Fresheye Magazine. April Edition 2023

l Woke awakening Pop culture sociology.

l LV + Yayoi Kusama Art/Fashion collab.

l Planar British hi-fi tech.

l Japanese London Four hot spots in town.

l NPR Music Tiny Desk and more.

l When in Europe France/Portugal.

New Pop Culture Sociology

Gaming has been one of the fastest growing industries of the 21st century and is arguably the most profitable, if not one of the most controversial, under the entertainment umbrella. With the February 2023 release of Warner Bros Games Hogwarts Legacy, it’s no surprise that a lively ongoing debate has been resurrected online between Harry Potter fans and those from the transgender community. The question is, why?

A transgender person is someone whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. J. K. Rowling, the author of the famed Harry Potter series, has had much to say about the trans community; specifically trans women and their relation to her experience of being a biological woman. It started with a notorious tweet published in June 2020 in response to an article on devex.com titled Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate.

‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for these people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?

Sociology

Regan says.....

Analysis

by Regan

Kilkenny.

After a barrage of backlash, Rowling doubled down, landing her the label of TERF: a trans-exclusionary radical feminist.

If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives.

It isn’t hate to speak the truth. With this new development causing outrage from those in the trans community, a plea was made to boycott anything and everything Harry Potter because, obviously, to support the work of someone with such controversial opinions meant you also supported her ideas. Right?

With the release of Hogwarts Legacy, this is the concern for many Harry Potter fans that are just itching to play the new game. A nostalgic glimpse into the Wizarding World that so many found solace in. A young person's escape. Are they no longer

What does the future look like?

an ally if they want to relive their childhood?

So, the question that remains is this: when does the art outgrow the artist? Will we be forever limited to what we can enjoy if the creator is at all bigoted in any way? And are you a transphobe if you want to play a silly little game where you pretend to be a wizard?

It would not be a stretch to say that access to the internet has turned people soft, with some of the public having too much time on their hands, leading to so called online activists ready to burn anyone at the stake for sharing an opposing opinion, from the comfort of their own home. With younger generations more politically aware than ever, they have a place to express their voice, yet remain anonymous behind a computer or phone screen. Yet one thing can be said for certain – the added attention upon the release of this new game did absolute wonders for its sales.

Quotes - There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.

We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.

Marshall McLuhan

fresheye looks at a melding of fashion, art and style...

IFrom humble beginnings in rural Japan to internationally renowned artist, Kusama determinedly transformed her own life, spinning enchantment from the power of her art. Totally unclassifiable, she has emerged as the most influential living female artist today.

There are fashion collaborations, and there are capital-F Fashion collaborations. Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama’s 2023 partnership is very much of the latter, building off the inherent pedigree afforded to anything created by one of the world’s largest fashion empires and pre-eminent artists.

Louis Vuitton is well aware of this, which is why it began teasing the new collaboration back in spring and why it’s preparing literally hundreds of products bearing the brushstrokes of Kusama herself.

Much like Kusama’s trademark “Infinity Rooms,” looking at the 2023 Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama collection is like looking at an endless expanse that stretches on for miles.

Why does it matter?

Yayoi Kusama has partnered with Louis Vuitton two times now. Kusama, who’s consistently produced variations of her signature polka dot art since the 1970s, is one of the world’s most famous artists thanks to the enduring popularity of her Instagram-friendly Infinity Rooms and instantly-recognizable polkadotted pumpkins.

Modes of collaboration

Pumpkins

Art & Fashion

Captivated by their playful round shape and humanlike quality, Yayoi Kusama finds comfort in pumpkins. The Pumpkins motif is a tribute to their sentimental charm and adorns several Louis Vuitton pieces in multiple colours with eye-catching graphics.

Louis Vuitton presents the new collection with avant-garde Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, reinterpreting the Maison’s iconic pieces with the artist’s signature motifs.

Art & Fashion

Blend Yayoi Kusama and the savoir-faire of Louis Vuitton, the new collection reinterprets the Maison’s iconic pieces, infused with the artist’s signature motifs. Celebrating art, audacity and craftsmanship, Kusama’s painted dots, metal dots, infinity dots and psychedelic flower enliven Louis Vuitton universe.

Collection

Louis Vuitton executive vice president Delphine Arnault has promised over 400 individual items.

Harrods gets Kusama-fied

To celebrate the launch of the new Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama collection, the artist’s signature motifs take over London’s renowned department store.

Reflection

Fans of Louis Vuitton will remember the first Yayoi Kusama partnership from 2012 under the creative direction of Marc Jacobs, which featured the artist’s signature dots atop LV bag silhouettes including the Keepall, Neverfull, Papillion, and Speedy.

Art & Fashion

Soft to solid

The collaboration was first teased part of the luxury label’s Cruise 2023 show and now, it’s finally upon us.

A Feat of Craftsmanship

Showcasing Louis

Vuitton’s savoir-faire, an innovative serigraphy technique reproduces Kusama’s brushstrokes, giving a strikingly realistic hand-painted 3D effect. Applied by hand, one-byone, various sized metal half spheres animate a selection of pieces in the collection with a stunning silver mirror effect.

Art & Fashion

Collecting

For collectors and Kusama fans alike, Louis Vuitton’s capsule offers a rare opportunity to get luxury goods laden with the artist’s touch.

Rega Plana

Bringing the purity and simplicity of British technology home by Dennis Sterne.

The Rega Planar 3, together with its successors, the P3 and RP3, is a wellknown budget audiophile turntable by British hi-fi manufacturer, Rega Research available since 1977. It was a belt-drive deck that broke from convention, by employing a solid plinth in lieu of the compliantly-suspended chassis or sub-chassis used in many quality turntables since the early 1960s.

The product has lived through several guises and name changes, any of which are often referred to simply as “Rega 3”. It is highly influential, and has made its small British manufacturer’s name synonymous with hi-fi turntables, and gave the company the widest brand recognition in this product sector in the US. Its relative simplicity and affordability made the Rega 3 a “bedrock of analog playback for well over 30 years”.

In 2016, Rega released its 5th generation of Rega 3 turntables, and returned to its original name, Planar 3. A significant redesign, the 2016 Planar 3 features almost all new parts but still shares its basic engineering with its older siblings.

History

The turntable has been through four principal guises: Planar 3 (1977–2000) (2016-), P3 (2000–2007), P3-24 (2007–2012) and RP3 (2012–2016). The first Rega turntable, the Planar 2 was launched in 1975. This was followed by the launch in June 1977 of the Planar 3. The two decks are of identical design but built to different budgets. The Planar 3 turntable established itself as a “threshold” or entry-level for high quality turntables. It became hugely popular and is one of the most well-known turntables ever produced.

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Rega Planar - Delivering a class-leading combination of sound, build and ease of use.

A Planar 3 might take centre place in the system of many audiophiles as a “serious turntable” until they could afford the coveted Linn Sondek LP12. It became a reference for simplicity and value, confirming Britain as an important player in the specialist hi-fi industry.

Design

Rega went against conventional wisdom of the time, preferring to make their decks lightweight and rigid as a means of controlling unwanted resonances. Their belief was that mass absorbs energy and results in lost music. In other senses, the turntables are deliberately minimalistic and neither require nor justify any ‘tweaking’ by users, except adjustment to the vertical-tracking-angle (VTA) of the cartridge. It is a belt-driven design incorporating a driving ‘sub-platter’ mounted on a high quality oil-lubricated bearing, which is fixed directly to a medite (MDF) plinth supported by three simple rubber feet.A heavy

eye

glass platter sits atop the sub-platter, which is driven by a mechanically-isolated 24V synchronous motor through a rubber belt. A 2mm-thick mat sits on top of the glass platter. The turntable is without suspension, and the rubber feet provide limited mechanical isolation from floor-transmitted vibrations.

Right: From the stable - Planar 8 is engineered to extract as much detail from the vinyl surface as possible. We have used the most advanced materials and engineering solutions built around a supremely lightweight plinth to ensure the greatest level of performance

Japanese London

Endulge your Asian persuasion, choose the capital for your Japanese restaurant.

Any world-renowned city should have culinary diversity represented in its choice of restaurants.

London is most certainly among those cities sighted as being rich in cultural diversity, this is reflected in the restaurants on offer.

As people become better acquainted with what denotes popular dishes of an international variety, Japanese food has attained its rightful recognition for delicious dining and the health benefits that are aligned with its template that has been employed for centuries. Even your layman by now will recognize the terms Bento, Sushi, Noodle, Satay, Soy, Sesame, Ramen, Tempura, Miso, Udon, Katsu, Soba etc. If you don’t, then it’s time to dive into Japanese food. The time to expand awareness of a broader persuasion around food is always the here and now.

fresheye highlights 3 London dining spots

to tempt your Japanese persuasion. Think of the health benefits too of a Sushi meal. Two of the most healthy diets in the world are undisputedly Japanese and Mediterranean. Both regions reporting the lowest heart disease rate amongst its populations. Fish, fish oil and omega 3 are common in our understanding of good health and diet. Equal to the enjoyment of Japanese food is the dining experience. When eating within a Japanese inspired interior however traditional or modern, the senses are prompted to experience from a Japanese perspective. Using chopsticks too should authenticate the feel and mood. If you really want to indulge in authenticity then take a few slurps of your favourite soup. The flavours of the noodles and soup are multiplied when slurping. Slurping creates oxygenation which is said to enhance the flavour.

Joy to the lovers of good Japanese food where ever the price range be.

Restaurants

Set within the heart of Piccadilly, Engawa is one of London’s most authentic and traditional Japanese restaurants, specialising in the delicacy of Kobe beef alongside a stunning selection of fresh sushi and sashimi.

2 Ham Yard, London, W1D 7DT

Engawa

- One of just a handful of Japanese restaurants in London to offer Kobe – the most exclusive beef in the world often called the ‘caviar of meat’.

Top: INKO NITO Broadwick Street, the first UK site, opened its doors in May 2018. Situated on Broadwick Street, London, the new casual dining hotspot serves unconventional robatayaki Japanese fare in the heart of the Soho community, combining a laid-back setting with innovative flavours. 55 Broadwick Street London W1F 9QS

Above: Jugemu - Rustic Japanese barrestaurant offering dishes not commonly found in London. A tiny Japanese restaurant in Soho that feels like you stumbled into .a backstreet cafe in Kyoto.

3 Winnett St, Soho, London W1D 6JY

Restaurants

Right: JidoriA yakitori restaurant that takes the name from the special breed of free-range chickens renowned for their robust flavour and freshness in Japan. Staying true to this ethos, we use the freshest free-range birds, delivered direct from Yorkshire, utilising every part of the chicken.

Jidori - A rare London spot dedicated solely to yakitori and the art of the Japanese grilled chicken skewer.

Street Wise

fresheye looks at the street as a place for nuture, freedom and huge creative influence.

The Street

fresh eye

Above right: Currently driving petrol or diesel? Make the switch to MINI Electric to enjoy some serious savings on energy. MINI Electric is up to three quarters cheaper in comparison, costing as little 4p per mile.

Right: The G-Shock is a line of watches manufactured by the Japanese electronics company Casio, designed to resist mechanical stress, shock and vibration. Robust enough for the street. Examples shown G-Shock Metal range.

Mini Electric

As you zip from 0-62mph in just 7.3 seconds. And enjoy that trademark go-kart handling while emitting zero driving emissions.

The Street

Above: Banksy - pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director.

Left: Vintage play on the streets of Salford - England.

Right: Police hopscotch. Even an officer of the law can enjoy some street fun.

West Side Story

Fire between the warring Jets and Sharks - two rival gangs vying for control of the streets.

The Street

Top

Above: The Beatles (Abbey Road) Album Cover.

Right: There is no denying that skateboarding is a sport, as it’s constantly referenced as an “action” or “extreme” sport. It’s also an undeniable lifestyle.

Top left: A brilliant scheme that closed streets for a few hours a week so children can play out safely has spread all over the world. Originally started by a group of parents in Bristol - England.

centre: Parkour and bike parkour. Exhilarating to say the least.

Above right: Iconic Flatiron Building in New York.

Left: Chess is as old as the idea of taking the game out into open space. The street is a popular choice.

Chanel Style

A designer brand that’s has eclectic in it’s DNA. Chanel pieces, (how ever you switch them up) perfect for the street.

The Street

Above: Iconic Converse sneaker. To be worn on streets

Above right: Mike Skinner - Skinner introduced a distinct idiom to UK hip-hop in the early 2000s, experiencing both critical and commercial success.

Left: Street party. Great for a Jubilee celebration.

Right: The Bash Street Kids. Iconic characters from The Beano.

The Streets

Michael Geoffrey Skinner is an English rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. Best known for the music project The Streets.

The Street

Above left: Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/ b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States.

Above right: Japanese competitive fighting video game franchise developed and published by Capcom.

Left: Street food - Choose a sunny day. It adds to the flavour.

Right: Carnival is an important cultural event in the Dutch Caribbean.

Street Fighter released in 1987, followed by six other main series games, various spin-offs and crossovers.

performers,

NPR Music offers podcasts, live concert webcasts, reviews, music lists, news, studio sessions, and interviews to listen to from NPR and partner public radio stations across the country, as well as an index of public radio music stations streaming live on the Internet.

Above: Superorganism.

Right: Past

Adele, Rakim and John Legend.

Tiny Desk Concert

Intimate video performances, recorded live.

NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music discovery. The Tiny Desk is a unique space that presents your favorite artists like you’ve never heard them before.

Since 2008, NPR Music welcomed beloved musicians from across genres — everyone from Adele to Chance The Rapper, from T-Pain to Yo-Yo Ma — to perform behind the desk of Bob Boilen, host of All Songs

Considered and creator of the Tiny Desk concert series. Since the launch of the series, more than 900 performances have been recorded at Boilen’s festive workspace at NPR headquarters, which is adorned with years of music mementos and memorabilia.

The new

As much as the Tiny Desk is about celebrity, it’s also about discovery. So in 2014, they launched the Tiny Desk Contest: their nationwide search to find the next great undiscovered musician to come play a Tiny

Desk concert. Winners also go on tour with NPR Music, in partnership with NPR Member stations across the country. The previous winners have gone on to sign to major labels, perform across the world and even win Grammy awards.

And while there is only one yearly grand prize winner, every artist who enters the Contest benefits from joining the Tiny Desk Contest community. Entrants are regularly featured on NPR Music’s All Songs

Considered blog, at the stops on the Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour and even sometimes in a Tiny Desk concert down the line. No matter what kind of music you make, NPR Music wants to hear it. Send them a song that’s totally you.

https://tinydeskcontest.npr.org/2020/open/ NPR offers a wide range of shows and podcasts (also find on YouTube). Check out what’s featured and what’s offered daily, or browse all NPR shows: news and conversations, storytelling and humor, and music. If you don’t see a show or podcast you’re looking for, it may be produced by your local NPR station or another public media organization.

fresh eye

Travel

Above: Porto or Oporto is the second-largest city in Portugal and one of the Iberian Peninsula’s major urban areas. A coastal city in northwest Portugal known for its stately bridges and port wine production. In the medieval Ribeira (riverside) district, narrow cobbled streets wind past merchants’ houses and cafes.

When in Europe

A Portugese and French discovery

by our dancing traveler Hillary Sukhonos.

Months of self-isolation have stoked desire to travel. For some of us, armchair travel is our only option right now. While Europe and Asia proceed to open travel and tourism, the UK and Americas remain stymied in the pandemic quagmire. Well, while the world falls into the new dark age, I shall dream of brighter days… like care free airline travel, sidewalk cafes, and watching smiles, not masks, appear on people’s faces. I invite you to imagine the fresh air of a beach escape and recall the wonderment you feel when exploring narrow village streets. I offer two European spots, both known for their regenerative and smile-inducing qualities. Find relief from these uncertain times within the colorful, relaxed, and flavorful seaside city of Porto, Portugal; and secondly, the reclusive, moody, and effervescent Etretat, France.

Porto, Portugal

If your travel passions are art, architecture, and design then head to Porto and stay in the art district known as Rua de Miguel Bombarda. Rows of art galleries nest beside new fashion creators, upcycle boutiques, and my personal favorite, tea parlours. Breathe in the rich scents at Rota Do Cha on Rua de Miguel Bombarda 457, a veritable oasis of calm, tea, and bohemian atmosphere. Notes of street musicians will rise in the cobblestone street as the sunset casts long shadows. Evenings can be enjoyed strolling across the famous bridges over the river Douro. Let the night take you.

Etretat, France

If kayaking, cliffs, and caves call your name then dream of Etretat, a noble seaside village in north-western France. Striking white

Porto, Portugal - Smaller and cuter than its big sister Lisbon. Porto gently emerges and has a lot to offer in terms of culture, leisure and gastronomy with its historic center.

Etretat, France - A hidden gem of Normandy, France. Etretat is a perfect offbeat day trip from Paris.

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fresh eye

alabaster cliffs plunge into calm seas where you can rent kayaks to explore the arches and inlets of this striking shoreline. Explore some of Monet’s favorite bluffs on foot trails that lead past the sculpture garden of Alexandre Grivko and Notre Dame de la Garde chapel. What is the must do activity in Etretat? Watch the sunset! Cure for 2020 woes are certainly found in the natural setting of this Normandy village.

At this tumultuous moment in history, make it a priority to escape to your balcony, backyard, or local hotspot. Surely, if there was ever a time to enjoy local get-a-ways it is during a pandemic. If you are lucky enough to be allowed travel, check with official health and embassy sources. Or, like travel writer, Sarah Khan, just live vicariously through your friends social media feed!

Travel

COVID-19 travel guidance

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office currently advises British nationals against all but essential international travel. Travel to some countries and territories is currently exempted.

This advice is being kept under constant review. Travel disruption is still possible and national control measures may be brought in with little notice.

Above: Douro River Traditional Porto Boats and Porto rooftops.

Above right: Etretat Cliffs and Beach. These cliffs and the associated resortbeach attracted artists including Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet and ClaudeMonet.

Right: The sculpture garden of Alexandre Grivko and Notre Dame de la Garde chapel.

Jerk face

fresheye celebrates the New York born and based artist Jerkface. He to prominence thanks to his Pop-influenced representations of iconic cartoon characters, which he often reproduces in layered patterns across the picture plane.

fresh eye

Art Gallery

Nostalgic and subversive, Jerkface is a moniker for an anonymous New York-based artist most widely recognised for his playful re-imaginings of pop culture iconography. His style can be defined by the use of character repetition and geometric abstraction, with his work merging several styles.

Background

Jerkface received his artistic training through New York’s street art scene, and his flattened figuration and bright color palettes reflect this influence. Though the artist first found success on the East Coast, his practice has expanded both geographically and artistically.

Art Gallery

Creating a mix of public murals, prints and sculpture, Jerkface has garnered an international reputation among critics and collectors as a trailblazing figure in the art world.

Jerkface murals now adorn cities around the world, and he has exhibited paintings in Hong Kong, New York, and beyond.

Inspiration continued

It was this lyrical interlude, rather than the mayhem enveloping it, that caught the eye of Peter Doig when he saw the movie. “The film is not worth watching,” Doig tells me dismissively in his east London studio and living space. “But I was so surprised by that scene.

The image stayed with Doig, and it would become a key motif in his later work, most notably in “White Canoe” (199091), a technical tour de force of dramatic abstraction, and more explicitly still in “Canoe Lake” (1997-98), in which it is turned into a menacing tableau of acidic greens.

Art Gallery

The artist has been catapulted into recognition, with exhibitions in Hong Kong and New York. With a special solo exhibition taking place with Maddox Gallery in Mayfair in June 2021, the artist is well on the way to becoming a global success.

Quote - “The artist has says that he’s interested only in creating optimistic work; there’s already enough negativity in the world.

Egg Hunt

A rebirth in the taste of chocolate...

However you like your Easter eggs, fresheye makes the hunt a lot easier for you. With our own discerning summary of 5, here is our version of the best chocolate taste test. And of course let us not forget what the Easter period is all about and what it means. Easter, also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD.

1. Waitrose No.1 hidden truffles egg

A thin egg but it has a rich and creamy texture and a pleasant taste, studded with rubbly almonds and a touch of salt. Quite a low-key creation, but the chocolate isn’t sickly sweet and has a good mouthfeel.

2. Rococo eggs

Proving that Easter eggs aren’t just for children (you’d better find an extra good hiding place

for this one), Rococo creates its own, grownup iteration from velvety smooth chocolate that comes in a range of delectable flavours - from sea salt to raspberry or honeycomb (there’s a wholly vegan version, too).

3. Hotel Chocolat

Whether you’re looking for a fun twist on an Easter classic, Eggs & Soldiers truffles or want to crack into their ridiculously thick Easter Eggs, look at Hotel Chocolat.

4. Divine

A boldly citrus flavour sings out from the softly set chocolate shell (don’t expect a clean snap). No bells and whistles, just a nice basic egg that delivers on all its promises. Simple but successful.

5. Melt chocolate egg

Indulge this Easter with handcrafted, luxury Acorn Easter Egg from Melt Chocolatesnow with completely plastic free packaging. Exquisite milk and dark chocolate Easter egg with a nutty capule almond rocher.

Divine Chocolate Limited - is a purveyor of Fairtrade chocolate. It was originally established in the UK in 1998 as a company limited by shares co-owned by the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa farmers’ co-operative in Ghana.

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