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OBJEKT© iNTERNATIONAL Living in Style no. D1 Published quarterly by Hans Fonk Publications bv. Distripress member - issn 1574-8812 Copyright ©Hans Fonk Founder and editor-in-chief: Hans Fonk Editor-in-chief: Izabel Fonk
After almost thirty years creating the unique OBJEKT© International and OBJEKT© USACANADA in high quality print editions, the OBJEKT© team is now proudly launching the first digital version of the magazine made in-house.
Corporate head office: Raadhuislaan 22-B NL-2451 AV Leimuiden - Netherlands t:+31 172 509 843 info@objekt-international.com www.objekt-international.com Honorary editor in chief USA and Canada: Alexander Sasha Josipovicz, Studio Pyramid Inc. 1232 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, M4V 1E4 sasha@studiopyramid.com
For years the magazine was available in digital form via Zinio, but we have decided that more flexibility is needed to increase the fun factor and to enlighten unexpected and different views on interiors.
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The changed situation in the world was one of the major reasons for this new platform, which gives bigger opportunities for experiments and new approaches to the interior design.
OBJEKT International ASIA/CHINA Xi Tang Art Center. No 2. Xi Ba He Road, Chaoyang district , 100028 Beijing, China Feng Hui (Cora) Contributing writers: Izabel Fonk, Nicole Henriquez, Susan Grant Lewin, Milosh Pavlovic, Ruud van der Neut, Lorenza Dalla Pozza, Robyn Prince, Raphaëlle de Stanislas, Isabel Vincent, Dirk Wilms, Rene Wilms, Mercedez Zampoli.
We believe that the design adagio “More is More”, in an already overcrowded design market, is something from the past. The design tsunami has created a world of sexless and grey colored interiors, as décors representing pretended or imagined status. The expression ‘personal interior’ is heavily overrated, given the world-wide efforts in interior design.
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Graphics: Hans Fonk Studio Art directors: Hans Fonk, Alaïa Fonk Video productions: Alaïa Fonk Illustrations: Eveline Lieuwma-Puijk
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So this OBJEKT©Digital is a fresh new approach, sometimes out of the ordinary, but always surprising and one way or another connected with creating interesting and unexpected interiors.
Contributing photographers: Bettman/Getty Image , Jason Lloyd Evans, Allan Grant, Hans Fonk, AlaUia Fonk, Lol Johnson, Melodie Jeng/Getty Image, Matthew Millman, Marcello Moscara, Shari Ruzzi,
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INTERIOR DESIGN ARCHITECTURE ARTS, ANTIQUES GARDENS, YACHTS
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WHAT’S UP
d1 FOREWORD
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BLISTERING COCONUT SKIES
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ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH
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AXEL VERVOORDT STANDARD
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JAYA IBRAHIM
PUGLIA CALLING
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THE VENICE BRIDGE HOUSE
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BAGS INSIDE OUT
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FORCES OF PARIS NATURE
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WILD ROTTERDAM
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When location is the prime asset of a house, than this Coconut Grove House is the proof. Directly located on Biscayne Bay, just south of Miami, all spaces open up to the reflecting waters. The Bass residence, as it is called, is designed by architect Max Strang, who defines his style as Environmental Modernisme.
production: OBJEKT USA-CANADA photos: Hans Fonk Above: the house that architect Max Strang built directly at the Biscayne Bay at Coconut Grove, just south of the city of Miami. Left: panoramic view from the house over Biscayne Bay with in the distance Key Biscayne and Stiltsville, a group of wood stilt houses on the sandbanks of the Bay. On the right the Marina of Coconut Grove. Right-hand page: artist impression of the house by Hans Fonk.
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These pages: the living room opens up to Biscayne Bay. Dolphins and Florida Manatees regularly swim by. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, the owners of the house found a boat in the swimming pool. For the rest, the house survived undamaged. In the background blue and white prints by Anish Kapoor.
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These pages: the master bedroom on the second floor and the en suite bathroom. The print on far right of the bedroom is by Joan Miro and the portrait by Andy Warhol. This is a portrait of Louis Brandeis from his series 10 Portraits of Jews from the 20th Century. On the image the middle is the kitchen on the first floor. To the far right is a portrait of architect Max Strang and below that a view from the Bay windows back to the entrance. The artworks of the two people are by Robert Longo from the ‘Men in Cities’ series and the butterfly is by Damien Hist.
Owner of the house Hilarie Bass travels a lot and wanted a sanctuary in the Miami vicinity when she was not en route. She found a unique lot where the land meets the waters of Biscayne Bay. It is a stone throw away of Coconut Grove and its marina and only a short drive to downtown Miami. About the genesis of the house, she said: “I asked Max to design a modern house that would maximize the view. But even I could not imagine, that I would be living on a cruise ship. The way he brought the water into the house is quite unique. You can feel the bay from almost every room in the house. The proximity of the water is really stunning since we are up 14 feet to protect us for sea level rises.” Architect Max Strang came up with a plan for a very transparent house with the view exploding in your face and the lights are coming from every side. Despite its transparency it is a very peace full house orientated towards the reflecting horizons of the water. The lay out is as simple as functional. The architectural details, he incorporated gave it its distinct character. On top of a sturdy base, he designed two floors with the living, dining and kitchen areas on the lower and the bedrooms on the upper floor. He incorporated terraces in his design on both floor,
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creating oases that enhance the indoor and outdoor connection. It is a concrete building with a sturdy construction to withstand the hurricanes. The seaside part of the house is considered the front and here are the swimming pools, the lounge deck with a waterfall and an extended boat jetty. In a comment about his design, Max Strang, explained in a recently published book about his works: “The Bass residence is constructed within a Coastal AE Flood Zone and therefor the home’s structural shell is built entirely of poured-in-place concrete and the lower floor is raised considerable above existing grade. The panoramic views of the waterfront strongly influenced the organization of the spaces in the house. The waterfront portion conveys Florida’s enduring architectural typology. The modernist explorations of Florida’s mid century architects such as Paul Rudolph. Rufus Nims and Alfred Browning Parker, offered the elevated home as a response to hurricane storm surges, while also encouraging cross-ventilation.” “Due to the building regulations. Two-story homes are most often constructed on these light and expensive waterfront lots. In this case, I emphasized to top level as a dominant architectural component which offers shades to the level below.”
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These pages: reflections of Max Strang’s architecture at the Bass House at the stairs section and the outside terraces and swimming pool area .
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These pages: the lounge and video space next to the kitchen with on the right the main living room with the formal dining area. The artwork is by Joan Mitchell. The red lamp is a creation by Ingo Maurer.
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Art Basel Miami Beach has created a unique place for itself. It evolved into a big accelerant of the arts-inferno that has affected the entire city. At the American edition, in December 2019, more than 250 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa showed significant work from the masters of modern and contemporary art, as well as the new generation of emerging stars. Paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs, films, and editioned works of the highest quality are on display in Miami Beach’s Convention Center.
This page: a large crowd turned up during the special VIP preview, not to be too late to buy the artworks of their desire. Right-hand page: curated by Mexico City-based Magali Arriola, Meridians, was a special section of Art Basel Miami Beach. It provided galleries with a unique opportunity to present ambitious, monumental works that pushed the boundaries of a traditional art fair layout, including largescale sculptures and paintings, installations, video projections, and live performances. Here the artwork ‘Cocktail Party’ by Tom Friedman, 2015, Stephen Friedman Gallery, Luhring Augustine.
In the wake of this event, all kind of other shows, performances and special exhibitions have popped up: from the beach tents of Scope and Unseen to the tents of Art Miami and from the Wynwood street art festival to the exhibitions organized in numerous hotels and other locations. And if Art Basel Miami Beach is the reference for what is going on in the the art world, then the 2019 edition marked a buyer’s shift from the master pieces from last century to the works of young and upcoming artists, specially from Africa and South America. With all social media channel on full alert, creating a hype around an art work of an artist, seemed to be an art form in itself. The Banana revolution by Italian Maurizio Cattelan, presented by Perrotin, was the best example that art news now travels with the speed of light. The new big thing is already passed by a newer new thing before it rounded the globe.
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Left: the BMW Art Journey presented new work from last year’s recipient Zac Langdon-Pole at the BMW Lounge, in the Collectors Lounge area. BMW was official partner of Art Basel in Miami Beach 2019. Below: the presentation of Art Basel Miami Beach partner Sanlorenzo with shining models of their latest super yacht and the exhibition ‘Behind the Scenes: 360º Horizon by Marco Palmieri. Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet and partner of Art Basel Miami Beach had asked Fernando Mastrangelo to design its lounge at Art Fair. This meant the continuation of a two-year design collaboration with the Brooklyn-based artist and designer. The immersive, sculptural project evoked the Swiss Jura Mountains, the company’s home since its founding in 1875. Right-hand page: UBS, Global Lead Partner of Art Basel, collaborated with Los Angeles based artist Shinique Smith for Art Basel Miami Beach 2019. Shinique Smith's Indelible Marks made a display of new sculptures, paintings and a site-specific installation in the UBS Lounge.
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Above: Maison Ruinart asked Vik Muniz to pay tribute to the ‘terroir’ and the ‘savoir-faire’ that the Maison is rooted in. At their presentation in the Collectors Lounge. Left: the corten steel doors at the Eden Roc Hotel-next to the Pulse exhibition on the beach by Sandra Muss. She was the Pulse Project Artist for 2019. Below: Les Lalanne at The Raleigh Gardens represented the largest public outdoor exhibition of the work of the late Claude Lalanne and FrançoisXaiver Lalanne. The exhibition at the Raleigh Gardens marks the second time real estate developer Michael Shvo has collaborated with architect Peter Marino on a Les Lalanne exhibition following the much celebrated Getty Station public art project in West Chelsea in New York in 2013. On the image Banc Gingko by Claude Lalanne. Right: Keith Harin’s ‘Untitled (Totem)’, 1983. Enamel on engraved wood, 403.9 x 127.0 x 127.0 cm. Presented by Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art at Art Basel Miami Beach.
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MGM Resorts, one of the partners of Art Basel Miami Beach, presented in their lounge the Japanese-American artist Parker Ito who created a series of still lifes inspired by his experiences as a resident of the Artist Studio at Bellagio, Las Vegas and subtly influenced by his Japanese heritage.
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This page: Altar’d Paradise, a mixed media art installation by Natasha Tomchin x Olivia Steele, was created at the iconic Hotel Nautilus by Arno. Right-hand page: installation made of sand by Leandro Erlich consisting of a 66-vehicle traffic jam along the shores of Miami Beach. The Argentinian artist was commissioned by the city of Miami Beach to produce the sand display, titled "Order of Importance," for Miami Art Week. Over time, the structure was designed to crumble -- and eventually disappear. It was a comment on the climate crisis, set on Miami's low-lying beach, one of the locations particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels. 28 OBJEKT
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Left hand page: Versace at the Miami Beachl. Photo: Doug Ordway. This page: impression of classic Firestone logo by Hans Fonk.
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THE AXEL VERVOORDT STANDARD Right-hand page: one of the corridors of 'Kanaal', the small village where the headquarters of the world wide Axel Vervoordt activities is based. In 1999, the company moved to this vast site of a former malting complex originally built in 1857, a stone throw away of the Belgian city of Antwerp. Here are the exhibition spaces located of Axel Vervoordt Gallery, created in 2011 by Boris Vervoordt. It is also the place of the art collection of the Axel & May Vervoordt Foundation.
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production and video: Alaïa Fonk photos: Hans Fonk
Left: the ‘Karnak’ space at ‘Kanaal’, the headquarters of the Axel Vervoordt imperium. The columns support the silos of a former malting complex, a daughter company of the Heineken group. The sandstone sculptures are Buddha torsos from the Mon Dvaravati Dynasty, Angkor Borei style, 7th - 8th centuries. From the private collection of the Axel & May Vervoordt Foundation.
For more than fifty years Axel Vervoordt has set the standards in the fields of antiques, arts and interior design. He left his mark all over the planet with his approach and taste. His name became a well-known brand for connoisseurs and is in the meanwhile the umbrella for all family activities. These are recently concentrated in ‘Kanaal’ in a former malting complex near the Belgian city of Antwerp. It is home to the collection of the Axel & May Vervoordt Foundation directed by son Boris. He organizes special exhibitions like the one with the artists Peter Buggenhout and Per Kirkeby.
It all started in 1969 when he bought a collection of 15th and 16 century houses, known as Vlaeskensgang, in desperate need of restoration. He restored the houses one by one. Here he laid the foundation for his future fame. Still loyal to their early roots in now-preserved Baroque center of Antwerp, Axel and May Vervoordt bought the Castle of ‘s-Gravenwezel in 1984. Inspired by a desire to live more alongside nature, became fast a magnet for all lovers of high-end antiques, special objects and arts in the world. They came here to enjoy the way of life and the arts of the Vervoordts or to listen to special concerts. In 1999, the company moved to new home known as Kanaal, located in Wijnegem, twenty minutes east of Antwerp. Originally built in 1857, the vast site was a former distillery and malting complex. The existing architecture included brick warehouses and concrete grain silos situated along the banks of the Albert Canal.
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Below: Boris Vervoordt, one of the sons of Axel and May Vervoordt. He created Axel Vervoordt Gallery in 2011 with locations at Kanaal, Wijnegem Belgium and in Hong Kong. Beside that and right-hand page: art works by Peter Buggenhout at the Patio Gallery and the Terrace Gallery. Born in 1963 he lives in Ghent and is considered one the most unique and radical sculptors from Belgium. He builds his work from rough, unpolished waste and recovery material, which the artist himself calls abject and amorphous. The title of this exhibition: ... use menace, use prayer ...
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In the physical center of the Kanaal site was a large building with a circular room, used as storage space for grain. Here, in 2000, Anish Kapoor’s ‘At the Edge of the World’ was permanently installed. The work has become central to the collection and vision of the Axel & May Vervoordt Foundation that was established in 2008. The foundation is the custodian for the collection of its founders. Its mission is to preserve the art collection’s integrity for future generations, while engaging in academic, sponsorship, and curatorial activities. Despite all their works, fair presentations and special exhibitions around the world, Axel Vervoordt found time to create remarkable exhibitions at Palazzo Fortuny in Venice. The exhibition, "Artempo: Where Time Becomes Art" opened in 2007 to coincide with the Venice Biennale. It marked Axel's first participation in the role of curator. Artempo’s groundbreaking realisation started a ten-year partnership with Daniela Ferretti, Director of Palazzo Fortuny, and the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia.
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Left-hand page: one of the exhibition areas of the Axel & May Vervoordt Foundation at Kanaal with works by Kazuo Shiraga 1924 -2008. Shiraga was a Japanese modern artist who belonged to the Gutai group of avant-garde artists. Above: a brick sculpture by acclaimed Danish artist, Per Kirkeby, in one of the authentic rough spaces of a former Belgium malting complex, a daughter company of the group Heineken. Following two historic exhibitions of brick sculptures at Beaux Arts, Paris (2017) and at Museum Jorn, Silkeborg (2018), this was the ďŹ rst exhibition of his sculptures in Europe since the artist’s death in 2018.
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His creations are timeless and have an appearance of endless comfort. His subtle use of colors and materials combines traditional and modern values mixed with elements of local avor. The high-end luxury hotels were his world and that is where he set the standards worldwide. A tribute to the late Jaya Ibrahim, one of the most iconic interior designers of recent decades. production: OBJEKT International photos: Hans Fonk
Above: the main pavilion, erected in the traditional style of the architecture of the Summer Palace. Left: the entrance of the Aman resort as part of the Imperial Summer Palace in Beijing, the Chinese capital. Right: Jaya Ibrahim, a man to be remembered.
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Left: the lobby of the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. Below: one of the spa treatment rooms and below and the exhibition space. Next pages One of the two traditional Chinese courtyards.
“During my career, a lot has changed in the world of the hotel design. Public awareness for design has created new demands. The hotel business responded to this design evolution with all kinds of specially designed (boutique-) hotels. Some designers saw an opportunity to come up with creations that would surprise and shock the hotel guests. I am not that kind of person. I stick to my core values of design, while keeping an open mind: making the guest feel comfortable and working in a way that enables the hotel operator provide service nicely and discreetly. That’s the secret of good hotel design,” according to Jaya Ibrahim, the designer whose works are synonymous with the top of hotel design in the past decades. “I always design rooms and spaces in a way that the guest or visitor is not intimidated. The interior should invite you to come in and sit down. Feel comfortable. It is often a matter of pushing back the design elements. An interior
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must be easy on the eyes as well: so no clashing colors but everything nice and smooth. Seats in the right sizes and right heights, and switches in the right places. Keep it simple, that’s how I do it. As, for example, with the Aman resorts. We designed them as escapes. For people with beautiful houses of their own. There is no way hotels can compete with homes like that, so we kept them basic. Easy on the guests’ senses and esthetics.” It sounds easy from the mouth of a master, but, as always, it’s in the details that you recognize the real thing. And Jaya was such a master: a man who instinctively could combine local flavor and heritage in a seamless, luxurious way: pleasing to the eyes and mind. Seemingly without effort. None of his creations are the same: throughout you could sense the genius of his timeless design.
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This page: the bathroom at one of the suites. Left-hand page: bathroom detail
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Above: one of the suites at a courtyard. Right-hand page: traditional elements are carefully selected.
Jaya Ibrahim is born in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He is the son of a Yogyanese princess and Sumatran diplomat and Jaya spent his childhood traveling with his parents, as well as residing in the house of his maternal grandmother where he absorbed the Javanese culture. As a young man, he attended university in England where he was connected to interior design. He studied sociology and economics at York University in England, so he was not an architect or interior designer by schooling. When he became assistant to the renowned actress cum interior designer Anouska Hempel, he discovered that interior design was his real passion. His father's death in 1992 was the reason to fly back home. His family, and particularly his mother, convinced him to stay in Indonesia. In 2005, Jaya founded Jaya International Design with businessman Bruce Goldstein, a company with offices in Singapore, Jakarta, New York and Shanghai. In an interview he commented: "Based on my experience in handling interior designs for hotels, I'm happy to get hotels because I only deal with the concept. For private homes, clients sometimes have no idea what they really want, while I particularly aim to meet the needs of my clients.”
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He had created his own design idiom: unmistakable but subdued, and always mixing carefully selected style elements. Or, as he put it himself: “For me, a home or property designed with an all-out immersion in a certain ethnic, cultural or period theme in a completely different environment is not unique. Instead, it becomes an eyesore. For example during the property boom, in Indonesia and Asia it was common to exactly copy designs from elsewhere: European, Mediterranean and Californian styles, for instance. For me, it's like something alien. It's not wrong to take your pick from a range of designs, but a home with 100-percent Balinese design in Jakarta still doesn't fit. To catch the spirit, that is what matters.” As a designer he didn't believe in the exclusivity of a design. “Anyone can learn from existing and old designs and create a new, personal design language. Look at the Indonesian craftsmen in the 17th and 18th centuries: they saw the European furniture and adopted the styles, while combining it with their own culture. All traditional arts and crafts can be interpreted by redesigning them into a modern contemporary language, based on the location where they will be used,” according to Jaya, whose design style set the standards in the world of high end luxury hotel design.
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The Summer Palace, Beijing Above left: the entrance and corridor to the suites that are located around little courtyards. Right: the central lobby in the main building. This consists of three parallel pavilions with courtyards with trees in between.
The Summer Palace is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing, China. In 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List. It declared the Palace ‘a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value.’ The history of the complex dates back to the period when the Jin Dynasty emperor Wányán Liàng (1122 –1161) moved his capital to the Beijing area. He had a Wang hill Palace built here on the Longevity Hill. In the Yuan Dynasty, the hill was renamed from Wang hill to Jug Hill (Weng Shan). The Qianlong Emperor (1735-1796) of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), who commissioned work on the imperial gardens on the hill in 1749, gave Longevity Hill its present-day name in 1752, in celebration of the 60th birthday of his mother, Empress Dowager Chongqing.
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The Summer Palace started out life as the 'Garden of Clear Ripples’ in 1750 (Reign Year 15 of Qianlong Emperor). Artisans reproduced the garden architecture styles of various palaces in China. In 1860 the British and French burned the palace down at the end of the Second Opium War (the Old Summer Palace was also ransacked at the same time). Large parts of the Palace were destroyed. From 1888, the Summer Palace was the summer resort for Empress Dowager Cixi, after it had been rebuilt and enlarged. The Palace came under attack for a second time in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion when it was seized by the eight allied powers. The garden was burned and mostly destroyed. Many of the Palace's artifacts were divided among the eight allied nations. These are still retained by various countries such as France and United Kingdom. And it also survived this disaster, although reconstruction was hampered by the lack of original plans.
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These pages: the extra large swimming pool underneath the main building.
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Masseria Antonio-Augusto Located between the vineyards of Leverano, the
baroque art city of Lecce and the Sea of Porto Cesareo, the Masseria Antonio Augusto is a completely renovated old flower market. Owners and Initiators Huguette & Antonio Vetrugno relied on the skills of art director Raffaele Vetrugno and architect Valerie van der Put to transform it to a mixture between a relais and design hotel.
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Previous pages: the lounge area of the Masseria Antonia Augusto, in Puglia, the southern part of Italy. Here an old masseria, a traditional fortified farm was transformed into a luxurious six suite hotel annex rental villa by Belgian architect Valerie Van der Put and in creatieve input by art director Raffaele Vetrugno. The XXXL lamp was designed by Bart Lens. This page: the swimming pool in one of the old wine cellars and the outdoor pool in the evening with the masseria in the back ground. Right-hand page: an ambiance image of one of the public spaces. photos: Shari Ruzzi, Marcello Moscara:
Puglia, in the most southern part of Italy, is witnessing the revival of the region’s ubiquitous masserias, as one of these farmhouses after the other is spruced up and repurposed into a luxury hotel. A masseria refers to an old traditional fortified farm, just as the haciendas in Spain. One of the latest to emerge from an extensive restoration, was the nine-room Masseria Antonia Augusto that looks out over the small town of Leverano, in the province of Lecce. Every square inch had been coaxed back to life, the finished product testament to the professional team of restorers who thoroughly renovated the building’s original details from the
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monastically arched hallways and their ceiling frescoes to the now hand-polished walls made of Pietra Leccese, a regional limestone. Belgian architect Valerie Van der Put was called in to transform the stone building into a nine-room boutique hotel and spa annex rental villa. “Three years ago we were able to buy the farm that even served as a flower auction at some point,” says Raffaele Vetrugno from the Belgian city of Maasmechelen. His father, Antonio Augusto, after whom the masseria was named, arrived in that region as an 11-year-old boy.
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“My grandfather worked in the Belgian mines and it gave my father a childhood dream to return to his roots with the necessary ambition and success.” The ambition of Antonio Augusto Vetrugno put him on the trail of tourism and he reaped success as a tour operator specialized in group travel, both ski trips and cultural tours through Italy. With the purchase of the masseria, which was vigorously refurbished and turned into a luxury resort, the reverse road of the Italo-Limburger became a reality. Son Raffaele Vetrugno,
digital artist and inspirer of the fashion label Deux Belges, put his and his life-partner’s architect Valerie Van der Put’s, shoulders under the ‘dream hotel’. The rooms required a stylish interior and decoration, which they found in design from Limburg: more or less like a showcase for designers and artists from Limburg. Masseria Antonio Augusto includes 6 rooms, a junior suite, a suite and ‘upper room’ and also boasts a restaurant ‘Flowers’, referring to the flower auction of time past. The former wine cellar has been transformed into a spa with a Turkish bath and a vertical massage shower.
Above: one of the suites of Masseria Antonio Augusto Vetrugno and below Casimir’s Long Table 3 Trunk in one of the public areas. Left-hand page: the old roof structure was revivied during the restoration and the original paint motives were hioigh lightened. The modern furniture is from Belgium.
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These pages: part of the former wine cellar of Masseria Antonio Augusto has been transformed into a spa wit en extensive treatment menu. 60 OBJEKT
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VENICE BRIDGE Venice, California. Three cubical volumes connected by a glass bridge that changes color. It is the unusual story of the artist Johannes Girardoni, who wanted to create a strong dialogue with art and architecture with a project that engaged both fields. He conceived Spectral Bridge House: an art and architecture project with Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects, Los Angeles. Girardoni’s wife Harriet Bourne created the interiors. OBJEKT
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Left: one of the courtyards and the living room with sofas designed by Zaha Hadid for B&B Italia. The the rug is from Arkitekura. The ‘Resonant-Blue Green’ artwork is by Girardoni, 2018. Right: the reflection of Girardoni’s Spectral Bridge in the entrance and kitchen area.The Tube Chandelier by Michael Anastassiades, Future Perfect. Harriet Bourne designed the kitchen cabinets.
Artist Johannes Girardoni grew up in Vienna, moved to New York and relocated to Los Angeles some years ago. Girardoni, recipient of the 2019 Francis J. Greenburger Award, did a major installation at the Venice Biennale in 201. He created The Infinite Room, a top-lit steel ellipsoid, as an integral element of a house architect Tom Kundig designed in Washington State. He had previously worked with other architects, and when relocating his studio to Venice, it gave him the opportunity to create Spectral Bridge House as an art work and architecture collaboration with Ehrich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects. The artist Johannes Girardoni is well know for its site-specific projects that explore connections between art, design and technology.
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He was looking to create an immersive art experience that also functioned as a single-family home. The three separate cubical structures were connected by the artwork ‘Spectral Bridge’ which links the first two buildings within a glass atrium. The bridge also functioned as an art lounge for immersion in colored light and sound baths. The Spectral Bridge runs on a program timed to the sunset and sunrise, shifting through color sequences based on a yearlong evolution of the spectrum. Breaking up the architecture into three masses responded directly to the unique character of Venice It simultaneously created an opportunity for the artwork to stand out as an immersive experience. Scaled to surrounding houses, these monolithic shapes were disrupted by
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irregular angles and rotated axes. This also infused the project with a series of courtyards and intimate outdoor spaces, often glowing at night from the art of the bridge.
This project, built on the side of an old single family residence, was ultimately realized with the support of the Girardoni’s as real patrons. As a young family, they valued their privacy. Johannes is a leader in the entertainment space, and his wife, is designer and therapist Harriet Bourne and mother of two. They commissioned and supported the unique evolution of this project as an art project and architecture collaboration. Their openness and curiosity, as well as their commitment to a collaborative art and architecture process without compromise, allowed both artist and architects to achieve the project. The project was completed in the fall of 2018 in Venice, California, USA. The architects: “The client, who is passionate about both art and architecture, wanted to create a setting that was both a grounding refuge for life, while also inspiring a daily active engagement with perception: an art and architecture of the senses. They encouraged and supported us as architects to make the home tranquil and still. At the same time the experience on site continually shifts through the manipulation of both natural and artificial light. The architecture became the aperture for that experience, and Spectral Bridge the generator for that perceptual content.”
Left: a multi layered impression of Girardoni’s Spectral Bridge: a place where the boundaries between art and architecture dissolve. Below: the dining area with a Cassina table and chairs by B&B Italia. The chandelier is by Lindsey Adelman , Future Perfect. In the background Eames chiars and a table by Saarinen for Knoll.
The project consist of three bedroom, four-and –a-half bathroom, a media lounge (integrated into the Spectral Bridge) and the residential functions such as kitchen, living and dining room.
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These pages: Spectral Bridge House in Venice, Los Angeles in full glory as a collaboration between the artist Johannes Girardoni and EYRC Architects.
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These pages: images from the exhibition Bags; Inside Out at the Victoria and Albert museum in London from 25 April 2020 to 31 January 2021. Left-hand page: ‘Lait de Coco’ evening bag by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. This evening bag in the shape of a milk carton was featured in Chanel’s supermarket-inspired Autumn–Winter 2014 collection, designed by Karl Lagerfeld (1933–2019). The bag features many of the classic Chanel symbols such as quilting, interlocking CC motif and pearls. The text on the front of the bag reads ‘Lait de Coco’ (coconut milk) playing on Gabrielle Chanel’s nickname. photo: Jason Lloyd Evans. This page: Grace Kelly (1929–1982), departing Hollywood before her wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco. The simple trapezoid bag was first created in the 1930s by Robert DumasHermès (1898–1978). Originally named Sac à dépêches, the name ‘Kelly’ was given in honor of Hollywood star who married Prince Rainier III of Monaco (1923–2005) in 1955. Through its association with the Princess, it has become one of the most iconic and popular handbags of all time. Photo: Allan Grant, The Life Images Collection via Getty Images.
BAGS: INSIDEOUT V&A London
The collection of the V&A in London, England includes around 2,000 bags, in many different forms: handbags, suitcases, backpacks, saddle bags, carrier bags and vanity cases, to name
just a few. All the museum’s departments, from
Fashion to Metalwork, and from Asia to the Mu-
seum of Childhood, contain bags, whether as physical objects or as depictions in sculptures, stained glass, paintings, drawings and photographs. In 2020, the V&A devoted for the first
time a major exhibition to this ubiquitous and much loved accessory.
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Above: Dwyane Wade and with Gabrielle Union wearing a Thom Browne ‘Hector’ bag outside the Thom Browne show June, 2017 in Paris, France. Thom Browne immortalized his dog, a dachshund named Hector, in this life-sized handbag. Despite its unconventional shape, the bag is fully functional with a deep inside pocket and handles. Photo: Melodie Jeng/Getty Image. Right: Dispatch Box by John Peck & Son, made of leather, pine and metal. The distinctive red boxes used by royalty and government have been used to hold and transport State documents safely since the 1840’s.The briefcase was made for William Gladstone. The box is still, famously, used by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and held aloft by him on Budget Day. This box belonged to Sir Winston Churchill when Secretary of State for the Colonies (1921 – 1922). Below: Winston Churchill, Chancellor of the Exchequer, carries the dispatch box on his way to the House of Commons, in London, to present the budget, April 29, 1929. Photo: Bettman/Getty Images. Left-hand page: Top left: Judith Leiber’s'Faberge Egg' evening bag1983, United States. Rhinestones and metal (© Victoria and Albert Museum, London and beside that Gianni Versace’s Safety-pin handbag, Spring-Summer 1994, Italy. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Center left: Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, Speedy handbag, Autumn - Winter 2006, Paris. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Right: Fendi Baguette bag worn by Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City, 2000, Italy. Image courtesy of Fendi. Bottom left: Horse Chestnut Bag and purse by Emily Jo Gibbs 1996, Britain. Silk, copper wire. Photo: Lol Johnson. Bottom right: Tracey Emin for Longchamp International, Woman suitcase, 2004. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
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In 2020, the V&A, London, England, devoted for the first time a major exhibition to the ubiquitous and much loved fashion accessory: the bag. ‘Bags: Inside Out’ revealed the extraordinary range of the V&A collection including around 2,000 bags, in many different forms: handbags, suitcases, backpacks, saddle bags, carrier bags and vanity cases. All the museum’s departments, from Fashion to Metalwork, and from Asia to the Museum of Childhood, contain bags, whether as physical objects or as depictions in sculptures, stained glass, paintings, drawings and photographs. Many of the objects presented in the exhibition Bags: Inside Out have been displayed and photographed for the first time. The exhibition has also provided the opportunity for the V&A to acquire numerous spectacular examples of historic and contemporary bag design. Spanning nearly 500 years and comprising over 250 objects, Bags: Inside Out provided an insight into the lives of men and women through the objects they have carried with them, both day-to-day and during important moments of their private and professional lives.
This page: Opera bag and contents by Lemière c.1910, Paris. Calf leather, silk, glass, bone, metal, plastic and swan down. This small leather bag measures just 16cm when closed. But when opened, it reveals a spacious interior divided into compartments and pockets in which all the necessary accessories needed for a night at the opera could be neatly kept: a snap-fastening change purse at the top, a scalloped pocket containing a leather-backed mirror, a bone notecard and a pencil. There is also enough space for opera glasses and a collapsible fan of embroidered white silk and a powder puff. Right-hand page: Louis Vuitton, Malle Haute trunk, c. 1900, Paris. (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Bags can be very personal items, but at the same time they are so often present in the public sphere, highlighting who we are, and who we aspire to be. This exhibition juxtaposed bags from across history and continents, showcasing how, why and where we carry our most personal possessions, while also reminding that bags have always been important symbols of our identity. In the preface of the book, published on the occasion of ‘Bags: Inside Out’, V&A director Tristram Hunt, wrote: “The morning rush hour, anywhere in the world, would not be complete without a colorful variety of handbags, backpacks and tote bags hanging from passengers’ arms and shoulders. Contained within them is an assortment of personal and professional baggage. Sometimes, the shape, size and material of these bags provide clues about their contents. Other bags, however, give nothing away, carefully shielding and indeed protecting their contents, but always revealing something about their owners.” “Bags are both a private possession and a public statement: throughout history and across cultures they have occupied a very special space that is both on display and very discrete. Their allure is multi-layered: they carry many different objects, but also many different meanings, from one place to another.” The book illustrates the history of bags, as told through 40 objects selected from the V&A collections. Bags enabled and enable people to carry belongings as they journey outside the home for work and leisure. They are intimately connected with travel. Throughout history, the reasons for travelling, as well as modes of transport, have determined the forms bags have taken. In Medieval Europe, aristocrats journeyed with several chests so large that they could be used as furniture once they arrived at their destination. The invention of the steam train in the early 1800s made it easier to travel: while travellers still used trunks to carry their possessions, lighter and more portable bags became more common. By the nineteenth century, steam-powered ocean liners crossed the Atlantic in just 12 days, and first-class passengers could bring up to 20 pieces of
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luggage to carry and protect the many outfits, accessories and jewels needed during the voyage, and on arrival at their destination. Travel by air from the 1930s created new conditions with regards to space and weight: luggage for flights had to be lighter and more compact. Commuting to work or school has also influenced the type of bags: briefcases, satchels and backpacks are just a few examples of specialist bags used by workers and students around the world. The exhibition Bags: Inside Out had been made possible through the generosity of several public and private lenders and Mulberry, the exhibition sponsor. Mulberry began in Somerset in 1971 as a family business built on traditional British craft. The brand developed into a global lifestyle brand, based in their passion for bags.
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FORCES OF NATURE SOUS LE CIEL DE PARIS
production: Izabel Fonk photos: Hans Fonk
This page: a raw object by the unbeatable Jerome Abel Seguin, the pioneer in enhancing raw beauty. He paved the way for a ‘natural and contemporary’ aesthetic movement. Born in the South-West of France, he studied art at the Ecole Boulle and the Beaux-Arts. He traveled and exhibited his art works in France, Belgium, Brazil and signed décors for the dance and fashion worlds ( Hermès, Vuitton, Dior). During a trip to Indonesia, wood instantly emerged as the obvious, expressing his talent through this material. His original vision was revealed through the creation of monumental and unique pieces of furniture as well as sculptures of multiple, totemic, choreographic and abstract composition. Right-hand page: representing ‘nature sauvage’ a buffalo head at JD Co Marine from the South of France.
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Left-hand page: lighting with Hollywood regency styling: the Illuminating Ostrich Feather Palm Lamp, resplendent with exquisite Ostrich feather foliage by ‘A Modern Grand Tour’, Aynhoe Park from England. Aynhoe Park is the 17th Century Palladian home of James and Sophie Perkins. The house is a wonderland of otherworldly interiors, and a well-kept secret of the sartorial set. For decades, James has followed in the footsteps of The Grand Tourers of the 18th & 19th centuries, amassing an unrivalled collection of Art, Antiques, Curiosities and Collectibles. Under the title A Modern Grand Tour, James and Sophie are curating a constantly evolving collection of Fine Art, Antiques. Right-hand page: combining humor, poetry and realism in a style heavily influenced by strip cartoons, Philippe Balayn created “papier mâché” objects, inspired by nature.
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When it comes the home decoration and unique object, Paris, France is the place to be. Just before the Coved19 crisis hit the city of romance, the latest interior fabrics had their premiere here and at the interior manifestation Maison & Object the whole spectrum of interior decoration came to life. And with that, the forced of nature could be experienced in all facets: from the textile prints to the massive wooden objects by Abel Jerome Sequin and from the Share exhibition by Elisabeth Leriche to the handcrafted ceramic shapes. OBJEKT International created its own interpretation of the Forces of Nature trend.
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Right-hand page: stoneware by Homata, the story of globe-trotters, passionate about decoration, travel and culture. These craftsmen model the earth, decorate clay, paint the ceramic, work the wood, metal, weave wool, cotton, linen or palm leaf. This object was exhibited at the ‘Share’ by Elizabeth Leriche at Maison&Object, January 2020. Influenced by growing environmental awareness, the lifestyle sector is expressing more than ever before a need to live in harmony with nature Leriche illustrated new rituals of sharing and gastronomy inspired by the vital energy and poetic forces of nature.
Thisis page Far Left: Souche by Dominique Bajard, France. Beside that: Bénédicte Vallet’s perspective sets in personal memories of light from the islands she lived. She creates poetic structure cross-bred between animal and fossil or abandoned housing. Inspired by the prevailing idea of sewing chinaware, she combined shape, earthly natural ground and elaborated texture, weaving in an accumulated order.
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This page: an object by Stéphane Ducatteau, artist and designer of modern furniture, who works essentially with sheet metal. His acidtreated creations are reminiscent of ebony sculptures. Left-hand page: a ‘Boite a Thé’ by Nadine Lebas. As a ceramist artist, she creates tea boxes, decoration and handy items with a Japanese inspiration, marked by prints and fire.
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Right: Hanrad presented in Paris for the first time their designers collection. Here founder and creative director Barry Radford and Hans Fonk, publisher and photographer of OBJEKT International in front of a carpet designed by the latter and made out of silk, New Zealand wool and Bamboo. Below: the fantastic colors of nature by Pierre Frey and beside that the wild presentation by Fabricut in the center of Paris. Right-hand page: Japanese designer Kanzo Takada launched his new home and lifestyle brand K三 during Paris Deco Home and Maison & Objet in Paris.
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Left: wooden sculpture by Benoit Averly. He creates contemporary objects made with rigor and sensitivity for art galleries and interior design. Right: part of the Élitis presentation in their Paris showroom.
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These pages: on the sixth floor Bas Kosters will presented a selection of his textile wall works.
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FUNCKY ROTTERDAM
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For the third the Dutch design fair Object opened its doors to the public in Rotterdam’s bustling Vierhavens (4-harbors) area. More than 150 designers showed off on six floors of the industrial Haka-building for the final time. After the fair, the remarkable building is transformed by Dudok Group. It is all about design in the mix. Every edition, the fair featured established designers and labels as well as upcoming talents, in a wide range of disciplines. A funny mix of striking designs in the fields of product, furniture, fashion, jewelry, graphic design and architecture awaits the fair’s visitors curated by fair director Anne van der Zwaag, who personally scouts and selects all participants. She is always on the lookout for innovative uses of matials and colors.
Over the years, the Object fair has evolved into on of Netherlands' leading fair for design and the place to discover new trends and meet young talents. Every edition, a large, fresh crop of designers participates for the first time. Recent graduated from Art Academies and design schools are placed right next to well known names. This diversity is a key factor. The Haka building is situated on the edge of the Vierhavens area, that has rapidly developed into the home of creativity in Rotterdam. The building was designed in the 1930’s by Dutch architects Mertens and Koeman, commissioned by the Cooperative Wholesale Association De Handelskamer. The Haka is transformed Dudok Group into a dynamic multi-company building with a high-end restaurant and a rooftop bar overlooking the famous Rotterdam harbors. OBJEKT International wandered around in the industrial caverns of faded glory of a majestic building.
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Right: creation by Zsofia Kollar x Sidney Nislow. Below: one of the exhibition floors at the old Haka Building during Object Rotterdam. Back ground: the majestic industrial architecture of the recent past of the Haka building, designed in the 1930’s by Dutch architects Mertens and Koeman. photo: Ossip.
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Left-hand page: vase by Sebastiaan Straatsma, Contour Gallery. In the back ground a light installation by Alex de Witte. This page: lamps against the sunset by Jonne Stout. OBJEKT
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Top left: creations by Dóra Riederauer. Above: playful objects by Splitter Splatter from Amsterdam. Left: the characteristic Haka building in Rotterdam. Drawing by Dirk Laucke. Below from left to right: presentation by fashion designer Anne Mertens, the installation ‘Mind the Gap’ by Natasha Papika, ‘Stuck’ by Studio Pin, PeLiDesign and the ‘Blend’ collection by Ward Wijnant
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These pages: Above: installation by Marieke de Jong and Marisa Rappard. Rappard showed a semiabstract two-dimensional drawing she converted into a deep-layered tapestry. De Jong displayed diverse and playful reactions to the works by Rappard, balancing between two- and three-dimensionality.
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This page: ‘Let us Burn the Sacred’ by Jeroen Schokkin and right hand page a tiger with female company by Iwan Smit at the entrance of the exhibition. 98 OBJEKT
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OBJEKT INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING HOUSE
OBJEKT INTERNATIONAL - the world standard for style
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d1 One of Hans Fonk’s main achievements is OBJEKT©International, the authoritative and bespoke title for the upscale urban modernist with a passion for interiors, art & antiques, modern design and outstanding architecture. Thanks to the general concept, unexpected topics, the selection of designers, and quality of the photos, OBJEKT©International has gained the highest authority in its field. The magazine was first published end of 1991. OBJEKT©International is distributed in over 80 countries worldwide. OBJEKT©Asia is distributed in China. OBJEKT©USA-CANADA is distributed in USA and Canada.
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