AIR Gama Jan'14

Page 1

2014

Produced in International Media Production Zone

I S S U E T H I R T Y T W O | JA NUA RY

De Niro FACE PAINTING Renowned Syrian artist Marwan on why time alone will judge his work

CLIVE OWEN Why one of Hollywood’s leading men does all he can to shun the spotlight

SNOW STOPPER Is the world’s most expensive ski chalet worthy of the price tag?

CHARTING HESTON What’s next on the menu for gastronomy’s most maverick man?

Haute Joaillerie, place Vend么me since 1906

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CONTENTS / FEATURES

Managing Director Victoria Thatcher Editorial Director John Thatcher Business Development Director David Wade david@hotmediapublishing.com Editor Leah Oatway leah@hotmediapublishing.com

Forty Six

Going Clive Contributing Editor Hazel Plush hazel@hotmediapublishing.com

Clive Owen is hot property but what makes him tick? The reclusive star talks theatre, family, and his working class roots.

Senior Designer Adam Sneade Designer Andy Knappett

Fifty Two

Illustrator Vanessa Arnaud

AIR takes an exclusive look behind the scenes of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy’s latest Bulgari photoshoot.

The Muse

Production Manager Chalitha Fernando

Fifty Eight Advertisement Manager Rawan Chehab rawan@hotmediapublishing.com

I’m Talkin’ to You Hollywood heavyweights don’t come much bigger than Robert de Niro, and he’s not ready to bow out of the game just yet...

Advertisement Manager Sukaina Hussein sukaina@hotmediapublishing.com -5-

CONTENTS / REGUL ARS

Fourteen

Thirty Two

Thirty Eight

Eighty

Radar

Jewellery

Art & Design

Travel

5HÀHFWLQJ RQ WKH OLIH and times – and legacy – of George Best

View historic Cartier in Paris, and buy unique Wendy Yue in Dubai

How artist Marwan has risen above the Arab and European art worlds

AIR ventures to Chalet N, the ski set’s most glamorous digs yet...

Twenty Eight

Thirty Six

Seventy Two

Eighty Four

Timepieces

Interiors

Gastronomy

What I Know Now

Featuring diamonds galore and Charles Darwin-inspired design

The interior design world is thinking big: meet ‘maximalism’

Take a trip to Heston’s World, Blumenthal’s Wonka-esque realm

Tumi’s CEO Jerome *UL̇WK RQ KLV life lessons learned

Sixty four

Tel: 00971 4 364 2876 Fax: 00971 4 369 7494

Motoring

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from HOT Media Publishing is strictly prohibited. All prices mentioned are correct at time of press but may change. HOT Media Publishing does not accept liability for omissions or errors in AIR.

After 100 years, Maserati is bigger – and faster – than ever

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NOW OPEN IN ABU DHABI

T H E G A L L E R I A S O W WA H S Q U A R E

02-6743666

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GAMA AVIATION

January 2014

WELCOME ONBOARD

I’m delighted to welcome you to the January HGLWLRQ RI $,5 *DPDœV LQ ÀLJKW PDJD]LQH I hope you’ll enjoy learning more about our global business aviation group and the services we provide as you browse through the pages. Gama is one of the world’s largest business jet operators – we have nearly 80 business jets operating all around the globe. Established in the United Kingdom in 1983, we’ve grown to have bases throughout the Middle East, Europe and North and South America as well as operating licences issued by the UAE, UK, US and Bermudan Authorities. In addition to providing aircraft management and charter services, the group also provides aircraft maintenance, avionics design and installation, aviation software, aircraft cleaning and leasing services to a wide range of clients. Gama’s expansion in the Middle East continues to progress well; our regional ÀHHW KDV JURZQ VLJQL¿FDQWO\ RYHU WKH SDVW 12 months with the arrival of a number of aircraft, along with the continued development of our regional footprint and services. This LQFOXGHV WKH RSHQLQJ RI RXU -HGGDK ṘFH DQG Abu Dhabi base. Also, Gama is now operating the only business aviation FBO at Sharjah International Airport, which is proving to be a very popular facility for Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, as well as a practical alternative to Dubai International Airport. Business aviation remains one of the best tools available to corporations and individuals who want to make time for themselves and it’s been pleasing to see a continued resurgence LQ FKDUWHU ÀLJKWV ¹ WKH ZRUOG LV WUDYHOOLQJ IRU business again and developing much needed revenue for the global economy. Thank you for choosing Gama – welcome onboard. Richard Lineveldt General Manager Gama Aviation

Contact details: charter.mena@gamaaviation.com gamaaviation.com -9-

GAMA AVIATION NEWS

New Beechcraft King Air 350c Available For Charter From Glasgow

Gama Aviation also presents today a newly delivered Beechcraft King Air 350C multi role business turboprop aircraft, which will be available for charter from Scotland. The aircraft will be popular with local executives seeking easy, reliable access to the more remote parts of Scotland, DORQJ ZLWK R̆HULQJ D FRVW H̆HFWLYH DQG ḢFLHQW PRGH RI WUDQVSRUW IRU trips to the UK and Europe. It will also serve as an ad-hoc additional aircraft to support the Scottish Air Ambulance. The King Air 350C features a large cargo door, making it suitable for rapid response cargo missions servicing the need of the oil and gas industries in particular. Speaking to assembled guests, Gama Aviation CEO Marwan Khalek said: “We are delighted to complete WKH ÂżUVW SKDVH RI WKLV VLJQLÂżFDQW investment project, which is a great showcase for our wide ranging aviation capabilities – all under one roof. We are extremely proud to have been here in Scotland for over two decades and this new facility underlines our long term commitment to this region. We are also delighted to announce the creation of new jobs here in Glasgow as we look towards Phase 2 of our investment programme, when we will double the hangarage and

handling capacity of our new facility in 2014.â€? He thanked Glasgow Airport Ltd, the Scottish Ambulance Service, NHS Scotland, the many local partners and contractors and Gama Aviation’s investors for their support and co-operation in the accomplishment of this project. Amanda McMillan, Managing Director of Glasgow Airport, said: “This new facility is a fantastic vote RI FRQÂżGHQFH LQ WKH FLW\ RI *ODVJRZ and the airport. Gama Aviation is making a considerable investment, creating jobs and new business, and the announcement of a second phase of investment underlines this commitment. By using local suppliers right through the design and construction process it has also ensured the economy in this area EHQHÂżWV HYHQ IXUWKHU “Glasgow Airport has always been home to a wide range of aviation services and this new facility is a fantastic addition, which provides more scope for dedicated business Ă€LJKWV DV ZHOO DV WKH KXJHO\ important Scottish Air Ambulance service. The airport is investing heavily to improve our facilities ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and this aviation centre is a hugely welcome addition.â€? - 10 -

Gama Aviation Inaugurates £3.8 Million Landmark Facility At Glasgow Airport Gama Aviation, the global aviation services company, today inaugurated a brand new 2,480 P PDLQWHQDQFH KDQJDU ṘFHV and executive aircraft handling facility in Glasgow, Scotland. The centre, representing an investment of £3.8 million, FUHDWHV D QXPEHU RI QHZ ÀLJKW crew, engineering, operations and customer service jobs. The new landmark facility was designed and built by a number of 6FRWWLVK ¿UPV Not only does the new facility provide a modern and convenient aircraft charter base for Gama Aviation’s Scottish based customers, but the Gama Aviation Executive Terminal (FBO) will be operational in readiness for the prestigious golf tournament, the Ryder Cup and the Commonwealth Games, when the city expects to handle a large volume of business and VIP visitors. Gama Aviation will provide full base and line maintenance in the new hangar, to support the Beechcraft King Air 200s operating an essential service for the Scottish Air Ambulance. In addition Gama Aviation DQWLFLSDWHV VLJQL¿FDQW WKLUG SDUW\ aircraft maintenance activity coming to Glasgow. Gama’s long association with the Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS Scotland commenced in 1993. The air ambulance service is an essential component of the provision of healthcare in Scotland. These specially equipped aircraft together with the highly trained medical and ÀLJKW FUHZV SURYLGH URXQG WKH clock cover for routine and urgent patient transfer.

WITH US TIME IS ON YOUR SIDE From the moment you touch down at Gama’s Sharjah FBO you’ll know that time is working for you. On average, six minutes after you land you’ll be in your car and on your way. Only 10 minutes from Sharjah itself and a mere 20 minutes (or less*) from Dubai means you’ll be productive before others will have even picked up their bags. Gama Aviation is the exclusive FBO provider at Sharjah, call us for all passenger services and aircraft handling on +971 6557 0177, email fbo.shj@gamaaviation.com or visit www.gamaaviation.com for more information *Helicopter transfers

available

• Aircraft & passenger arrival and departure services • Customs & Immigration preclearance services • Private Majlis and First Class lounges • Chauffeur and crew transport options available • Flight Planning Services • Hangar, Fuelling, Aircraft Parking & Maintenance services • Hotels at preferential rates • Car ramp access

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GAMA AVIATION NEWS Challenger 604 Flying High in Charter Market Gama Aviation’s Sharjah-based Challenger 604 has experienced a surge in charter demand during the Autumn period. With requests ranging from idyllic holiday destinations such as the Seychelles and Maldives, to the ever-popular European cities of Geneva, Paris and Nice, the Challenger 604 combines luxury and long-range capability in style. This aircraft is a true intercontinental business jet that provides spacious, plush transportation for up to 10 passengers, with the very latest aviation technology from the Bombardier group. The Challenger

family have long been known for their roomy and comfortable cabins, which make the travel experience both relaxing and productive. The cabin layout allows for

executive meeting facilities en route, and when matched with the Challenger 604’s high cruise speeds, there is no better business tool for PD[LPL]LQJ SURGXFWLYLW\

European growth Gama Aviation adds a Gulfstream G550 to its European based charter fleet Gama Aviation has announced a further expansion of its European based charter ÀHHW ZLWK WKH DGGLWLRQ RI D Gulfstream G550 to its UK Air 2SHUDWRU &HUWL¿FDWH With its long-range capability, Gama’s G550 (pictured below) easily links Europe with Los Angeles, Tokyo and Johannesburg at a cruising speed of Mach 0.80. The G550 will cover shorter distances at a speed of Mach 0.87. With a cabin length of nearly 44 feet and seating for up to 16 passengers, it is FRQ¿JXUHG WR DOORZ IRU D JURXS of travellers to work or hold DQ LQÀLJKW FRQIHUHQFH ZKLOVW elsewhere on the aircraft other passengers can enjoy a more restful experience. Productivity is assured through the aircraft’s Wi-Fi and SatCom phone capability whilst leisure passengers can enjoy an inÀLJKW HQWHUWDLQPHQW V\VWHP - 12 -

that includes a large 24� LCD widescreen TV, DVD and CD players. Other highlights of Gama Aviation’s G550 interior include its ergonomically designed, handcrafted 28� berthable club chairs with electronic lumbar supports and telescoping footrests, a four place conference group seating DUHD DQG FUHGHQ]D DORQJ ZLWK two four place berthable divans. With ultra-long-range capability and short range ḢFLHQF\ WKH * SURYHV its time saving abilities with ease. This new addition to the *DPD ÀHHW LV EDVHG DW /RQGRQ Stansted Airport in the UK, ensuring 24 hour availability. Gama Aviation’s European main operating base at Farnborough in the UK is host to a number of other corporate jets, including Lear Jet 45’s, Hawker 1000’s, two Challenger 604’s and also a Dassault Falcon 2000.

RADAR

A new London exhibition revels in the romance of Middle Eastern culture At London’s Lisson Gallery, Egyptian artist Wael Shawky presents Dictums – an homage in photography and film to the icons of traditional Arab culture. Rare black camels, treasured throughout the Middle East for their endurance and beauty, are the stars of the show: in Manqia I (pictured) the beasts are captured en route to pageants and parades, silhouetted against the Abu Dhabi desert sands. Until 9 February, lissongallery.com

Silhouettes on the sand

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- 15 -

RADAR

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the

BEST of both WORLDS This one single photo captured the jubilation and sadness of George Best’s career, writes his biographer Duncan Hamilton

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AVENUE AT ETIHAD TOWERS is dedicated to exclusive luxur y and home to the world’s most desirable brands. Immerse yourself in Abu Dhabi’s most sophisticated boutique retail destination and indulge in the joy of living and shopping. w w w.AvenueAtEtihadTowers.ae

RADAR

M

y obsession with football began as George Best approached his zenith, which is why he became my boyhood hero. It was the summer of 1967 – the year the Beatles released Sgt Pepper, the BBC launched Radio 1 and colour TV began for households who could D̆RUG WKH QHZ IDQJOHG WHFKQRORJ\ Of course, I had to watch Best in black and white on a set that nowadays would be considered as small as a pencil dot. It didn’t matter. Whenever Manchester United appeared on Match of the Day, the programme’s brass band signature tune a Saturday night event, Best shimmered across the smoky screen and lit it, brightly. Oh, the glistening tricks he SHUIRUPHG ZLWK WKDW QDUURZ KLSSHG physique. He’d play little beguiling JDPHV RI NHHS\ XS DORQJ WKH touchline simply to amuse himself. He’d nutmeg a defender and then pivot on a penny and nutmeg him again purely for the wicked cheek of it. He’d conjure goals in the most improbable of circumstances, scoring from the acutest of angles or after wriggling beyond half a dozen tackles, some high enough to threaten decapitation. Precisely how he could do what he did was a marvellous mystery. He seemed WR KDYH VXSHU SRZHUV Âą D ZDUS OLNH VSHHG DPRQJ WKHP Âą WKDW KH displayed on pitches that were OLNH ULSSHG XS UXWWHG EDWWOHÂżHOGV compared to the manicured lawns of today’s Premier League. Those of us who grew up amid the social and cultural convulsions of the Sixties thought nothing of them. We naively assumed life had always been like that. We had no conception that a monochrome, austere decade had preceded our own. Best was emblematic of our era. He possessed what my parents’ generation demurely called ‘matinee idol looks’, which made him a sex

‘Best shimmered across the smoky screen and lit it, brightly’ V\PERO DQG D SLQ XS EHVLGH KLP the merely handsome appeared ordinarily plain. He also wore clothes more garish than Christmas tree decorations and drove sleek cars with long bonnets. He was the epitome of glamour. Best was in the newspapers every day, across the front as well as the back pages, and so I began a scrapbook about him. I also began the long hunt for his photograph in a sticker album called The Wonderful World of Soccer Stars. His sticker was the most highly prized because even those with scant interest in football – primarily female, QDWXUDOO\ Âą VRXJKW DQG IRXJKW RYHU LW too. I still have the album. And Best still beams out of it, then 21 years old and physically perfect. The camera loved him, which PDGH KLV IDFH Âą DV PXFK DV KLV IHHW Âą KLV IRUWXQH :LWK D WZLVW RI LURQ\ though, one of the most poignant pictures ever taken of him doesn’t show it. $W WKH HQG RI Âľ Âś VHDVRQ United won the European Cup at Wembley, where Best scored in extra time. Celebrating the moment, he’s SKRWRJUDSKHG RQ WKH KDOI WXUQ WKH white number seven visible on his back. His shirt hangs loosely over his shorts. His socks are crumpled. His right arm is raised in acclaim. The photo enables you to see what - 19 -

Best saw in front of him that night. There’s the curvature of the tunnel end, the crowd amorphously massed there, the faint white blocks of the scoreboard, which is about to change, the stubby shadows which WKH ÀRRGOLJKWV FDVW WKH FXW VWULSV of pitch, each narrowing to its vanishing point. What this picture freezes is the VXPPLW RI %HVWœV FDUHHU ¹ WKRXJK no one could have anticipated it then. Now, because we all know what happened next, it carries the underlying sadness of something lost DQG ORQJ RYHU I stare at it and remember my childhood. I also remember a player who was the supreme talent of his generation – and, arguably, all others too. Anyone born too late to watch Best may need convincing of his greatness. Let me put it into perspective. Gareth Bale, formerly of Spurs, is supposedly worth the riches of Croesus. Real Madrid SDLG … P DQG WKUHZ LQ VRPH ORRVH change for him as well. … P" ,I %HVW ZDV SOD\LQJ WRGD\ … P ZRXOG RQO\ EX\ \RX KLV OHIW OHJ

Immortal: The Approved Biography of George Best by Duncan Hamilton is published by Century and out now.

CRITIQUE

Film The Invisible Woman

Dir: Ralph Fiennes Nelly, a happily-married mother and teacher, is haunted by her past. The former muse and lover of Charles Dickens, she can never reveal her clandestine connection with the author. AT BEST: “An enthralling and beautifully performed period drama.â€? Screen International AT WORST: “As straightlaced as its Victorian-era VHWWLQJ WKH ÂżOP ODFNV gusto.â€? Yahoo! Movies

Lone Survivor

Dir: Peter Berg Four Navy SEALs are are ambushed by Taliban forces in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan when their covert mission goes awry. AT BEST: “Every punch, shot, and explosion [is] conveyed with great skill.â€? Film School Rejects AT WORST: “It’s a shame to have to report that this LV RQH RI WKH GXOOHVW ÂżOPV about war ever made.â€? Eye for Film

One Chance

Dir: Alexander Payne A bullied shop assistant hides his passion for singing, but when he enters a TV talent contest, he wins the hearts of its viewers – and scoops the prize, changing his life forever. AT BEST: “7KH ÂżOP LV wonderful: uplifting, funny, tense and moving all at once.â€? 8UEDQ &LQHÂżOH AT WORST: “The script has bum notes throughout. â€? Total Film

Labor Day

Dir: Jason Reitman One Labor Day weekend, an escaped convict arrives at a single mother’s home – she must shelter him, EXW ÂżQGV KHUVHOI IDOOLQJ for him too. AT BEST: “A nuanced, superbly acted love story with a most unusual genesis.â€? Hollywood Reporter AT WORST: “Too full of studio additives and overcooked.â€? Eye for Film - 20 -

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CRITIQUE

Books his forefathers. “Acosta is not DV JUDFHIXO D stylist on the SDJH DV KH LV RQ WKH VWDJH ´ ZULWHV -DQH 6KLOOLQJ LQ 7KH 7HOHJUDSK “but he is a lively storyteller. The ÂżQDO WZLVW LV clumsily done, EXW LQ )UDQN :\QQHÂśV VNLOIXO translation, $FRVWDÂśV novel has an earthy charm that makes it more than a mere literary curiosity.â€? Jude Webber of )LQDQFLDO 7LPHV also notes a few IDXOWV DPRQJ the jewels of 3LJÂśV )RRWÂśV prose: “Acosta GRHV D JRRG MRE RI NHHSLQJ WKH reader hooked, WKRXJK WKH VWRU\ RI WKH VLJQLÂżFDQFH RI WKH DPXOHW Carlos Acosta, novelist? The Cuban LWVHOI DQG 2VFDUÂśV ORQJ DZDLWHG ballet dancer is better known for return to Pata de Puerco, end up KLV ÂżQHVVH RQ VWDJH WKDQ KLV WDOHQWV IHHOLQJ UXVKHG DQG DUH SURSEDEO\ LWV RQ WKH SDJH EXW KLV ÂżUVW QRYHO KDV OHDVW VXFFHVVIXO SDVVDJHV ´ PHW ZLWK SOHQW\ RI K\SH 3LJÂśV )RRW Âł:KHQ , GLH ,ÂśP JRLQJ WR KDYH D RU 3DWD GH 3XHUFR LQ LWV RULJLQDO jam session,â€? declares Jimi Hendrix Spanish version), was written over LQ KLV ÂľSRVWKXPRXV PHPRLUÂś Âł5RODQG a number of years, in snatched .LUN ZLOO EH WKHUH DQG ,ÂśOO WU\ WR JHW moments between show rehearsals 0LOHV 'DYLV DORQJ LI KH IHHOV OLNH – Âł:KHQ , KDYH DQ KRXU RU VR , JR GRZQ WR P\ GUHVVLQJ URRP RSHQ WKH PDNLQJ LW )RU WKDW LWÂśV DOPRVW ZRUWK G\LQJ ´ 6WDUWLQJ DW =HUR LV ZULWWHQ computer and escape into my own E\ WKH URFN VWDU KLPVHOI WKURXJK ZRUOG´ $FRVWD WROG 7KH 7HOHJUDSK the notes, diaries, interviews The novel focuses on the south DQG OHWWHUV JDWKHUHG E\ KLV FORVH of Cuba, where the ancestors of IULHQGV $ODQ 'RXJODV DQG 3HWHU QDUUDWRU 2VFDU 0DQGLQJD FDUYHG 1HDO 7KH VQLSSHWV RI +HQGUL[ÂśV OLIH out lives of violence and squalour. UHYHDO WKH WKURXJKWIXO LQWURYHUWHG 0DQGLQJD KDV QHYHU YLVLWHG EXW PDQ EHKLQG WKH JXLWDU – at odds UHFDOOV KLV JUDQGIDWKHUVÂś WDOHV DQG with the common perception SODQV KLV SLOJULPDJH WR WKH ODQG RI - 23 -

RI KLV IDVW OLYLQJ ZLOG QDWXUHG UHSXWDWLRQ Âł%\ DOORZLQJ UHDGHUV WR KHDU +HQGUL[ÂśV YRLFH XQPHGLDWHG 6WDUWLQJ DW =HUR SODFHV WKH PDQ KLPVHOI LQ DOO KLV FRPSOH[LW\ ÂżUPO\ at the centre of his own life story,â€? writes Chris Parker in London -D]] 1HZV Âł+HQGUL[ HPHUJHV IURP WKLV FROOHFWLRQ RI DXWRELRJUDSKLFDO VQLSSHWV DV WKH WKRXJKWIXO PRGHVW PXVLF REVHVVHG DUWLVW KH ZDV UDWKHU WKDQ WKH Ă€DPER\DQW JXLWDU EXUQLQJ womaniser portrayed in the tabloids RI WKH WLPH ´ )RU (G 9XOOLDP\ RI 7KH *XDUGLDQ +HQGUL[ÂśV VRFLDO DQG political opinions remain timely: “[His] radicalism and rejection of WKH ÂľHYHU\GD\ PXG ZRUOG ZHÂśUH OLYLQJ

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CRITIQUE

Art

2YHU SHRSOH Ă€RFNHG WR WKH 1DWLRQDO *DOOHU\ RI 9LFWRULD IRU WKH RSHQLQJ ZHHNHQG RI 0HOERXUQH 1RZ D JDWKHULQJ RI ORFDOO\ SURGXFHG DUW DQG LWHPV E\ ZHOO ORYHG 0HOEXUQLDQ brands. Star of the show is its JUḊWL – an emblem of a city that wears its heart on its sleeve. “Street DUW LV D PDMRU SDUW RI 0HOERXUQHÂśV current art scene,â€? writes Daily 5HYLHZÂśV 0DUN +ROVZRUWK Âł7KH LQĂ€XHQFH RI VWUHHW DUW JUḊWL DQG WDJJLQJ LV FOHDU LQ 0HOERXUQH Now. There are Ponch Hawkes SKRWRJUDSKV RI WUHH WDJJLQJ 6WLHJ 3HUVVRQÂśV SDLQWLQJV 5HNR 5HQQLHÂśV SDLQWLQJV $VK .HDWLQJÂśV YLGHR DQG

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FDQ 7KH LQĂ€XHQFHV KHUH DUH 3RS $UW *HUPDQ ([SUHVVLRQLVP DQG $UW Brut, not the painterly experiments of Matisse and Picasso.â€? :KHQ 1HZ <RUNÂśV QHZO\ PLQWHG LQGXVWULDOLVWV VWDUWHG VSODVKLQJ WKHLU FDVK LQ ODWH WK FHQWXU\ $PHULFD WKHLU H[WUDYDJQDFH NQHZ QR ERXQGV %HDXW\ÂśV /HJDF\ WKH ODWHVW ELOOLQJ at the New York Historical Society, IHDWXUHV SRUWUDLWV RI WKH RULJLQDO one percent, accompanied by their FRVWO\ WUDSSLQJV LWÂśV ULFK LQ FRQWH[W DQG FKDUDFWHU ÂżQGV 7KH 1HZ <RUN 7LPHVÂśV .DUHQ 5RVHQEXUJ “It opens with a section on the exhibitions at the National Academy RI 'HVLJQ ZKLFK ZHUH RUJDQL]HG by society women and displayed WKHLU OLNHQHVVHV DORQJVLGH HDUOLHU H[DPSOHV RI $PHULFDQ DQG (XURSHDQ SRUWUDLWXUH $OVR LQWULJXLQJ LV WKH relationship between the American HOLWH DQG LWV (XURSHDQ FRXQWHUSDUW MRLQHG E\ 'RZQWRQ $EEH\ VW\OH PDUULDJHV DQG WKH TXLFNHQLQJ SDFH RI WUDQV $WODQWLF WUDYHO ´

CRITIQUE

Theatre Hollywood royalty is in residence at New York’s Cort Theatre, in the form of Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan. The venerable pair (along with Billy Crudup of Eat Pray Love, and Broadway regular Shuler Hensley) have taken on two equally heavyweight productions: Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land and Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. The two plays are performed in rep, on alternating days, with two shows on matinee days (Wednesday and Saturday). In No Man’s Land, two aging writers ramble at length about their failing careers, searching for solace in the bottom of a bottle. Waiting for Godot sees two tramps searching for the benevolent yet elusive ‘Mr Godot’, when they’re joined by an eccentric traveller and his slave. Both scripts are dark and postmodern, but Beckett’s and Pinter’s prose is imbued with humour; indeed, as Ben Brantley of The New York Times declared, Âł7KHVH SURGXFWLRQV ÂżQG WKH SXUH entertainment value in existential emptinessâ€?. Both shows “bring out the polish and shimmer in Pinter and Beckett’s language,â€? Brantley continues; “I have never heard American audiences respond to any production of Pinter or Beckett with such warm and embracing laughterâ€?. Writing in NBC New York, Robert Kahn looks deeper: “The pieces are explorations of aging and friendship, and the unreliability of memory. Stewart and McKellen make for trustworthy guides through [this] murky postmodern territoryâ€?. “It’s a while since I’ve heard an audience gasp in shock at a character’s actions onstage,â€? writes Jane Canaway of Australian Stage, in her review of Boy Out of the Country – a new show at Melbourne’s IRUW\ÂżYHGRZQVWDLUV :ULWWHQ E\ )HOL[ Nobis, the play is a tense portrayal of the reunion of two Australian brothers. After an unexplained seven-year absence, Hunter returns

WR KLV FKLOGKRRG WRZQ WR ÂżQG KLV mum in nursing care, his old home VROG R̆ DQG KLV IRUPHU Ă€DPH married to his clean-living brother Gordon. “Nobis gently develops the story like a watercolour painting,â€? Canaway continues. “He adds depth and colour in subtle layers that slowly reveal a more intricate

not the jazz-hands glitter feast \RX PLJKW H[SHFW )URQWPDQ Ethan Lipton leads his four-piece band in a musical storytelling of the breakdown of ‘his’ career in publishing: to cut costs, his company’s planning to move to Mars. Lipton must decide whether to up sticks or face unemployment.

picture in a wholly gratifying way. It is sharp, canny and astute, but it is also very funny.â€? In Melbourne’s Herald Sun, however, an unnamed UHYLHZHU ÂżOHG D VFDWKLQJ ZULWH XS “This is theatre so blunt it’s like being stabbed to death with a potato. The direction seems like a cruel exercise in forcing actors to ignore their instincts; the arch dialogue, the obvious, binary emotional choices and blocking make the whole exercise feel like Home and Away: Live on Stage.â€? Ouch. )UHVK RXW RI 1HZ <RUN FDEDUHW No Place To Go arrived at London’s Gate Theatre last month – but it’s

“The show is as New York as a triple-decker pastrami sandwich,â€? writes a smitten Michael Billington in the Guardian. The Telegraph’s Matt Trueman agrees: “The set-list hops from a funky James Brown QXPEHU SUHDFKLQJ WKH EHQHÂżWV RI self-incorporation to a gravelly Santana-style roar about an encroaching storm. The best of them are infectiously toe-tapping, though slower songs border on hangdog selfpity. Lipton’s patter is a particularly New York kind of droll – sour grapes on wry – but he has a lethargic likeability, even if the show’s pacing can become woozy.â€?

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TIMEPIECES

FREDERIC WATRELOT Christie’s watch specialist on the finest timepieces of last year As a watch specialist I spend most of my working life, and much of my leisure time, thinking about time. They say the outset of a new year is the perfect occasion for reflection, and what a year we have seen in the horological world. Personally, I was delighted by the excellent results for my first sale of watches in Dubai, and the successes I have had buying watches at our other salerooms around the world for my clients in the region, many of whom I have met since I became the watch specialist here for

Christie’s. Recently, the Oscars of the watch world were in town with their highlights and I hope some of you got to see some of the prize winners. I personally loved the watch that won the Horological Revelation Prize – the Ressence Type 3. I met Benoit Mintiens, the founder and creator of this incredibly innovative design, a couple of years ago in Basel and I wish I bought a watch then as now they’re impossible to get. The display system for this really contemporary looking watch is incredible – under the glass an oil-type fluid is used with the numbers projected through it onto the glass. The liquid is separated from the mechanical movement by a hermetical seal and the case is made of titanium …very cool. I also love the Chanel Mademoiselle Privé with

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its embroidered camellia dial. It won the Artistic Prize for Watch Craft. The dial’s design is produced with an embroidery technique using threads of different colors: it is very unusual. But the best in show was the Girard Perregaux, which won the top prize known as Aiguille d’Or Grand Prix. And the reason why? The Constant Escapement - a revolutionary concept and a breakthrough in the field of chronometry featuring no less than 3 different patents. The name refers to a holy grail in mechanical watchmaking that has perplexed watchmakers since the dawn of time: the constant force. Looking ahead to what’s in store this year, the February Doha Watch and Jewellery Fair will soon be upon us….the clock never stops.

TIMEPIECES

> Just 15 pieces of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar have been crafted, each with a dial fashioned from solid white gold and a design born of artisanal skills. While for the first time on a Lange watch, the numerals are all hand painted.

> One hundred Top Wesselton VVS diamonds around the bezel and 12 diamond indices on the dial are what take the eye on the newly launched La Grande Classique de Longines 100 Diamonds, a visually-enhanced version of an old favourite. But they’re not this timepiece’s only attractions – its super slim case (measuring just 4.60mm) and mother-of-pearl dial only add to the overall elegance.

> IWC’s new range of Aquatimer watches sees the brand break new ground, with the distinctly masculine collection throwing up a QXPEHU RI GHEXWV D ¿UVW complication (perpetual calendar), the smallest size (42 millimetres) and this Charles Darwin-inspired Aquatimer Chronograph, with its case made of striking bronze. - 30 -

JEWELLERY

> With over 160 years of jewellerymaking excellence at its disposal, Cartier’s Style and History exhibition glitters with royal diamonds and red carpet rocks. Catch a glimpse now at the Grand Palais, Paris – until 16 February. grandpalais.fr

> Fans of Wendy Yue’s ethereal creations can now pick out RQH R̆ GHVLJQV DW %ORRPLQJGDOH¶V 'XEDL 7KH +RQJ .RQJ ERUQ GHVLJQHU is famed for her whimsical fairytale pieces, like this one-ofa-kind diamond and opal 6ZDQ 5LQJ EORRPLQJGDOHV FRP - 32 -

> If romance is in the air, let the diamonds do the talking with a heart-shaped VSDUNOHU IURP *UD̆ As if its unique jewels weren’t charming enough, the house excels in intricately-shaped stones, such as this ruby and diamond necklace, perfect for 9DOHQWLQH¶V 'D\ JUD̆GLDPRQGV com

> Combining floral motifs with rose-hued precious stones, Piaget’s Couture Précieuse designs are demure yet dazzling. The collection includes ribbon-like necklaces, drop earrings and multistranded bracelets, with pops of colour throughout. piaget.com - 33 -

Dubai Mall | Dubai Marina Mall | Mall of the Emirates | Wafi | Gold Souk

INTERIORS > This Elepharaonic banquet table is a beautiful example of how furniture design can be influenced by art movements. Splinter Works designers Matt Withington and Miles Hartwell took inspiration for this private commission from an international client’s Dali painting. Cast bronze with gold finish, patinated leaves and toughened glass, each component was hand-sculpted. The herd of elephants can be seen from the tabletop, each holding a handblown glass sphere. splinterworks.co.uk

>Dutch designer Sebastian Brajkovic’s Lathe series, represented by Carpenter’s Workshop, caused quite a sensation when it went on show at Abu Dhabi Art Fair. This limited edition bronze bench, Lathe I Gold, 2012, features silk embroidered upholstery. The 38-year-old artist’s Lathe series, made up of tables and chairs, began as a graduation project and today it is considered a modern design classic and features in permanent collections at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Museum of Arts and Design, in New York.

> As colourful as an emerald and arguably twice as precious, Boca do Lobo’s limited edition Piccadilly cabinet is as pretty as art and will spark as much FRQYHUVDWLRQ DPRQJ JXHVWV $ SL[HODWHG H̆HFW LOOXVWUDWHV WKH WZR VLGHV RI London – modern and traditional. Crafted from poplar, it is gilded in aged golden leaf. - 36 -

> If you enjoy music at home but hate the cables that almost inevitably accompany a sound system, check out AudioPro’s Allroom Air One: a full system in one stylish unit. Choose from red, white or black handstitched leather.

As I often mention in my column, here at The Studio we absolutely love OD\HUHG OX[XU\ 7R JLYH LW D GHÂżQLWLRQ layered luxury for me is the idea of bringing many beautiful materials, ÂżQLVKHV DQG IDEULFV WRJHWKHU DQG combining them to create a stunning interior. What is interesting is that this clash of composition and texture is becoming more and more mainstream today. Layering unlikely combinations of styles and textiles is a popular way of developing an LQWHULRU WKDW UHĂ€HFWV PXFK PRUH personality as we see interior design move away from the ever popular clean, crisp and minimalist look that has been in favour in recent years. What seems to be evolving is the return to a more eclectic design direction and rooms that are brimming with ornate detail in a real ‘maximalist’ approach. This interior style wouldn’t look out of place in the traditional schemes sometimes found in Britain’s beautiful stately

SARA COSGROVE The head of interior design at Harrods highlights the trend for maximalism

homes, grand French mansions or decorative Russian palaces. In today’s modern, often streamlined society our homes are becoming more comfortable dwellings with sumptuous features and a lavish attitude towards interior decoration. Fabric schemes include multiple uses of colour and pattern that can bring a space to life by introducing greens, purples, blues, yellows and gold all in one scheme to create a powerful impression. - 37 -

The way that this style is interpreted today is not in its original traditional form but is more likely to be translated with a contemporary take on this maximalist trend. Maximalism need not stop at the main interior theme of your room. An outlandish direction can also be continued through your selection of accessories. Ralph Lauren, who have long been the purveyors of the ‘more is more’ rule of accessorising, ORYH WR VW\OH WKHLU FR̆HH WDEOHV ZLWK a combination of books, candles, cigar boxes, ornaments and picture frames that are displayed on large silver or leather trays. Jonathan Adler also believes in this ‘more is more’ rule as an overall look to his schemes. His decorative ÂżJXULQHV DUH RIWHQ VHHQ PL[HG ZLWK brass ornaments, photo frames, books and beautiful porcelain bookends. 7KDW LV ZKDW GHÂżQHV 0D[LPDOLVP Give it a go in your own home.

ART & DESIGN

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Facial Expressionism A portrait with no identity, an artist with no home: meet Marwan, the nomadic painter Words: HAZEL PLUSH

M

arwan is tired. The bottoms of his trousers are soaked with rainwater, and he’s still waiting IRU D FR̆HH KH RUGHUHG KDOI DQ hour ago. It’s the third day of Abu Dhabi Art, and he should be showing me the paintings of his that are on display – but the heavens opened, the roads were closed, and the show has been forced to decamp to a nearby hotel. It’s cast a cloud over our interview, and I suspect he’s ZLVKLQJ WKH ZKROH WKLQJ ZDV FDOOHG R̆ +RZ GRHV KH IHHO about being part of the programme, I ask, grappling for questions about the artwork we should be standing in front of. “I don’t want to be a hero, like some painters do,â€? says the Syrian artist with a furrowed brow, but his steely blue eyes have a twinkle. “People put my art in galleries, but I don’t know why. I am just sitting in my studio with my tea, singing badly, and painting.â€? With that, he erupts into chuckles – there’s a chink in the cloud, and the tension vanishes. , ZRXOGQÂśW PLQG LI 0DUZDQ ZDV WHWFK\ +HÂśV MXVW WXUQHG DQG DV KLV SDLQWLQJV KDYH ULVHQ LQ SURÂżOH and price, he’s done his best to avoid the public eye. The ODVW WKLQJ KH ZDQWV LV D SUHVV MXQNHW DQG ZHW VRFNV +LV presence at Abu Dhabi Art is thanks to Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, whose collection includes two of his seminal works: Kadouche (1966), an abstract oil painting of what DSSHDUV WR EH KLV KHDG RQ D ZRPDQÂśV ERG\ DQG +HDG (1985), one of the darker versions of his famous ‘face’ works. It peers out bleakly from the exhibition catalogue Marwan retrieves from his coat pocket, looking more like a moody tapestry than a painting. It certainly would EH D SRZHUIXO VLJKW LQ WKH Ă€HVK

Kadouche is one of his key early works, a somewhat twisted exploration of the body and its form. “When I VWDUWHG SDLQWLQJ , KDG WKH LGHD RI SRUWUD\LQJ WKH ÂżUVW existence of human beings, the animals, the start of humanity,â€? Marwan explains. “I used myself as a model IRU P\ ÂżUVW SDLQWLQJV Âą QRW EHFDXVH ,ÂśP QDUFLVVLVWLF but because identity wasn’t the motivation. I wanted to explore the body, its functions, love, death, life.â€? From 1954 to 1972, he continued in this vein: irregular and unnerving, with hints of Lucien Freud’s surrealism and )UDQFLV %DFRQÂśV DOO RXW ZHLUGQHVV Âł:KHQ , ÂżUVW PDGH the paintings, they said ‘Marwan is unique’. It was my time to develop myself: I wanted to explore my work, to ÂżQG P\ RZQ VW\OH ´ Now in the sixth decade of his career as a painter, Marwan is enjoying the critical rewards of his ODERXUV +LV ZRUN KDV EHHQ VKRZQ LQ 7DWH /RQGRQ WKH British Museum, and Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is the latest big player to give their seal of approval. And the commercial rewards aren’t bad either: “My work does well at auction,â€? Marwan says, brightening further. “The price keeps JRLQJ KLJKHU DQG KLJKHU ´ +HÂśV VROG PDQ\ SLHFHV LQ sales around the world, and is a favourite at Christie’s. /DVW \HDU *URVVHU .RSI 1DFK 5HFKWV Âą /DUJH +HDG (Turned Towards the Right) – sold at Christies Dubai for $171,750. Marwan’s studio sanctuary is in Berlin, his adopted home of sixty years, but his roots are in Syria. In fact, he only ended up in Berlin by mistake, as he was trying to get to France. “In the 1950s, we dreamed of Paris – we wanted to study the art, the architecture, existentialism, Sartre...â€? I catch another glimpse of that twinkle. “But

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ART & DESIGN

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Kadouche Marionette Jurgen Vogt Kunsthalle Hamburg Kopf Nussbaum

1.

2.

in Syria it was impossible to make diplomatic contact with France, because of the Suez War. A friend of mine in Berlin said I should come to stay with him, and try to get to Paris from there. So I went to Berlin, and that was my destiny.â€? “The Germans are generous, and proud of their art,â€? he continues. “They have let me keep my roots, while welcoming the diversity I bring.â€? Middle East-based buyers also have a vast appetite for Marwan’s work, and KH RIWHQ YLVLWV WKH UHJLRQ IRU H[KLELWLRQV DQG VDOHV +H worries for his native Syria, and returns when he can, in between visits to Lebanon and Amman, where he is a professor at the Darat al Funun gallery and academy. Marwan is a self-professed ‘nomad’, happiest Ă€LWWLQJ EHWZHHQ (XURSH DQG WKH 0LGGOH (DVW Âą DQG LWÂśV

LPSRVVLEOH WR SODFH ZKHUH KH LV IURP +LV VKRUW ZKLWH hair and delicate spectacles are non-descript, and he speaks in a percussive medley of clipped Arabic vowels DQG *HUPDQLF JXWWXUDOV <RX ZRQÂśW ÂżQG DQ\ FOXHV WR KLV nationality in his paintings, either. “In Germany, I am considered to be an Arabic painter, and in Syria I am a German painter. But I think I am individual, something else – my style does not belong in a category.â€? Curiously, for an artist that eschews any links to nationality, the themes of identity and physical appearance form a large part of Marwan’s work. After WKRVH WZR GHFDGHV RI SDLQWLQJ KXPDQ ÂżJXUHV KH GHFLGHG WR IRFXV VROHO\ RQ KHDGV +H ZRUNV RQ FDQYDVHV XS WR WZR metres tall, in a rather brutal expressionist style. They don’t convey emotions directly – in some, you’d be hard-

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3.

4.

5.

pressed to decipher a face – but each painting provokes its own reaction. Some are light, almost delicate; others are bolshy with near-neon hues. Mostly, though, they’re dark and grotesque, bruised with fat strokes of

‘In Germany, I am an Arabic painter, and in Syria I am a German painter. But I think I am something else’ maroon, coal and black. “They are not portraits – they are paintings,” says Marwan. “And I am still working on them now. Every day I paint, and it takes me many

months to complete a painting – you would not believe how many paintings are beneath one painting. That is why the number of my works is very small.” I can’t help but wonder what’s next for Marwan: he may be 80, but there’s still such energy in his work. “I can say more or less that I have lived my story,” he says with a shrug and a smile, “but I am continuing. It gives me pleasure to look back on my career.” Is he riding high on his critical acclaim? “No! You need at least 50 years to decide whether a painter is good or not – you just have to put your work out there and let people decide. Many painters are declared heroes, but then 50 years later nobody knows who they are. It is like a loom – my work is combined to make a fabric, and only after time can you decide if it is good or not.” - 41 -

ART & DESIGN

H

e was once told he’d never earn a living making furniture, but 70 years, an OBE and a couple of lifetime achievement awards later, it’s safe to say John Makepeace has proved the naysayers wrong. Today, the 74-year-old Brit is one of the world’s most renowned and respected furniture designers and makers, responsible for establishing the UK’s ÂżUVW FROOHJH GHGLFDWHG WR FRQQHFWLQJ WKH FUHDWLYH DQG business elements of furniture making (Parnham &ROOHJH DQG ODWHU +RRNH 3DUN 6XFK D ÂżHUFHO\ VXFFHVVIXO FDUHHU PDNHV LW KDUG WR imagine the softly spoken Englishman ever doing anything else, but there was a time when he seemed GHVWLQHG IRU D YHU\ GL̆HUHQW OLIH Âą LQ WKH FKXUFK “I suspect it was probably due to some paternal pressure, but actually [my father] died in my last year at school and it really gave me the impulse to think, ‘Am I really doing what I want to do?’ And it was then really that I realised that furniture making was much more in my interest.â€? 0DNHSHDFHÂśV ORYH D̆DLU ZLWK IXUQLWXUH had been something of a slow-burner. +DYLQJ KDG D NHHQ LQWHUHVW LQ ZRRGZRUN

Dear

John

AIR meets ‘the father of British furniture design’, John Makepeace‌

since the tender age of seven, he remembers the odd item at his family’s Solihull home that he thought was ÂżQHO\ PDGH Âą D GHVN DQG D FLJDU FDELQHW DPRQJ WKHP – but it was the support of a family friend (who owned original Bauhaus furniture) that led him on the path to greatness. “I think he saw that was something I could be interested in,â€? he recalled during our long conversation. Âł2QH VXPPHU KH ZDV JRLQJ WR EH LQ +ROODQG KRVWLQJ D conference and said, ‘Why don’t you come? You can join us for dinner and I’ll try to point you in a few places \RX PD\ ÂżQG LQWHUHVWLQJ LQ WHUPV RI GHVLJQÂś 6R WKDW was wonderful. And then the following year I went to Scandanavia and worked there for a little bit. It gave me a chance to get my feet down a bit and look at the design KRXVHV LQ &RSHQKDJHQ ,Q WKHUH ZDV D ORW RI ÂżQH furniture being made to order [there], it was one of a kind. [There] really was quite an exceptional quality of thought, design and making. “

Makepeace returned to the UK with renewed enthusiasm for his chosen path and, despite the fact that furniture making was not seen as a lucrative profession at the time, he threw himself into work under designer/ maker Keith Cooper in Dorset, England. “Initially I was captivated by the pleasure of making but I was also doing a distance learning course in teaching because [Cooper] said I’d never earn a living as a furniture maker – that was the feeling at the time.� While in the workshop they made bespoke pieces to order, but Makepeace soon noticed most of the work

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who was the director of an international company, WKRXJKW WKDW ,ÂśG EHQHÂżW IURP WKDW ´ KH H[SODLQHG ÂłDQG , certainly did. I think the most important thing I learnt from my time in America was that anything is possible; it’s just a question of one’s ability to have a vision, really. I felt very strongly that if I believed in something I could probably make it happen.â€? And he was right. By the time he was 22, Makepeace’s unique designs were being sold at the likes of Liberty’s, +HDOÂśV DQG +DUURGV ,Q WKH V KH KDG KLV ÂżUVW DQG perhaps last major dalliance with mass production, ZKHQ D FR̆HH WDEOH KH GHVLJQHG WR ÂżOO D VSDFH DW KRPH SURYHG VR SRSXODU +HDOÂśV ZHUH VRRQ RUGHULQJ VL[ D ZHHN DQG +DELWDW ODWHU FDPH RQ ERDUG It was a sliding doors moment for Makepeace, whose Ă€DLU IRU GHVLJQ PHDQW IXUWKHU FRPPHUFLDO VXFFHVV ZDV

mirrored trends in industrial contemporary design – making pieces expensive but not particularly original design-wise. “A lot of my career has been about trying to reestablish a richness, not necessarily an extravagance but a diversity and expression that furniture is capable of but which, through the 20th century, has been damaged. That’s what has been lost by individual makers and is beginning to emerge.� In 1961, having completed his practical training, Makepeace headed to the States. “The family friend,

‘My father died in my last year at school and it made me think, “Am I doing what I want to do?â€?’ DOPRVW LQHYLWDEOH Âą LI KH GHVLUHG LW %XW KH GLGQÂśW +H returned to his small workshop and team, where his passion and creativity led to some of the world’s most LQQRYDWLYH RQH R̆ IXUQLWXUH GHVLJQV Âą LQFOXGLQJ KLV famous 1977 Mitre Chair. “I sometimes say that my career has been a series of discoveries and those have been brought about by individuals who I’ve met along the way,â€? he mused.

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ART & DESIGN

As Makepeace’s career continued to grow, so too did his army of students, among them the now famous furniture designer David Linley. What also grew was a frustration at the lack of adequate business training for independent furniture. In 1976, in a bid to rectify this, he bought Parnham +RXVH D *UDGH , OLVWHG WK FHQWXU\ VWDWHO\ KRPH in Dorset, England, and set about converting it into a holistic, residential training ground for furniture makers. “Parnham came about through the realisation that entrepreneurs need a gathering of skills, not just

single ones, and education seems to have become so obsessed with specialism that it seems almost antientrepreneurial. What all small businesses need are the skills to manufacture in whatever medium, a sense of design, and the business skills with which to operate successfully.� As with all of Makepeace’s endeavours, the risk that LQHYLWDEO\ DFFRPSDQLHG ODXQFKLQJ 3DUQKDP SDLG R̆ massively – more than 200 furniture designers went on to graduate from the college under him, many of whom have gone on to enjoy great success. The College hosted lectures, exhibitions and conferences that attracted - 44 -

‘A lot of my career has been about trying to re-establish a diversity and expression that furniture is capable of’

KLJK SURÂżOH VSHDNHUV DQG ZHUH RSHQ WR ERWK VWXGHQWV and the public. “The most amazing thing was that whoever we approached to teach or give a lecture [said yes]; they were intrigued and wanted the opportunity to see the place,â€? he said. “It gained a lot of press coverage and meant that people knew about it and were very happy to be a part of it.â€? +DYLQJ HVWDEOLVKHG D UHSXWDWLRQ RI H[FHOOHQFH DQG innovation, similar schools were established in Scotland and Ireland, as well as the States and Australia. ,Q WKH 3DUQKDP 7UXVW ERXJKW +RRNH 3DUN D acre forest in Dorset: Makepeace was keen to explore how furniture makers could make use of the smallGLDPHWHU WUHHV WKHUH ,W LV ZKHQ VSHDNLQJ DERXW +RRNH that the designer is at his most animated. “We were often using indigenous timber [but] people had very little understanding of forestry and the source of the timber that we were using,â€? he explained. Âł7KDW LQ WKH ÂżUVW LQVWDQFH OHG XV WR D VHULHV RI YLVLWV to Longleat, where students went and worked in the forest utilising some of the coppice crops, which had no commercial value to the estate but which demonstrated KRZ LQFUHGLEO\ Ă€H[LEOH DQG KRZ ZLGH DQ DSSOLFDWLRQ WKDW material had with very simple processes. “You think of forestry producing mature trees that you then have to have big industrial kit to move, saw and dry and then to saw into small components with which \RX PDNH WKLQJV 7KH FRSSLFH FURS JURZV RYHU ÂżYH WR years, is small in dimension and can be handled without any further heavy processing to make components for, say, chairs. And that just seemed magical. “It had an incredibility and beauty that just made it seem as if we were forgetting some other potential and doing things the heavy industrial way by habit rather than thought.â€? ,Q 3DUQKDP ZDV WUDQVIHUUHG WR +RRNH Park, which has since merged with the Architectural Association. It remains one of the world’s foremost authorities on design education. Makepeace’s work, particularly at Parnham, has seen him mix with members of the British royal family, SDUWLFXODUO\ 3ULQFH 3KLOLS 'XNH RI (GLQEXUJK Âł>+H@ was always very good whenever I had conversations with him; I sensed we had a lot of common groundâ€?. And in 1988 he received an OBE for his contribution to furniture design. It remains among his career highlights; others, he told me, include receiving the American Furniture Society and the London Furniture Makers. Today, Makepeace continues to design inimitable pieces, though he does less of the making. “I still enjoy it as much today as I always have,â€? he said. “I compare my role with that of a composer and conductor working ZLWK LQVWUXPHQWDOLVWV DQG WKDW , ÂżQG KXJHO\ VWLPXODWLQJ as it enables me to develop ideas freely. Life has been extraordinarily good to me.â€? - 45 -

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Going Clive AIR talks facial hair, family values and the lure of the stage with one of Hollywood’s leading alpha males… Words: LEAH OATWAY

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I

f ever there were a time to recycle an admittedly over-used and lazy clichĂŠ, it would be when trying to best describe Clive Owen. While his chiselled features and penchant for immaculately tailored suits (black, white shirt, no tie) have made him easy fodder for women’s magazine covers, Owen’s fearless adoption of characters who, at times, show no obvious redeeming qualities (his character Larry in Closer being a FDVH LQ SRLQW KDYH PDGH KLP D ER[ ṘFH GUDZ for men too, and the frequent recipient of Best Dressed Man awards. Today, however, the appearance of an unkempt intruder on his perfectly shaped upper lip threatens to derail his sex appeal and render the clichĂŠd “men want to be him, women want to be with himâ€? utterly irrelevant. What on earth is with the moustache? Âł, DP DERXW WR VWDUW ÂżOPLQJ D FDEOH VKRZ with Steven Soderbergh, called The Knick, which is [set during] the turn of the century, when apparently it was very unusual for men not to have a moustache,â€? he laughed. “It will

The fact that Owen’s wife, Sarah-Jane Fenton, was also an actress when they met in 1988 helps. The couple, who have two daughters – Hannah and Eve, fell in love while playing Romeo and Juliet at the Young Vic Theatre in a Rada production. Owen was just 19 years old at the time. “Yes,â€? he has said, “a clichĂŠ. I fell in love with her the minute she came in. She was late, she had these glasses and a pile of secondhand books, and there was something about her straight away.â€? Fenton stopped acting when she fell SUHJQDQW ZLWK WKHLU ÂżUVW FKLOG “I think sometimes she misses the sort of creative side of it,â€? Owen said, “but she’s not one of those who gave up her career for the family and feels that she lost something. She was very comfortable with her decision and was already thinking about maybe not doing it. And she’s completely re-trained [as a therapist] and got a new career now.â€? Despite starring opposite some of the world’s most beautiful women – Natalie Portman, Jennifer Anniston and Angelina

‘We just don’t court the attention. I believe that you can carry yourself in such a way that people don’t notice you’ be thinner than this, but I don’t dare shave it in case I mess it up. So I am waiting to start it so they can shape it and make it a nice thin thing. I wouldn’t have this by choice, come on [laughs again].â€? The 49-year-old Bafta award winner is no stranger to television: having cut his teeth in theatre, it was the 1990s UK TV series Chancer that made him a household name in Britain at the age of 26. Having recently starred in HBO RULJLQDO ÂżOP +HPLQJZD\ DQG *HOOKRUQ ZLWK Nicole Kidman, now he joins the throngs of Hollywood stars committing to longer-term projects on the increasingly alluring medium, taking a lead role in Brooklyn-set period drama The Knick, which looks at the lives of VWD̆ DW 1HZ <RUNÂśV .QLFNHUERFNHU +RVSLWDO during the start of the 20th century. ,WÂśV QRW WKH ÂżUVW WLPH D UROH KDV UHTXLUHG Owen to alter his physical appearance, in particular his body hair, he muses. “My wife never knows who’s going to walk in the door. She’s used to it, me changing all the time – I GLG D ÂżOP D IHZ \HDUV DJR FDOOHG %HQW ZKHUH , had to shave all my body hair and my head.â€?

Jolie to name but a few – the star has managed to remain free of scandal and, despite being one of Hollywood’s leading men, maintains a relatively normal life at their family homes in north London and Wrabness, Essex, when he LVQÂśW EXV\ ÂżOPLQJ “We just don’t court the attention,â€? Owen has said. “I really believe that you can carry yourself in such a way that people just don’t notice you.â€? :KLOH KH LV ÂżHUFHO\ SURWHFWLYH RI KLV SULYDWH life, he has spoken on numerous occasions of his respect and appreciation for his wife. “She’s amazing, amazing, amazing,â€? he once WROG 7KH *XDUGLDQ Âł,WÂśV D FOLFKp EXW , KRQHVWO\ think it’s her that allows me to do what I do and, you know, she really is a rock... I feel like she literally gives me everything because she keeps it all together there and gives me WKH IUHHGRP WR JR R̆ DQG GR ZKDW , GR DQG explore all these amazing avenues at work and I’ve also got this fantastic family. It’s only through her understanding, her commitment and, yeah, trust as well. I value it more than you can possibly imagine because, you know,

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my kids are very nice, centred kids and that’s largely down to her.â€? There is a worldliness to Owen – to both his craggy machismo and to his reticence when being interviewed – that is perhaps best attributed to his working-class upbringing in Coventry, England. His father, a country and western singer, left the family home when he was three years old (they have remained estranged ever since) and so Owen was raised on a council estate in the mining village of Keresley by his mother and stepfather, who worked for British Rail. He left school with MXVW RQH 2 OHYHO WKH ROGHU IRUP RI *&6(V and was unemployed for two years before applying to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada). “I didn’t have a great time at school but where I was very lucky is, I did a school play when I was very young – 13 or 14 [years old], and decided that I wanted to be an actor,â€? he said. “There was a little youth theatre in my hometown, where they just did plays with young teenage kids: I did that and that’s where the passion really began.â€? It is this passion that saw him through the tough early days, he said. “I never doubted that’s what I was going to be an actor because I couldn’t do anything else. That was what I wanted to do and I think, in those early days, you have got to be resilient, you have got to just believe and get your head down and then, if you are lucky, you get some breaks and it opens things up for you. “Amazingly, the guy who was running that theatre I did for two or three years, 10 years later went on to run the Royal Shakespeare Company to great acclaim. I had no idea this ZDV WKH NLQG RI LQĂ€XHQFH DQG LPSDFW , ZDV getting and so I often think back to him and the passion for acting and that’s where it took a grip really.â€? After graduating from Rada in 1987, Owen joined the Young Vic Theatre Company. +H VWDUUHG LQ KLV ÂżUVW ÂżOP LQ 9URRP and soon after clinched the lead of devilish scoundrel Stephen Crane in hit British TV series Chancer. He was a massive hit, especially with the ladies – 70 per cent of the nine million viewers were said to have been women – but at the height of the show’s success, amid a frenzy of tabloid interest in his private life and a fear of being typecast, Owen OHIW WKH VKRZ WR SXUVXH D ÂżOP FDUHHU $IWHU VHYHUDO FRQWURYHUVLDO ÂżOP UROHV KH JRW WKH OHDG UROH LQ *HW &DUWHU GLUHFWRU 0LNH +RGJHVÂś ÂżOP &URXSLHU SOD\LQJ D

‘In those early days, you have got to be resilient, to just believe and get your head down... If you are lucky, you get some breaks’ struggling writer-turned-casino employee who “gets in over his head with a femme fatale scam artistâ€?. It was a role that would change his life. :KLOH FRQVLGHUHG D Ă€RS LQ WKH 8. &URXSLHU met with critical acclaim in the States and, with Owen’s star now in its ascendency a series RI VKRUW ÂżOPV SURGXFHG E\ %0: IROORZHG It was called “The Hireâ€? series, with Owen SOD\LQJ WKH VXDYH GULYHU DQG LW FRQÂżUPHG WKH actor’s arrival in Hollywood at the age of 37. A key role in Robert Altman’s star-studded *RVIRUG 3DUN IROORZHG WKDW \HDU WKHQ WKH UROH of baddie in The Bourne Identity before, at the age of 40, Owen took the lead opposite Keira Knightley in the US$100 million blockbuster King Arthur. 7KH %ULWÂśV SHUIRUPDQFH LQ WKH ÂżOP YHUVLRQ of Closer in 2004, alongside Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Julia Roberts, earned him a Bafta for supporting actor and an Academy Award nomination. “I mean it was a dream just to get nominated really for that particular project,â€? he said. “You have to understand with Closer that I did the original production of the play, playing the other part, and so I had a very close attachment to that particular project. , ZDV LQ WKH YHU\ ÂżUVW SURGXFWLRQ DQG LW HQGHG up getting great reviews in London and ran for a long time, so then to get the opportunity WR JR EDFN DQG GR WKDW RQ ÂżOP DQG WKHQ to get nominated for the Oscar, it was just incredible.â€? Having worked continuously since Rada, 2ZHQÂśV FDUHHU KDV ÂżQDOO\ UHDFKHG D SRLQW ZKHUH KH FDQ D̆RUG WR EH SLFN\ DQG GLFWDWH how much he works, leaving him with more family time. “I think it’s very important to take some time out just to get some energy going and I don’t think it’s a good thing, for me anyway, to go from one thing to the next,â€? he said. “I just OLWHUDOO\ KXQJ DW KRPH IRU WKH ÂżUVW VXPPHU LQ years, I was with my girls all summer and just stayed in and the weather was unbelievably good this year.â€?

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The

Muse ***

AIR enjoys an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, as captured by Terry Richardson for Bulgari’s Diva jewellery campaign

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‘Jewellery belongs to the world of feelings, it touches matters of the soul. It declares a passion, betokens love, carries a memory, symbolises a belief, seals an engagement, awards an honour, protects from misfortune...’ Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

I’m talkin’ to

[ YOU ]

Famously tight-lipped, Robert De Niro blabs about his PD¿D H[SHULHQFHV DQG D GUHDP UHXQLRQ ZLWK 6FRUVHVH

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I

n a room in the 'RUFKHVWHU 5REHUW 'H 1LUR KDV KLV EDFN WR PH ,W VFDUFHO\ VHHPV plausible, yet it must be him. He turns round and I am still not sure. This is a smiling 70-year-old guy in ordinary old-guy FORWKHV But then there are those eyes WKDW QDUURZ GDQJHURXVO\ 7KLV is, indeed, Johnny Boy in Mean 6WUHHWV \RXQJ 9LWR &RUOHRQH LQ 7KH *RGIDWKHU $O &DSRQH LQ 7KH 8QWRXFKDEOHV 'DQJHURXV PHQ ZLWK H\HV WKDW QDUURZ , KDYH D /HLFD LQ

P\ EDJ EXW , KDYH D IHHOLQJ LW VKRXOG be a Walther or a Magnum. 0\ SULYDWH PLVVLRQ LV WR WDNH KLV photograph. Big stars are funny DERXW VXFK WKLQJV – they usually QHHG WKHLU LPDJH GRFWRUHG E\ WUXVWHG UHWRXFKHUV – EXW QRW , KDYH persuaded myself, really big stars, WKH RQHV ZKR DUH WRR ELJ WR FDUH , GRQ¶W NQRZ ZKDW KH ZLOO VD\ ZKHQ , DVN 7UDYLV %LFNOH¶V ³<RX WDONLQ¶ WR PH"´ IURP 7D[L 'ULYHU SHUKDSV ,¶OO OHDYH LW WLOO ODVW +H LV LQ WRZQ WR SXEOLFLVH 7KH )DPLO\ DQ RGG EXW HQJDJLQJ ¿OP E\ /XF %HVVRQ , FRQJUDWXODWH KLP DQG - 60 -

VD\ WKH PRYLH KDV D VWUDQJH WRQH ³<HDK WKDQNV \HDK , NQRZ ´ ³$QG \RX¶UH LQ WKH PRE DJDLQ"´ ³<HV ´ He does that a lot: says nothing. Pools of the unsaid seem to form at P\ IHHW PDNLQJ LW GL̇FXOW WR ZDGH RQ WR WKH QH[W TXHVWLRQ 7KLV FRXOG EH KDUG ZRUN +H LV , DP WR GLVFRYHU not big on analysis or on anything WKDW GRHV QRW HQG ZLWK D FOHDU TXHVWLRQ PDUN , GHOLYHU SDUDJUDSKV of brilliant insights, and he just UHVSRQGV ³<HDK \HDK <HDK´ ZLWK PRUH RU OHVV WKDW SXQFWXDWLRQ ³, OLNHG WKH VFULSW , OLNHG WKH WRQH ´

he says, embarking, to my intense UHOLHI RQ D ZKROH SDUDJUDSK ³, OLNH WKH UHODWLRQVKLS ZLWK WKH 0LFKHOOH 3IHL̆HU FKDUDFWHU , ZDV YHU\ KDSS\ GRLQJ LW , OLNHG WKH ZKROH *RRG)HOODV WKLQJ ,W ZDV FUD]\ and it just needed some kind of UH¿QHPHQW ´ 7KDW ODVW VHQWHQFH UHYHDOV DQ important truth about De Niro: KH FR GLUHFWV ,Q WKH HDUO\ JUHDW GD\V KH ZRXOG WHOO 0DUWLQ 6FRUVHVH ZKHQ D VXLW RU FRVWXPH GLG QRW ORRN ULJKW ,Q WKLV ¿OP KH H[SODLQHG WKH ¿QH GHWDLO RI 1HZ <RUN VW\OH DQG PDQQHUV WR WKH )UHQFK ³<HDK

VHQW PH DQ DUWLFOH IURP DQ (QJOLVK QHZVSDSHU DERXW WKH ZD\ some poet’s apartment had been SUHVHUYHG VR , ZDV MXVW GRLQJ WKH VDPH WKLQJ +H GLHG RYHU \HDUV DJR , ZDQW P\ NLGV WR NQRZ ZKR WKHLU JUDQGIDWKHU ZDV DQG ZKDW KH GLG DQG VR RQ +H ZDV YHU\ SUROL¿F ´ Is he proud of him? ³2K \HDK ´ 7KLV OHDYHV PH ZLWK D VHQVH RI D ER\ PLVVLQJ KLV IDWKHU ZDONLQJ WKH 1HZ <RUN VWUHHWV ZDWFKLQJ DOZD\V ZDWFKLQJ DV LI VHDUFKLQJ IRU something he had lost. Perhaps that ZDV ZKDW WDXJKW KLP HYHU\WKLQJ KH QHHGHG WR DFW +H ZDV RI FRXUVH

‘In 20 or 30 years, people will say they lost something that we have now. It is what it is’ ZKHQ \RX¶UH GLUHFWLQJ \RX WKLQN RI HYHU\WKLQJ 7KH IHZ WLPHV ,¶YH GLUHFWHG LI VRPHRQH FRPHV XS ZLWK something you missed, you’re glad to KHDU WKDW , GLG LW ZLWK /XF ,Q D 1HZ <RUN VFHQH WKH ZD\ WKH VHW ZDV VHW XS LW ZDVQ¶W WKH ZD\ LW ZDV LQ 1HZ <RUN DQG , VDLG GR WKLV GR WKDW SXOO WKDW DZD\ ´ 7KH WKURDW\ 1HZ <RUN EXUU LV VWLOO LQWDFW EXW QRZ WKHUH LV D KHDYLQHVV LQ WKH EUHDWKLQJ +H DOVR intimidatingly, sighs a lot. 2Q WKH VXEMHFW RI KLV KRPH FLW\ there is no greater authority. I used WR WKLQN 1HZ <RUN ZDV /RX 5HHG EXW WKHQ , JUHZ XS DQG UHDOLVHG LW ZDV 'H 1LUR +H FDPH IURP DQ DUW\ though broken, family. His father, DOVR 5REHUW ZDV D GLVWLQJXLVKHG DEVWUDFW H[SUHVVLRQLVW DUWLVW KLV mother a painter and poet. I ask him DERXW WKLV FKLOGKRRG ³,W ZDV 2. LW ZDV DOULJKW ´ +LV SDUHQWV GLYRUFHG ZKHQ KH ZDV WKUHH +LV IDWKHU LV VDLG WR KDYH FRPH out as gay soon after he left. When KH ZDV 5REHUW -U ZHQW WR )UDQFH WR UHVFXH 5REHUW 6U IURP GHVWLWXWLRQ DQG EULQJ KLP EDFN WR 1HZ <RUN +H QRZ RZQV DQG SUHVHUYHV WKH DSDUWPHQW ZKHUH KLV IDWKHU VXEVHTXHQWO\ OLYHG DQG SDLQWHG ³, ZDQW WR NHHS LW SUHWW\ PXFK WKH ZD\ LW ZDV 6RPHERG\ KDG - 61 -

ZDONLQJ VWUHHWV WKDW ZHUH PXFK PRUH GDQJHURXV WKHQ WKDQ QRZ , DVN KLP LI KH WKLQNV 1HZ <RUN KDV ORVW VRPHWKLQJ LQ EHFRPLQJ VDIHU ³7KHVH GD\V WKLQJV KDYH FKDQJHG LW¶V DOO VRUW RI GLVVLSDWHG 6RPH SHRSOH VD\ LW KDV ORVW VRPHWKLQJ EXW WKDW ZDV WKHQ QRZ LV QRZ ,Q RU \HDUV SHRSOH ZLOO VD\ WKH\ ORVW VRPHWKLQJ WKDW ZH KDYH QRZ 7KHUH¶V DOZD\V VRPHWKLQJ ,W LV ZKDW LW LV ´ $V KH ZDONHG WKH VWUHHWV KH DEVRUEHG KRZ HYHU\ERG\ EHKDYHG JRRGIHOODV DQG ZLVH JX\V LQFOXGHG +H LV D ZDWFKHU RI JHQLXV – LW LV ZKDW KH GRHV LW¶V KRZ KH DFWV (YHU\ SDUW KH SOD\V LV DQ DQWKRORJ\ RI ZKDW KH KDV VHHQ WKURXJK KLV QDUURZHG H\HV ,Q VSLWH RI WKH VLJKV DQG VLOHQFHV LV KH ZDWFKLQJ PH WRR" /HW¶V JR EDFN WR WKH EHJLQQLQJ 6FRUVHVH¶V 0HDQ 6WUHHWV ZDVQ¶W 'H 1LUR¶V ¿UVW ¿OP EXW LW ZDV WKH RQH WKDW ODXQFKHG KLP LQWR LQ¿QLW\ DQG EH\RQG $V -RKQQ\ %R\ KH EHFDPH D ELJ VWDU LQ SUHFLVHO\ VHFRQGV +H appears on a street, puts something LQ D SRVWER[ ZDONV DZD\ WKHQ DV WKH SRVWER[ H[SORGHV KH MHUNV DQG dodges into an alley. ³, WULHG WR WLPH WKDW VKRW ´ KH VD\V ³VR , ZRXOG MHUN OLNH WKDW DERXW D VHFRQG DIWHU WKH H[SORVLRQ ,W ZRUNHG EHWWHU WKDQ , WKRXJKW ´

WKH\¶UH QLFH ILOPV DQG KH FDQ EULQJ VRPHWKLQJ WR WKHP VR ZK\ QRW" )XUWKHUPRUH KH KDV JURZQ LQWR WKHVH SDUWV ³7KH ROGHU \RX JHW ´ KH VD\V ZU\O\ ³WKH PRUH \RX DUH DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK IDPLOLHV ´ $QG KH PDNHV D VSHFLILF H[FHSWLRQ IRU 6LOYHU /LQLQJV 3OD\ERRN LQ ZKLFK KH SOD\HG WKH IRRWEDOO FUD]\ GDG RI D PHQWDOO\ GLVWXUEHG VRQ +H UDWHV LWV GLUHFWRU 'DYLG 2 5XVVHOO YHU\ KLJKO\ LQGHHG DQG WRRN WKH WLPH – DQG PDGH FRQVLGHUDEOH SUHSDUDWLRQV IRU – D VLQJOH GD\¶V ILOPLQJ RQ KLV ODWHVW SURMHFW $PHULFDQ +XVWOH 1HYHU PLQG KH KDV PRUH WKDQ HDUQHG WKH RGG WXUNH\ +H LV D ELJ PDQ QRZ D SDWULDUFK ZLWK FKLOGUHQ DQG JUDQGFKLOGUHQ D SDWURQ RI KLV DUW ZLWK WKH 7ULEHFD )LOP )HVWLYDO ZKLFK KH FUHDWHG DQG D EXVLQHVV ERVV ZLWK D property portfolio, restaurants and hotels. <HW WRXFKLQJO\ WKULOOLQJO\ KH GRHV VWLOO LWFK OLNH 7HQQ\VRQ¶V 8O\VVHV IRU RQH ODVW ZRUN ³RI QREOH QRWH´ +H PD\ KDYH IRXQG LW +H UHFHQWO\ WDONHG 6FRUVHVH RXW RI GRLQJ DQRWKHU SURMHFW 7KH :LQWHU RI )UDQNLH 0DFKLQH ZKLFK KH IRXQG ³WRR JHQHULF´ ,QVWHDG KH SHUVXDGHG KLP WR PDNH , +HDUG <RX 3DLQW +RXVHV RU 7KH ,ULVKPDQ DV LW PD\ EH FDOOHG WKH VWRU\ RI WKH WHDPVWHUV XQLRQ¶V ERVV )UDQN 6KHHUDQ ZKR MXVW EHIRUH KLV GHDWK FRQIHVVHG WR WKH NLOOLQJ RI D SUHGHFHVVRU -LPP\ +RIID WKH PRVW IDPRXV XQVROYHG FULPH LQ $PHULFD 0DUW\ LV RQ ERDUG DV DUH -RH 3HVFL DQG $O 3DFLQR WKH GUHDP WHDP 'H 1LUR KDV EHHQ NHHSLQJ TXLHW DERXW WKLV IRU IHDU KH FRXOG ³MLQ[ LW E\ JRLQJ SXEOLF´ %XW QRZ WKH\ DUH DOO VLJQHG XS DQG WKH VFKHGXOHV VKRXOG V\QF LQ D \HDU RU WZR

‘With everybody opposing the Vietnam War, The Godfather had a certain romantic vision’ ³+RZ¶V \RXU KHDOWK"´ , DVN QHUYRXVO\ +H KDG SURVWDWH FDQFHU LQ ³,W¶V ¿QH ´ KH VD\V WRXFKLQJ VRPH SULF\ 'RUFKHVWHU ZRRG ³,¶P JRLQJ WR PDNH LW ,¶P VXUH ZH FDQ PDNH LW ´ 7KH WLPH KDV FRPH ³&DQ , DVN \RX D IDYRXU" &DQ , WDNH \RXU SLFWXUH"´ ³6XUH ZKDW GR \RX ZDQW PH WR GR"´ ³1RWKLQJ ´ , VD\ PHDQLQJ , ZDQW KLP WR EH Robert De Niro. , ¿VK RXW WKH /HLFD DQG VKRRW WKUHH IUDPHV $V , OHDYH KH JHWV XS WR VKDNH P\ KDQG DQG VXGGHQO\ DVNV ³+RZ ROG DUH \RX"´ , VKLYHU ODWHU ZKHQ , UHDOLVH WKDW WKLV PHDQW KH KDG EHHQ ZDWFKLQJ PH DOO DORQJ ,W¶V ZKDW he does. - 62 -

Text: Bryan Appleyard

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MOTORING

ROAD THRILL Neil Lyndon holds on tight to review Nissan’s twin-turbocharged, four-wheel-drive GT-R

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D

ear Driving Licence. The time may have come for us to part. You and I have been together, blamelessly, for decades. No misconduct has besmirched our bond nor shamed us in the courts. Now, however, naughty temptations have arrived which threaten to rip us – or, rather, you – asunder. The Nissan GT-R was delivered with the usual press information, but not the health warning that any responsible government would insist on as Nissan’s prime responsibility. “Danger,” it should say, “this car can not only make you lose your licence in a blink of an eye, it can also leave you unbearably dissatisfied with your hidebound life and infect you with unassuageable longing.” Many facts in the documentation for this car are so far out that you have to look at them twice to make sure your eyes are not deceiving \RX +DV WKHUH EHHQ D PLVSULQW RQ WKH ¿JXUH for 0-62mph acceleration at 2.84 seconds? That’s almost as fast as the £1.5m Bugatti Veyron, which is said to be the world’s fastest road-going car.

‘Has there been a misprint on the figure for 0-62mph acceleration at 2.84 seconds?’ Is it possible that the engine really develops 550bhp? Is its maximum torque (or pulling SRZHU WUXO\ WKDW DVWRXQGLQJ ¿JXUH RI OE IW ± SUREDEO\ HQRXJK WR FDWDSXOW D ÀHD WR 0DUV" Can this be a Nissan? From the company that also makes the Micra? All these abstract numbers immediately become breathtaking, speed-camera popping reality on the road. At low manoeuvring speeds, the GT-R’s lightweight 10-spoke aluminium wheels and Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tyres grumble and jounce painfully, and its 4x4 drivetrain clatters and rattles like an old tractor. But as soon as you put your foot down, this car takes on its full purpose and pulls itself together with a vengeance. The faster it goes, the better it drives. At 130mph – if we were to carry this conversation into purely theoretical realms – it might feel as secure and composed as a Ford Mondeo at 60mph. At 60mph, the GT-R feels as if it is standing still. - 65 -

MOTORING The GT-R was originally purpose-made for a select market. Late at night, on the streets of Japan’s cities, rich boys are wont to race each other in cars that have been insanely pumpedup in power. Recognising potential sales, Nissan let loose their engineering geeks on an ṘFLDO FDU IRU WKHP 7KH ¿UVW 6N\OLQH *7 5

The latest R35 version came out in 2009 and has been tweaked every year since. It carries a suspension system which is as advanced as any car in conventional production, including hollow anti-roll bars that help to keep the tyres in touch with the Tarmac under extreme cornering pressures.

‘There is no more enrapturing way to kiss goodbye to a driving licence than at the wheel of the Nissan GT-R’ LQ ZDV OLWWOH PRUH WKDQ D PRGL¿HG VHGDQ with 160bhp. In the six generations since, the GT-R has not only gained three times as much power, it has become an engineering showcase for Nissan (with all-wheel steering on recent models) and picked up a reputation as one of the most desirable and also the best value supercars.

Its wide body looks crude (compared with, say, a Porsche 911 or a McLaren 12C). Its Recaro front seats may be too narrow for many bottoms, with rear seats good for little more than carrying jackets. But there is no more enrapturing way to kiss goodbye to a driving licence than at the wheel of the Nissan GT-R. So long, then, old thing. It’s been good to know you.

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MOTORING

MASERATI PARTY This year, Italian sports car manufacturer Maserati is 100 years old. With classics rising in value and expansion on the horizon, the trident marque has much to celebrate - 68 -

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uxury Italian carmaker Maserati has had a busy time of late. Towards the end of November 2013, it was the main sponsor of the Turin Film Festival, with its cars both on the red carpet and used to transport movie stars – Turin, of course, now an important location for the brand, with its second factory opening here just nine months earlier. At the same time, on the other side of the Atlantic, its latest model, the new Ghibli, was on display at the Los Angeles International Motor Show. The event also gave an opportunity to see one of its latest collaborations with a fashion label, and a Quattroporte enhanced by Ermenegildo Zegna. :LWK WKLV KXJH ÀXUU\ RI DFWLYLW\ HQWKXVLDVWV have been left wondering what Maserati must be planning for when it really wants to make a fuss – like for its 100th anniversary this year. There will be no shortage of festivities to mark the occasion, with owners and longtime followers planning special gatherings via their websites and forums, and even the odd pilgrimage, driving en masse to the marque’s spiritual home in Modena. Perhaps there will be too much revelry, as for fear of being lost amongst everything that will happen, the Essen Motor Show planned its

own tribute early. It organised a display of 250 classic models from Maserati’s 99-year history (at that point, anyway) for its December 2013 outing, including 12 classic racers plucked from the world of motorsport. If this is how the brand is honoured a year short of its centenary, 2014 could be very eventful indeed. And as well as the cars, it will be a chance to reveal more about the Maserati brothers themselves – $O¿HUL %LQGR &DUOR (UQHVWR

‘Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ernesto and Ettore Maserati formed the company in 1914’ and Ettore – bonded by a love of motor racing, FRPLQJ WRJHWKHU LQ %RORJQD WR IRUP WKH company back in 1914. Initially, they made vehicles for other manufacturers, but when that came to an end in 1926, it meant the FKDQFH WR GHYHORS WKHLU RZQ $OÂżHUL ZRQ WKH Targa Florio race that same year driving their ÂżUVW LQGHSHQGHQW FUHDWLRQ DQG VXGGHQO\ WKHUH was interest in the Maserati name. A sixth brother, Mario, an artist, helped to design a logo – he used the trident from the statue RI 1HSWXQH IRXQG DW WKH FHQWUH RI %RORJQD adding the red and blue of the city’s banner, which is still used today.

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MOTORING In fact, Maserati is often referred to as the trident marque, with the prominence it gained in the racing world over the years that IROORZHG KHOSLQJ WR GH¿QH WKDW UHFRJQLWLRQ ,Q DQG D 0DVHUDWL &7) KDG EDFN to-back wins in the Indianapolis 500, and is the only Italian manufacturer ever to have achieved this. It was also in 1940 that it was relocated to Modena, under new owner Adolfo Orsi, and has remained here since. Racing success continued after the Second World War, when Maserati began to develop its A6 series to take on rivals Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. The 1950s became a golden era for the company, with Argentinian driver JuanManuel Fangio dominating the early days of Formula 1 in its cars. Towards the end of the decade, however, it decided to move away from racing and into road vehicles, using its experience to create sporty luxury models. Maserati built six-cylinder and V8-engined GTs, named after exotic winds, such as the Mistral and Ghibli, but always in small numbers. It received a boost in 1968 when it was purchased E\ &LWURsQ ZLWK D PXWXDOO\ EHQH¿FLDO SDUWQHUVKLS IRUPLQJ between the two – Maserati FDUV XVHG &LWURsQ K\GUDXOLFV ZKLOH &LWURsQV XVHG 0DVHUDWL engines, for example. The Italian manufacturer built such models DV WKH %RUD 0HUDN DQG .KDPVLQ at this time. If you own one of the older, classic Maseratis today then you have a good investment. Silverstone $XFWLRQV LQ WKH 8. UHSRUWHG VHOOLQJ D number of cars from the marque in 2013 well above their pre-sale estimates – a EDUQ ¿QG *KLEOL VROG LQ 0D\ IRU QHDUO\ twice what was projected, while a rare 1975 Merak fetched £10,000 more than estimated at the same event. Due to their small numbers, WKHVH PRGHOV FDQ EH KDUG WR ¿QG DQG ZLOO GH¿QLWHO\ KROG WKHLU YDOXH ZLWK WKH LPSHQGLQJ

‘A 1969 barn-find Ghibli sold in May 2013 for nearly twice what was projected’ anniversary boosting them further. “Maserati values have risen recently to coincide with the FHQWHQDU\ ´ FRQÂżUPV *X\ /HHV 0LOQH FODVVLF car specialist at Silverstone Auctions.

No doubt the brand’s current owners, Fiat, ZLOO EH SOHDVHG $IWHU LWV VSHOO ZLWK &LWURsQ Maserati passed to former Argentinian racingdriver-turned-businessman Alejandro de Tomaso in 1975, ushering in an era of bulkier models, switching from mid-placed engines to front-mounted and rear driven. Perhaps losing its glamorous edge, its acquisition by Fiat in 1993 would soon turn its fortunes around. First Fiat paired Maserati with Ferrari, which it also owns, letting Ferrari take full control in 1999, creating a modern, updated factory in - 70 -

He added that this would not be through the current Maserati range – with just the Quattroporte, GranTurismo, GranCabrio and new Ghibli – but one that has been added to with the Levante SUV and another asyet unannounced model. Limited editions, such as those with Ermenegildo Zegna, will play a part, ZLWK VHHLQJ 0DVHUDWL R̆HU =HJQD

Modena, then positioning Maserati as a luxury brand. It pushed the name internationally, and by 2003 had even returned it to racing. By the time it left Ferrari to come back under Fiat as its own company in 2005, 0DVHUDWL ZDV D YHU\ GL̆HUHQW EHDVW ZLWK a platform that promised huge potential. Current CEO Harald Wester, who has been at the helm of Maserati since 2008, says that while the company sold 6,300 cars in 2012, he predicts around 50,000 by 2015, which will be helped by the second factory in Turin. - 71 -

‘Maserati built six-cylinder and V8-engined GTs, but always in small numbers’ inspired trim across its range, and by 2016 launching a new personalisation department WR R̆HU PRUH WDLORU PDGH YHKLFOHV But before all of that, there is 2014 to experience, which may perhaps be quieter for Maserati after its hectic 2013, and the aggressive expansion of 2015 and 2016. As we have seen over the course of the last 100 years, however, for Maserati quiet is not an option.

GASTRONOMY

Heston Blumenthal no longer cooks in his restaurants, but still spends hours in his lab inventing new dishes – with a little help from his trusted inner circle. Damian Whitworth spends a week inside Heston’s world...

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n a whiteboard in the small laboratory in Bray, England, where Heston Blumenthal unleashes his inner Willy Wonka on gastronomy, someone has written a note about what his team need to dream up today: “Gruesome Sounding Yummy Tasting Piesâ€?. The list of possible ingredients includes “lamb brainâ€? and “lambs’ bitsâ€?. Two calf heads are bubbling away in large pots nearby. (DUOLHU , KDG FRPH DFURVV KXPDQ HDU DQG ÂżQJHU moulds. All very Sweeney Todd. “Exactly!â€? says Jonny Lake, 41, head chef at the Fat Duck and one of Blumenthal’s key lieutenants. He quickly adds that the pie is not destined for the menu at the Fat Duck, but will feature in a TV programme about pies. The “humanâ€? ears in this pie, inspired by the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, will be fashioned from chicken liver parfait. “You are expected to be grossed out, but like it because it tastes good.â€? Lake, an amiable Canadian, is also in charge of developing recipes, and his team are now turning Blumenthal’s famous eye for detail on the stomach-churning challenge of making the ear look convincing while tasting delicious. “At the end of the day someone has to eat it,â€? says Lake, a smile playing round his lips. “So it had better taste like the best ear they have ever eaten.â€?

With his multisensory recipes and six Michelin stars spread across three restaurants, Heston Blumenthal is one of the world’s most successful and inventive chefs. He is the inspired workaholic, a restless perfectionist at the heart of his burgeoning empire, and he employs others like him. And these days they are much more than mere Oompa Loompas to his Wonka. When you spend a few days following Blumenthal around, as I have been doing, you soon realise that his employees refer to their place in the universe as Heston’s World, or Hestonworld. Ashley Palmer-Watts, 35, head chef at Dinner, the chef’s two-Michelin-star restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park hotel in London, describes his life thus: “I’ve lived for 14 years in Heston’s world. You have to be 100 per cent; 99 is not enough. You’re part of the Fat Duck family. Not just a means to make something and sell it and create a business. You’re really part of something.� The Berkshire village of Bray is the mother-city of Hestonworld and the gastronomic heart of Britain. The Roux family’s old-school Gallic, three-Michelin-star Waterside Inn has been perched on the bank of the Thames since 1972, a short walk away from Blumenthal’s the Fat Duck, which opened in 1995. It too has three stars and was named world’s best restaurant in 2005.

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GASTRONOMY

Blumenthal also owns the Hinds Head, a pub with a Michelin star and a missing apostrophe, and the Crown, a more traditional British boozer down the road. As his world has expanded, he has bought other buildings to KRXVH GHYHORSPHQW NLWFKHQV ṘFHV DQG D VWD̆ FDQWHHQ The Fat Duck, which has a dining room the size of a large-ish front room, famously has as many chefs on the payroll as diners – 40 – when the restaurant is full, which is always. Only 15 chefs are in the kitchen at one time, which is just as well; I’ve seen bigger domestic kitchens. Above one workspace sit two plaques dedicated to Jorge Herrera and Carl Lindgren, rising stars who were killed in a road accident while working with Blumenthal in Hong Kong last year. Blumenthal, 47, no longer cooks in his restaurants. He has too many projects to oversee – the latest is his HFFHQWULF WDNH RQ SRSXODU GLVKHV VXFK DV ÂżVK DQG FKLSV pizza and bangers and mash at Heathrow Terminal 2 – and in any case his body can no longer take it. Years of high-impact sport such as kick-boxing played a part, but “the real killer was standing up in the kitchen for 20 hours a dayâ€?. This has already resulted in titanium

rods being inserted in his back, and he’ll have a hip UHSODFHPHQW QH[W \HDU ZKHQ KH FDQ ¿W LW LQWR KLV GLDU\ or when he can no longer put up with the discomfort – whichever is soonest. Visit Bray in the morning before lunch and there are men (and a few women) in chef’s whites trotting hither and thither between the various establishments.

‘I look back at all the things I listed ambition-wise and everything I put on there has been done’ Blumenthal employs 27 different nationalities in the village. Here is one chef hopping in and out of the row of storage sheds behind the Duck. Over there someone is receiving two cold boxes from a man with eyebrows that make him look like a snail. Of course he looks like a snail. “That,� whispers Jonny Lake reverentially, “is the snail man.� The snail man! Blumenthal, the creator

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of the now world-renowned snail porridge, would be nothing without the snail man. ,Q D VOHHN JODVV ZDOOHG ṘFH VXLWH DFURVV WKH VWUHHW from his restaurants, two assistants toil away planning Blumenthal’s schedule deep into next year. He often employs a driver so he can work on the move, and KLV SHUVRQDO ṘFH LV PRVWO\ XVHG IRU WZLFH ZHHNO\ DSSRLQWPHQWV ZLWK D UHÀH[RORJLVW All these are cogs in the Hestonworld machine. Then there is the troika, the big three who help with all the lavish cookbooks (the new one, Historic Heston, is a slab illustrated with photographs that make his food look like Old Master still lifes), develop dozens of new dishes every year, and now plot the expansion of his restaurants overseas. The troika enable Blumenthal to star in all those TV series and supermarket commercials. These are Lake, Otto Romer, 37, a Venezuelan giant who develops the operation’s commercial brands, and Palmer-Watts, who learnt to cook in his native Dorset and was so determined to cook at the Fat Duck that he worked in a watercress farm while he waited for a

job to come up. He rose through the ranks to become head chef there before opening Dinner in 2011. The restaurant, which serves roast marrowbone, nettle porridge, spit-roast pineapple and other dishes inspired by historic British recipes, has been awarded a second star in the 2014 Michelin guide. Blumenthal says that “Ash� has the same obsessive attention to detail as him. “He can walk through a dining room and if there is a tiny cobweb in there he will see it. He has my eyes and ears.� Palmer-Watts recalls that, “At one point he started saying that I’m more Heston than he is. Ninety-nine per cent of the time I will get it one hundred per cent right – what he would say, what he thinks, where he wants to go.� By his own admission, Blumenthal had a temper as a young man. He once pulled a gun on two men who came to the house and threatened his father over a dispute, and then chased them with a meat cleaver. In the early days, he bawled people out in the kitchen. “I think Heston would be the first to say he’s definitely a very different person; he’s worked on being a chef and a person,� says Palmer-Watts. - 75 -

GASTRONOMY

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For the past 12 or 13 years, Blumenthal has been ZRUNLQJ ZLWK D OLIH FRDFK ZKR DOVR KHOSV KLV VHQLRU VWD̆ He uses the sessions to focus on goals: “I look back at DOO WKH WKLQJV , OLVWHG DPELWLRQ ZLVH ZKHQ , ÂżUVW VWDUWHG seeing him, and everything I put on there has been done, or if it has not been done it is not relevant.â€? He is also a devotee of mindfulness meditation: “Just an amazing thing.â€? He gives me a passionate outline of a popular exercise that involves closely examining a raisin. The post-therapy picture he paints of his kitchens is the antithesis of the sweaty, shouty hell of the past. “I don’t scream. I don’t shout. I think if you are going to criticise somebody you have to be constructive and helpful and praise them as well. Blame is a really negative emotion.â€? $W DQ DZD\GD\ IRU KLV VWD̆ DW QHDUE\ &OLYHGHQ +RXVH he brought in Times writer Matthew Syed, whose book Bounce argues that practice and hard work are more important to achieving success than innate talent. “I would love to think I am a natural born genius, but I believe it is a mixture of hard work and luck,â€? he says. 2QH UHFHQW PRUQLQJ %OXPHQWKDO ZDV XS IRU ÂżOPLQJ at 5.30am after going to bed after an event at 2am. “I never thought about going down the easy route. It’s quite tiring being me sometimes.â€? In the early days he

When I ask if they’ll ever work together, he says he hasn’t thought about it, but he thinks it unlikely. “It ZRXOG EH UHDOO\ UHDOO\ GL̇FXOW 7KHUH DUH WLPHV ZKHQ you need to talk to people in ways that are almost unemotional. That would be a very hard thing to do.â€? However, his daughter Jessie has worked front of house at the Crown, and one day he may work with Jack, who is at university studying culinary arts. Blumenthal says he tried to dissuade his son from entering the industry, but would welcome him into his business when KH KDV ÂżQLVKHG KLV GHJUHH )LUVW KH ZRXOG KDYH WR FRRN IRU ÂżYH \HDUV LQ RWKHU UHVWDXUDQWV DQG WKHQ DFFHSW WKDW in his father’s kitchens, “he has to work harder than everybody elseâ€?. Palmer-Watts tries to spend every weekend with his family, and his two kids are regular visitors to Dinner. On the day I talk to Jonny Lake, who has a 5-year-old daughter and 21-month-old twins, he has just taken a lunch break with his wife and eldest child. This may all sound very civilised, but there is also a macho competitive element to the relationships between Blumenthal and his key personnel. “Heston’s obsessed with exercising in the gym,â€? says Palmer-Watts. “We used to go every afternoon and then for three hours on a Monday when the Duck is closed. It got to the point

‘This kind of pressure to come up with new things has closed restaurants. You are going to make ten things and nine of them are going to be no good and you have to deal with that’ survived on 15 hours’ sleep a week. But he’s slowed down (a bit) and he does not want his chefs now to operate in the same way. Although Palmer-Watts gets in to his Berkshire home at 1.30am and is out of the house again at 8am, at the Fat Duck and Dinner they work four very long days a week. “I feel strongly about this,â€? says Blumenthal. “Just because I have done 120 hours a week doesn’t mean that’s the best way to do it. It’s wrong. You want them to have a family life. It’s really important.â€? Blumenthal admits that he missed out on seeing much of the growing up done by his three children, Jack, 20, Jessie, 18, and Joy, 16. He was married to Zanna, whom he credited with being key to his ability to dedicate himself to his business, for 20 years until they split in 2011. They are in the process of divorcing. He now lives in southwest London with Suzanne Pirret, an American cookery writer who, before they met, wrote a well-received book, The Pleasure Is All Mine. Although she works in the same industry, Blumenthal says, “I think even she was surprised at the diversity of VWX̆ , FRPH KRPH ZLWK WKDW , KDYH JRW WR ZRUN RQ I might have a coat of arms under one arm, a ham in the other.â€?

where we were doing circuit training and I ended up with a hernia and decided, ‘You know what? I can’t keep pushing on at this level.’ This is probably why he needs a hip replacement, you know.� Blumenthal still spends long sessions on an exercise bike and hopes to return to playing racquetball. PalmerWatts took up cycling last year to replace the gym. “I’m full on it: saving 20 grams on a seat. We are obsessive about what we do. It’s in our make-up.� Palmer-Watts has a sporty BMW parked outside the development kitchen in Bray. “I would say I am more of a purist because I like to change gear properly,� he says. This is a reference to the fact that Blumenthal is loaned BMWs by the manufacturer and they are top-of-therange models with paddles on the steering wheel for changing gear. When I ask Blumenethal about this, his brow furrows. “He’s only saying that because his car doesn’t go as fast as mine.� He says Palmer-Watts has a friend who allows him to drive his supercars – “but he doesn’t have his race licence�. No need to ask who does have such a licence. Top chefs earn very good money and Blumenthal plans to open Dinner restaurants abroad that will allow his best people to be promoted to lucrative jobs.

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GASTRONOMY Palmer-Watts, who already has a stake in Dinner, will take charge of the new ventures. The cost of unionised ODERXU LQ 1HZ <RUN KDV SXW WKHP R̆ WKDW PDUNHW EXW they are looking at Australia. ,W LV QR VHFUHW WKDW RWKHU KLJK SURÂżOH FKHIV KDYH KDG mixed fortunes when they have expanded too quickly. Blumenthal points out that, “I have only opened one restaurant outside of Bray in 20 years.â€? As well as a big contract with Waitrose supermarket, he has other commercial projects. He says all this stuff ensures that the Fat Duck, which now makes money

but didn’t for a long time, can continue to evolve. It will never be replicated elsewhere. Although Dinner is now at number 7 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, the Fat Duck has dropped to number 33 in the rankings. Blumenthal shrugs this off, and says the restaurant is now better than when it was number 1: “It’s in a different league.� Blumenthal insists he has never been driven by money, although he is increasingly aware of the need to generate cash now that he has 300 staff on his payroll. “I turned down a massive deal last year for a wine I was

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not a fan of. Three days’ work a year. It was huge. But I knew it was wrong. I was even thinking that we can invent a new wine.” There are a lot of ideas stewing away in Blumenthal’s carefully cropped cranium. I wonder what he was thinking about when he woke this morning? “There were a couple of ideas,” he says, whipping out his iPhone. Top of the list: “I think there’s a possibility to create a new language for the consumer. A cyber language that could be very exciting. But that’s a big thing. Could take a few years yet.”

At one point, he had so many projects on the go that his development kitchen was working on 600 recipes for restaurants, programmes, books and supermarket products. He estimates there are 30 or 40 being prepared at the moment. His triple-cooked chips, now copied around the globe, took ten years to perfect. Bacon and egg ice cream also took years. Meat fruit, a dish of foie gras and chicken livers that looks like a mandarin, was developed from a recipe introduced to him by historians at Hampton Court. His Lewis Carroll-inspired mock turtle soup “is one I am still most proud of”. It took two to three years: “We went through two or three lab teams.” In order to reduce the stock without destroying the freshness of the ingredients, he decided to use cold instead of heat and eventually found a vacuum centrifuge called the Rocket, which boils off water at a low temperature. “This kind of pressure to come up with new things has closed restaurants,” says Lake, who oversees the development kitchen. “You are going to make ten things and nine of them are going to be no good and you have to deal with that, and you have got to not take it personally when someone tells you that just because you have worked on it for three months doesn’t mean that merits it actually being served.”

‘Just because I have done 120 hours a week doesn’t mean that’s the best way to do it. It’s wrong’ When he is not filming, Blumenthal spends 80 per cent of his time in Bray, overseeing new recipes. He repeatedly plays down what he does: “We are just chefs; we are not the fourth emergency service.” He suggests that service in a restaurant is more important than what is eaten, “because good food can’t make up for bad service, but if you get an overcooked steak, great, human, caring service can turn that into something better. You will go back.” But then you see him at work and he cannot contain his childlike enthusiasm for the food. One day, I go to an old school in West London where he is filming a programme about puddings for a new TV series. He is wandering around with a mug of tea (he drinks gallons of the stuff every day) and eating a coronation chicken sandwich from a catering tray. He shows me the great canisters of liquid nitrogen that he is going to use to help a group of local school dinner ladies turn custard into ice cream. Then he feeds the ladies what appear to be hot dogs. I try one too. Given that the programme is about desserts, I should have realised what I was in for. This is an entirely sweet creation, and, even days later, it’s still messing with my head. - 79 -

TRAVEL

Best IN Snow

Is Chalet N worthy of its title as the world’s most expensive ski chalet?

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TRAVEL

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hile the winter climes of Oberlech are ice-cool, the rental price of its starriest resident – Chalet N – could get you hot under the collar: $370,000 a week. It’s a price tag that soars above even its chicest chalet counterparts, from Europe (high-rolling Courchevel included) to North America. Indeed, just when skiers thought the chalet scene couldn’t get any flashier with their pools and Michelin-trained chefs, this super-chalet burst onto the scene in a show of Swarovski in 2012. Now in the throes of its second ski season, it’s sealed a six-star status – attracting the cream of ski society along with the likes RI 5KLDQQD QRW WKDW DQ\ VWD̆ ZLOO FRQÂżUP the rumours, however hard you try). The building itself, then, is rather like Fort Knox – constructed from concrete before being dressed in beautiful reclaimed oak DQG ÂżQLVKHG ZLWK EXOOHWSURRI ZLQGRZV %XW what does a the price tag get you beyond a façade even the Swiss army would struggle to penetrate? One could argue that Chalet N’s location alone is priceless: sat 1,660 metres-up in lesser-known Oberlech, an alpine village that places even its upmarket neighbour, Lech (favoured by Dutch royals) in the shade. The chalet’s vast terrace is the space to drink it all in from – while lounging on fur-draped, slopefacing daybeds – it bears uninterrupted vistas of the Arlberg massif and powder-thick, skierdotted slopes. Make for the piste yourself and a lift will whisk you straight onto the snow IURP WKH FKDOHWÂśV %RRW 5RRP Âą ZKHUH \RXU handpicked equipment hangs on heated racks. No time-consuming transfers here. Though if you do want to get about, the chalet’s blackedout 4x4s and Porsche Cayanne is the way to go. %XW ZKLOH WKH QDWXUDO YLVWDV DUH ZRQGURXV the ski area vast (you can access St Christoph DQG 6W $QWRQ DQG WKH R̆ SLVWH VNLLQJ excellent, you’ll be forgiven for expecting more for your dollar than good snow. Happily,

Chalet N is home not only to 11 suites one just for children and all with walk-in wardrobes and private terraces – but a lounge, bar, dining room, fondue room, cellar, cinema, spa and ice bar. Interiors are as resplendent as they are generous. Oak wood is dressed in soft, smoky-grey furnishings, ebony accents and glimmers of extravagance (crystal-embedded rugs; Swarovski shower in the spa; Hermes amenities‌) not to mention state-of-the-arttechnology. As for Chalet N’s pièce de rĂŠsistance, it’s a tough call: for grape and tobacco connoisseurs the wine cellar has it: some 350 labels (the priciest at 6,000 Euros) can be found beneath the curvature of its ceiling. Sharing the space are 900 varieties of cigar – we suggest you sink into one of the Gucci armchairs to take \RXU ÂżUVW GUDZ For others, the spa is a real showstopper – VR ODUJH LW ZDUUDQWV LWV RZQ Ă€RRU PDNLQJ LW WKH largest of any private chalet to date. But there’s more than just a swimming pool (this one has GD\EHGV Ă€RDWLQJ DWRS LW IRU VWDUWHUV Âą LQVLGH a rain-shower’s curtain is made entirely of ice cube-sized Swarovski crystals and a team of spa therapists (plus hairdressers) are on hand to pummel, pamper or preen at your request

‘To get about, the chalet’s Porsche is the way to go’ (though sports’ masseuse Franco is the go-to man after a hard day on the slopes). Step out through its glass partition and you can promptly plop into one of two steaming, slopefacing Jacuzzis. %XW LWÂśV WKH KRXVH VWD̆ FRPEHG IURP applicants) who you’ll wish you could take home with you. Onsite at all times (when do they sleep? I ask), their tasks cover anything from embroidering your initials into your pillowcase to shaking up your favourite tipple (ask for barman Tobias – a true talent). The LQ KRXVH FKHIV PHDQZKLOH UXVWOH XS ÂżUVW rate fare at any time of day, so you can savour FDYLDU DQG WUXĚˆH WRSSHG VFUDPEOHG HJJV come morning, snack on oysters and dine on Austrian fare come nightfall. Though with three-courses served for lunch you can forget about heading back out to the slopes‌ chalet-n.com For bookings contact Camel Snow, +44 20 8123 2859; camelsnow.com

LIFE LESSONS

WHAT I KNOW NOW

Jerome Griffith CEO, Tumi

You’re only as good as the people who work for you. You don’t really get anything done if you don’t have a good team around you, because you can’t do it all on your own. It sounds clichÊd, but the best advice I’ve had is to do something that you as enjoy as a job, as then it’s a lot less like work. Everyone has days when they don’t fancy going into the ṘFH EXW LI WKDW IHHOLQJ EHFRPHV consistent then don’t go in, just quit. )URP ZRUNLQJ LQ GL̆HUHQW parts of the world I’ve learnt that you become a lot more tolerant and understanding of others’ culture, and understand that it’s okay to EH GL̆HUHQW My parents were probably my biggest LQÀXHQFH They’re from the school of hard work and have instilled that work ethic in me. But I’ve also met some interesting characters throughout my career that have had an LQÀXHQFH 'RQ )LVKHU WKH IRXQGHU of GAP, was a very interesting guy, as was the CEO at Esprit when I was there. From them and others I learnt KRZ WR WUHDW SHRSOH VWX̆ OLNH WKDW I don’t have regrets. Of course, there are plenty of things I may have GRQH GL̆HUHQWO\ KDG , KDG PRUH experience at the time, but then I wouldn’t have made mistakes, and

that’s how you acquire experience. Hopefully you learn and never make the same mistake twice. Sometimes people running a company can be tempted to kick back and not get to work everyday, but things don’t work when that happens. Things don’t just happen, you make them happen. - 84 -

A work ethic is something you either have or don’t have. You either really care, or you don’t. Entrepreneurial people who can think on their feet and can manage on their own, and have a passion for doing so, tend to be very successful. They make mistakes, as everyone does, but they also do very well.

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