. A discerning eye Tokyo Couch (detail) Refolo, 1954, Cassina Edition Maison du Jeune Homme, Brussels, 1935 Charlotte Perriand and Le Corbusier’s hands, 1928

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busier would also be integrating objects from nature in his paintings, contrary to the Purist period where the manufactured object was king. These photographs from the “Art Brut” period (1933-1936) echo the paintings and drawings of Fernand Léger and Le Corbusier, that throw light on the approach of quartet Léger, Le Corbusier, Perriand, and Jeanneret, each linked by their questioning of matters relating to art and man.

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Photography / design

©AChP_ADAGP 2010

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agricultural programme; agricultural policies which formed the basis of the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) a policy implemented across Europe until the beginning of our century. From photography to design Using her Rolleiflex 6 x 6 like a notebook, Charlotte Perriand’s photographs reveal her interests, and on occasions her sources of inspiration. They are testament to her “discerning eye”, a favourite pithy turn of phrase used by Charlotte Perriand for expressing, in a light-hearted way, an important aspect of her creative way of functioning. “A discerning eye” consisted of paying attention to every single object, from the most humble to the most remarkable, the smallest to the largest, shaped by man or by nature, in order to “learn” from them. Interpreting the works of Charlotte Perriand through photographic documentation will shed new light on her way of thinking and her creative process. It’s a wonderful lesson for the young designers of today which reveals the sense – commitment for a better world – that she strived for in her work.

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tecture and modern urban planning by creating a giant photomontage which denounced “The Great Misery of Paris” to point out to Parisians that the deplorable urban planning of the capital was not a fatality, but the fruit of a will that they should fight, that urban planning conditions their life, that it’s a political matter (in the proper sense of the word). From the moment the Popular Front came to power, she put her talent to good use helping the Minister of Agriculture, Georges Monnet, to promote the new agricultural reforms. In the minister’s waiting room, she went about creating immense photographic frescos for the walls showing the virtues and the necessity of bringing economic and social progress to rural areas, as well as to the working class population in the cities. The following year, this time collaborating with Fernand Léger, she created yet another series of large-scale photomontages (more than 110 metres long by 4 metres high), this time for the Minister of Agriculture’s pavilion at the International Exposition of Paris. The aim was to illustrate the theme of the Popular Front’s

Come and see the exhibition ‘‘Charlotte Perriand de la photographie au design’’ at the Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris until 18 September. The first 25 readers will each receive two free tickets. Contact: info@tlmagazine.be with your names and postal address.

Photography / design

Charlotte Perriand

The art market under the microscope

A sales overview by François Épin, auctioneer and design specialist at Pierre Bergé & Associés

Auction prices for furniture by Charlotte Perriand are fairly stable. A few Parisian galleries have contributed to this. Her works are now part of the largest collections and are acclaimed as much in Paris, as Brussels, Tokyo and New York. The price level however, differs significantly depending on the works produced. For example, the furniture designed for ‘les Arcs’ is quite common and the price level has slumped to reflect this. Steph Simon editions are sought after by enthusiasts. His collaborations with Jeanneret or Le Corbusier still tend to push the price towards the high side. The origin has become an increasingly important criteria to justify the estimates and elude the risk of counterfeiting. Here are some examples of results achieved at Pierre Bergé & Associés on specified dates.

Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999) and Le Corbusier (1887-1965) Vast room divider. Origin: Student bedroom, Maison du Brésil, Franco-Brazilian foundation, Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, 1956-59. H. 151cm / L. 179cm / D. 65cm 18/06/07 – Sold for: €18,000

Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999) Dining room table (also) known as “Free Form” Plateau and legs in solid ash. Steph Simon edition, made by André Chetaille, ca.1967. H. 73cm /L. 242cm / D. 113cm 16/12/10 – Sold for: €100,000

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Photography / design

Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999) “Brazil” daybed. Origin: Student bedroom, Maison du Brésil, Franco-Brazilian foundation, Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, 1956-59. H. 28cm / L. 190cm / D. 80cm 12/12/07 – Sold for: €13,000 www.pba-auctions.com

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Photography / design

Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999) Long bench, mahogany slats and black lacquered metal. Steph Simon edition, made by Métal Meuble, ca.1959-63. Origin: Cité Cansado – new city, Mauritania. H. 24cm / L. 190cm / D. 69,5cm 16/12/10 – Sold for: €8,000

Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999) Pair of stools, natural wood seat and tripod base. Steph Simon edition, ca.1960. H. 45cm / D. 33cm 16/12/10 – Sold for: €3,300

Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999) and Jean Prouvé (1901-1984) “Cloud” Bookcase and “Mexico” sideboard. Oak shelves with white and black metal enameled frame held together with aluminium rivets. Steph Simon edition, made by ateliers Jean Prouvé, ca.1958-62. H. 65,5cm / L. 216cm / D. 33,5cm 16/12/10 – Sold for: €45,000

Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999) and Jean Prouvé (1901-1984) Large “Block” mahogany four-door sideboard, black enameled metal, aluminium rivets and white, grey and black lacquered masonite. Steph Simon edition, made by Métal Meuble, ca.1959/63. H. 77,5cm / L. 216cm / D. 46,5cm Origin: Cité Cansado – new city, Mauritania. 16/12/10 – Sold for: €42,000

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©ADAGP

Interview by Sandra de Vivies

A city for two 66

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A Prouvé - Perriand - Le Corbusier and Jeanneret specialist, antique dealer Éric Touchaleaume returns, with a fascinating book about Chandigarh, the exception. Or how, from the division of the Punjab in the partition of India in 1947, a whole city was able to rise from the ground thanks to two architects that just happened to be geniuses.

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Photography / architecture

How did you become involved in this “Indian Adventure”, to borrow the title from your book? I knew that Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret had built Chandigarh, but at the time these pieces of furniture were worthless! Like the stock of chairs from the City University, in Paris, that some friends and I bought in 1984… But once the market picked up, the prices quickly started to rise creating fierce competition in France. So I started to look around the old colonies, like Niger and Congo Brazzaville where the Air France building had been refurbished by Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé. The latter had a good administrative network and he was the only one who provided light, collapsible furniture. At the same time, I was also searching for other remnants of modernity in the Punjab, in India. Did the people in Chandigarh readily accept to part with their possessions? The owners of well-furnished houses refused to sell at first. Examples being Swiss House, Brazil House and also the French House which was furnished by Art Deco masters like Ruhlmann. And then eventually everyone decided to sell because that’s life! You wouldn’t ask a student

nowadays to stack their books on a 1950s bookshelf, they wouldn’t even fit… And it’s not possible to put everything in a museum. What was the collaboration like between Le Corbusier and Jeanneret? Nehru, who was a visionary, chose Le Corbusier to build the new capital on a desert plain, at the foot of the Himalayas. When Le Corbusier drew the plans in 1950, he was one of the greatest architects in the world but he did it almost for free… He called his cousin Jeanneret, who stayed on the site for fifteen years (Le Corbusier visited on 23 occasions), supervising the construction of buildings by Le Corbusier but also establishing his own body of work. He also went on to develop the “low cost furniture” programme. What kind of style was imposed on Chandigardh? Everything was considered down to the last detail, from the magnificent palaces to the manhole covers for the sewers. Many houses were built using local bricks (baked in a traditional oven). There is evidence of architectural formulas that were dear to Le Corbusier like the inclined plane or the roof-terrace, which were revolutionary at the time. The spaces were vast and very green, which to this day

Founder of Galerie 54, in Paris, Éric Touchaleaume is primarily interested in Prouve’s lightweight architecture (prototypes of tropical homes) and continues to sell beautiful pieces of furniture once or twice a year at auction. — Further reading Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, “The Indian Adventure”, by Éric Touchaleaume and Gérald Moreau, published by Gourcuff Gradenigo, 639p, recommended retail price: €120 - includes a catalogue that lists every piece of furniture registered at Chandigarh. — 1 P. U., Gourcuff Gradenigo, Galerie 54 Eric Touchaleaume 2 Conference table, Gourcuff Gradenigo, Galerie 54 Eric Touchaleaume — www.galerie54.com www.gourcuff-gradenigo .com

helps keep the pollution at a low level. He was a wonderful town planner. How important do you think Chandigarh is, if you compare it to other works by Le Corbusier? After the war Le Corbusier really became inspired, unleashing all his creativity, whereas Jeanneret stayed faithful to a certain classicism inherited from the 1930s - one example being the Villa Savoye (Poissy, 78). Le Corbusier was an artist. Every morning of his life was devoted to painting and sculpture. And in many respects, his work in India is more like that of an artist inspired by nature than an architect. Full of symbols of virility, like the bull, which also matched his headstrong, physical personality. The palace of Justice and Assembly building revert though to habitable sculpture and he painted the door of the latter himself before offering it to India. But as for the question of what Chandigarh meant to Le Corbusier, he described it himself in a letter to his mother in 1954: “… To my dearest mother, this letter is exempt from all worldly modesty, but is full of pride. I’m sending it so that you know that at last the architect, the town planner, the painter and the sculptor have created poetry here – a reason to exist and live among well-bred folk”.

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Photography / architecture

Interview by Lise Coirier Photography by Bas Princen

The eye of the topographers Captivating images 68

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If photography and architecture are media that support the construction of both the image and the project, they also form a tandem that links form and space in a direct and precise manner. The approach of Office Kersten Geers, David Van Severen and Bas Princen is subjective and implies a spatiotemporal experience and a radical immersion in the contrasting beauty of a city or a landscape and an introspective moment with oneself and the world. We met up with this talented Belgo-Dutch trio, who were recently rewarded with a silver Lion at the International Architecture Biennale in Venice for their exhibition Garden Pavilion 7 Rooms – 21 Perspectives.

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Bridge & Dike, Handelsbeurs, Ghent ‘Wall’ – Travelling scenography, for LOD theatre group, 2010 Summerhouse, Ghent, 2004-2007 ‘Garden Pavilion (7 Rooms / 21 Perspectives)’, Venice, 2010 Notary’s Office, Antwerp, 2005

It is this uncompromising quality of image and architecture that is responsible, no doubt, for leaving the door wide open to free interpretations. The image supports the architecture and its different typologies, and vice-versa. Whilst visiting deSingel in Antwerp, it becomes apparent that the large prints by Bas Princen speak volumes about his relationship with the generation of landscape photographers or “new topographers” such as Robert Adams and Bernd & Hilla Becher. His way of looking at things, a vision shared with the architect duo David Van Severen and Kersten Geers, reflects this quest to objectify reality filtered with magic and a dose of surrealism. As backed up by David Van Severen: “The photographs taken This article continues on our blog : http://blog.tlmagazine.be

by Bas Princen for our office weren’t taken in the spirit of executing to order, but with taking a radical look at the architecture. As in all of our projects, the collages to obtain one or two images are sufficient to translate our vision to a client and for him to project his own vision. They are enough to reveal a story. Thus, the image and the project speak for themselves. The photography is open to free interpretation which is not determined by human presence but by looking for a framework and possible elements of life.” The notion of frontiers is ever present in the work of both Office KGDVS and Bas Princen. “The project of the border post between the United States and Mexico consists of basic elements: a wall, a zone demar-

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Photography / architecture

cated by palm trees, a place of passage that distances itself from the architectural utopia to be closer to mankind and our symbolic quest for the Garden of Eden. There is a dual approach: both an invitation to travel and a visual confrontation between a full-on architectural effect and the emptiness of the surrounding desert. The construction questions the limit of a private area and a public zone; it is a crossing that erases all physical and psychological constraints. As in the Master plan project for the Kortrijk Xpo exhibition centre, we accept the challenge of creating simplified, high quality architecture in an out-of-town area,” adds David. “By structuring and rethinking the space on the edge of town, we try to explore the potential of an ‘Extra Muros’ architecture. Conversely, Bas discovers spaces and reflects them in photography. He looks at things in a subjective manner and creates a mise

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en scène of the cities and landscapes that he observes. Like us, he shares a penchant for an ‘extra-urban’ city project to extract a new reality that oscillates between an artificial and natural image.” The image becomes full of significance, a reservoir of meaning which confronts us with time, the concretion of material, and with the unexpected spatial qualities of the urban peripheries or architectural projects on the outskirts of town. A pluralistic and humanistic way of looking at things, the type of photography and architecture practised by Bas, Kersten and David opens our eyes to potential territories, where the spatio-temporal framework becomes conducive to the reinvention of places and new uses. All there’s left to do is to feel the effect of this discrepancy in the image to appropriate the architecture. It is all a question of perception and culture. It is up to us to bring it to life.

Info : www.officekgdvs.com Until 22 May 2011, “Reservoir” exhibition by Bas Princen at the International Arts Campus, deSingel, Antwerp. www.desingel.be – To read : Reservoir by Hatje Cantz, RPP € 29.80, collectors special edition on demand. www.hatjecantz.de

Photography / design

The Bouroullecs laid bare Text by Sandra de Vivies

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A few months before a retrospective of their work this Autumn in Beaubourg, Metz, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec exhibit no less than nine hundred drawings and photographs at the arc en rêve in Bordeaux, until 24 April.

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1 arc en rêve, centre d’architecture, Bordeaux 2 arc en rêve, centre d’architecture, Bordeaux 3 Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec — www.bouroullec.com www.arcenreve.com

t’s primarily an exhibition about hard work, the sincerity and the fine line between the softness and lightness that characterises the Bouroullec brothers’ work, from gems like their Floating House, to their furniture. From the outset we grasp how the designers make the transition from an abstract drawing to an object. The room, decorated with three hundred drawings of chairs, is an indication of the infinite time that separates an idea from its completion. It’s the opposite of a TV show where the viewer sees the architect scribble down an idea and discovers the application in a lounge after the ad break! However, if there is a naivety that we want to share, it’s surely expressed by Alessandro Mendini in Abitare speaking about the Vegetal chair: “to think that this infinitely poetic and sensual vibration inherent in their working drawings has survived in the industry...” Here’s a wall dedicated to craft projects, whose creepers were developed with a saddler for the galerie Kreo. Another displays the RMI of the Steelwood chair (Magis). While another room presents architectural modules, made up of pixels (Tiles, Clouds, Algae) and other isolated items from the collective bath, like the Alcove sofa. Finally, there are a few clues about new work for Milan: Wooden birds (Vitra), and over there a lacquered lamp designed in Wajima in a pure Japanese traditional style currently in production for Flos. It can sometimes feel a little embarrassing to penetrate in this intimacy, then again “showing the process is a trend that sometimes legitimises projects without interest”, adds Ronan Bouroullec. He refers to everyday applications, an almost automatic gesture, moreover “I could probably stop making objects, but to stop drawing would be impossible”. And photography, the ultimate stage in the cycle of creating an object? “Besides the enjoyment that it brings, creating didactic, or magic iconography (depending on the type of project) that reflects what we want to get across is essential because design is published more often than it is sold”. Long live illustrated books that embrace design objects!

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Interview by Lise Coirier

Marcel wanders & Erwin olaf The Dream team

ÂŠ Marcel Wanders

Surreal photography and design

Photography / design Marcel Wanders is back a year after designing the special Milan cover for TL, which featured a selection of his then recent creations, visualised as a 3 dimensional haiku. It could have been a photograph, but it appeared in print, another way to freeze a moment in time for posterity. Our discussion with Marcel continues …

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Moooi, Haikus Alessi Alessi

This article continues on our blog : http://blog.tlmagazine.be

What is the relevance of photography in design and vice versa? What is the common mutual language that Marcel has developed with his friend, photographer Erwin Olaf, in order to create new forms of eye contact with people? Photography provides everyone with free access to an object. Pure magic. With photography, we have the impression of entering into a ritual with its fetishes, rules and language. Like in a 17th century still life or in the old vanitas’ which are part of Marcel’s and Erwin’s Dutch culture. We are all educated a certain way and we follow a dogma which is part of our Western culture. “I studied the Japanese civilization,” states Marcel. “As a European, I had always wanted to cross over the boundaries in order to push the limits of my own culture. The surreal photography which I practice with Erwin and in my own photo studio is bringing me a lot of satisfaction and has led to stunning results. We are challenging the meaning of things and the onlookers perception and interpretation of the image. If I have to define the surreal photography we are creating, it is mostly about conventional angles rather than the more typical altered perspectives, it is not about obscuring an element or an object or photographing something from a surprising and crazy angle. It is not about turning the camera upside down, lighting effects, or the interesting use of light and shadow effects. It is especially and mainly about the representation of the ordinary in an extraordinary way. It is the little lie or creation of misunderstanding about what things could mean or what they are here for. It attempts to answer the following question: how can I misinterpret this piece and in doing so communicate something more about it? This is the way we want to start communicating with our audience.”

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Photography / design 4

In the world of Marcel Wanders where the archetype rules, objects are plain and speak for themselves. They are not overwhelmingly surprising, not extremely new, but… they will always make new interesting connections, enlighten us, giving new meaning to what we thought we knew and understood. That’s exactly what we feel when looking at the Moooi double portraits or Superheroes images co-created by Erwin Olaf and Marcel Wanders. There is always this surprising new connection, set in a poetic landscape of photography, like Marcel’s photographic haikus for Alessi and KLM, which are shot in-house at his own studio in Westerhuis, Amsterdam. A language of objects and objectivity As Marcel himself states: “by engaging myself in art, photography, design and other possible

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creative aspects I enable myself to maximise the communicative potential of each individual work and to conduct and guide the improvement of the whole.” If love guides him in his quest for more beauty and life fulfilment, photography is one of the best “momentums” for stating what an object brings to our lives. There is a sense of identity and common good. “Our Moooi catalogue is free, everyone can look at our images which are stylishly art directed and shot. People don’t browse through the catalogue because they need a sofa or other pieces in our collection. People look through it because they are interested to see their culture, their world, to get ideas and to have a better understanding of who they are.” Marcel is a keen observer of our attitudes and lifestyles and notes that

“ It is especially and mainly about the representation of the ordinary in an extraordinary way.”

ÂŠ Marcel Wanders

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Expanding reality Moreover, we all live in both the real and the unreal world. In that sense, photography can allow us to become the designers of our own imaginary book. Fiction is free of charge and its meaning is strong enough to go beyond ownership. We can project ourselves in a “second life” world but we can also appreciate the beauty of a more classical shooting with a twist, where objects are still tangible and can be touched. By observing, taking time and distance, we feel more balanced to enter into the world of imagination with or without adding a human presence. Pictures which are strange and propose fantastic forms are sometimes more impactful images. They surprise us more than the ones that are displayed clearly and frontally for the camera to record. This is the way pioneers like William Henry Fox Talbot started when they wrote “The Pencil of Nature” in the mid-19th century. Today, we were also debating with Marcel the fact that design and photography are two compatible media with a common language which always goes beyond the “picture dictionary” or the “people-objects” to enter into a world of magic. The French philosopher Jean Baudrillard was provocative when he said “The magic of photography is that it is the object that does all the work.” “He seemed to be thinking of the classic photographer, who is just the spectator. In my surreal photographical fantasies design thinking is the true creative force, used in combination with a forgotten superpower: fantasy,” concludes Marcel.

our appreciation of art books and “picture books” starts in childhood. Why should we escape from this culture of the surreal, and the superheroes who are providing so much power, fantasy and pleasure?

“Fiction is free of charge and its meaning is strong enough to go beyond ownership”

4 Superheroes series, Smokerman, Erwin Olaf & Marcel Wanders 5 Flames, Moooi, Erwin Olaf 6 Moooi, Haikus 7 KLM 8 KLM 9 Kose, AQMW, AD magazine, ErwinOlaf — www.marcelwanders.com www.erwinolaf.com

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Photography / design

Report by François Épin Photography by

Steven Papandropoulos

Ampersand House & Gallery Design and photography as a lifestyle 80

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Located in a mansion in central Brussels, Ampersand House & Gallery is conceived as a cleverly orchestrated mix of photography, contemporary art, vintage furniture and design. Settled in what has been dubbed the ‘Golden Triangle’ of the city, Kathryn Smith and Ike Udechuku have recently invested a considerable amount of time in revamping a building, bathed in light, which reflects the rich diversity of their influences and interests. They welcome collectors eager to find XXth century pieces displayed in their rightful context, in this case a family home. The decor is a reflection of their philosophy of life. With no particular preconceptions, it elegantly and harmoniously mixes design icons with new talents. The temporal boundaries merge, creating dialogue between the arts, eras and materials.

Photography / design

Furthermore, the cosmopolitan hosts find it only natural to initiate meetings between the contemporary artists whom they represent. The suggestion of a collaboration between lighting designer Nathalie Dewez and a ceramist may soon result in a collection of original lamps. Quirkiness, image and lighting Walking through the large voluminous spaces within the mansion, the visitor will be seduced by the colourful and quirky photographs of Steven Papandropoulos. In the reception area, the cliches of ‘pétanque’ players taken on a beach in Belgium is reminiscent of scenes of

life on the Anglo-Saxon coast that are so dear to Martin Parr. They blend comfortably with the retro furniture. If the suspension lamps by Nathalie Dewez, graphic wth clean lines, provide some pure solid colour which coordinates with the modernist decor in the rest of the appartment, the floor lamps also correspond to the industrial and mystical universe of Neil Woods’ prints. His poetic, photographic eye revealing the hinges that would come with the lastest pair of fashionable glasses. Design against design Upstairs, a lounge arranged like a game of geometry is an invitation to conversation. A

very 1970s circular wall lamp brushes next to another well-rounded subject; a photo by Richard Caldicott, its square frame following the same harmonious lines as the Heine Design coffee table, which in turn echo the lines of the Hans Wegner sofa bed. All this contradicted by the dispersed triangular composition of a delicate paper Star lamp by Tom Dixon. Simply placed on the table, its sculptural character is true-to-life. We can leave the house with the memory of Sean Justice’s photograph Ceramic71 that epitomises the harmony of the place, the marriage of contrasts taking place between photography and design whilst playing with the times and styles.

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Photography / design

1 Ground floor front exhibition room Easy chairs by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard Nielsen for France & Daverkosen; featured in Mad Men, episode two, series one, photograph: “My Phone” by Stephen Papandropoulous German brass art deco lamp, unknown designer / Danish rosewood sideboard manufactured by Vejen Møbelfabrik / Heart-shaped vases by Per Lütken for Holmegaards Glasværk

Contact : Ike Udechuku udechuku@mac.com +44 7785 702 155 (UK) +32 479 821 976 (BE)

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2 First floor landing Scanned image: Shades by Neil Wood, from the Mythologies series, digital images made by scanning everyday objects / Danish sofa bed by unknown designer / German candlesticks designed by Stoff for Nagel / Upper lamp: La Plic light by Nathalie Dewez for Ligne Roset / Lower lamp: spiral filament tube bulb from the Historic / Lighting Company lying on a beaten aluminium dish from the Lebanon

3 Ceramic 71 by Sean Justice 4 Sweeping staircase in reception area Photograph: “Ready to Play” by Stephen Papandropoulos Mandarin Series credenza in rosewood, designed by Tim Bates for Pieff / Copper-coated Spun Vase by Edward Robinson 5 Ampersand Office Photograph: “Pier” by Stephen Papandropoulous, sculpture: Italian, 1970s bronze relief sculpture, artist unknown / Danish teak 1960s sideboard, unknown designer / Three-seater “Tongue” chair by Nigel Coates for SCP / “Lamp06” by Nathalie Dewez for Ligne Roset

Studio / reception room Photograph: “Combination Black, 1995” by Richard Caldicott, Danish student daybed by Hans J. Wegner for Getama / German 1970s circular wall lamp produced by Staff / Paper Star Light by Tom Dixon / Heine Design steel and glass coffee table / Danish Gallery Stool by Hans Sandgren Jacobsen

Text by François Épin

Design and Photography: The Ping-Pong effect 84

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Photography / design 3

Mieke Meijer, Gravel Plant office 2010 Mieke Meijer is a designer based in Eindhoven where she trained at the Design Academy until 2006. The focus of her work has inspired her to go beyond an approach of valuing a heritage that no longer exists. An admirer of the Bechers work, she has found her own unique way of continuing where they left off, not by working with 2D images, but in rematerializing the constructions in three dimensions while placing them in a new context, in an interior. By reducing the scale and by playing with the volume, she shapes free-standing furniture that are undeniably architectural in character. The Gravel Plant office, made from oak, glass and steel, is one of the first in a series of furniture in this style. One piece will be auctioned at PB&A on June, 22nd 2011.

©AChP_ADAGP 2010

Bernd and Hilla Becher, archaeological photographers From 1959 onwards, for over a period of more than thirty years, Bernd and Hilla Becher documented an extensive series of photographic images of industrial buildings in Germany, Holland, France, Belgium, Great Britain and the United States. They were as attached to photographing the industrial factories as the abandoned areas they stood in. Their photographic inventory enabled to determine and document a veritable typology of industrial monuments. The way the Bechers looked at these industrial buildings enhances the remarkable nature of these constructions. Their architectural form is completely devoted to their functionality. By the late twentieth century, most of these testimonies of industrial architecture were destroyed, their activity having become obsolete and their sites no longer functioning. Thus, the Bechers photographs remain the only visual traces of these ‘anonymous’ structures.

1 Mieke Meijer, Gravel Plant office 2 Mieke Meijer, Gravel Plant office 3 Charlotte Perriand & Le Corbusier, Barrel Refuge, 1938 4 Bernd and Hella Becher, Gravel plant, Kirchham, Bad Füs sing, Germany, 1991 — www.miekedingen.nl

Dream of reconstructing a Barrel Shelter This projection by Mieke Meijer and the Bechers on the remains of industrial architecture also remind us of the importance of projecting ourselves as human beings onto the landscape, to find an area of contemplation. The haven of peace, perched at the top of the mountain, is reminiscent of the ‘Barrel Refuge’ of Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret that they built in the Alps in 1938.

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Text by Marie Farman

Design galleries A hotbed for cross-disciplinary designers 86

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Is Paris becoming the new capital of design? Given the keen interest in contemporary design, it’s not surprising to see an increasing number of new galleries offering more than the simple ‘exhibition’ experience. The approach of three such galleries goes beyond the limits of the gallery, privileging a dialogue with the designers, between the disciplines and the public.

Photography / design 2

Ymer & Malta

www.ymeretmalta.com

Slott © Galerie Slott

From June, 16th “Benjamin Graindorge: nébuleuses et esquisses”.

Exhibition space and workshop Open since the beginning of 2011 in the 17th arrondissement, this studio is a place apart. Valérie Maltaverne and Rémy Le Fur edit exclusive limited edition pieces by Benjamin Graindorge, Cédric Ragot, Normal studio and A+A Cooren. The designers have a space where they can exhibit and create. This allows them to meet craftsmen, such as a mason or carpenter, and work on the production process of their creations. The gallery becomes an extension of the workshop.

Itinerant exhibition space This unusual place continuously renews itself by changing address. In 2011, Paola Bjaringer and her team settled in a beautiful apartment in the 6th arrondissement. Bathed in light, a mix of pieces by well-known and lesser known designers, from Arik Levy to Andrea Knecht bring the place to life. A showroom, residence, ideas incubator, meeting place… Slott never stays still, there’s always something happening. On May, 21st new showroom opening with Confession (A. Levy), The Power of Love (M. Lehanneur), Aequorea (M. Crasset), Paille sofa (A. Knecht), Lovetoys collection & avant-première of a unique carpet from young French designers PUPSAM.

www.exquisedesign.com/lovedesign/fr/galerie-slott

This article continues on our blog : http://blog.tlmagazine.be

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Photography / design

Coming soon Exhibition space and trend laboratory Located in a small alley on the boulevard de Sébastopol in the 2nd arrondissement, this gallery is a place dedicated to all lovers of photography and design. It’s creator, Frédéric de Gouville, offers an unusual programme that is accessible to all. He combines pieces by young designers with photographic proposals. And the alchemy works: really refreshing!

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Ymer & Malta, Reception Andrea Knecht, Straw Sofa Arik Levy Installation Virginie Otth Installation Fake Memory series, Photography Série Ordinaires © Matthieu Gafsou/ Design Pierre Brichet, Low armless chair Marie-Sophie/ Caroline Ziegler, Bow shelves

www.comingsoongalerie.com

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From 15 April, Exhibition Y. Gross (photo) & A. Logerot (design)/ Soon M. Leduc (photo) & S. Accoceberry (design)/ From 12-17 April, in Milan at the Centre Culturel Français, P. Favresse’s lamp edited by Coming Soon: An Eclipse Day.

Photography / design 1

Still life

Text by Marie Farman

Painting moods

From the 17th century onwards, artists depicted common or decorative objects that were carefully arranged in specific settings. They emanate from the dialectic metaphors of life and death that reflect the relationship of man to matter, and their beliefs and daily life. The floral compositions, or the vanities that they produce, are distinctly intensive. The desire to conjure up magic and revive this aura unique to still life seems to have filtered down through the ages and inspired contemporary photographers. This tradition continues to be practised today by all types of photographers, including those that are involved with fashion or advertising, to those that produce limited edition prints for galleries. The commitment is total when it comes to carrying out precise, artistic research on space, textures, colours and light. TL has selected a few photographers who cultivate this art of order and chiaroscuro, inviting the viewer to enter their poetic or committed universe, where the eye is moved and the image becomes timeless.

1 At Laura Letinsky the withered flowers and glasses (knocked over) have paved the way for paper plates, and plastic cups arranged on immaculate surfaces. Her minimal compositions are a mix of melancholy and poetry.

3 With the complicity of Laurent Busine, Swiss photographer Balthasar Burkhard takes us to faroff places with his incredible photographs that depict the fragility of flowers, and their leaves. Sublime shapes, colours, and natural beauty.

Untitled #5, from ‘To Say It Isn’t So’, 2007

Untitled (Landscape), 2009, Colour photograph on aluminium, 97 x 143,5 cm, Archives Balthasar Burkhard, Collection MACs

www.yanceyrichardson.com

2 With a different approach, Russian artist Olga Kisseleva also reinterprets the compositional codes of the masters of the genre with her series entitled Divers Faits. Here she deals with the symbolism of food and everyday objects present under Soviet rule and in capitalist societies.

www.kisseleva.org

Divers faits, 2010, Photograph, 40 x 60 cm

www.mac-s.be

4 In his series for magazine Dealer de luxe, photographer Fabrice Fouillet arranges flowers, food and glassware, inspired by a composition borrowed from the Flemish painters. He uses this decor to conceal bottles of perfume that you’ll have fun trying to find.

www.fabricefouillet.com

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CREATIVE SKILLS A selection by Lise Coirier

The fables of Designer’s Days Once upon a design...

From 16 to 20 June 2011, the exhibitors at the Parisian design fair Designer’s Days share the dialogue among artists, designers, craftsmen and manufacturers. The object is to mix, share, exchange and explore. This theme of “Conversations” is reminiscent of “Les Fables” of La Fontaine and “The Characters” of Jean de La Bruyère”, both contemporaries of a literary XVIIth century, who paint a picture of human nature, putting social life into perspective. Here we are three and a half centuries later... www.designersdays.com

1 Chi va piano… at Pleyel Michele de Lucchi for Pleyel allies a ‘maestri’ of Italian design with the history of the oldest piano maker in the world, founded in 1807. The savoir-faire involved in the bending, lacquering and control of the solid wood results in a line of cabinet furniture resembling works of art, in which Lucchi arranges his recent creations for ‘la Manufacture de Sèvres’ and Baccarat. Hidden behind the drawing of a piano are a few sculpted wonders and curiosities… www.pleyel.fr

2 The Maison du Danemark welcomes Cecilie Manz Danish designer Cecilie Manz reinvents the archetypal qualities of Scandinavian design. She sheds new light on everyday objects such as a trestle, kitchen door knob, bag, treated solid wood pot, paper, glass, textiles and leather. www.maisondudanemark.dk

3 Sèvres marrying photography with design objects The Cité de la Céramique, Sèvres initiates a conversation between still-life photographer Jeannette Montgomery-Barron, and designer Martine Bedin. The fusion of their talents results in a photograph painted by hand on one side of the vase. The photograph gives meaning and poetry to the object, and opens up the possibilities of new uses.

www.sevresciteceramique.fr

4 Stories from Molteni & C Dada Scenographer and designer Constance Guisset, delves into the history of Molteni and the brands’ Flagship Store designed in 1979 by Afra and Tobia Scarpa. She is confronted with the first pieces designed by the couple in the 1970s up until the later pieces of contemporary furniture. www.molteni.it

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CREATIVE SKILLS

“Aesthetics” is about where your mind goes… A dialogue between artists Text by Leonard Koren Original drawing by Arik Levy

Aesthetic/s = a synonym for beauty or the beautiful Like “art,” beauty and the beautiful are difficult terms to define in a strictly philosophical manner. But unlike art, once beauty and the beautiful decoupled from the concepts of “God,” “truth,” “virtue,” and “goodness,” they became vastly less interesting to philosophers. Some aestheticians have even suggested that beauty and the beautiful should be excluded from serious philosophic investigation altogether because they’re too subjective to be studied rigorously, and they’re not really all that important anyway, especially when compared to all the other more compelling issues to think about, such as art, its nature and appreciation. Many artists, also, have downplayed the importance of beauty and the beautiful. They’ve accused them of being too closely aligned with insipid bourgeois values and tastes. Or they’ve stridently announced that the creation of beauty is beside the point, or irrelevant to what they’re trying to do. Adherents of the early 20th century art movement Dadaism, for instance, dedicated themselves to the principle that their work was resolutely not beautiful.

he first in a series of pages dedicated to philosophy in TL starts with an extract of a book by Leonard Koren in which the author describes one of the ten definitions of “aesthetics”. The objective is to investigate the notion of “aesthetics” and stimulate more productive discussions about aesthetic phenomena and experiences in your daily life. Beauty is also a line in space created by human intervention, something that Arik Levy’s art has in common with this fundamental text.

Log drawings, AS 2011

An extract from: Which «Aesthetics» Do You Mean?: Ten Definitions Imperfect Publishing, Point Reyes, California, 2010.

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fashion Text by Lise Coirier

Airess by Delvaux

ÂŠ Delvaux

Breathing new life into travelling

In 1946, the House of Delvaux launched Airess, its first luggage collection for Avia Continental to line the shelves of major retail stores in Belgium. The elegant suitcase, with its collapsible frame, was an innovative, revolutionary concept. Under the creative direction of Veronique Branquinho, the design of the new line of Airess was assigned to Maxime Szyf. The ten new models are a throwback to an age of stylish, lightweight air travel with their combination of resistant fabrics, and leather and sky blue linings.

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fashion 1 Airess, Airport 2 Airess Backpack with handle covered with fabric and finished with leather 3 Airess Upright 55 Suitcase on wheel, jacquard/grey 4 Airess, Train 5 Airess, Taxi — Discover Airess online or in the Delvaux boutiques in Belgium www.airessbydelvaux.com www.maximaldesign.com

Airess optimises the expectations of nomads The marriage of canvas and leather trim that characterises this new line of luggage reveals all the strengths that the brand and quality label of Delvaux has been defending since it was founded. The message is clear: “The Airess line is for environmentally conscious, cosmopolitan urban nomads. Exuding a discreet elegance, once inside they reveal a world of wonders.” Being the oldest fine leather luxury goods company in the world, the Belgian manufacturer, founded in 1829 (official supplier to the Royal Court since 1883) can claim to be the first, with the French haute couture fashion houses, to have created the concept of seasonal collections. If the fabric is associated with more exotic destinations and echoes the colonial past, the Belgian Congo among others, today it is also a material that allows a ‘return to the sources’ sought by refined customers wishing to escape from the cliché of the high-tech suitcase on wheels. Once opened, it immediately becomes apparent that it contains all the essential travel features: a bag for accessories, a case for shoes, a laundry bag, a padlock covered in leather, a leather label holder and even a protective cover for transportation. Add to this a City Guide (the 5th and 6th arrondissements of Paris written by Marie Wabbes, which has just been released) and a selection of exclusive beauty products by Shu Uemura.

Inheriting from an industrial aesthetic which deployed its force in a Europe under reconstruction, Delvaux’s famous suitcase for Avia has been revived under the Airess brand, and now consists of a range of chic, urban, lightweight luggage. The leisure society who, at the time, aspired to a better life, makes way for the cosmopolitan ‘globe-trotters’ in search of comfort, style and well being. The audacity of Delvaux is also to position itself outside the mainstream, targeting an audience that favours the ‘slow life’, and the rediscovery of an authentic savoir-faire as well as being equipped with our digital heritage: iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, portable computer...

A world of new destinations The journey starts with a bike race in town or during an urban stroll. These are the ‘city trips’ that punctuate our existence, in contrast with our ‘summer holidays.’ We’re always tuned-in to leisure time, but this is more often than not marked by a sense of escape at the weekend. Gone is the stereotype paid leave, our society provides other types of lifestyle models, and it’s up to us to customise them! Our desire no doubt is to always travel light, and to travel elegantly and in style. The new range is far more impressive than it was in the past, from the bags or suitcases on wheels with adjustable telescopic handles to more specific types of luggage like the business or beauty case...

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T R AV E L L I K E YO U M E A N B U S I N E S S T H E N E W A I R E S S R A N G E F R O M D E LVA U X

PA C K W E L L , T R AV E L FA R T H E N E W A I R E S S R A N G E F R O M D E LVA U X

Kerri Lee

Miller Another epoch, another time. Attributed to Kerri Lee Miller who has been chosen as our new subject. With her incredible talent, we wish her the same success as Lee Miller, photographer, model and muse of Man Ray.

ARTISTIC DIRECTION & PHOTOGRAPHY YVES LAVALLETTE

www.yves-lavallette.com FASHION EDITOR YOSHIKO TANGE

www.yoshikotange.com

Retouching Cristian Girotto www.cristiangirotto.com Model Kerri Lee Miller @ City Hair Hugo Raiah @ Atelier 68 Make up Raphael Pita @ B Agency Photographer’s assistant & digital operator Quentin Curtat Lighting assistant Clarke for Studio NLight Silk chiffon dress EMILIO PUCCI Black leather shoes AZZEDINE ALAÏA Leather bracelets RICHARD DE LATOUR

opposite page: Silk organza and feather dress CHANEL this page: Silk pleated shirt , lace dress, Multi chain neckless JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER Leather belt AZZEDINE ALAĂ?A Vinyl leggings PHYLEA Embroidered metal pumps CHANEL

Satin and lace plastron necklace BONNIE POUR PHYLEA

opposite page: Silk tulle bustier dress MARIA LUCIA HOHAN this page: Leather waistcoat, lace skirt, leather belt AZZEDINE ALAÏA Lace and satin pumps CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN Necklace placed on the head VINTAGE BY IGLAÏNE

opposite page: Leather tank top HARRYHALIM Fishnet scarf DROGUERIE this page: Leather tank top HARRYHALIM Pleated wool and tulle skirt VINTAGE BY IGLAĂ?NE Calf skin sandals CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN

this page: Leather dress, bra, belt COMME DES GARÇONS Tulle and feather hat VINTAGE BY IGLAÏNE opposite page: Tulle bodysuit FIFI CHACHNIL Calf skin sandals ZANOTTI DESIGN Leather gloves PHYLEA Silver bracelets ELA STONE Panties WOLFORD

retail

A report by Lise Coirier

Paris Palace The poetic art of Philippe Starck

Worthy of a princely entrance, the recently renovated Royal Monceau, a lavish, was founded in 1928, Parisian Palace re-opens on Avenue Hoche, near the Champs Elysees, reconnecting with its past. This prestigious establishment which became defunct in the 1970s, now belongs to the Raffles group (Singapore) and bears the hallmark of designer Philippe Starck. The ‘maestro’s first palace in the heart of the City of Light. TL

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e all remember that extraordinary sale of furniture at the Hotel Drouot and the memorable celebrity “Demolition Party” in 2008. But that was in the past! Le Royal Monceau, a property owned by Qatari Diar, a real-estate investment fund, has been given a 100 million euro facelift. There’s a feeling of being at home, you never feel outclassed or feel that you could be elsewhere in Paris. An Art Deco theme runs through the public spaces such as the lobby, and the restaurants, whose cuisine attracts as many gourmets (chef Laurent André’s menu is highly recommended and the desserts of Pierre Hermé are to die for) as members of the trendy Parisian public, including “millionaires in trainers” (35-50 year olds). They overlook Le Bar Long, located near the Salon Rouge with padded walls. This is all part of the glamorous atmosphere that Starck orchestrates to great effect, weaving his magic with deft touches here and there. The Cinéma des Lumières, which is a reference to the countless Parisian venues open to moviegoers, is furnished with large leather seats designed with Cassina and a smidgeon of understated ‘pomp’.

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Photography, contemporary art and a guitar Besides the Art Concierge who cultivates a weekly cultural programme concocting visits to exhibitions in Paris and artists’ studios, the palace has an Arts bookshop, called Le Royal Éclaireur, in collusion with Armand Hadida, an Art District under the direction of Hervé Mikhailov, and a competition open to young photographers commencing Spring 2011. As stressed by the director Sylvain Ercoli, a hotelier in the grand tradition of hotel palaces (formely of Paris’ Georges V and Crillon and Claridges of London), “You have to be able to add something to a palace on a daily basis, in addition to the quality of service, comfort and harmony, art and design. Without being ostentatious, you must know how to create tensions between luxury, elitism and interpersonal skills.” With that in mind, Philippe Starck was a natural choice. “He has the arrogance of knowledge, intelligent pre-conceived ideas regarding the pedestrian flow of circulation which must correspond to an urban culture in the public spaces on the ground floor. In the bedrooms, in contrast with the exuberance of the lobby area, privacy and reminiscence await you in a spirit closer to that of the 1950s. The atmosphere is private, exclusive, very Parisian and boudoir - a unique sensory experience: A play with mirrors, contemporary art and photographic prints, essential oils for the bath, smoked glass screens, ultimate bedding comfort…”, continues Ercoli. “I took the decision myself to place a signature “Royal Monceau” guitar in each room, they were created specially for us by the string-instrument maker Michel Lag-Chavarria”. Is it to project an image of romantic and lyrical conquests, something that the visitor wouldn’t expect? This article continues on our blog : http://blog.tlmagazine.be

retail TO Follow: As part of the reform of the hotel classification, the Secretary of State for Tourism, Hervé Novelli, established in September 2010 a Palace label to validate “the excellence, perfection, luxury and timelessness” of twenty or so establishments, including a dozen located in Paris.

1 The Royal Staircase at Le Royal Monceau 2 La Fumée Rouge Cigar Bar at Le Royal Monceau 3 The Long Bar at Le Royal Monceau 4 Philipe Starck 5 The French Restaurant at Le Royal Monceau. A Fresco by the artist Stéphane Calais “Jardin de Paris”. Curator : Hervé Mikaeloff — www.leroyalmonceau.com

A key to paradise? On the desk is a map of Paris, an emotional form of ‘mapping’ by Starck which serves as a reference and plunges us into poetry and the art of living. Wouldn’t the Palace be comparable to the dream of the great couturier or utopian designer? Sylvain Ercoli concludes that “the search for something outstanding, or a masterpiece, can be found in the maturity of the artist, who is in their ascension. The recognition comes through the popularity and democratization of the work, which Starck always tries to achieve in all

his works.” We are in 2011, Paris is waking up… Life at Le Royal Monceau is full of promise. And nothing illustrates this more than the grand staircase as you enter the hotel on your left - a listed historical monument, illuminated by fifteen Art Deco crystal chandeliers. Behind the façade of the 1927 Haussmann building, designed by an American architect, are the suites and private apartments which will no doubt welcome a select local and international clientele. From Spring onwards, the My Blend Spa by Clarins will open its doors and the botanical garden will be blooming.

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Report by Fériel Karoui

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Located south of the Latin Quarter, Seven hotel stands out like a UFO among the other traditional Parisian hotels. If luxury and well-being are to be expected, the invitation to visit the 28 rooms and 7 suites reveals a land of dreams, a luxurious, technological and sensory voyage. TL takes you on a guided tour of this special hotel.

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Seven dream-like suites The seven suites have been entrusted to the care of four designers, who have transformed the spaces into a variety of fantastical stage sets. One of the most iconic rooms, 007, was designed by Vincent Bastie, who reproduced a veritable bachelor pad in James Bond sixties style. His other creation, the Sublime suite, plays on a feminine sensuality, associating organic forms in shades of white oscillating between cocoons and white clouds. In Virginie Cauet’s lair, the “Lovez-vous” suite’s cosy cave-like atmosphere features a bathtub covered in cowhide, sheepskin rugs, and an abundance of raw mineral materials… In the Marie-Antoinette suite, Sylvia Corrette has created a Glam’Rock love nest type of atmosphere whereas the Black Diamond suite offers luxury in its purest form - this room resembles a multi-faceted box of velvet, taffeta, sequins and mirrors. Paul Bertrand Mathieu is the hotel’s master illusionist, building a universe around Lewis Carroll’s tale, Alice in Wonderland, as well as the “On/Off” suite where the decor changes at the push of a switch. The dreamlike surprises also spill over into the public spaces: a 3D screen blows soap bubbles in the lobby, optical illusions appear behind the bar’s hall of mirrors, and bottles appear like precious jewels at night…

1 Levitating bathtub, created specially for Seven hotel, by Aquamass 2 The Black Diamond Suite, bed 3 On/Off Suite, bed 4 Lobby — www.sevenhotelparis.com www.aquamass.com

uality of sleep, optimal comfort and a touch of wonder are the basis of an ideal cocktail when it comes to spending a night away from home. Hotel Seven not only ensures that its guests sleep well, but also that they enjoy their sweet dreams. This is where Philippe Vaurs, an enthusiast of offbeat and playful hotels, was able to express his creative desires, and leave down-to-earth ideas aside: suspended beds and skies scattered with stars promise a rapid entry into a weightless, dream-like state. Other celestial and technical prowess, the bathtubs, made by Aquamass, float a few centimetres above the ground…

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India’s new sophistication Interview by Fériel Karoui Photography by Tom Parker, and Yutaka Yamamoto

assisted by Isabelle Dupuy-Chavanat

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Mumbai-based linenware brand Bandit Queen was created after an encounter between Indian entrepreneur Sunita Namjoshi and Belgian designer Valérie Barkowski. A project defying the usual trend within the Indian textile trade, namely the search for attractive prices, the local brand prides itself on offering upscale sophisticated products inspired by traditional craft techniques.

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Suman x-ray flowers table linen Do Mali pillowcase with button-on hand made flowers Valérie Barkowski Making flower ties for the Do Mali pillowcase

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ow did the Bandit Queen adventure start? During a trip to India, I crossed paths with Sunita Namjoshi, a self-taught entrepreneur who is passionate about textiles. She wanted to create an upscale Indian brand for the local and international market. She gave me ‘carte blanche’ to create a linenware brand. A dream come true! We explored different types of ancient and traditional techniques, putting the emphasis on creating items using human hands. The products we have made require a long development time: our concepts are both timeless and in the spirit of the times… I can’t imagine designing products destined to disappear in a season! As for the brand, we created a legendary world around a female character called Bandit Queen - the Indian equivalent of “Robin Hood” - that we have reinterpreted with the logo of the bird. As “made in India” or “made in China” labels are often synonymous with low-cost industrial production, why sign “Mumbai 2009” under the brand name? If designers coming out of Indian schools are creating more and more, a premium brand of this calibre still doesn’t exist on the local market. I wanted Bandit Queen to be proud of its Indian identity, since it was created in Bombay: it was important for me to put this country that I love on a pedestal, even if the universe developed around the brand is truly international.

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5 Bandit Queen, Do Mali hand made flower runner 6 Bandit Queen, Isis hand painted terry towels 7 Bandit Queen, Isis hand painted terry towels — www.banditqueen.in www.valeriebarkowski .com www.bohemianchic.fr

Asia is an important area for sourcing textiles, how did you go about making your own materials on-site? India is a country rich in raw materials. Cottons, fibres, different qualities… Even when I wasn’t satisfied, I was told “Tell us what you want, and we’ll make it!” We also worked on relief effects for the materials, especially on the pleats that are a little classic, I like to experiment with them; and then there are the sponges, woven by hand, with large loops on the front and back that mimic grass… The paintings were done by hand, like most of the finishes. India is a country of colour, but this first collection is black and white… It’s true that there’s not a lot of black and white in India, white being the colour of mourning. Bandit Queen is a niche brand on the local market, but our Indian customers recognise that our products are made using quality materials, and they appreciate the touch and finishes. Our customer base is essentially made up of architects and interior designers, as well as members of the public who are used to travelling and immersing themselves in different cultures. Ironically, I received a very thorough training on the use of colour, which is reflected in my previous works, such as Mia Zia. Nevertheless, for Bandit Queen, I wanted to go about things in a different way. The exercise in style using black and white and charcoal grey on the material came naturally. I wanted to bring a touch of sobriety to ancestral techniques, and in doing so make the collection more universal. However, the next collections will be made up of tints of rich vibrant colours: I would like Bandit Queen to be like a black and white photograph that changes colour with time.

“We explored different types of ancient and traditional techniques, putting the emphasis on creating items using human hands.”

ÂŠ Y. Yamamoto, I. Dupuy-Chavanat

expertise 1

Report by Hughes Belin

The ecological impact of textiles when irrationality takes over

Whatever the results of numerous ongoing research such as life cycle analysis, rational arguments have little influence on the decision to purchase textiles, and how they will be maintained thereafter. And yet, theÂ environmental stakes are enormous. Is the battle between reason and culture lost without even being fought? 118

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Life cycle assessments (LCA) demonstrate that the environmental impact of textiles depends not only on their mode of production, distribution and end of life management, but also, and in more than half in some cases, on the user phase. In plain language: how many times we wear a garment or use a sheet for example, and how we wash, dry and iron it. For engineers working on the ACV-Tex* cross-border project, the bulk of the environmental impact of textiles comes from the energy consumption during the phase of use. It is true that we need electric appliances to wash, dry and iron our clothes. And yet, how can we be certain that the consumer will minimise their electricity consumption to the best of their ability? This goes far beyond the textile industry, since it is about the technological choices we make when buying electrical appliances. Political action at a European level has helped to establish the widespread use of an energy consumption labelling scheme for the main electrical appliances. Not only have they enabled us to clearly identify the most en-

ergy efficient appliances, the labelling has also greatly contributed to a consumer awareness of the true price of the appliances when the user phase is included. It is only one step from there, to extending this approach to textiles, but it is not a step that consumers have been willing to make so far. We no longer boil the washing as we did in the past, because advances in detergents have made it possible for us to save energy when heating the water for our washing and shorter programmes give us the same quality wash. As for drying (60% of the energy consumption of textiles during their phase of use), the ideal scenario, of course, would be to dry everything in the open air. But as the majority of the population lives in cities, the good old clothes-pegs-on-a-line scenario seems a bit weak. Could the ironing be avoided? Well, scientific research helps to invent fabrics that do not need to be ironed, or they can be treated with ammonia, which Belgian company Veramtex has opted to do. If it is technically possible, it remains to be seen whether it is culturally and economically viable.

expertise

The consumer has the last word For if research, science, legislation and consumer information seek to reduce the environmental impact of textiles when buying a garment or other textiles (curtains, carpets, rugs, sheets, covers), these “cold” technical aspects still have little influence on the consumer. Just think twice before buying a garment that is “hand wash only.” A consumer that has been influenced has the last word and nothing is less certain than whether he will make the best decision from an ecological point of view. He is subjected to powerful, irrational influences that are the foundations of marketing: advertising, fashion, trends, image and above all price, in these times of crisis. These cultural and cyclical factors are so powerful, that at the end of the day there are only two possible options to try and improve the environmental impact of textiles. On the one hand, we can act on some of them or at least skim the surface. More and more people are sensitive to their “carbon footprint” or impact on the planet. Multiply then the opportunities

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to inform – without making consumers feel guilty. Jean-Philippe Rémy, founder of the nonprofit association BIBz, believes that it is possible to talk about ecology without making anybody feel guilty: “Coca-Cola don’t talk about the bad side, they only talk about the good. Let’s do the same for ecology.” In saying this he is suggesting that we should change the discourse and extol the “value added pleasure” of ethical clothing, that link those that make them (how they are made, and where they come from) with those that wear them. “The link is a source of pleasure, it’s physiological. In this way the ethical garment charged with its emotions becomes an activator of pleasure.” Ecology strikes a chord in the luxury sector The alternative, a consequence of the first, is just to offer a better choice of electrical appliances that consume less energy (and that awaken the consciousness of the consumer) and textiles that are more environmentally friendly – backed-up by irrefutable arguments, notably

through ACV. Hélène Sananikone, founder of the Green in the City concept store in Paris, targets a clientele looking for designer clothes, which are obviously more expensive than those found in mass distribution outlets. The brands that she stocks only use natural, non-polluting materials, respectful of the various parties involved in the production chain. The ecological added value however, has no impact on prices in this market segment, because the quality of fabrics is similar, even superior. So she does not have to choose between fashion or ecology: the two go hand in hand. She acknowledges however “that there is still a long way to go” before consumers become aware of the environmental impact of the clothes they purchase. In the meantime we rely on ecological information that ultimately has to use the same communication weapons (advertising, public relations, image campaigns portraying celebrities) as any other brand if it wants to have a chance to compete with the cultural factors that influence clothing purchases.

expertise

* co-financed by FEDER, the Walloon regions and the region of Nord Pas-de-Calais, with their associated partners: Gemtex, Celabor, UIT Nord and Fedustria. — www.acvtex.eu www.veramtex.com www.europa-wiki.eu www.greeninthecity.fr www.merelkarhof.nl

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Green in the City, Lily Templeton Mademoiselle in Paris Green in the City, Troca dvt Dress

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2011 will be electrifying Report by Hughes Belin

Will the electric car be the next planetary success based on the digital revolution after the CD, DVD, Internet, USB key, digital camera and the mobile phone? In any event, every automaker is rising to the challenge, on the eve of a commercial launch that promises to be anything but boring. The electricity fairy’s magic wand has transformed the car once and for all… more than 35 models, each of them electric, will be on the market by 2012. The urban landscape is expected to radically change in the coming year, as indispensable recharging infrastructures spring up to complement new silent, futuristic-looking vehicles.

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Innovation on all fronts The carmakers are unanimous: the first priority is to quell the anxiety of the public, namely the fear of empty batteries. It is primarily the autonomy and possibilities for charging that worry buyers, much more so than the high price of the vehicle, unique design and unknown performances. So industry has been working extremely hard to increase the battery capacity, their lightness and ease of recharging. Equipment manufacturers are buzzing with excitement because instead of dozens of charging terminals, the cities will want to equip themselves with hundreds, even thousands of them. One example is La Rochelle, where the terminals supplied by DBT, a French SME, blend into the landscape of the port city. Design firm eliumstudio have designed charging terminals for their rival Schneider Electric. Inherent to their devices are “the values of the electric car: eco-conscience, simplicity and comfort.” The challenge for the designers was to create two modules to meet two different needs: a quick-charging device, for residential use. Schneider Electric’s

charging station, destined for residential garages, is a wall box “like the branch of a plant distributing green energy.” The electrical interface for the terminal, including the cable, was designed to be “as discreet and smooth as possible.” The quick-charge terminal, which can be found in service-stations and some parking areas, “rises up like a plant.” Electric cars are all designed to integrate new technology options. For example, Michelin, the tyre manufacturer, has approved a revolutionary concept, the Active Wheel. For the first time, the wheel not only integrates the tyre and break system, but also, and especially the motorisation of the (electric) vehicle and its electric suspension. However, at Michelin we are still somewhat realistic, “the revolution will take years,” because the design of the rest of the car must be taken into account. Automakers electrify us But electric vehicles can go even further, as Nissan demonstrates with Leaf, voted Car of the Year 2011. Far from being revolutionary in design, “so as not to frighten potential cus-

expertise 2

tomers,” its innovation is that it was designed “around batteries,” to maintain a normal space for the passengers as well as in the boot. Their ally Renault, prides itself on producing the only complete line of electric cars at the same price level as a diesel car. The batteries still take up as much space as a conventional engine, but they can already place them elsewhere, under the seats. Zoé, which will launch in 2012, will incorporate advanced technology for an unequalled level of comfort: for example, recycling of air, active lights and scents, thanks to collaborations with L’Oréal and Philips. We really believed that electric cars would remain an engineering fantasy… Yet within ten years there could be 10 million 100% electric cars in circulation around the world. Their market share will grow in line with the progress made on battery power, reliability and longevity. Will the public follow? The future of urban mobility is being written and TL Magazine will devote more pages to the subject in their new column: The City of the Future.

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Zen Car, Green Mobility Solution by Brussels Mobility Range of electric cars, Renault Quick charge terminal, Schneider Electric

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expertise 1 Established & Sons, F1 Car on Surface table, Test 2010. This Formula 1, placed on the carbon fibre table, only serves to ac centuate the potential performances. 2 Surface Table by Terence Woodgate & John Barnard — www.establishedandsons.com

Interview by Lise Coirier

An experimental table The unbearable lightness of composite

The collaboration between British designer Terence Woodgate and universally acclaimed Formula 1 specialist John Barnard (former designer at McLaren and since 1986 Ferrari), the man with an enviable Grand Prix record, is based on passion and so far has led to nothing short of total innovation. Beyond the table which appears as a “statement” in a world of design that sometimes imposes stifling constraints, this creation symbolises the irresistible union of furniture design with the high-tech universe of racing cars, enabling the designers to push the limits of the material even further, from aluminium to polymers reinforced by fibres. Before Woodgate and Barnard, there was Henry Dreyfuss, Raymond Loewy and Charles & Ray Eames… The marriage between the automobile and design isn’t new in itself, but enhances the search for high performance composites, motivating the designer to head towards ever lighter and quieter materials. “This 4-metre long, 2mm thick

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Established & Sons have taken up the challenge of entering the Guinness Book of Records by designing an incredibly slim table made from layers of carbon fibre. The designer Terence Woodgate, and the CEO of Established & Sons, Maurizio Mussati, met up with TL at Interieur in Kortrijk last autumn to talk about the their project, and how this incredible piece of furniture, conceived like a monocoque for a car, became reality.

table reaches perfection by pushing the stability of the polymer resin material, which is reinforced by fibres, even further,” explains Terence Woodgate. “A 3-metre long version is produced by Established & Sons, the few examples that circulate in the unparalleled longer length are in private collections and museums,” adds Maurizio Mussati, CEO of Established & Sons. British design is back on track “This table has become a real platform of both technical and aesthetic performance, demonstrating to the world that the Anglo-Saxon producers are always at the cutting-edge of product research and development. It is no coincidence that Ferrari have even created a design studio in England, to be near John Barnard, who neither wanted to leave his position as designer at McLaren, or his native country,” stresses Mussati. “Beyond its apparent extravagance, the iconic table will

introduce a whole generation of young professionals to the real problematics of design. How do you achieve good chemistry between the technology, invention and design of a new product? From the outset the intention was to juxtapose the engineering and the world of furniture, the idea being to emphasise the relationship between the composite fibre and textiles of the future. The table is the result of a complex industrial process where the matrix is comparable to a boss who gives shape to the final product. Stress and counterstress within the material are omnipresent: so it wasn’t easy to achieve a table as long as this at the first attempt,” continues Woodgate. It was by outsmarting all the technical constraints and leveraging the Formula 1 expertise of Barnard, that we finally achieved the result we wanted. In co-creating, Woodgate and Barnard have created a truly exceptional piece which, visually, loses its rigidity and heaviness.

book reviews

BOOKS

Cult-ure

Written & designed by Rian Hughes

Reviewed by Miles Standish

Arresting symbols by author and award-winning graphic designer Rian Hughes guide us safely through a potentially explosive cultural minefield. Making sense of the stuff that surrounds us, this user-friendly manual for deciphering pop culture in the digital age contains thought-provoking analysis of how and why we communicate and insight into how to survive the new media revolution. A must for culturallyinquisitive minds everywhere, and dictators determined to hang onto power. Published by FIELL / RRP: €29.95

Creative Space (mini Edition) Francesca Gavin

Maurizio Galante Regard Transversal Haute Couture, Design, Architecture

A privileged peek inside the homes of

Every so often you come across some-

30 avant-garde designers, directors,

body so talented you run out of super-

stylists, artists, graffiti writers, cura-

latives. Maurizio Galante happens to

tors, novelists and innovators who

be a case in point - and this wonderful

are pushing the boundaries of con-

book will reveal why as it guides you

temporary culture around the world.

through his colourful and extraordi-

These international, street cred urban

nary universe. Designing exquisite

dwellers have neither the time, nor the

fabrics for his haute couture collec-

inclination to cultivate the type of pol-

tions, innovative furniture and lights,

ished home you usually find in a glossy

ceramics and even food, Galante’s

magazine. How refreshing. Compact

fertile imagination knows no bounds,

interviews, revealing more than they

many of his extraordinary pieces end-

probably should, leave you feeling as

ing up in the collections of major mu-

though you’ve got one foot in the door.

seums around the world. One of the last surviving couture artists, this book

Published by Laurence King RRP: £12.95

will inspire those of you who appreciate the finer things in life. Published by HC Editions / RRP: €79

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book reviews

Doppelganger Images of the Human Being

Edited by R. Klanten, S. Ehmann, F. Schulze Preface by R. Klanten Cover image by Sibling

en artificial personae created in the digital world and real human beings has resulted in new forms of creative expression, the best of which have been captured, bound and sentenced to life in this book for daring to experiment with visual traditions. Sci-fi and

This exploration of the human identity

horror scriptwriters take note - there’s

by 84 leading contemporary artists

enough inspirational material here to

and designers is more than just an ec-

keep you busy for years.

lectic selection of intriguing, beautiful, and sometimes provocative images.

Published by Gestalten / RRP: €39.90

Swarovski Crystal Palace, The Art of Light and Crystal Documenting the Swarovski family’s collaboration with some of the foremost designers of the 21st century, dazzling feats of technology interacting seamlessly with new seductive forms vie for our attention. Limited only by the im-

The blur between the internet-driv-

agination of each designer, this unique platform for experimentation could only

Stern Fotografie Portfolio NO. 62 Hedi Slimane

Slimane knows exactly what he’s after. Capturing melancholy, aesthetic emotions is a speciality. And black and white film only serves to augment the stylishness and fragile qualities found

have resulted in something spectacular.

Disaffected youth stare whimsically into

Yes it’s spectacular, but add the words

space, an inner turmoil of poetic, silent

unexpected, glamorous and awe-inspir-

anarchy. Rock’n’roll on tranquilizers

ing and you have an idea of what awaits

wrapped in hopes and dreams. Wham

you inside. Crystal used to be associated

bam thank you Slimane.

with a trip to the Science Museum, now

Distributed by teNeues RRP : € 18 (D, AT) / other countries : € 29.90

the word on everyone’s lips is Swarovski - a master class in brand marketing. Published by teNeues / RRP: €79.90

in this varied selection of finely crafted prints shot between 2004 and 2010.

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SPOT DESIGN AWARD

Talent incubator

Buymedesign.com, with the support of TL Magazine and the Hong Kong association Ambassadors Of Design, invites you to discover the nominees for the Spot Design Award, initiated at DETOUR Hong Kong 2010. The Spot Design Award has been set up to support newly qualified young designers and to promote creatively strong and potentially marketable concepts that are produced in a limited series or are available for production. The critera are: inventiveness, mobility, modularity and ecology. Some of the nominated projects are on sale exclusively via e-commerce platform www. buymedesign.com/blog.

tI trends & living shaping tomorrow

1 Lianna Sheppard – United Kingdom Modu_gram Octa, Tetra, Edra and Poly, 3D body-structures. From €49 to €232 www.liannasheppard.com

2 Kay Chan – Hong Kong 40 Hangers Side Table, 2010. € 221

www.kkkay.carbonmade.com/projects/2853942#2

3 Chan Wan Ki, Kay, Chen Siu Wa, Shai Chai, Suen Ka Hei, Catherine – Hong Kong SDWorks is a programme run by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, in partnership with Megaman. Living Pixels, 2010. Prototype currently in production. www.sdworks.sd.polyu.edu.hk/living-pixels

4 Kevin Cheung – Hong Kong Boombottle portable speaker system for iPod, 2010. €90 www.dare-project.com

5 Anne Lorenz – Germany Home Traveller, 2010. Prototype currently in production. www.annelorenz.com