OCTOBER 2018
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Contents OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
EDITORIAL Editorial Director
John Thatcher Managing Editor AIR
Faye Bartle Editor
Chris Ujma christopher@hotmediapublishing.com Editorial Assistant
Radhika Mathur
ART Art Director
Kerri Bennett Designer
Jamie Pudsey Illustration
Leona Beth Forty Two
Man on the Moon
Fifty Six
Speeding Bullitt
Ryan Gosling takes on perhaps his toughest movie mission yet – portraying space hero Neil Armstrong
It’s 50 years since cinema’s most epic car chase smoked the streets of San Fran. What happened behind the scenes?
Fifty
Sixty Two
Stan by Me “Some people think I’m a shoe”, says Stan Smith, the former tennis pro behind the iconic Adidas sneaker 8
COMMERCIAL Managing Director
Victoria Thatcher Group Commercial Director
David Wade
david@hotmediapublishing.com Commercial Director
Breaking Cover
Rawan Chehab
A new book dispels the Interview magazine coverart myth: the late Richard Bernstein finally gets his due
PRODUCTION
rawan@hotmediapublishing.com
Production Manager
Muthu Kumar
Contents
AIR
OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
Eighteen
Sixty Eight
The Frieze Masters in London affords an in-depth look at the watchmaking excellence of Richard Mille
Aston Martin Works adds its contemporary spin on a timeless classic, channeling the DB4 of old
Twenty Eight
Seventy Two
A legion of celebrities love Jacquie Aiche’s designs for a ‘troublemaker, a risk taker, a mover and a shaker’
In the heart of sleepy Provence is a restaurant by Christophe Bacquié to awaken the senses
Thirty Four
Seventy Six
Van Cleef & Arpels presents its newest watch complications –a collection that was written in the stars
Surfs up at the versatile COMO Uma Canggu, where guests can be active or relaxed, healthy or indulgent
Radar
Jewellery
Timepieces
Motoring
Gastronomy
Travel
Thirty Eight
Art & Design Are we seeing art the way the artist intended? A five-decade old John Berger question inspires an Abu Dhabi showcase 10
Tel: 00971 4 364 2876 Fax: 00971 4 369 7494 Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from HOT Media Publishing is strictly prohibited. HOT Media Publishing does not accept liability for omissions or errors in AIR.
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Welcome Onboard OCTOBER 2018
Welcome to AIR, your personal guide to Al Bateen Executive Airport, its people, partners, developments, and the latest news about the only dedicated business aviation airport in the Middle East and North Africa. We wish you a safe journey wherever you are going, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to Al Bateen Executive Airport to experience our unparallelled commitment to excellence in general, private and business aviation.
Al Bateen Executive Airport Contact Details: albateeninfo@adac.ae albateenairport.com
Cover: Ryan Gosling. Miller Mobley/AUGUST
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Al Bateen
AIR
OCTOBER 2018: ISSUE 89
Welcome to World-Class
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From humble beginnings in the 1960s when it served as Abu Dhabi’s first main airport, Al Bateen Executive Airport (ABEA) is now the only exclusive business aviation airport in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region – a world-class luxury aviation service facility aiming to meet and exceed the expectations
of business travellers from all around the world. With the 1982 opening of Abu Dhabi International Airport just 32km outside the city centre, ABEA underwent its transformation into a military air base the following year. Military operations continued until 2008, when Abu Dhabi Airports took
www.albateenairport.ae
Al Bateen OCTOBER 2018: ISSUE 89
over its operation and developed it into a world-class executive airport. Over a 50-year timespan, ABEA’s wealth of experience, under both civilian and military management, facilitated its smooth transition to what European Business Air News (EBAN) named the Second Best Executive Airport in the World in 2013. The award – and the many accolades since then – mark a remarkable ascent for the airport, which enjoys a strategic position within reach of major businesses and leisure facilities at the heart of Abu Dhabi city. With a stand capacity for up to 50 private jets served by efficient 16
turnarounds, ABEA upholds its excellence in air traffic and ground management operations through its partnership with Munawala, a proprietary fixed-base operations (FBO) service provider. This unique offering provides a single point of contact for all requirements and a full range of competitively priced FBO services. ABEA maintains an unwavering commitment to delivering a worldclass passenger experience. As the region’s only exclusive business aviation airport, it always welcomes travellers from across the globe to its unrivalled location with warm Emirati hospitality.
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Radar OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
AIR
No-one has ever looked at a Richard Mille timepiece and remarked, “That belongs in a museum” – gamechanging technical excellence and futuristic designs put these watches ahead of the curve, never outdated. But when considered as examples of fine art, well then they certainly do warrant museum-level inspection; Frieze Masters affords a look at some of the most exceptional, rare, and currently unavailable Richard Mille timepieces, generously loaned by private collectors. Richard Mille is present at Frieze Masters (Regent’s Park, London) from 4–7 October. frieze.com/fairs
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Critique OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
Film The Old Man and the Gun Dir: David Lowery Robert Redford takes on the role of real life American career criminal Forrest Tucker AT BEST: “It would require a true curmudgeon to not derive pleasure from Redford’s twinkling performance, radiating smoothness, wisdom and charm.” The Guardian AT WORST: “If Redford really is done, this is a perfect way for him to say goodbye.” ScreenCrush
Suspiria AIR
Dir: Luca Guadagnino Life at a happy dance company takes a turn for the worse, when horror consumes the artistic director and an ambitious young dancer AT BEST: “A film of rare and unfettered madness... leaves behind a scalding message that’s written in pain and blood.” indieWire AT WORST: “A breathtaking achievement in hollow, know-somethingish sensationalism that fully deserves to be called ‘pretentious’.” RogerEbert.com
The Hate U Give A drama centred on Starr Carter, who switches between two worlds: the poor, mostly black neighbourhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends AT BEST: “Entertaining, enraging, and ultimately deeply moving, it is poised to be a hit, and deserves to be.” Variety AT WORST: “Is wholesome and heartbreaking. It’s visceral and at the same time makes so much sense.” Black Girl Nerds
Free Solo Dirs: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chinz An unflinching portrait of free soloist climber Alex Honnold, as he climbs the 3,000ft El Capitan (without a rope) AT BEST: “Is so absorbing because it strives for even a tenuous grip on the balance between love and need.” indieWire AT WORST: “[It] brings up some knotty questions. Is Honnold an unfeeling monster for doing this to the ones he loves? Is all this death-defying in some ways an act of cruelty?” Vanity Fair 20
Images: Fox Searchlight; Amazon Studios; 20 th Century Fox; National Geographic Documentary Films
Dir: George Tillman Jr.
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Critique OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
Theatre
AIR
F
oxfinder makes its West End debut, with a hearty run at Ambassador’s Theatre that sees it through to 5 January 2019. “On the face of it, giving Dawn King’s dystopian [play] its West End premiere in 2018 is a canny move,” writes Alex Wood for What’s On Stage. “Riddled with alternative facts, conspiracy theories and fake news, [it] sits right at home in the posttruth world we’re told we live in. The references to food shortages littered through the script don’t feel too many steps away from many current Brexitrelated headlines about stockpiling.” Asks Domenic Cavendish in The Guardian, “What’s a foxfinder? Under martial law, those who cross the authorities can be sent to ‘factories’, while a focus of the totalitarian state’s concern skulks, seldom seen, in the wild – the immediate culprit for any dip in agricultural output. Woe-betide any farmer suspected of allowing a fox to roam about unchecked - a dreaded ‘foxfinder’ will be sent along to investigate.” The play “Has an obvious topicality – touching on mass hysteria, the power of myth and the dangers of anyone thinking they’re infallible,” writes Henry Hitchings for Evening Standard. “But after an eerie first few minutes, and despite an atmospheric design, the production doesn’t achieve enough claustrophobia and tension... It risks feeling like a parable about the hazards of scapegoating.” I Hear You and Rejoice is “pure distilled 100 percent proof theatrical magic, conjured up by one man on one chair on an otherwise bare stage. The boundless power of words and storytelling to conjure worlds to involve and enchant an audience has rarely been so clearly demonstrated,” says Fiona Mountford at the Evening Standard. Writer/performer Mikel Murfi’s performance is at Irish Arts Center Off Broadway; “You can usually spot a truly great actor by the lack of window dressing he puts on his performance. Standing on a bare stage and clad in a simple outfit... Murfi hides behind nothing ...
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Iwan Rheon and Paul Nicholls in Foxfinder. Credit: Pamela Raith
Both funny and heartwarming, [his] plays will transport you across the Atlantic using just the propulsion of his engrossing stage presence,” writes Zachary Stewart for Theater Mania.”Imitative skills are essential in a place where storytelling, and the caricaturing of your fellow citizens, is what transforms a seemingly uneventful backwater into a soap opera of endless fascination. Gossip here magnifies the smallest details of daily life to the outsize proportions of legend,” opines Ben Brantley for The New York Times. “Vinay Patel’s ambitious play probes ideas of home, freedom and ageing, as well as the legacy of colonialism. It draws inspiration from the experiences of his grandparents, who had an arranged marriage and moved from Gujarat to Britain via Kenya,” writes Evening Standard’s Henry Hitchings of An Adventure, at Bush Theatre throughout October. “The result is a running time over three hours and a sense of luxuriating
in the more dreamlike moments. This can feel indulgent, yet the performances are finely detailed, and Patel combines a gift for creating complex characters with a piercing emotional intelligence.” Audiences might expect a play “that draws on the writer’s own family history to be rose-tinted or sentimental, but Patel mixes affection with cold-eyed realism about what this couple did next,” says Alice Saville for Time Out London. “This epic could probably be a little pacier without losing its elegiac, cinematic feel. But with the reliably wonderful Anjana Vasan playing the fiery, deeply principled woman at its heart, it’s tough to begrudge this play a minute.” Writes Verity Healy for Exeunt Magazine, “Occasionally the focus of the production is on argument at the expense of dramatic tension. But [it is] not shy of reminding us that we are watching theatre and that this play is itself a product of colonisation – and the trauma it has left behind.”
Critique OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
AIR
Art
Self-Portraits through Art History (Van Gogh’s Room), 2016 by Yasumasa Morimura . Image courtesy Luhring Augustine Bushwick
“W
e’re a gluttonous species, us humans. All we want is stuff... Stuff to wear, stuff to stuff our faces with,” begins Eddy Frankel in his Time Out take of the Mika Rottenberg review, at Goldsmiths CCA in London until 4 November. “The whole world is geared towards making stuff, selling stuff and buying stuff... Argentinian artist Rottenberg knows all about stuff, capitalism, consumerism and all that business.” Her work “translates perfectly to the CCA, animating and enhancing its somewhat labyrinthine spaces with her often elaborate films, installations and sculpture,” writes Louisa Buck for The Art Newspaper. “These use humour but also a keen sense of the grotesque to deal with the precariously overloaded systems and excesses of our interconnected global economies.” Her surreal videos “reveal porous architectures, within which absurd human tasks intertwine,” say the editorial team at Esse. “In the age
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of globalised hyper-capitalism, she enjoys reminding us that truth is always stranger than fiction, wacky as the latter may be.” “With the advent of the internet, conspiracy has ‘gone from being super-latent, super-underground, super-subcultural – just the interest of people on the margins –[to being] mainstream, in a way,’” co-curator Doug Eklund told The Art Newspaper of Everything Is Connected: Art and Conspiracy, at The Met Breuer (until 6 January). “Made between 1969 and 2016, the 70 works ... trace an arc of diversifying world-weariness from JFK’s assassination to the recent past,” explains Martin Herbert at Art Review. “More interesting than the concepts themselves is the way that some individuals compile their own investigative research on suspicious topics, creating accessible and expressive visuals soaked in data, philosophy, and their take on the truth,” writes Cat Lachowskyj for BJP-online.com.
Yasumasa Morimura is “The artist frequently described as ‘the Cindy Sherman of Japan’ for his elaborately staged, photographic self-portraits,” says Time Out New York of in The Art Room of History, at Luhring Augustine Bushwick until 17 November. “Here, he offers two bodies of work in his latest show: Self-Portraits through Art History (2016), in which he disappears into famous paintings; and One Hundred M’s self-portraits (1993-2000), in which he portrays himself as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot, among other celebrities.” Elaborates Alfalfa Studio, “Working as a conceptual photographer and filmmaker for more than three decades... he masterfully transforms himself into recognisable subjects, often from Western cultural canons.” Taking photographs “is generally an act of ‘looking at the object, whereas ‘being seen’ or ‘showing’ is what is of most interest to one who does a selfportrait,” quotes Artnet of the artist.
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Critique OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
Books
AIR
“E
ver wondered what a hedge fund manager actually does to take home a cool USD30 million even when his fund goes belly up?” asks Esquire of Lake Success, by Gary Shteyngart. “Enter the world of Barry Cohen, with USD2.4 billion under management... [in this] window into the ridiculous and nonetheless poignant lives of a family – and perhaps a country – on the brink of collapse.” Shteyngart’s latest book, “is an ambitious state-ofthe-nation novel about the miasma of discontents that produced the astonishing election result of 2016,” says Marcel Theroux at The Guardian. “The main character’s jittery mood parallels that of the country as a whole: envy and self-loathing exist side by side with a delusional love of an America that never really existed.” Cohen “Has a proclivity for watches, some of which are valued at USD70,000. He sups 48-year-old Karuizawa single cask at USD33,000 a bottle. But at this very moment in time he’s scarpering with USD600 in his pocket and no plan,” outlines June Caldwell in The Irish Times.”He’s been obsessing about his ex from college, Layla. What if he was to show up in El Paso where she lives now? Not on his NetJets account, but on a Greyhound bus?” “The adjective most often associated with Betty Ford was ‘candor,’” writes Susan Page in her USA Today review of Betty Ford: First Lady, Women’s Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer. “She was candid about her support of abortion rights and the Equal Rights Amendment... about the breast cancer... The example she set prompted an uncounted number of other Americans to seek treatment.” Former TV news anchor and reporter Lisa McCubbin “felt the spirit of Betty Ford encouraging her as she wrote,” say Kirkus Reviews. “‘There is little doubt in my mind,’ she writes, ‘that she orchestrated this entire process.’ Drawing largely on Ford’s two memoirs and interviews with her children and others close to
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her, the author fashions an admiring portrait of a woman who faced physical and emotional challenges.” It is “meticulously researched and delightful” say Publishers Weekly. “McCubbin skillfully chronicles the life of former first lady [who] married Gerald Ford Jr. – the 38 th president of the USA... The author writes with tact and sensitivity in this beautifully told look into the life of one of the most public and admired first ladies.” “The book’s cover, featuring Brent Dulak wearing a skull mask and holding a syringe in his mouth, could be mistaken for that of a horror story,” says Peter Dabbane of Machete Squad. “In some ways, [it] is just that, full of people being killed or seriously injured, with nerve-wracking attempts by Dulak and his men to preserve life in a chaotic, dangerous environment,” continues the Foreword Reviews critique. “The book pulls no punches, showing soldiers seeking refuge from the horrors of war. But the realism and honesty make it all the more compelling when he finds a kind of purpose and redemption in the book’s climax,” explain Publishers Weekly. Artist Per Darwin Berg “Visualises Dulak’s tour with
simple, cartoony figures penciled in against sketchy backgrounds,” explain Publishers Weekly. “The art is unpolished, but the characters have a satisfying, loose expressiveness. The arc simply follows Dulak on missions and observing day-to-day life.” Say Kirkus Reviews, “This book... offers a vivid, terrifying, and often beautiful illumination of one man’s cathartic experience in Afghanistan. Readers will have a visceral response to the experiences shared by this searing memoir.”
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Jewellery OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
Calling All Angels
Jacquie Aiche tiptoed through the lush gardens of her Beverly Hills showroom to the workshop, creating jewellery enriched by her heritage – and the glittering results caught the eye of LA’s glitterati
AIR
WORDS: CHRIS UJMA
“T
he woman I design for is feminine, sexy, unabashed and barefoot. A risk taker, a troublemaker, a mover, and a shaker,” enthuses jewellery artisan Jacquie Aiche, of her archetypal muse. With her brand based in Tinseltown, such description brings to mind the likes of A-listers like Jennifer Lawrence, Ruby Rose, Hailey Baldwin and Rihanna – and it’s little surprise that these sophisticated rapscallions are all clients. “My ‘JA Tribe ‘is full of women who adore being adorned; lovers of good vibes, the energy of minerals, and layers of diamonds, of course,” the founder adds. Aiche started out working in a boutique, but “found it hard to find jewellery that I connected with,” she says. “Traditional, classical jewellery is amazing, but it’s just not to my taste. I wanted to create adornments that were sensual and feminine. Pieces that would make women feel like the goddesses that we are. So, I started designing my own jewellery and selling anonymously.” The response confirmed her intuition of “This is what I was meant to do”.
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Going all-in, Aiche turned her old Beverly Hills home into a dedicated workshop/ showroom, and by going it alone she struck gold – 14k, being exact, which is the basis for each piece. She combines the precious metal with diamonds and gemstones, in designs that echo her Egyptian / Native American heritage and other intriguing references. At her atelier, Aiche says she surrounds herself “with people who can make the biggest challenges feel small and easy to face,” adding, “I feel so blessed to have so many incredible women in my tribe and it truly has all happened organically. I think a lot of women are drawn to my designs for the exact reason I started making jewellery in the first place. To find something that you connect to on a spiritual level and that you never need to take off because it makes you feel like a goddess. Every woman should feel that.” It’s hard to resist name-dropping when discussing this brand, but Aiche has allured an enviable client base. Pull up recent social media snaps of free-spirited trendsetters, and you’ll see them draped in these curios of earthy elegance; Emily Ratajkowski (wearing a mini bone double
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AIR
Jacquie’s design hallmark is very chic and bohemian, and she uses unique precious stones. It was love at first sight horn necklace), Rosie HuntingtonWhiteley (graced with the 31 Diamond Necklace), and Gigi Hadid (in a Trillion Diamond Shaker Necklace), et al. Actress and former Victoria’s Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio was one of the first women in the JA Tribe. “She used to come to my boutique before I started creating publicly. Her support is so special to me,” admits Aiche. “I met Jacquie when she owned a little store on Sunset Boulevard,” Ambrosio recalls. “She showed me some of the pieces and it was love at first sight. I have been wearing her pieces for such a long time. Her hallmark is very chic and bohemian and she uses so many unique precious stones, which are totally my style. I like that her pieces are simple yet stunning and you can layer many different pieces together.” Ambrosio was the muse for Aiche’s Summer 2017 collection; the designer picks one woman for each new season as inspiration. Namibian model (and mother) Behati Prinsloo reflects the spirit of the current, Fall 2018 line, with its 30
Pave Coin Shaker Eternal Life necklace, Tourmaline Shower Drop earrings and Diamond Lizzy bracelet statement pieces; she was also the muse for Fall 2015. “Behati is the most badass chic,” laughs Aiche. “She’s just so cool and radiates with insane positivity and kindness. She’s the ultimate muse and I feel so lucky to have her in my tribe.” Prinsloo returns the love: “I love how her jewellery makes me feel, both when I see it and when wear it; it just speaks to me. It’s all so raw, it’s like you can feel the earthiness in her pieces.” The pair also first met at Aiche’s LA showroom, “In this beautiful space with the best energy,” Prinsloo recalls. “She gave me a drink and we sat outside and talked for a while, before I went in and died because I wanted every piece. I decided to work on the project because she emailed me, told me about the concept, asked me if I was interested, and I was like ‘ummmmmm hell yeah.’” It’s little wonder that Aiche’s handmade jewellery pieces have attracted the eye of Hollywood’s most glamorous
(and on-trend) – hers is a free-spirited philosophy; “Forever on vacation”, as Ambrosio explains of her life motto. Every client who speaks of wearing a JA creation touches expresses two key emotions: freedom of expression, plus feeling feminine. This owes, perhaps, to her authenticity; she didn’t go hunting for stars to boost her profile. “At the end of the day I just want to play with my crystals in the garden. I stay very connected to the entire creation process, it’s what keeps me grounded and happy. For me it’s all about the jewellery – I still get goosebumps when I see a piece come to life,” says the entrepreneurial owner. And hers is an empowering aura: “When you have strong women in your life who support you and your journey, you can accomplish anything. I have an incredible team that I’ve been working with since the beginning. Your vibe attracts your tribe.” In LA, the famed first letter of the HOLLYWOOD sign should be ready to share the spotlight; there’s another significant Aiche in town.
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OB JECTS OF DESIRE
OBJECTS OF DESIRE
Master craftsmanship, effortless style and timeless appeal; this month’s must-haves and collectibles
OB JECTSOB OFJECTS DESIRE OF DESIRE
A L E X A NA DL REEXJ A . NDRE J.
C O E U RC R OO EUR G ER O RUB GIES R U B I S This gilded This bottle, gildedthat bottle, contains that contains a fragranta fragrant for the design for the process design of process his vessels of his –vessels – rouge rubis rouge perfume, rubis perfume, is showcased is showcased on a high on aahigh motheraofmother pearl bottle, of pearlenamel bottle,medallion enamel medallion floor of the floor Burj ofKhalifa; the Burjit’s Khalifa; the crown it’s the jewel crown jewel and pearland ornaments, pearl ornaments, for example, for example, captures captures of Alexandre of Alexandre J’s collection. J’s collection. The creative The creative a Gulf aura. a Gulf Theaura. brand Thefocuses brand on focuses Eaux on Eaux French designer French designer is famed isforfamed his limited for his limited the parfum, the and parfum, its raw andmaterials its raw materials sourced sourced edition perfumes edition perfumes in art-worthy in art-worthy bottles; bottles; from around fromthe around worldthe offer world a rich offer olfactory a rich olfactory he drawshe ondraws multi-cultural on multi-cultural inspiration inspiration palette.; the palette.; true scent the true of success. scent of success. 1
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OB JECTS OF DESIRE
SHAMBALLA
SHAMBALL A BR ACELE T Set with 149 brilliant cut (2.15ct) diamonds, Akoya Pearls, White Coral, Rainbow and Grey Moonstone and 18k Star of Shamballa white gold, this bracelet is going to a stunning wrist accessory. The charming collection features numerous bracelets, each one with
a different design and setting with various materials. The brand combines symbolism from Asian Eastern philosophy, and an aesthetic from Nordic design principles to present highly personal and customisable jewellery – using extravagant gems, pavé beads and macramé braiding. 2
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
CHANEL
CODE COCO Both a watch and a jewellery piece, the Code Coco pays tribute to a story, a style and an allure, deploying the constantly refreshed code of Chanel. The timepiece is available in steel, steel with diamonds and a version with steel, ceramic and diamonds. Its steel bezel is set with 52
brilliant-cut diamonds, black lacquered dials and one stone is a princess-cut diamond. In terms of performance, the watch offers the high precision quartz movement and is water resistant up to 30 metres. Can you “crack the code� of this Chanel enigma? 3
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
JAGUA R
E -T Y P E C L A S S I C – Z E R O - E M I S S I O N S Yesterday’s classic meets today’s technology, with Jaguar producing its self acclaimed ‘most beautiful electric car in the world’. The marque combines its restoration expertise with cutting-edge technology (first seen in the I-PACE), for a car that is restored and converted to electric power.
Jaguar’s Classic Works has announced this Zero Emission E-type that showcase the incredible heritage of the model, and this new edition upholds its outstanding performance; despite the power shift, it still clocks a quicker acceleration than the original Series 1 E-type. 4
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
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OB JECTS OF DESIRE
M A R I O N AY O N O T E
C O N Q U E R O R W I L D S T I N G R AY Made with Stingray and Kid leather, this pair of sandals has a buttery soft feel – it’s little wonder that Ayonote’s couture creations have been spotted on the feet of the red carpet elite. The classic open toe high heeled sandal is among the efforts crafted in her London atelier; since being
launched in 2000, the luxury footwear and accessories is now a firm favourite among those in-the-know (who hail it ‘an accessory lover’s dream label’). Exotic skins, sophisticated clean lines and high gloss finished leather are Ayonote design hallmarks. 6
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
LOUIS V UITTON
CANNES BAG This structured and shapely take on Alexander Wang’s trendsetting Diego bag is part of Louis Vuitton’s new collection for Fall 2018. The straight upright sides and a zippered closure gives the bag a more formal look as opposed to the usual drawstring versions. This smart-but-
quirky bag is available in Epi leather and Monogram Inverse versions. Traditionally, a textured leather bag is the go to, however, the caramel hued LV monogram leather perfectly complements the feel of this piece. It’s also available in black and off-white (Banane), for plain-leather lovers. 7
OB JECTS OF DESIRE
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L’A S T R O N O M O L U M I N O R 1 9 5 0 As the brand’s first watch with a moonphase indicator, the Panerai L’Astronomo Luminor 1950 Tourbillon Moon Phases Equation of Time GMT is a unique take on an icon. Its most complicated and customisable watch, the large, 50mm tourbillon driven piece
is made-to-order – arriving with its ‘equation of time indicator’ calibrated to the owner’s desired location. Also known as the PAM 920, this watch was one of the brand’s prime talking pieces from Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), and is now available to obtain. 8
Timepieces OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
On One Condition... TARIQ MALIK
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’ve often pondered, what is it exactly that determines the relative value of a collectible? I often get asked for advice on the relative investment value of a watch, and what to look out for when buying or selling. For me it boils down to the three cardinal C’s: Condition, condition, condition. Take the Rolex Submariner Ref 6204 as an example. The watch was a milestone model for Rolex, being the first ‘Sub’, and the father of all subsequent Submariner models. A recent study carried out by The Watch Investor showed the selling prices at auction for this particular model over the last decade or so. There were some interesting results. A brand new Submariner cost USD150 back in 1954. The average auction price between 2004 and 2018 was found to be USD31,212 – which is quite high, even when adjusted for inflation. But, to be fair, that’s a bit like saying the average depth of the ocean is 12,000ft. The devil is in the details. One or two of the Ref. 6204’s in that study sample sold for well below USD10,000, and one or two sold for over USD70,000. That’s a substantial price difference between one seemingly identical watch and the next. Why the huge disparity? In a word: condition. A Ref. 6204 in the original box, locked in a vault for 50 years, with all authentic parts and papers intact would be the Holy Grail, and worth the most, by a long way. Of course – those kinds of watches are scarcer than a hole-in-one or hen’s teeth. Most vintage watches have been worn for years on the wrist, and taken
their fair share of bumps and knocks in the journey of life. How then can a collector rate the desirability of a watch’s condition? When it comes to the value of a vintage watch, possibly the most important consideration is the condition of the dial. A faded dial (with patina) may seem a bad thing but in fact, the reverse is true. Serious collectors will pay more for a gorgeous “tropical” patina than a non-faded dial. Early watches often used radium as luminescence, which caused interesting dial patterns over time. What’s more, even a cracked dial can be valuable (collectors call it “spider”). That said that, it’s important that the overall condition of the watch matches the dial – otherwise it might point to the fact that the dial, or other parts, were
replaced. Every detail matters. Every mechanical watch needs some love, and regular looking after, but too much polishing wears down the lugs and pushers, and detracts from the value again. Even the most seemingly insignificant details can impact the investment value. The style of hour hand, retouched markers, the crown emblem, or even a handset or bezel insert can have a huge impact on the watch’s value – because a seasoned collector will spot these inconsistencies. The renewed interest in watch collecting over the last decade was at least partly fuelled by record-breaking auction prices achieved on a few rare and special watches: for instance the Patek Philippe Henry Graves Jr. “Supercomplication” (pictured), which sold at Sotheby’s for a staggering USD24 million in 2014. But even the more everyday variety of vintage watch has become far more valuable too – provided a collector knows what they’re looking for when investing. I’ve seen trends come and go. Particular models become popular for a while, for one reason or another, and then fade to relative obscurity again. There will always be uncertainties, risk and speculation, but there is a huge difference in the value of one piece compared to the next, even if the models seem otherwise identical – it all comes down to the condition.
Dubai’s DIFC is home to Momentum, Tariq’s co-founded vintage watch boutique. momentum-dubai.com 33
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y n i t s e D h t i w e c n a D of on i t lla ire ste ir-fa n o o a c av re ical s a g ls pe olo Ar hor f & n’s lee aiso C n Va the m m o o fr nt es ght i c e i i ep d ins m i y t an om gs – n tro rin As offe c eti us Po icio e Th ausp
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Timepieces OCTOBER 2018: ISSUE 89
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he night sky has spellbound humankind throughout our history. A source of wonder, the celestial dance has been gazed upon with purpose since ancient times, with the stars used as a guide by navigators to safely traverse land and sea, to mark religious observances, and even interpreted in order to map out our own personal destinies. The latter, governed by the study of astrology, is particularly captivating. The mystical concept – of been born under a constellation ‘sign’, with one’s fate written and silently governed by the cosmos – is thought provoking (whether one gives credence to its accuracy or otherwise). This nucleus of mystery and wonder is ideal inspiration for Van Cleef & Arpels, though – a maison ever fascinated by the poetry of time and the pulse of nature. The astrological theme has been a significant for the maison since it first created a series of lucky medals in the 1950s. In its latest homage to the celestial, VC&A has unveiled the Lady Arpels Zodiac Lumineux – a star-studded feminine collection that commands the attention usually reserved for the sky itself. There are 12 limited edition designs in this horology line-up, with unique designs each dedicated to a respective Western Zodiac sign. The collection joins the masculine Midnight Zodiac Lumineux watches, which Van Cleef & Arpels introduced at the 2018 edition of Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie Genève (SIHH). The case and movement are equal for the 12 Lady Arpels Zodiac pieces, which are 38mm in diameter and each harbour a self winding mechanism with 40 hour power reserve. The finishing touch is a beautiful alligator strap that has a white gold buckle strap, frosted with diamonds. It is upon glitter blue enamel dials where one beholds the unique touch:
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translucent enamel beads, shaped by hand and patterned to represent the distant points of light that symbolise the constellations of Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Precious stones vary with the respective ‘sign’. For instance, the depiction of Leo glistens with yellow gold, yellow sapphires, blue sapphire, spessartite garnets, and yellow enamel with golden foil, while Taurus is characterised using white gold, diamonds, blue sapphire and translucent green enamel. To bring each twinkling outline to life, the maison illuminates the constellations using a time-honoured craft: an 18th century technique called piezoelectricity, which causes an electric charge resulting from pressure and latent heat. A variation on the mechanism was developed exclusively for Van Cleef & Arpels, it reveals, and a variant of the illumination was first developed back in 2016 for the Midnight Nuit Lumineuse watch. ‘The module incorporates a piezoceramic blade whose vibration ‒ under the effect of the watch’s movement ‒ enables electrical energy to be generated mechanically. This energy is then used to supply the LEDs: at the press of a pusher [found at the 8 o’clock mark], they backlight the dial’s translucent enamel beads for about three seconds.’ ‘A blend of inventiveness and fantasy, our creations interpret the measurement of time as an invitation to imagine, wander and revel in happiness,’ the company says. In Van Cleef & Arpels’ universe, the destiny driven Lady Arpels Zodiac Lumineux is a fine representation of its savoir-faire; a horological ode to the heavens. For this decorated Swiss maison, once again the stars have aligned.
Our creations interpret the measurement of time as an invitation to imagine, wander and revel in happiness
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Art & Design
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OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
Ways of Seeing A five-decade-old quote ignited a fascinating question for two curators: are we looking at art in the right way, from the artist’s intended vantage points? 38
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t was a quote from visual culture critic John Berger that sparked the idea for a unique exhibition. “The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled,” he penned, five decades ago. The remark, made in his 1980 book About Looking, resonated with Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath – the founders of multi-disciplinary curatorial platform Art Reoriented (among their many hats), and cocurators of Ways of Seeing, an exhibition currently provoking thought at NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery. “Berger confronts us with a conundrum, which, along with its solution, illustrates the curatorial point of departure for this exhibition,” the duo explains. His written example is worth a recap, to put this UAE-based showcase into context. To communicate his idea, Berger used a particular work from the celebrated Turkish 19th-century artist Şeker Ahmed Pasha: a large, oil-on-canvas painting called The Woodcutter and the Forest. “There is something deeply but subtly strange about the perspective, about the relationship between the woodcutter with his mule, and the far edge of the forest in the top righthand corner,” he annotated. “You see that it is the far edge, and, at the same time, that third distant tree (a beech?) appears nearer than anything else in the painting. It simultaneously withdraws and approaches.” Bardouil and Fellrath interpret Berger’s analysis as such: “He attributes the painting’s unique, yet puzzling perspective to Ahmed’s attempt at reconciling two opposite visual styles: European landscape painting, and the Ottoman pictorial tradition. The former, Berger tells us, is inherently dependent on linearity where the dichotomy of near and far, distance and scale, constrains our experience of space within a notion of temporality where time can only unfold chronologically. The latter, Berger contends, is free from such rigid parameters. In a miniature, the viewer is confronted with a whole vision of the world, man, and history at once.” Space, they go on to say, “is spiritual, not physical. Light, rather than 40
Through an acute process of formal negotiations, each artist has managed to articulate a renewed vision of objects, places, and concepts illuminating a picture’s subjects, emanates from them. Ahmed’s resolve to bridge two formally different painting traditions led him to create an artwork that at once oscillated between worlds, yet occupied its own distinct visual universe.” Here’s the crux: Bardouil and Fellrath say Berger’s Woodcutter example “illustrates the original process by which artists make use of a plethora of compositional elements, in order to physically articulate an idea – rendering concrete what initially begins as an intangible image.” It sparked an idea in the pair to organise an art event that “facilitates a return towards a revised vision of the artist,” they outline. Their intent is a return to looking at the maker of things: “a skilled technician, who through their understanding and handling of the physical properties of things can alter our way of seeing the world”. The resulting showcase in Abu Dhabi brings together 26 artists
through 41 works, spanning a variety of media from painting, sculpture and photography to sound, film and installation. Internationally acclaimed efforts by Salvador Dalí and Cindy Sherman are present, while there’s a contemporary touch added by artist such as Swiss based duo Jojakim Cortis and Adrian Sonderegger, with a local flavour represented by the likes of Emirati princess Lateefa Bint Maktoum. Within each of the artworks on display, every artist has “employed a number of compositional strategies that allow for an unexpected way of seeing, and, therefore, comprehending anew the respective subject of the artwork at hand,” the curators elaborate. “Through an acute process of formal negotiations, each artist has managed to articulate a renewed vision of objects, places, and concepts; dislocating them from a wide spectrum of familiar guises through which they have been portrayed, associations with which they have
been entangled, and contexts in which they have usually been seen.” Each of the assembled artworks also evidences “painstaking commitment, not exclusively to the idea that it represents and the respective politics underpinning it, but to the subjective chain of formal decisions of adoption and elimination, translation and appropriation, that each artist has made in order to articulate the visual manifestation of that idea until the very last second of its execution.” The museum, meanwhile, believes Berger’s thesis is particularly relevant to the UAE, the nation being ‘a heterogeneous society that is grappling with questions of modernisation and tradition against a backdrop of accelerated cosmopolitanism.’ “The exhibition’s title embeds within it a premise a cautionary note, a subliminal instruction: consider the way in which you are seeing. Now, reconsider it,” muses Maya Allison, Galleries Director of NYU. “If there are different ways of seeing, what does that mean for the study of art? Or politics? Or empirical evidence and data? With this exhibition, we
invite scholars, students, and lay people from all fields to consider how they look at the world around them.” A video montage of birds fluttering over the heads of citizens (in Claerbout’s The Algiers’ Sections of a Happy Moment); a visual slice of history by Gustav Metzger, hidden behind a curtain which the observer must slip behind to view; a huge, full canvas composite capture of Dubai World, by Gursky. What do pieces such as these communicate? Well, it all comes back to Berger. His game-changing BBC series Ways of Seeing, “shifted the locus of art criticism away from the socalled professional art-expert, relocating it within the grasp of the lay viewer,” the curators highlight. “To curate an exhibition on the topic of the ways in which we see is itself a kind of meta-curatorial act,” adds Allison. However one chooses to interpret this narrativerich bounty, for the art observer it makes for an enriching visit to Abu Dhabi; that much is plain to see. Ways of Seeing shows at NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery until 17 November
Opening pages: Les yeux surréalistes by Salvador Dalí; Abby, by Markus Schinwald Opposite: Hermitage 2 St. Petersburg, by Thomas Struth Below: Oral Tradition, by Lateefa Bint Maktoum
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Even for an acclaimed actor like Ryan Gosling, portraying Neil Armstrong – the first man on the moon – is a daunting mission, he reveals. But with the help of Armstrong’s friends and family, he delivers a truly atmospheric performance INTERVIEW: JENNY DAVIS ADDITIONAL WORDS: CHRIS UJMA
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he opening scenes of First Man immediately throw the audience into the cockpit with Neil Armstrong and his fellow test pilots, as they break record after record – hurtling beyond the stratosphere in shaky metal prototypes that can barely take the strain. Each time they take off they risk death, which bonds them in a camaraderie that can be both noble and steely. Such highs were standard procedure for Armstrong – and the movie, released this month, is a biopic about the adventures and life of one of America’s greatest heroes, from his entry into NASA’s astronaut programme in 1961 to his epoch-making walk on the moon eight years later, with Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins aboard Apollo 11. The film is based on James R. Hansen’s book, has been adapted for the big screen by Academy Awardwinning screenwriter Josh Singer, and is directed by Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle. Enter Ryan Gosling – the actor worked with Chazelle on La La Land, and is tasked with portraying the iconic astronaut. 44
Just as it took a skilled team to get Armstrong to the moon, Gosling had a support system aiding his navigation – the late astronaut’s friends, colleagues and family supplied the actor with anecdotes and guidance, helping him to secure an accurate portrayal. Gosling says that Armstrong’s sons Mark and Rick were valuable to his research. “I think the greatest challenge of this movie, and there were many, was that they were going to see the film when this was over. I thought about that often,” he laughs. “But they were just extremely helpful and supportive and always available to answer questions. Also, I was able to meet Neil’s sister June and his wife Janet – I was very honoured to spend time with her in her home, [and] we got to spend time at the farm where Neil grew up. Between family, friends and colleagues of Neil – as well as Jim’s thoroughly researched book and him constantly being on set – I’d never had more help on a film.” At home, Armstrong maintained the taciturn logic that kept him alive as a pilot, but it tore at his relationship with his wife and sons. Going into
the role, did Gosling feel the weight of expectation – given that the 1969 Moon Walk transpired 11 years before the Canadian actor was even born? “As soon as I learned what the moon was I learned that a man named Neil Armstrong walked on it, so he was always synonymous with the moon,” he says. “But, like the moon, I knew very little about him. And when I met with the director, he told me that he wanted to sort of uncover the man behind the myth. Once I started to learn about Neil and his wife Janet, I realised that this incredible life was really deserving of the tribute that Damien wanted to pay to it. It was an incredible opportunity, but it was an enormous responsibility.” While the movie spotlights these lesser-known Armstrong moments, it also touches on the morepronounced: such as Gosling uttering the infamous statement – “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” – which crackled over transmission to an estimated 500 million expectant Earthlings. “It’s arguably one of the most famous things that’s ever been said. It was a
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Right: George Clooney with wife Amal at the 74th Venice Film Festival
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We lift up that curtain, looking underneath that thin veneer, and see some of the real problems this country has yet to come to terms with. Unfortunately these are issues that are never out of vogue in our country
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Below: Movie still from First Man, courtesy of Four Star Films / Universal Pictures
I admire his ability to see in broader terms, seeing himself as representing both his country and mankind huge responsibility, we felt, to get it right. Not just sonically or to parrot it, but I feel like that line says so much about what I admire about Neil, which was his ability to see everything in broader terms; that he could see a giant leap in one small step, that he could see himself as a man both representing his country and a human being representing mankind,” Gosling details. “It’s such a profound thing to say and it always fascinated me what type of person would say that; who is the person that could make this heroic moment not about themselves, but about everything, and put it so eloquently, so beautifully? It was honour to be able to say it and to get to understand the man that would say something like that.” There some particularly gruelling mission sequences in First Man, where Gosling admits to the crew being confined – “Just sat there for hours,” he laughs. But they remained grounded, he reveals. “When we were shooting the mission sequences there was always somebody who had been directly involved with that mission in some way. For instance,
when we shot the X-15 sequence, Joe Engle [the last living X-15 pilot] was there. We had prominent figures there to ensure the accuracy – but I think they were also there to ensure that it was impossible to complain, because they had really experienced it all. You would see them you’d think, ‘Oh yeah [they went through this]’. It was immediate perspective.” Gosling deems the film an important testament to the inspiring feats Armstrong and his peers endured. “I think that it’s an extraordinary story, it’s an extraordinary accomplishment and they are extraordinary people. They also were a family making great sacrifices and it’s a story of hope, overwhelming hope to make this possible. It’s an unparalleled achievement and in a lot of ways it’s an unparalleled story.” One senses that, despite his seasoned career, Gosling enjoyed the ‘process’ of this particular project. “You could really feel how much love everyone had for Neil and Janet and their legacy and wanted to make sure they gave us every bit of information they could so that if
something wasn’t accurate it wasn’t because they left it out,” he enthuses. Gosling and Claire Foy (who plays Janet Armstrong) “Had to try and imagine certain moments behind closed doors that may have happened between Neil and Janet and we did the best that we could. We had the blessing of Rick and Mark, and the legacy of their parents is so important to them, I felt how important it was that we get it right. I really admired how fiercely they guarded their parent’s legacy.” Gosling serves up a gentle reminder not to equate the actor with the real life person they portray when asked if he would ever want to go to the moon, responding with a laugh, “No, I’d be too scared”. He does possess a dose of that Armstrong humility though, downplaying the inevitable chatter surrounding his Oscar buzz. “I would be doing Neil a disservice to make this moment about me. I appreciate being asked but it’s probably better to talk about Neil and his programme,” he buffers. “The honour was to be involved with this film, and to make a great film.” 47
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For Every Journey The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris collection is renowned for its sporty DNA – after all, it’s inspired by the iconic Memovox Polaris watch from 1968. Yet these versatile timepieces are equally assured in the most elegant of settings; the ideal companion for today’s man on the move
ART DIRECTOR: KERRI BENNETT PHOTOGRAPHER: SABRINA RYNAS, MMG ARTIST 48
Timepiece: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph, pink gold, crocodile strap
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Timepiece: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph, blue dial, steel bracelett
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Timepiece: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Automatic black dial, steel bracelet
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Timepiece: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Memovox
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Timepiece, this page and right: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph World Time, titanium, calf skin strap 69
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Timepiece: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Automatic, blue dial, calf skin strap
Page 1 Timepiece: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph, pink gold, crocodile strap Jacket: Gucci Shirt: Gucci Page 2 Timepiece: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph, blue dial, steel bracelet Suit: Zegna Shirt: Valentino Page 3 Timepiece: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Automatic black dial, steel bracelet Jacket: Givenchy Shirt: Givenchy Pages 4 and 5 Timepiece: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Memovox Suit: Hugo Boss Shirt: Hugo Boss Page 6 Timepiece: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph World Time, titanium, calf skin strap Suit: Zegna Shirt: Zegna Page 7 Timepiece: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph World Time, titanium, calf skin strap Jacket: Dior Shirt: Dior Trousers: Dior Page 8 Timepiece: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Automatic, blue dial, calf skin strap Suit: Dunhill Shirt: Dunhill
Model Vladica MMG Models Stylist Gemma Jones MMG Artist Hair and Make-up Katharina Brennan MMG Artist Location Presidential Suite, Renaissance Downtown Hotel, Dubai 49
THIS IS AIR
STAN
He’s one of the most recognisable people in fashion, yet also the most under-the-radar. Jane McFarland sits down for a rare conversation with Stan Smith, the man behind Adidas’ iconic trainer
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orget Givenchy’s zebra mules or YSL’s feathery sandals, it’s the humble white trainer that fashion folk repeatedly turn to: the Adidas Stan Smith to be exact. Today Stan Smiths are available in a host of colours and materials, for men, women and children. Almost every pair produced bears the name and face of the actual Mr Stan Smith, the world’s most unassuming style icon, marking the longest and one of the most lucrative relationships in sports-shoe history. We meet in New York, where Stan Smith, now 71, is visiting his 13th grandchild and promoting his first book, a Rizzoli coffee-table tome called Some People Think I Am a Shoe, which charts his tennis career, including winning Wimbledon, and the inexorable rise of the Stan Smith trainer. It’s also a glossy look at today’s trainer culture. “The tennis people, they may not want
to read it,” laughs Smith, who, with the air of a distinguished gent, still seems bemused by the whole thing. “But the sneakerheads will, because it delves into the history of trainers in general.” There are also anecdotes from long-term fans, including Jeremy Scott and Karlie Kloss. “Honestly, I’ve got so many,” he laughs. And for two hours, Smith regales me with stories — those that made it into the book and those that didn’t. Some people don’t know who he is at all, a fact Smith finds entertaining rather than insulting. “Someone who interviewed me told me he met his wife wearing Stan Smiths, so they got married in them. Last year at Wimbledon, Hugh Grant said, ‘You know, the first girl I ever kissed was wearing your shoe.’ A guy in Japan who interviewed me a couple of years ago said he has been wearing blue
pants, a white shirt and my shoes for the past 13 years. But lots of people who wear the shoes have no idea who I am or that I even exist!” Over its 55-year history, the white trainer has had the type of highprofile endorsements that brands spend millions securing today. “There wasn’t any rhyme or reason, it just seemed to take off,” Smith says. “It’s a shoe that can work, that’s so simple and comfortable to wear with anything. It transcended the sports world into the cultural world.” The high-fashion association came in 2010, when Phoebe Philo took her bow on the Céline catwalk wearing crisp white Stan Smiths. Editors quickly swapped their heels for the minimal sneaker, ushering in a new lo-fi style of dress. Marc Jacobs was a loyal wearer. Collaborations with Kate Moss and Raf Simons followed.
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There wasn’t any rhyme or reason; the shoe transcended the sports world, into the cultural world Opening pages: Stan Smith, courtesy Stan Smith Archive This page: Pharrell Williams and Stan Smith attend the adidas Tennis + Pharrell Williams ‘Don’t Be Quiet Please’ event in New York Opposite: Stan Smith trainers, courtesy Adidas Archive and Studio Walde Overleaf: Stan at the adidas showroom in Milan
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Namechecked in one of Jay-Z’s songs as early as 2001, Stan Smiths have also popped up in lyrics by A$AP Rocky and Lil Wayne among others, securing its position in the hip-hop world. Usher is a bona fide fan, as is Pharrell Williams, who wrote the foreword to Smith’s book and has collaborated several times with Adidas. “We met two years ago at the US Open, watching Serena [Williams] play. The hall held about 20,000 people, and I asked him ‘What do you think of this venue?’ and he replied ‘Yeah, it’s pretty big.’ I said ‘Well, what’s the biggest number of people you’ve performed in front of?’ and he said ‘About 100,000’,” Smith laughs. “He knew Serena, but he didn’t know anything about tennis. He could appreciate the entertainment value, though. He had triplets, so I sent them some shoes and a note saying, ‘Three kids, three stripes, three Stan Smiths — a good way to start life.’ That’s my favourite gift.” The trainer has also had the royal seal of approval: at last year’s Wimbledon, Smith presented two pairs to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. ‘They invite past men’s winners to the final, so we were having tea afterwards and I spent about 15 minutes with Kate and William. I said, ‘I’ve got these pink 54
shoes for Charlotte and a green pair for George.’ I signed them, too, and they were all excited as they had seen Serena play the day before and had played together at home afterwards, so they were inspired! I hope they’re going to become the face of Wimbledon like the Duchess of Kent was. It would be great to have the younger generation representing tennis.” Smith is an unlikely ambassador for fashion’s hippest trainer. Born in Pasadena, California, the 6ft 4in US tennis star started the sport late in life; he first picked up a racket in high school aged 16. He went on to win the US Open in 1971 aged 25, followed by Wimbledon in 1972. He has been married to his wife, Marjory Gengler, a fellow tennis player, for 44 years and together they have four children. “She has been involved in everything I’ve ever done, so it was appropriate to have pictures of her in the book,” he says. Shortly after his Wimbledon win, he was tapped by Adidas to represent its all-leather white tennis shoe, with a rounded toe, green ankle tab and perforated Adidas stripes. Smith’s agent, Donald Dell, negotiated the picture of Smith’s face on the tongue, which appeared in 1978, making the man inseparable from the trainer,
despite the fact it doesn’t feature his signature moustache. “So I’m not always recognised,” he says. He even paid for a pair of his trainers once. “It was about 15 years ago in Florence — an all-black pair I hadn’t seen before. My wife even showed them my credit card. Either the sales assistant didn’t believe it was me or didn’t care.” Despite rubbing shoulders with royalty and dining with presidents, Smith is happiest at home in Hilton Head, South Carolina, with his everexpanding family. As well as his Adidas commitments, he is president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and he still coaches most afternoons at his tennis academy. He also runs a corporate events company that sees him travel to the biggest sporting competitions, and he is about to embark on a book tour. “At the end of the book, there’s the hashtag #StanSmithForever. I want people to send in their stories. Maybe we’ll do a sequel.” He continues: “The shoe is non-political, nongenerational and unisex. My goal, in some little way, is that it brings unity to people around the world.” ‘Some People Think I Am a Shoe’ by Stan Smith, is published by Rizzoli, and is available now
Jane McFarland/The Sunday Times Style Magazine/News Syndication
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I sent Pharrell shoes for his triplets and a note saying, ‘Three kids, three stripes, three Stan Smiths – a good way to start life’
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CUT TO THE CHASE WORDS: CHRIS UJMA
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A cult favourite 50 years after its release, Bullitt has Steve McQueen (the King of Cool) at the helm, and features one of the greatest car chase scenes in cinema history. As a youngster, Tony Piazza was on set for every turn WORDS: CHRIS UJMA
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t’s San Francisco, and the year is 1967. Two intimidating American muscle cars are thundering along the steep, narrow streets of the city, all screeching tyres, growling engines and white smoke. The good guy, lieutenant Frank Bullitt, drives a ‘68 Ford Mustang 390 GT 2+2 Fastback, in hot pursuit of the bad guys, in their ‘68 Dodge Charger 440 Magnum. From the back of his dad’s 1966 Buick LaSabre, a school-aged Tony Piazza has watched multiple scenes of the movie, Bullitt, unfold in front of his eyes – including this chase scene, considered one of the most adrenaline fuelled (and expertly captured) automotive sequences on film. But freeze! As with any decent cop drama, we need to establish a motive; how did they arrive at this moment? In the case of tough guy Lieutenant Bullitt – played by Steve McQueen – he is on the tail of hitmen who rather gruesomely blasted two star witnesses before their showing at a hearing about organised crime. One of the victims dies from his injuries and Bullitt decides to keep the lid on this development, putting an anonymous name on the victim at the morgue while he works the case. Cruising the streets of San Fran, the bad guys give chase – before Bullitt turns the tables in a 11-minute chase scene which ends with the thugs spinning off the road, crashing into a petrol station, and exploding in an inferno. For Piazza, it was his father’s real world involvement in law enforcement (albeit at a slower pace) that landed him on set. Anthony Piazza Sr. was a San Francisco police officer assigned as a liaison between visiting motion picture companies and the City of San Francisco. When Solar Productions (McQueen’s Company) and Warner Brothers came to the city to film Bullitt in 1968, Piazza’s father was assigned to assist. “My dad’s duties were many, but chiefly he worked closely with Steve McQueen and executive producer Robert Relyea on the day-to-day activities of shooting the film,” explains Piazza, now a few decades wiser and a regarded film historian and mystery writer. 58
“Crowd control and safety, moving of equipment, escorting movie cars on running shots, coordinating with stuntmen were some of the duties he had to perform. I was very fortunate – because of my father’s involvement with the production I was allowed under-the-rope access to the film production. I was able to spend time at a number of the locations, meet with the actors, and even have lunch at times with the crew.” McQueen was an ideal choice to play moody protagonist Bullitt – a character written as ‘doing authority differently.’ Oddly enough, though, the original Bullitt screenplay was supposed to be a vehicle for actor Spencer Tracy, “But sat on Warner Brother’s shelves after Tracy’s death until it was fashioned for McQueen in 1968, by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner,” reveals Piazza. It was a fortunate turn of events; Bullitt is one of Steve McQueen’s most memorable roles. “In it, he cements his title as ‘The King of Cool’,” believes Piazza. “He wasn’t just another button-
Opening pages: A dramatic moment from the epic car chase in Bullitt, a sequence which helped put the movie on the map This page: Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt, during shooting of one of the scenes Opposite: Lt. Frank Bullitt, a character written as ‘doing authority differently’; Jacqueline Bisset and Steve McQueen in a scene
Cars racing through a city at 120-160 km/h was not standard practice when filming a chase scene. Director Peter Yates raised the bar
down shirt and tie detective. He wore a black turtleneck sweater and sports jacket, and questioned authority.” The script required a setting, and location scouts settled on San Francisco. Why does Piazza, given his local slant, believe they opted for the city at a time when cop movies were predominantly shot in New York? “I could sum it up in three words – hills, hills, hills. If you follow the route of the chase and know the city, it doesn’t follow any logical pattern. The chase moves from one part of the city to another on the opposite side and back again, solely for the use of the hills and the terrific scenery their heights provided. It was all about what looked good and what would be exciting to movie-going audiences. No one would argue that bouncing over those San Francisco hills with the beautiful vistas of the bay and city skyline didn’t add to the now iconic images of Bullitt.” A director of photography once told Piazza that cinematographers regarded two cities as the most photogenic: “Rome and San Francisco. What they have in common is hills.” It would require adept driving skill to hurtle round these streets and again, McQueen was a great pick for leading man – while the cars jumped the hills in San Francisco during filming, at lunchtime McQueen found time to do the same with his motorbike. “Steve McQueen was a fantastic driver, of course, that’s no secret, and he did some of the driving in the chase with Bud Ekins and Cary Loftin (stunt coordinator) doubling him for the rest. It was interesting to watch when McQueen was at the wheel because he made sure to lean out the window to show the audience that it was him driving and not anyone else. Watch the film again, and it will be obvious.” Similarly for director Peter Yates, authenticity was crucial. “For the chase to seem real, it had to be real, and that meant no movie tricks that would give the illusion of speed” – I sense Piazza has misspoken, but he reaffirms the incredible: the Bullitt chase was filmed at actual speed. “Prior to that, movie chases were filmed by undercranking the camera for a slower frame rate” he explains, “but Bullitt’s chase reached over 160km/h during some shots. You can imagine 59
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how many sleepless nights this had caused my father – the amount that could go wrong was unthinkable.” The recording technique was also pioneering, explains Piazza, “Because cars racing through a city between 120160 km/h was not standard practice when filming a chase. Yates raised the bar when it comes to film chases because of Bullitt; in my opinion, there hasn’t been anything since that could compare to it. I’d imagine later production companies might’ve looked toward it as a barometer for their own goals in filming a chase. I know as a moviegoer I have always made comparisons.” Technical challenges are plenty at such high speeds. “They tried using a dune buggy, fibreglass camera car during the shooting, but because of the high speeds, this car proved unsteady and particularly unsafe,” Piazza reveals. “Eventually, they strapped a cameraman in the back of the Dodge to capture some of the running shots looking back toward the following Mustang.” The scene’s success can be attributed to Yates, who had a sense of what needed to be shot from his vision of the chase, and his editor, who knew how to put it all together; Frank Keller won an Academy Award for Best Film Editing in 1968, and a large sway on the decision was thanks to this roaring Bullitt montage. Award-winning sequences can still suffer turbulence, though. One mishap was when a car cut a corner too close, and there was some damage to a company parked car and the camera (fortunately, the camera crew was spared). Also, on the last day of shooting, which coincidentally was the final shot of the chase, Piazza was on location at the bottom of Guadalupe Road in Daly City, where the production crew had built a gas station and several wooden buildings in an empty lot for the fiery finale. “I had taken my 8mm movie camera to film the event. The Mustang was driven by McQueen’s stunt double, and connected to it by a release bar was the Dodge Charger, which had inside it a couple of mannequin ‘passengers’ to represent the actors. As the two cars raced down the hill, the driver of the Mustang released the Dodge near a 60
Above: A poster for Peter Yates’ 1968 action film Opposite: McQueen beside his Ford Mustang 390 GT 2+2 Fastback in San Francisco
small ramp that it would jump over, and by momentum hit the gas pumps at the service station – supposedly causing an explosion,” explains Piazza, of the scene’s climactic detonation. “In real life – and caught on my self-recorded film – the special effects man got too anxious and set off the explosion too early, so the Dodge drives into the explosion instead of seeming to set it off. Fortunately, the day before, Yates and William Fraker [the director of photography] had time on their hands and decided for the cars to make a run out to this location. A point-ofview shot taken the day before and a smart edit ended up saving the scene.” Perhaps most incredible of all is that, in the beginning, the entire chase scene was entirely unscripted. “My dad had a script from the film, and I remember
being disappointed because the details of the chase were missing from its pages. In fact, I remember it only said CHASE in the portion of the story where it was supposed to occur.” Having had the original script in his hands is yet another marker that Tony Piazza’s life has been entwined with this iconic film, and he notes another particular scene that remains poignant to him; the foot chase in the basement of San Francisco General Hospital. “That was the first time I met Steve McQueen, and the visit left a lasting impression on me. I was thirteen at the time, in an era when kids should be seen and not heard, but he showed me a lot of attention,” he fondly recalls. “He wanted to know about my interests and goals in life. We spent a great deal of time talking, and McQueen knew how to draw me out of my shyness. Later in life, I learned about his association with The Boy’s Republic in Chino, California, and how he would visit the school and speak with the teens there. It all made sense then.” With this year marking the movie’s 50th anniversary, nostalgia for the film remains a powerful tool – Ford has even released a limited edition 2019 Mustang Bullitt, in a perfectly matched shade of Dark Highland Green and available only in manual transmission with a cueball shifter. The appeal of this movie remains on the ‘red line’. “One has to look at what defines a classic: a story that wears well with time, starring an iconic actor that could never be replaced, and a supporting cast and crew that gave their best during its production,” says Piazza. “With Bullitt, I believe all of this is captured on screen, and is the key to its enduring appeal.” In its in-depth drive review of Ford’s 2019 Mustang, Engadget lists one of the ‘pros’ being that it has ‘more horsepower and a higher top speed than the Mustang GT’. Yet one of its tongue-in-cheek ‘cons’ doubles as an apt analysis of the movie itself: ‘You’ll never be as cool as Steve McQueen.’ Tony Piazza’s ‘Bullitt Points: Memories of Steve McQueen and Bullitt’ is available from Amazon. On its 50th anniversary, the movie will be rescreened at approximately 550 US-based cinemas from 7-9 October
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Richard Bernstein was the unsung art hero of Andy Warhol’s zeitgeist Interview magazine – crafting cover images that redefined the rules of our celebrity gaze
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WORDS: CHRIS UJMA
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oo many people believe that Andy Warhol created the cover images for Interview magazine,” says Mauricio Padilha, co-founder of MAO Public Relations (along with his brother, Roger). These longstanding assumptions are entirely wrong. The covers – a 17-year series of depictions of celebrities such as Madonna, Mick Jagger, Cher, Calvin Klein, Michael Jackson, and Aretha Franklin – were actually crafted by the late Richard Bernstein, a forgotten figure who the Padilhas call ‘The Man who made everyone look so famous.’ The miscarriage of justice is understandable, Mauricio admits – and not only due to the Pop Art mood of the images. “When Warhol would go out in Union Square in Manhattan, for example, people would take the magazine off the newsstands for Warhol to sign, and he would oblige, so people automatically assumed it was his work. Unless you were in the fashion pack or the art world, you would be oblivious to their creator.” Warhol created Interview in 1969 as a movie magazine, and it followed this format for five years. Its editorials critiqued films with an intellectual air, with stock photography covers. “Warhol got bored with the content,” explains Mauricio. “He wanted it to be about glamour, jet-setters, and the inside of a lifestyle that not everybody was able to see. Part of this was asking Richard to change the covers, to put more current celebrities on the covers and make the magazine more glamorous.” Bernstein was a contemporary of Warhol, a few years younger, but who started showing in galleries in the same year – 1964. He had a fine art background yet painted images of giant pills in acid colours; an image of The Beatles, naked, in bright neon; gigantic canvases in the shape of stretched hearts in psychedelic hues. He returned from a stint in Europe and was working for the Interview art department, creating comparatively subdued work. The turning point was his friendship with singer and supermodel Grace Jones, regarded Bernstein’s best friend. “When she started out in the industry, Richard befriended her. She told us that 64
Opposite: Debbie Harry, of Blondie fame Below: Richard Bernstein and Andy Warhol.
when she would throw house parties, ‘Richard was the only one who would show up. Nobody knew me, nobody was supportive of me’,” relays Mauricio. She considered Bernstein as family. Jones allowed him to create an image to adorn her first single I Need a Man, in what would become Bernstein’s signature style: a pastelenhanced photograph of the singer, placed against a bold background (in this case, hot pink), with facial features enhanced by copious amounts of tastefully applied ‘makeup’. Warhol saw it and was jolted: “Richard has created a few conventional covers of Interview, but why don’t any of them look like this?!” Jones enlightened him: “That’s because I give him complete freedom. He takes my photo and then he paints it, and whatever he gives me is what I use for my album covers. And when he goes to the offices of Interview with his ideas, he would be told to make changes.” Warhol marched into the offices and told the art department that, from that day forward, ‘I want you to leave Richard alone and let him do whatever he wants to do.’ To understand Bernstein’s unique visual take, one has to look back at his childhood, explains Mauricio. “As a kid he was obsessed with The Wizard
of Oz. The first time that he saw it, his eyes bugged out, his sister said, and every time it would play his mother would take him again to see it because it starts out as black and white and then becomes such crazy, vivid colours; it had a profound impact on him.” Every previous cover for Interview had been stock photography, black and white. “When he started doing his now famed covers,” says Padilha,“it’s almost like he opened a door and was no longer in Kansas.” Bernstein’s unique technique makes him ‘the Godfather of the filter’, the book’s co-author adds. “His pre-Photoshop approach was to paint on top of the photography. He worked with photographers on set, styling the shoot. He would then take the images and start cutting them out, placing the subject on top of other coloured paper. He would use wrapping paper, ribbon… anything he could get that would pop a vibrant splash in there. Then he would paint over the photography, or would use the photo as the basis for a painting. Celebrities would come in with no makeup, and he would create their makeup palette in his own version of post-production.” Given carte blanche, his first Interview cover was of Diana Ross – “A closeup of her face with big diamond
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earrings and a huge smile, enhanced with his own eye-catching makeup palette,” explains Mauricio, adding, “That edition was seismic, becoming Interview’s top selling issue.” After Ross, the publication covered the likes of Vogue model Marisa Berenson and actress Donna Jordan, people who weren’t ‘mainstream’ at that time. Later, when the magazine became more popular, they gravitated towards the likes of John Travolta, Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruise et al. Bernstein’s interpretations would often ignite change within the person in question, sometimes altering how they viewed (and eventually, styled) themselves. “Grace Jones did not start to look like the Grace Jones we conjure in our mind until he started adapting her photographs and painting her makeup,” remarks Mauricio. “She began applying her makeup that same way as Bernstein depicted her, taking off her eyebrows, and becoming more chiseled looking. He would take a celebrity, and make them into the way he saw them.” So too with Madonna, who was on the cover in 1984. “Back then she had a very Cherubic face with big lips, and he portrayed her as very angular, with high cheekbones. If you look at the image now, you think ‘Wow, that’s what Madonna eventually morphed into.’ He made them look more famous.” Bernstein’s depiction of Jones serves as the cover for a book on the artist, Richard Bernstein, Starmaker: Andy Warhol’s Cover Artist, published by Rizzoli. It marks a fourth literary outing for the brothers, who co-authored coffee table tomes on fashion designer Stephen Sprouse, artist Antonio Lopez and photographer Chris Von Wangenheim. “We have a list of 10 people we want to write books on, and Richard Bernstein had always been on our list,” Mauricio enthuses. “Out of the blue, his nephew contacted us through Instagram, saying ‘I love what you did with your other projects, and the family has always wanted a book dedicated to Richard – would you be interested?’” “I asked him, ‘How much work do his archives contain?’ He said, ‘We don’t have much, but you should come and take a look.’” The brothers travelled to Bernstein’s sister’s house in Connecticut
Opposite: Mick Jagger. All images from Richard Bernstein Starmaker: Andy Warhol’s Cover Artist, available from Rizzoli
His approach was to paint on top of the photography... Celebrities would come in with no makeup, and he would create their makeup palette. Bernstein is the Godfather of Filter and stepped into her basement. “There were hundreds and hundreds of boxes – it was insanity; there was enough material there to compile three books, let alone one,” Mauricio recalls. “We would open up one box and it would be unpublished photos of Diana Freeland; open another and we’d find paintings that were rolled up and thrown in a box, all untouched since 2002, when he passed away. Everything was taken from the Chelsea Hotel in which he stayed, and put into this basement. They family didn’t know what they were sitting on.” That’s because praise for his portfolio is retrospective, explains Mauricio. “At the time his work was not considered to be of great value – even by the artist himself. His commercial work was not considered ‘art’. Back then, you could not be both a fine artist and a commercial artist the way that you can now; it was frowned upon.” The reason that Warhol did not make the Interview covers “was because he was concentrating on selling his fine art – had there not been the stigma, I think he may have done the work himself.” He cites daring Keith Haring as the first artist “To break the barrier with
his Pop Shop [a Soho store that sold memorabilia such as t-shirts and postcards bearing Haring’s graffitilike work].” But for Bernstein, while creating the covers between 1972 and 1989 provided an income, it was something of a poisoned chalice. “It was hard for him to get the prices on his artwork that a Warhol (or his contemporaries) could command. He would give away his cover work, or throw the things in a box. He was in no way precious about his art.” Bernstein departed before the internet explosion; to the Padilha brothers, his obscurity makes him “an unsung hero who deserves credit for the inspiration and influence he has given to so many.” Operating their New York City-based PR firm, the brothers work with a lot of young designers “Who will remark, ‘Oh, those are the covers that Andy Warhol made’, and we’ll say ‘No!’ – It frustrates us,” laughs Mauricio. He recomposes to add, more seriously, “It’s about time people knew Richard Bernstein existed.” ‘Richard Bernstein Starmaker: Andy Warhol’s Cover Artist’ is written by Roger and Mauricio Padilha, available from Rizzoli 67
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Motoring OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
History Repeated Aston Martin has found a different approach to building cars: instead of dreaming up new designs, look to the archives and recreate old classics WORDS: CHRIS ANDERSON
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ar companies, as a whole, are a forward-thinking bunch, always looking ahead for the next big market trend. But could the future for some manufacturers actually lie in the past? Aston Martin seems to think so, and is starting to release modern recreations of classics from its own back catalogue – which it helpfully calls the Continuation line. The story of these new, yet old, cars stems from Aston Martin’s Newport Pagnell factory, just north of London. This site was used for vehicle production until 2007, at which point the company moved its main operations to Gaydon, with the Newport Pagnell location housing Aston Martin Works instead – the maintenance side of the business, with skilled staff able to service and restore any Aston Martin from any era. As Paul Spires, president of Aston Martin Works, explains, “Aston Martin Works is based in the historic home of
Aston Martin, famous for providing an unrivalled restorations programme in the same workshops that many of the cars were originally built in. Artisan skills, knowledge and craftsmanship have been passed through generations to create a passion that is simply unique. This is what allowed us to move forward to return production to Newport Pagnell with the Continuation cars.” Perhaps there came a point, working on a classic in the workshop one day, where somebody asked the question, instead of just making replacement panels or engine parts, why not build an entire car? The announcement came in 2016 – Aston Martin Works would recreate the cars of yesteryear, and the first would be the DB4 GT Continuation, based on the DB4 GT, itself a race-spec version of the DB4, built from 1959 to 1963. Spires explains why the DB4 GT was the perfect choice. “It was one of the first 69
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It takes an estimated 4,500 hours for a team of 30 people to hand-build every DB4 GT Continuation
cars to be made at Newport Pagnell, and is certainly one of the most iconic. Also, it won its first race in 1959 at Silverstone with Sir Stirling Moss at the wheel. It was, and still is, a car with a tremendous following, and it’s incredibly rare.” Shorter, lighter and more powerful than a four-seater DB4, the two-seater GT was built to excel on the track, and with its 3.7-litre straight-six engine was Britain’s fastest passenger sports car at the time. Trying to get hold of one today, however, is near-impossible. Only 75 were originally released, including eight stripped-down lightweight versions (missing the bumpers, radio and even the glovebox lid to help it reach greater speeds). Legend has it that Aston Martin planned to create 100 in all, which is why just 25 Continuation models will be built to complete the run – even giving them follow-on VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) plates to continue the same bloodline. But while 75 models were sold by Aston Martin, another 19 were given to Italian coachbuilders Zagato, which added its own lightweight touches, creating the DB4 GT Zagato, again used mainly for racing, with a few built for the road. Another Italian coachbuilder, Bertone, also received a DB4 GT to make its Bertone Jet version. If you can find a DB4 GT, the rarity of it means it will carry a high price. A 1959 example driven by actor Peter Sellers in the 1963 movie The Wrong Arm of the Law recently sold at a Sotheby’s auction for USD3.48 million, while the lightweight version has been known to top USD3.93 million. The track-only Continuation version from Aston Martin Works, based on the lightweight original, will set you back USD1.97 million. Considering the work that goes into each one, however, it has to be money 70
well spent. It takes a team of 30 people an estimated 4,500 hours to handbuild every DB4 GT Continuation, with the first examples delivered to their owners earlier this year. In terms of its looks, it appears to be the same car. How it drives is similar also – modern safety standards and technology, including the engine, permitting. But reproducing an existing classic was not as easy as it sounds. “We used original drawings and combined them with modern techniques – 3D scanning and even CT scanning examples of the original car,” says Spires. “Authenticity is crucial to us, and all of the components are
transferable between the new chassis and an original. We even reignited the relationships with the original suppliers to ensure this is a true DB4 GT.” Borane made the 15in wire wheels for the Continuation model, as it did the first time around, and even the company that supplied the door locks still had the original tooling. Modern additions include an FIA-approved roll cage, bucket seats and a ‘bagged’ fuel tank to reduce the chances of an explosion – how dangerous racing must have been back then. The performance has been improved too, with a 4.2-litre engine, still a straight-six, but with the power
All images: DB4 GT Continuation, by Aston Martin Works
upped to 340bhp, giving a top speed of 241km/h and a 0-100 time of 6.5 seconds – around the same as the first car. Better brakes and suspension are included too, which the owners can put to the test in the Aston Martin Works two-year international track driving programme, visiting the world’s top circuits, including Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina, with tuition from Aston Martin Racing’s own professionals. So, will the Continuation models be a success? Quite possibly, seeing as Aston Martin Works has just opened a Heritage satellite showroom in London’s Mayfair, where it can showcase its restoration services and promote its
next projects – 25 recreations of James Bond’s DB5 from the movie Goldfinger, complete with working gadgets, priced at USD3.28 million each; and 19 Continuation versions of the DB4 GT Zagato, each costing USD3.94 million. Neither will be road legal. Perhaps ‘looking back’ is the new ‘looking ahead’ for some manufacturers. In addition to Aston Martin with its Continuation line, Jaguar has recreated its classic lightweight E-Type, with Land Rover reviving the original Range Rover Classic. Modern cars are all well and good, but nothing beats the charm of an old classic – even one built recently. 71
Gastronomy OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
Revelation On a Plate In the heart of Provence is Restaurant Christophe Bacquié, the result of a culinary epiphany from its Michelin-acclaimed chef. His purposeful fare has a similar impact on guests, too WORDS: CHRIS UJMA
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kin to a hearty meal, the rise to prominence of Christophe Bacquié can be defined by stages; not quite ‘courses’ but what the Michelin-acclaimed chef describes as “epiphanies.” Corsica-born Bacquié helms the formidable fine dining eatery at five-star Hôtel & Spa du Castellet, which earned its third Michelin star this year – 12 months after it was recognised as the Best Hotel Restaurant in Europe at Prix Vilégiature. The restaurant is located in a secluded town with two hotels, a Golf Club and acres of lush scenery. There’s a premier international VIP airport here, too, but the 45-minute helicopter ride from Nice is worth it for the scenery alone: the route flutters over the pine forests of Provence, punctuated by slivers of glittering Mediterranean Sea and verdant vineyards. There’s hubbub at certain times of year; the hotel is a stone’s throw from Circuit Paul Richard – a racetrack that drifts a distant symphony of high performance engines across the breeze. But overall, sleepy Castellet is far away from the hustle and bustle of Paris, where the chef had revelations to shape his philosophy. In 1992, Bacquié was taken on at L’Oasis de Mandelieu by Louis Outier and Stéphane Raimbault. This was where he had his first epiphany, he says: “A renowned restaurant… a team of fifteen or so… haute cuisine, interactions, and a fine atmosphere. Between Raimbault, the demanding expert, and Outier, the father and mentor figure, I felt at home and discovered the joys of working with top quality products.” Returning to Paris he worked with yet more elite chefs at the Ministry of
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Defence Office canteen, on a bout of National Service. This provoked a second epiphany: “The team was purely chefs who came from renowned restaurants – it was a team of greats”, he says, and when the Minister had diplomatic guests, the ensemble was given freedom to exchange ideas and make them a reality; a valuable lesson in creative freedom. Bacquié’s mindset was also shaped by Emmanuel Renaut– owner of Flocons de Sel in Mégève, who was awarded Best Craftsman of France in 2004. He recalls Renaut making a comment over a meal in 2006 – admittedly in a “very simple and friendly way”. At that time, Bacquié admits to adorning his plates with “unnecessary decoration”, and Renaut remarked, ‘What you do is not bad, but the day that you start to think about your dish and not its appearance you’ll progress a lot more quickly.’ Bacquié recalls, “The next day I announced to my team, ‘As of now we are going to cook and we are going to stop messing around.’” He kept the lessons in mind when eventually opening his eponymous restaurant at Hôtel & Spa du Castellet in 2009, saying, “I have been lucky enough to meet some great chefs who taught me everything that they knew, but also opened up their hearts to me. That maturity developed my own awareness.” So to the present, and a restaurant he describes as “a sober, elegant and refined environment between land and sea. We have circular tables upon soft carpet, no tablecloths and an overall design concept that is a collaboration between architect Yvann Pluskwa, my wife [Andrea] and I.”
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He says, “After all this experience, I’d define myself as a chef of Mediterranean produce. In my dishes I pay tribute to the finest products and try to let their quality speak for itself instead, of unnecessarily overpowering.” A dish that typifies this approach is his Aïoli moderne – using vegetables from market gardeners, combined with locally fished octopus. He says, “I wanted to revisit this iconic festive dish from Provence, making it more contemporary while keeping its essence. The sauce is very light thanks to a specific technic (siphoned aïoli), tomatoes are candied, and the octopus has been tenderised.” It is an example of how Bacquié is classed as very technical – though downplays this. “Yes, there is technique when the dish is being prepared but it is discreet, leaving way for the ingredients and the taste.” He dispatches certain questions with directness: His attribute? “Tenacity”. His definition of luxury? “Doing nothing!” His culinary treat? “Lemon tart, and blanquette de veau (veal ragout)”. Yet he is methodical with other matters, like the emotional components to his journey or in explaining his signature approach. “You have to try to go that bit further, not in terms of competition but with emotion, by sharing, meeting people, and in the image that is portrayed day-in, day-out,” Bacquié outlines. A journey through his menu truly ignites the senses; an intentional
Technique must be discreet, leaving way for the ingredients and the taste engagement, he admits. “The first sense I engage is sight. Then comes flavour and taste. The taste, quite simply, for the most part comes from the excellence of the products used: between a line-caught sea bass and a farmed sea-bass, even if farmed in the open sea and fed on meal, the outcome when cooked is completely different.” This point leads neatly onto sustainability, which is crucial for the chef. He entered into partnership with SeaWeb, and is an ambassador in the Var region (championing the preservation of ocean resources). He urges his peers to choose varieties that are not endangered and which are fished using environmentally-friendly methods. Bacquié has long been an advocate, saying, “I think that us chefs have an important role to play; when we select types of fish to go our own menus we send a message to our customers.” He signed the Relais & Chateaux sustainable charter back in 2009. It is an ethos that fits into his authentic nature, which has earned Restaurant Christophe Bacquié deserved plaudits – so, time for him to laze back in the Provençal sun and bask in glory? Not quite. “For me, the recurring theme is starting again every day,” he says, ever the analyst. “I can’t let myself think that a dish is finished – even if it has been met with a lot of success.” 75
33 JOURNEYS BY JET
COMO Uma Canggu, AIR
Bali
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OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
T
he sun had already indicated its intention to call it a day, daubing the sky with streaks of crimson and gold before it would slowly slip out of sight. But a little over one hundred yards from shore, more than a dozen heads still bobbed in the ocean, eager to ride just one more wave. It’s a scene played out every evening in Canguu, the quieter, quirkier, more laid back neighbour of tourist hotspot Seminyak; a place where clean eating devotees carry surf boards under arm instead of smartphones in their hands. And it’s a scene best observed from a swinging, palmshaded daybed at COMO Beach Club, your picture-perfect panorama soundtracked by a live acoustic set. As the first five-star resort to open in this slice of surfer’s paradise on Bali’s southern coast, COMO Uma Canggu had to tread lightly. That it has blended seamlessly into the fabric of Canggu
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is not only testament to how much thought was devoted to its footprint (its architecturally and positionally discreet yet equally striking) but one of the reasons why the resort rightly ranks among this year’s best to open anywhere in the world. The third COMO property to open in Bali, and the first outside of the island’s wellness and culture cradle, Ubud, COMO Uma Canggu follows its elder siblings’ blueprint, which saw them fully embrace the culture of their location. So while COMO Shambhala Estate dives deep into wellness, billing itself as a ‘resort for change’, and COMO Uma Ubud champions local f lavours in its two celebrated restaurants and the cultural and physical adventures one can experience in its verdant surrounds, COMO Uma Canggu simply goes with the f low, as is the way in Canggu. This is a resort that allows you to be
This is a resort that allows you to be active or relaxed, healthy or indulgent, with your particular desire wholly satisfied regardless
active or relaxed, healthy or indulgent (COMO’s signature Shambhala Cuisine and cold pressed juices feature on a menu alongside wood-fired pizzas and local craft brews), with your particular desire wholly satisfied regardless. For the active, Canggu’s exceptional surf calls. Lessons are available for beginners and, for the seasoned surfer, guided trips to the best breaks beckon. But it’s arguably in the exercise studios where the resort’s accommodating approach is best emphasised. While many resorts offer complimentary classes alongside those you pay for, it’s often the case that such classes seem token, scheduled sporadically and at irregular times. Not so here. With at least two complimentary classes per day, arranged mid-morning and mid-afternoon, it’s easy for guests to practice yoga and Pilates under the watchful eye of instructors who are markedly knowledgeable and keen to impart it. Those familiar with the COMO brand will find the spa suitably impressive, particularly the variety of its therapies. Variety also underpins the accommodation offerings, with suites that range from the spacious to the sprawling; one- and two-bedroom
residences at lagoon level or higher that can be interlinked to comfortably accommodate large families; UMA Pool Residences that boast 10-metre pools; and the spectacular, surf-facing COMO Penthouses. These threebedroom duplex abodes offer abundant style and substance. Here the private pool is at rooftop level, surrounded by subtly lit decking and the sound of rushing waves. Downstairs, an
expansive balcony is also open to the stars, doubling up as a spectacular entertaining space after dark. A fitting retreat for a resort that fits around you. After landing your jet at Ngurah Rai (Bali) International Airport, your VIP transfer to COMO Uma Canggu includes having the immigration process handled om your behalf, while you relax in the VIP lounge. comohotels.com/en/umacanggu
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What I Know Now
AIR
OCTOBER 2018 : ISSUE 89
Anthony Mallows PRESIDENT AND CEO, WATG ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN Design is like magic – it’s the creative process in which something valuable and inspiring is brought into reality. Where, prior to the design process, there were only objectives and intentions.
they affect hotel design – which, in turn, creates memorable experiences for the people who visit, and then encourages them to recommend the destination and hotel to friends.
I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and had an interest in architecture and urban design from childhood. I moved to the U.S. for grad school and, after graduating from MIT, most of my fellow students began working locally – which, as an immigrant in the U.S., I saw as an opportunity to put my international expertise to good use.
Great design needs to be timeless and flexible. But most importantly, design must always focus on the end user.
I became very interested in not only the hospitality industry but also in how the world’s globalisation is involved with travel – not only for leisure but also for business and for crosscultural experiences. As I continued to learn about different environments, cultures and traditions, I learned how 80
The difference between good and great is that ‘good’ tends to be trendy and focus purely on aesthetics, and ‘great’ design is more strategic, focusing on the psychology of the target customer/end user and combing those insights with an innovative, timeless design solution. Experience I’d share with my younger self would be to travel the world and identify talented people to work with and learn from. I’ve had the honour and opportunity over the years to build amazing teams and I am always seeking people that are better than
me. I continually learn from the people around me. And if you have a team that’s really working incredibly well together, the results of that work are phenomenal. Super teams are the way in which distinctive changes are made. During my first board meeting with WATG in Honolulu, I had the pleasure of meeting Don Goo – one of the company founders. Valuable advice he talked about was understanding the client but also about the importance of creating memorable places. During that process, the people asking me questions were superstars in their own right. They were not driven by ego. They are driven by teamwork, and that distinctive superstyle was the project. I think the role of a CEO is to preserve and leverage that ethos; design is a process driven by talented individuals, working collaboratively and creatively as a team.
REALIZING DREAMS
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Rochester, Minnesota U.S. News & World Report 2018-2019