MANIERA Magazine - September 2012 by Maniera LLC

The

VOL. 1 ISSUE 1

SEPTEMBER 2012

Black Thunder modern

invasion LADIES slavery

Dmitry Loginov

MEET THE LADIES THAT ROCK

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Welcome to MANIERA Magazine. Welcome to our first official edition of MANIERA. It has been a long journey to go from a virtual magazine in Second Life and take that leap to the “real world” but has been worth every minute of it. We started in Second Life as a small group of people from around the four corners of the globe drawn together by our creativity and passion for publishing. For us, Second Life was not just a game but a platform to develop and enhance our skills and THELMA LAY push ourselves creatively. |Monica True Many ask me what the name MANIERA means. MANIERA is Italian for style, and that is the best way to describe our magazine; style not only in fashion but in art, technology and ideas. For us, MANIERA is a lifestyle. For those who enjoy informative, stylish, off-thebeaten-path news, entertainment and fashion then MANIERA is the magazine for you. We have great plans on the horizon for MANIERA, which include contests, smart phone and tablet apps and, of course, fascinating features. So keep an eye out on our website for updates at mymaniera.com.

Thelma Lay MANIERA MAGAZINE OWNER & PUBLISHER

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Got something you want to say or suggest? All you have to do is send us a letter! Letters to the Editor can be sent to: editor@mymaniera.com

SEPTEMBER 2012

LLC

Read past issue of our digital publication at mymaniera.com/archive

Staff

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Editor-in-Chief Thelma Lay

Publisher/Owner Thelma Lay

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Writers Cyntia Aranday Gabriel Berger Janet Serra Juliette Lord Sara Lovelace Thelma Lay

Online editorial Chief Operations Officer / Promotions Cyntia Aranday Juliette Lord Juliette Lord Sara Lovelace Advertising/Sales Thelma Lay Kenneth Orr

Layout Artists Sara Lovelace Photographers Sara Lovelace

phone: (202) 294-4147

About Us MANIERA Magazine is a fashion and lifestyle publication owned, operated and published by MANIERA LLC. Any views, opinions or interpretations expressed in columns are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Maniera LLC and its subsidiaries. Maniera LLC will not accept any responsibility for any views, opinions or interpretations expressed in the pages of Maniera Magazine, MyManiera.com or other communications. Editorial Inquries All editorial inquires including submissions and feature ideas are to be sent to editorial@mymaniera.com. Business and advertising inquires All business inquires are to be sent to our chief operations officer at promotions@mymaniera.com All advertising inquires are to be sent to advertising@mymaniera. com. Visit Us in Second Life速 and Online In-World: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Citizen%20 Kane/111/126/22 Online: www.mymaniera.com Second Life速 and Linden Lab are registered trademarks of Linden Research Inc, and Maniera LLC is in no way affiliated or sponsored by the aforementioned party. 6 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

SEPTEMBER 2012

CONTENTS

SEPTEMBER 2012 | VOL. 1 ISSUE 1

FEATURES

BLACK THUNDER ON THE HORIZON

Tribute to phenomenon

VIRTUAL LEADERS

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A book review on business in the digital age

MODERN SLAVERY

An old profession with modern devices

THE RUSSIAN FASHION INVASION

Dmitry Loginov stormed the fashion world, the first of an invasion of Russian fashion designers onto the international runway.

ON THE COVER Dmitry Loginov |MICHAEL HARLAMOV

SEPTEMBER 2012

REGULARS Publisher’s Note Mani Style Man Style Head to Toe Int. Travel Creative Focus

E. DOMINIC WOOD Technology meets photography

CONCORDE

4 Arsenicum’s 48 aviation fashion 50 52 CULINARY avante garde 54 A new way to 58 make dinner.

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Listen to them on Myspace

BlackThunder

on the horizon

Germany’s all-female AC/DC tribute band take on the world

BY SARA LOVELACE The life of a musician is rarely as glamorous as the magazines make it out to be. Hard work, sweat, tears, double or even triple jobs and finding the backing to keep going fulltime once you catch a break are problems each face, but for Germany’s AC/DC tribute band Black Thunder Ladies – that’s just a normal day in the life of rock stars. SEPTEMBER 2012

Almost four years ago, Lady Tina Pfeiffer and Lady Jen Majura came together via Pfeiffer’s boyfriend, who lives in the northern part of Germany while Pfeiffer lives in the south, a distance of 400500 kilometers or about 250-300 miles. But it was fate, and Pfeiffer knew she’d found a musical soul mate in Majura who lived just half an hour from Pfeiffer’s boyfriend. “When we came together, it was basically me and Jen, the guitarist,” Pfeiffer said. “I played in mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 9

Anya

Jen

another band before and got screwed over, but we do our own thing. We started a ladies AC/DC tribute band - five ladies doing AC/DC tribute.” Five women in a typically male dominated domain. As the first major all-female AC/DC tribute band in Germany, the girls gathered fans faster than they could count. “In Germany, if I’m asked why I’m playing AC/DC,” Pfeiffer said, “I’m not a religious person. For me, AC/DC is like the Holy Bible. The era with Bon Scott is part of the Old Testament. With 10 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

Iris

Brian Johnson, it’s kind of the New Testament. It feels like that. It’s in my heart, my soul. That kind of rock music is what I like.” But the big challenge at that point was to go out and compete with all the “millions of male AC/DC tribute bands” and prove that in a culture where women played harps, flutes, pianos and other instruments not commonly associated with rock ‘n roll, five women could do it better. With their first gig at a music fair in 2009, they set out to prove it. In fact, they had no idea how popuSEPTEMBER 2012

Tina lar they were even when they put out their first original song “Black Thunder” – it took them six months to realize people actually liked the song. “When we decided to establish this band, we of course thought about writing own song material and not only cover AC/DC tracks,” Majura said. “This band is fate!” THEY COME. THEY SEE. THEY ROCK. Using the Internet, the current band list was completed in January – Majura on lead guitar; SEPTEMBER 2012

Jani Pfeiffer, bass; Anja Assmuth, drums; Iris Boatana, vocals and the youngest of the group who the band commonly refer to as “nestling,” Jani Näckel, rhythm guitar. In a county once divided by east and west, the band members live in all cardinal directions of Germany and meet up once a month to practice together, learning the tribute songs alone before they come ready to rock. As they work on their original compilations, meetings become more frequent. Four of them list themselves as profesmymaniera.com | MANIERA | 11

The Black Thunder Ladies

sional musicians – all their work is in the music industry, including playing with other bands and acting in other capacities, such as guitar technician - while their growly, sensual vocalist Boatana holds a job unrelated to the music industry, too. But one thing is clear: their priority is with the rolling crash of Black Thunder. “To be honest, I never made big plans,” Pfeiffer said. “If I make plans, I get depressed. You get disappointed if what you wished or worked for doesn’t come through. So I try to not make huge plans and just be happy and grateful for the things that do happen. There will always be a way I can make a life with music. It would be amazing if it was with an actual band I was playing in. (Black Thunder Ladies) fits well together and is unique because it is five girls and rock music.” 12 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

GET ME ON YOUR POLEPOSITION! . . . and fit together it did. In 2010, the Black Thunder Ladies received their break: Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring (RCN), Germany’s oldest touring car racing series. Black Thunder Ladies created the theme song of the racing season and their second ever original song, “Get Me On Your Pole Position!” “With that song, the whole thing started,” Pfeiffer said. “We got a music video with racing cars. It was our second (original) song. We had tons of ideas.” The video featured scenes from the 24-hour race, the “the most dangerous and biggest race event in the world,” Majura said. Majura is the lyricist behind the original content of Black Thunder Ladies. Once she finishes the lyrics, SEPTEMBER 2012

the group sits down and works out the rest, making it a product of the entire band. “Music in my ears means emotion,” Majura said. “I use my songs to assimilate things that happened in my life. So when it comes to writing songs I first of all need to feel the feeling which the story will be about, then everything comes together. What doesn’t work for me when composing is taking a long walk in the nature all alone and trying to be and feel inspired... Maybe that’s the reason why I never write ballads.” One of the men on the RCN racing team sponsored the racing video and owned a record label. Having worked with other artists before, he encouraged them to record an entire cd of their own work. With the backing of the record label and several big-name endorsers, the group took a shot and released their first full-length original album “First Take” in March of this year. The CD is completely digital, being sold through Internet music powerhouses like Amazon, iTunes and other download platforms. The figures are still rolling in for just how well the album sold in its first months and are expected back later this month, but the initial report from various platforms are promising. On the Amazon and iTunes markets, the band has “sold crazy.” “We got featured on ‘Guitar and Bass magazine,’” Pfeiffer said. “It’s this huge magazine that goes all over world. It was a huge article because the magazine is endorsed by

Yamaha and Engles, and they made it so we were in that magazine. That is the biggest magazine we were in so far.” The endorsement continued to roll in for this fast-tracked European tribute band. Brands such as Yamaha, Engles and Cordial Cables provide them instruments and equipment for the first time in Black Thunder Ladies’ careers. What this

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In Germany, if I’m asked why I’m playing AC/DC... I’m not a religious person. For me, AC/DC is like the Holy Bible. - TINA PFEIFFER

meant to the band was instruments would be delivered for them to play with, but more importantly, the corporate companies were seeing the band, believing in the band. “It is exciting,” Pfeiffer commented. Now with a second original CD in the works, the five women from all around Germany are staking their poles into position for a second go around. mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 13

Virtual Leader: Game-Changing Skills and Strategies of the New Enterprise Manager Edited by E.M. Kaye Association of Virtual Worlds, 2012

BOOK REVIEW BY JULIETTE LORD

“If you are a manager in an organization that has just started to explore the many virtual options open to you and you are looking for fast, simple and inexpensive ways to enter the virtual arena this book will provide you not only with an overview of the kind of communication and collaboration you can improve by going virtual, but will also showcase specific solutions and their virtual platforms to take you to the next level of management – the level of game changer.” Darius Lahoutifard CEO, Altadyn (From Foreword)

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Technology is continually evolving, and keeping on top of it all can be difficult and time consuming at best. At worst it can be an unintelligible maze riddled with jargon that is impossible to comprehend. The fact is, however, whatever the size of your company, there are opportunities to promote and enhance your business in the virtual world. For those businesses and non-profit organisations looking to take the first tentative steps into the unknown, or for those who wish to enhance and increase their virtual participation this book is a fantastic place to start. Published by the Association of Virtual Worlds and edited by E.M. Kaye “Virtual Leader: Game-Changing Skills and Strategies of the New Enterprise Manager” can boast contributions from some of the best-known names in virtual business. The book is written for the everyday person with clear, concise definitions of some of the key terms used in virtual commerce. It maps out the current virtual landscape and provides a comprehensive list of platform options available. Part 2 of the book then identifies what it describes as “the fifteen game-changing skills of the virtual leader,” which it suggests are different from traditional management skills. Part 3 illustrates how certain virtual strategies have actually been used by companies, what is possible and what has been successful. The examples used are mainly from large-scale organisations but the book emphasises that many virtual strategies are affordable for much smaller businesses. The beauty of this book is that it introduces new ideas and new ways of approaching business strategy. It poses questions as to how best an organisation can use the virtual tools currently available in a wide variety of departments, such as sales, marketing, product testing and accounts. The final section of the book provides some resources apply to your business if you want to take it further. There is no doubt that the virtual possibilities for businesses will increase in the near future, and this book helps to make sure that your company is not left behind. Further information about the book and the Association of Virtual worlds can be found at virtualleaderbook.com. The book is available from Amazon priced at $8.19 USD for the Kindle and $19.95 USD for paperback.

SEPTEMBER 2012

Dreams do come true Louboutin brings Disney’s ‘Cinderella’ to life BY SARA LOVELACE

Louboutin re-envisioned the iconic ‘glass slipper’ of ‘Cinderella.’ |WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

We always knew the iconic red sole was fit for a princess, and now Christian Louboutin’s famous signature will turn 20 pairs of the equally iconic glass slipper into reality for Disney’s bluray release of Cinderella Oct. 2. “Cinderella is not only an iconic character when it comes to beauty, grace and fairytale love, but also shoes,” the designer said in a statement. “Her character and her story dictated the design to me, it was all there in the pages and the words of this tale.” Louboutin and Disney teamed up earlier this year after Walt Disney Studios invited Louboutin to put his own spin on the glass slipper that made its way onto the foot of an unlikely young lady and cinched her a fairytale ending. And he did with a more practical material. Instead of glass, the lace and Swarovski-crystal embellished heeled slippers are still fit for a fairytale princess — all with the signature red

sole. Only 20 of these shoes will be made, and one lucky woman will win a pair to turn a “modern day woman into a princess,” according to Louboutin. Submissions ran from Sept. 4-11 with entrants required to be 18 and older, a US Size 7 or 8 women’s shoe and must be a United States citizen. The winner will be selected Sept. 17 by Disney where they will be fit and receive a princess make-over right in time for a private event Sept. 27. at Disneyland in California.

Stay tuned to mymaniera.com for details on the Modern Day Cinderella’s indentity!

Contemporary

SL AVERY

The Unpalatable Truth

BY JULIETTE LORD In July 2012, four members of an Irish traveller family were convicted of slaveryrelated charges by a court in the United Kingdom. Tommy Connors, Sr.; son, Patrick Connors; daughter, Josie Connors and her husband, James John Connors were found guilty of controlling, exploiting, verbally abusing and beating several homeless men for financial gain at a caravan site near Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, England. One of the homeless men, who was not named due to intimidation concerns, told the court how he was recruited by James John Connors at a petrol station when he was “depressed and contemplating suicide.” He told the court that it was possible to leave the Connors’ caravan site near Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire but said he was scared of James John Connors and what would happen to him if he did so. “Seven years of abuse, starvation and torture,” he testified. “There was no respect. They treated me like a slave, and that’s putting it mildly.” This case highlights many of the myths which surround contemporary slavery; something which many people fail to realise exists at all. The victims of this case were neither female nor transported from overseas. They were not used in the sex 18 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

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trade. They were white indigenous males who were vulnerable because they were homeless and in need of a home and a means of making a living. The waters are muddied by erotic novels which romanticise and sexualise slavery, as something fun to be done between consenting adults. The truth is that real slavery is neither romantic or fun, but brutal and dehumanising. The truth is also that modern day slavery does not discriminate on grounds of race, gender, age or geographical location. The truth is that wherever there are people who are economically vulnerable, and that means everywhere, there will be predators waiting to enslave them. On the rare occasions slavery is discussed it is often linked to trafficking and the sex trade. Certainly this is a global issue with estimates of around 2 million women and children each year being sold into the sex trade. The Report by Protection Project, based at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland indicates that in Europe, up to 120,000 women are smuggled from Central and Eastern Europe, and forced into prostitution in the richer economies of Western Europe. In the USA over 15,000 young Mexican women are trafficked each year; Israel has an estimated 10,000 women from the former Soviet Union who have been forced into prostitution and almost 200,000 girls from Nepal, many of them under the age of 14, are working as sex slaves in India. The economic pattern is SEPTEMBER 2012

clear. Those countries with stronger economies attract the traffickers who prey on the disadvantaged in poorer countries, using methods which range from lies about finding work in developed nations to outright abduction. In June this year, at a State Department event honoring men and women who are fighting against modern-day slavery, the International Labor Organization released its second global estimate of forced labor. The report estimates 55 percent of forced labor victims are women and girls, as are 98 percent of sex trafficking victims. “Ultimately, this report reminds us of the human cost of this crime,” US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton commented on the release of the report. “Traffickers prey on the hopes and dreams of those seeking a better life, and our goal should be to put those hopes and dreams back within reach, whether it’s getting a good job to send money home to support a family, trying to get an education for oneself or one’s children, or simply pursuing new opportunities that might lead to a better life.” But the focus on the sex trade, which clearly makes for more dramatic headlines, masks and blinds us to the many other guises modern day slavery can take. Complacency and prejudice often mean that while we can point the finger at the ongoing slave trade in Africa and the Arab world, we fail to see what is happening in our own cities. No nation can take the moral high ground. mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 19

Jada Pinkett Smith, wife of Hollyportation and communications wood star Will Smith, told a Senate with which to facilitate the physical committee hearing in July that the processing of people. The financial “old monster” of slavery “is still motives are obvious, and in some with us,” almost 150 years after the parts of the world trafficking is a Emancipation Proclamation freed low-risk occupation. The highly slaves in America. clandestine nature of the crime of “Yet millions around the world human trafficking ensures that the -- including here in the United great majority of cases go unreStates -- toil under the boot of ported and culprits remain at large. modern slavery,” US President Barack Obama said in Traffickers prey on the hopes March. “Mothers and fathers are and dreams of those forced to work in seeking a better life, and our fields and factories against their will or goal should be to put those in service to debts that can never be hopes and dreams back repaid. Sons and daughters are sold within reach. . . for sex, abducted as child soldiers, or coerced into in- US SECRETARY OF STATE voluntary labor. In HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON dark corners of our world, and hidden in plain sight in our own communities, human beings There are reports that many human are exploited for financial gain and traffickers are associated with insubjected to unspeakable cruelty.” ternational criminal organizations The buying and selling of and are, therefore, highly mobile humans is big business and seemand difficult to prosecute. Often ingly on the increase, although families of victims are also unwillaccurate figures are by the nature of ing to report the crimes for fear of the activity impossible to calculate. retribution. Activists and policy Globalization has provided for an makers, however, are striking back. easier means of exploiting those livGary Haugen, president of a USing in poverty who are seeking betbased human rights organization ter lives, and has also provided for called International Justice Mission dramatic improvements in trans(IJM); Vannak Anan Prum, a sur-

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vivor of forced labor who fights for victims in Cambodia and Marcelo Colombo, a proactive prosecutor in Argentina, are among those leading the fight. “IJM seeks to make public justice systems work for victims of abuse and oppression who urgently need the protection of the law,” states the IJM website. This is achieved on a number of levels, including supplying immediate relief for victims, prosecuting the perpetrators, aftercare services and attempts to make structural changes “by strengthening the community factors and local judicial systems that will deter potential oppressors.” Prum who suffered years of forced labor on fishing boats in Thailand and on a plantation in neighboring Malaysia has used his artwork, which details the horrors of his experiences, to raise public awareness of the potential dangers facing workers. On receiving his award Prum said: “I want everyone to know about this. Through my pictures, I want to warn all cross-border migrant workers to be careful. Even if they do not keep my own story in mind, they will at least have an idea of what life is like for people trafficked onto boats for forced labor.” Colombo has profoundly influenced anti-trafficking efforts in Argentina, including the first human trafficking conviction in November 2009, the conviction of 19 traffickers in 2011, and the draft SEPTEMBER 2012

bill to amend the anti-trafficking law approved by the Senate in 2011. There has been progress in several countries around the world, including Egypt, where a bill targeting sex trafficking has received crucial support from the Muslim Brotherhood, who recently took tenuous control in Egypt following the Arab Spring; and in Burma, where a 1907 colonial law empowering the government to enslave people for national infrastructure projects was recently quashed. Nevertheless, the number of global prosecutions for trafficking remains small. The Trafficking in Persons report (USA 2011) indicates that the global number of prosecutions and convictions has gone from almost 3,000 convictions in 2008 to just 3,600 convictions in 2010. Luis CdeBaca, the ambassador-at-large in charge of the US State Department’s trafficking division, sums up the situation: “We’re not going to prosecute ourselves out of this crime. It takes a cultural shift… [That means] moving away from the sort of boys-will-be-boys joking about going to prostitutes and [moving toward] consumers looking at their own lives and saying: Where is this shrimp coming from? Who made these cosmetics?” We are all complicit. Slavery exists because of poverty and lack of economic power. To quote William James: “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”

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E. Dominic Wood is exploring the next frontier of photography.

E. Dominic Wood:

The Art of Technology

BY JULIETTE LORD

he word “photography” is derived from the greek words photos meaning light and graphein meaning to draw. From the birth of modern photography back in the mid 19th century, the photograph was an intricate combination of art and the technology of the camera and development process. As we move through the 21st century, the technological aspect becomes ever more sophisticated and complex. Chicago-born E. Dominic Wood picked up his first Kodak camera at the age of 13, and for the next year photography became his passion. However, on his 14th birthday, the camera was replaced by a guitar and for the next few years, Wood focused on his music. At the age of 18, Wood and his group The Galaxys were hired by DJ James Lownsbury to play their television debut on ABC TV. Deciding that music production, rather than performance, was the way to make some serious money, Wood made the move to Newport Beach, Calif., USA. Working with a string of famous artists, including the legendary Stevie Wonder and Donna Summer, he began to make his mark. Although he was experiencing success however, the music industry was not really to Wood’s taste. He felt he lacked the creative control that he craved, and so he decided to pick up his camera and channel his creativity through photography once again. He started shooting runway for D2 Models and New York models, as well as working freelance for “Playboy,” “Club”, “Pub” and “Cavalier” glamour magazines throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He met his wife Pam, a successful actress in her own right, whilst on a photoshoot in California but the Chicago boy was starting to feel homesick and decided to return to the Windy City to continue his photographic work. Photographic technology was moving rapidly throughout the latter half of the 20th century, and Wood became fascinated with computing in the early 1990s. He looked for ways to combine this with his love of photography and beautiful women. It has been a long and sometimes trying process. “When you start in computing imaging, your first 5,000 images are your worst,” Wood said. In the first decade of the 21st century 3-D cinema and photography began to experience a renaissance. In the physical world, people view the SEPTEMBER 2012

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“Jellyfish and Dancing” by E. Dominic Wood SEPTEMBER 2012

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world in three dimensions because the Vue and Photoshop CS6. Wood has left and right eyes see slightly differbeen able to produce some astonishent images. When these two images ing results. One of his 3-D images has are combined by the recently been accepted by brain, someone receives Poser to use as a promoa picture that has depth. tional image. lick here Photographers and Wood, however, reto visit his cinematographers have mains modest: been trying to replicate “Ask me what my best website this effect as far back as image is, and I will tell 1838. Using a technique you I have not made it known as stereoscopic yet,” he said. photography, a special motion picture His techniques develop and imcamera system was employed to record prove with each image he creates, and images from two different perspectives. the process requires not only diligence Eyewear, or special 3-D glasses, are and technical know-how, but also a then worn to combine these perspecgood eye for detail. Wood’s glamorous tives and create the illusion of depth. 3-D ladies never have pimples or a bad 3-D films enjoyed immense popu- hair day. They are able to pose endlesslarity in the 1950’s and 60’s, but it ly without becoming tired or bad-temwas the invention of the IMAX 3-D pered. As we have already seen movie format, first seen at the 1986 World’s actors can be replaced with computer Fair in Vancouver, Canada that really generated superstars. In December started the 3-D revolution. In the early 2011, Swedish retailer H&M caused a 21st century, the advent of animation minor storm in the Swedish newspaper technology and digital cameras helped Aftonbladet, when they used computer to make 3-D technology more widely generated models to show off their lataccessible. Since then there have been est collection. The digitally-developed huge developments and interest in 3-D, images carry the real face of a human with increasing numbers of film-mak- model, but are built by digitally by ers opting to make 3-D movies and altering mannequins posed in H&M the introduction of 3-D television in clothing. Clearly this technique is the last 5 years. In particular, the 2009 much less costly and much faster than James Cameron film Avatar used a employing real life models, and Wood successful combination of 3-D technol- considers that computer generated 3-D ogy and computer-generated imagmodels are the future. ery (CGI). Photography also began Wood is at the forefront of this exto develop both 3-D techniques and citing development where technology computer-generated imagery around meets art and, by retaining his original the same time, and this has become in- influences of renowned photographers creasingly more became available and such as Irving Penn, Richard Avedon affordable. Wood began to experiment and airbrush artist Alberto Vargas, he with several types of software. Poser, a has created a classy combination of SmithMicro software product allows to portrait, fashion shot and pin-up using create the illustration and animation of the emerging technology. 3-D characters. Combining this with

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“ELECTRIC LADY” BY E. DOMINIC WOOD

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Other works by Wood. Clockwise, from left — “Fantasy ,” “Purple” and “London 2A”

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Loginov

|TIMOFEY KOLESNIKOV

D mitry

From the edge of the world

Loginov BY GABRIEL BERGER

Dmitry Loginov is the talented up-and-coming designer behind the Moscow-based Arsenicum fashion label. In the last few years Russia has seen a blossoming of home-grown designer fashion, but Loginov has his own unique urban look, which is proving popular with Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s younger, fashionable generation.

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He created ripples while breaking down the stereotyped Russian fashion styles through his vibrant, non-classical styled cuts, modernized textures, unique materials and fine finishes and detailing. An over-use of fur, leather and dark earthy tones presented each year repetitively in the Russian fashion cycle is now being overthrown through the new age of Russian technology and fashion bringing awareness to unnoticed talent in the BRAND east, which is ARSENICUM.CO.UK now taking the world LOOKBOOK stage. Loginov Dmitry Loginov was born in 1976 in the TWITTER Siberian city of Kras@dmitryloginov noyarsk and graduated from the Krasnoyarsk Technological College in 1996. After winning a regional Young Fashion Designers contest in the fall of 2002, he was offered the position of stylist at L’Officiel fashion magazine’s Moscow office. The following year he was given the job of fashion editor in OM magazine. Loginov was listed as one of GQ Russia’s Men of the Year in 2007 and

F ollow Loginov

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in 2008 he won a World Fashion TV award. Later that year, he opened a boutique and fashion house in the centre of Moscow where ready made and bespoke designs can be purchased. Just a year after he took the fashion editor job with OM, he founded the Arsenicum brand in 2004. It was originally known for menswear, and Arsenicum suits are extremely popular with Russian celebrities, politicians and fashionistas. There is a particular emphasis on texture and fabric in the Arsenicum collections, and the use of real fur in some of the designs will be regarded as controversial in the West. Fur, however, has been a traditional fashion staple in Russia and does not have the same negative connotations. “I’m from Siberia, and it is cold,” Loginov told Lady Fur on We Love Fur website. “I treat fur as a material, which warms and brightens. But at the same time I understand the moral side of this issue, and this dilemma can not be solved uniquely for different regions of the world. I think it’s a personal decision to wear fur or not, just like every man for himself, he decides to eat meat or not. I am for self-determination among mature individuals.” The first of the brand’s female clothing premiered Fall/Winter 2010-11 at the St. Petersburg Aurora Fashion Week, which featured trademark classically tailored pieces with the Loginov twist as well as a theatrical experience for viewers. The collection, which is titled “Concorde,” told an emotional story of a tragic aviation crash highlighted through the colors of clothing as SEPTEMBER 2012

well as theatrical techniques placed within it, such as the use of flashback used to present the opening funeral “scene” of the collection. The opening sequence of the funeral is accompanied by a ghostly cover of Depeche Mode’s ‘“Enjoy the Silence” by Susan Boyle. It creates an intense emotional sadness as the mourning models lifelessly walk by covered by the shadow of their veils, sunglasses and long black gloves while large set lights beam a misty grey across the catwalk. The show moves into light beige, cream and white air stewards outfits as well as men in suits dressed handsomely like pilots and air staff, a jet’s engine roaring in the background. Caution is spotted through the use of bright yellow colouring on uniquely cut tops and skirts. As the pace of the music starts to crescendo, the jet engine begins to fail. An emergency in the air takes place so too does a fire with a dangerous tone leering through the collection of bright orange and red outfits. The darkness from the beginning prevails with the physical crash taking place. Embers of fire brighten and still enchant the theatrical show through the darkened burnt clothing. Skin tight latex leggings and other well-cut and structured leather and metal pieces resemble a burnt shape and outline a vivid structure of the aviation disaster. As death closes in wearing long, black lace that flows across the floor in the signature cross of Loginov’s collection, an atmosphere of regal and raw emotion is captured as the tall-as-canbe figure slowly struts off the cold and metallic catwalk. “Futuristic technology, comfort and versatility of a wardrobe, the fuselage skin, the deformation of materials, contrast strength and lightness, gloss aluminum aerophobia, change the oil crisis in 1973, ozone,” Loginov said, explaining his inspiration for the line. “All of this was embodied in a logical and seamless film, which will be presented to a traditional brand melancholic style.” RIGHT — Russia’s Dmitry Loginov is making a splash on the international fashion scene with Arsenicum.

| ALEX KOLPA

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|VASILCHIKOV SEPTEMBER 2012

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CONCORDE Arsenicum

Fall/Winter 2010-11 St. Petersburg Aurora Fashion Week

MANI STYLE

The Corset BY JULIETTE LORD

Madonna’s bustier at Hard Rock Cafe London in 2010.

|AIJA LEHTONEN

he corset was once a garment regarded as a symbol of male oppression, being simultaneously unhealthy and uncomfortable. In the late 20th Century however this iconic undergarment staged a major revival as a contemporary high fashion statement piece, now signifying female sexual empowerment and rebellion. The word corset is derived from the French word corps, meaning body, and it is the function of a corset to mold the body into the required aesthetic shape of the day. While modern corsets tend to push up the breasts whilst cinching the waist to produce an hour-glass figure, in the past they have been used to flatten the breasts when that was the desired shape. A corset can be made from a multitude of fabrics. In fact anything that is relatively flexible works well. The corset is then stiffened or boned by inserting steel, whalebone or plastic into channels sewn into the cloth. The corset is then fastened by lacing, often at the back, and may have hook fastenings at the front. Tightening the laces squeezes in the waist. By wearing a tightly laced corset over an extended SEPTEMBER 2012

time period it is possible to permanently reduce the waist size. Some individuals have taken this to extreme measure.

MANIERA suggests: “The Corset: A Cultural History” by Valerie Steele It is an informative, well-written and comprehensive analysis of the social history of the corset.

“Corsets: A Modern Guide” by corset maker Velda Lauder Ethel Granger was listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as having the smallest waist on record at 13 inches (33 cm). After 1998, the category changed to “smallest waist on a living person,” and Cathie Jung took the title with a 15-inch (38 cm) waist. In the 1980s, the corset was made famous by Madonna. In 2011, the black and gold corset worn on the 1987 ‘Who’s That Girl’ Tour was sold to a Chinese bidder for $72,000. If that seems a

little too much to pay, there are some wellmade corsets available at a fraction of the price. The UK-based whatkatiedid.com is a vintage underwear dream. Along with the ‘50s style bullet bras and hosiery, there are more traditional corsets available in a wide range of fabrics, including leather, satin, silk and pvc. It will ship anywhere in the world with most orders arriving between 3-10 days. Vollers is another UKbased company who have been making corsets since 1899. Run by the same family for over 100 years, they retain exclusive rights over the founder’s patterns. The range of available corsets is staggering and the quality superb. It delivers worldwide with estimated delivery of up to 7 days. San Francisco-based Dark Garden sells readyto-wear corsets, but also have a made-tomeasure service for the perfect fit. They will also make bespoke custom designs and ready-towear corsets for men. Based in both Vancouver, BC, Canada and Blaine, Wash., USA Love Corsets have a range of authentic corsets, burlesque corsets, corset tops and corset costumes available on its website. mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 49

MAN STYLE

Facial Hair?

To beard or not to beard — the question before us BY JULIETTE LORD

whose moustache became synonymous with the 1980s, is still sporting his “He that hath a beard is more than a trademark upper lip as he approaches his 70s. Frank Zappa’s family copyyouth, and he that hath no beard is less righted the image of his iconic mousthan a man.” William Shakespeare tache. Groucho Marx, Fashions in facial hair Charlie Chaplin, Howard come and go. Early cave Hughes and Santa Claus paintings show Stone Age would not be recognimen removing their facial sable without those facial hair with sea shells, which follicles. Salvador Dali would suggest that the with his eccentric waxed decision to grow or not moustache, together with grow a beard is as old as renowned photographer human society itself. Philippe Halsman, actuFacial hair is not mereally managed to produce ly a matter of aesthetics. an entire book on the It is often loaded with subject. Dali’s Mustache cultural significance. A is available online from study in 1990 found that Amazon. managers hiring staff perThe 2012 Fall collecceived those with facial tions saw a number of hair to be better candidesigners using follicly Selleck’s beard is dates than those without synonymous with the ‘80s. enhanced male modfacial hair. Moreover, JOE SEER els. Vivienne Westwood they thought men with used frozen faux beards. beards were better than Henrik Vibskov had some impressive men with just moustaches. Men with full beards and matching moustaches. facial hair were perceived to be higher Hermes and Roberto Cavalli used shortin maturity, physical attractiveness, selfer trimmed versions while Umit Benan’s confidence, intelligence and general models looked like the cast from “Fidcompetency. dler on the Roof.” Some famous men would be unTaking the plunge and growing thinkable without their signature facial facial hair is not a simple as just stophair. Magnum PI actor Tom Selleck, 50 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

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ping shaving. Some men can grow beards and moustaches much easier than others. Some men will discover they have uneven growth and bald patches; some will only have sparse growth. When growing a beard, remember that the hairs on your face do not all grow at the same time. Some patience is required to see where the hair will eventually grow and this can take between four to six weeks. The first few weeks will be an itchy process and moisturising may help at this stage. A great product to use for this is the very versatile Cosmetic Lad available online from Lush Cosmetics. This is not only a fantastic facial moisturiser but can also be used as an after-sun cream, a shaving balm for the bits you continue to shave and a hair styling cream. Lush cosmetics are available worldwide at lush.com. You should be prepared for not looking your best in these initial stages. Continuing to shave the neck area will reduce the scruffy unkempt look. Once you have four to six weeks of growth you can evaluate what sort of beard is possible for you, or whether it was a bad idea. If you decide to become beardy, the best way forward is to go to a professional barber to trim and style it. They should also be able to advise you on how best to maintain it. Additionally, there are several home beard trimmers on the market, ranging from cheap basic models at less than $10 to more sophisticated versions at $80 plus. Unfortunately deciding to grow a beard does not mean that your daily grooming schedule will be reduced. Maintenance is the key to great looking facial hair be it a pencil moustache, goatee or a fully-fledged beard.

This year’s Vivienne Westwood men at Autumn 2012-13 Milan Fashion Week were a bit furry.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Getting Nailed BY THELMA LAY

O Thelma Lay

ne of the best ways a woman can spoil and pamper herself is to have a nice manicure. Having 10 beautiful nails can give a woman an extra boost in confidence. With so many colors and designs, the possibilities are endless whether you go to a professional or put aside a special time to do your own manicure.

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1. Thick Polish

No need to throw out the bottle just because the polish is thick. By adding a few drops of nail polish remover and stirring, the polish will thin out in no time and be like new. Another trick is to place the bottle in boiling water for a few seconds. Â

2. Bubbles

Sometimes a bottle of polish can develop bubbles. The easy trick is to take the bottle between both palms and roll it back and forth. Do not shake - this will only cause more bubbles to form.

3. Fast Dry

Many people have little tricks to dry your nails fast: hair dryer, rubbing ice or submerging your hands in cold water for approximately SEPTEMBER 2012

three minutes. All good and well, but another great trick is using cooking spray. Just a few sprays of cooking oil does the trick and also moisturizes your cuticles at the same time!

4. Yellowing Nails

Sometimes after long periods of wearing nail polish, our natural nails become a yellowish color. If you want to brighten them up try making a paste of baking soda and lemon juice. With an old toothbrush, brush the nails. After 2-3 days of doing this, you will notice a huge difference. Make sure you apply moisturizer since baking soda is an abrasive.

5. Quick clean-ups

Rub some Vaseline on the skin around the nail. If you make a mistake painting your nails, the polish just wipes off and the added bonus? The Vaseline moisturizes your cuticles. mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 53

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

The Wanderland of Rotorua

The champagne pools of Rotorua attract people from all over the world.

|JANET SERRA

BY JANET SERRA Polynesian in origin, the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, have many wondrous tales and beliefs. Legend has it that New Zealand was fished from the sea by the daring demigod Maui; others say New Zealand was formed when mother earth and father sky were torn from each other’s arms to make room for the enticing landscape that is New Zealand. New Zealand is located on the

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edge of the “Pacific rim of fire,” and one of the places where these turbulent forces of nature are still evident is Rotorua. This city is located on a volcanic plateau that is one of the world’s most active geothermal areas. Sky-rocketing geysers, unspoiled forests filled with silver ferns and trees in shapes that defy imagination, hot springs, pools in every shade of the rainbow, bubbling mud and sulfur-crusted fields tell you this place is alive with activity. A visit to Rotorua is fused with the warm welcome of the Te Arawa people who settled here more than 600 years ago. A not-to-be-missed activity is a steam-cooked feast called a Hangi and performances in an authentic Maori village. Visitors are greeted by the chief of the village and escorted to the marae — village — for a feast. The celebration of life and togetherness by the sharing of food is an important part of Maori culture. A hangi feast consists of prime New Zealand lamb and chicken along with potatoes, kumara and carrots that are steamed for hours under the earth and impart a slightly smokey flavor. It is delicious. After SEPTEMBER 2012

The Waimangu Volcanic Valley — LEFT — is a protected scenic reserve and wildlife refuge located near Rotorua and houses some of the most exotic and rare plants in the world — ABOVE.

|JANET SERRA

Geysers are common in the volcanic plateaus and valleys surrounding Rotorua.

|JANET SERRA

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the feast, the reciting of tales and dancing — including the spine chilling haka or war dance begins. Thousands of years of volcanic activity in the making, Wai-O-Tapu — sacred waters — is simply an awe-inspiring wonderland. A walk around this undulating landscape with well-marked trails and look-out points is unforgettable. Highlights include the world famous champagne lake, opal pool, rainbow crater, the sinister devils home, beautiful artist’s palate and naturally colored hot and cold pools. At 10:15 every morning, the Lady Knox Geyser goes off and provides a unique opportunity to see a

geyser in eruption to heights of 10-20 metres. A visit to Wai-O-Tapu would not be complete without a visit to the Mud Pool. This was the site of a large mud volcano that was destroyed through erosion in the 1920s. It now represents one of the best opportunities to experience the unique character and sounds of erupting mud in New Zealand where this type of thermal activity is guaranteed. A visit to the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, a protected scenic reserve and wildlife refuge, is well worth the visit. A 20 minute ride from Rotorua will bring you to this unspoiled ecosystem of rare plants, superb SEPTEMBER 2012

panoramas, thermal activity and volcanic craters in what is the world’s youngest geothermal system. Finish your day with a cruise on beautiful Lake Rotomahana. Hell’s Gate, owned by the Maori people, features a host of geothermal attractions, including New Zealand’s largest active mud volcano and the largest hot waterfall in the southern hemisphere. Most importantly, Hell’s Gate is the home of a historic mud bath and sulphur spa that leaves your skin clean and soft to the touch that seems to last for weeks. The Maori have been bathing in the geothermal muds and sulphur here for more than SEPTEMBER 2012

700 years, and European settlers have been enjoying the waters for more than 150 years. Visitors will delight in feeling rejuvenated by the silky smooth grey mud that has been enjoyed for centuries. The place to stay in Rotorua is the quaint Victorian Princess Gate Hotel built in 1887. This charming and perfectly appointed boutique hotel is centrally located. It overlooks the beautiful Government Gardens and New Zealand Art Gallery. Take an evening drink on the veranda as the sun goes down over this amazing city that is a physical as well as spiritual destination.

The Princess Gate hotel is a Victorian hotel built in the 1880s and overlooks the city of Rotorua.

|JANET SERRA

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CREATIVE FOCUS

Kelly Richardson

WHO

Kelly Richardson is a digital artist born in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, but now resides in Northeast England. She received her undergraduate degree from the Ontario College of Art and Design and master’s degree from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and Newcastle University.

DESIGN SIGNATURE Videos of “hyper-real” landscapes technologically enhanced using 3-D software

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RECENT & FORTHCOMING EXHIBITS • 2014 - Contemporary Art Gallery Vancouver, Kelly Richardson: Legion (V), curated by Nigel Prince, Vancouver, Canada • Laing Art Gallery, Mariner 9, curated by Julie Milne, Newcastle, UK • 2013 - Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Kelly Richardson: Legion (IV), curated by Holly Hughes, Buffalo, USA • Towner, Kelly Richardson: Legion (III), Eastbourne, UK UWAG, Kelly Richardson • (tba), curated by Ivan Jurakic, Waterloo, Canada

• 2012 - Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Kelly Richardson: Legion, curated by Alistair Robinson, Sunderland, UK • Spanish City Dome, Mariner 9, presented by Tyneside Cinema, Whitley Bay, UK Grundy Art Gallery, Kelly Richardson: Legion (II), Blackpool, UK • NGC, Kelly Richardson: Orion Tide, Sunderland, UK • 2011 - Artpace, Leviathan, curated by Heather Pesanti, San Antonio, Texas, USA SAAG, The Erudition,

curated by Ryan Doherty, Lethbridge, Alberta • Yukon Art Centre, Kelly Richardson: Twilight Avenger, curated by Earl Miller, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada • 2010 - Birch Libralato, The Erudition, Toronto, Canada • Diverseworks/Aurora Picture Show, Fotofest 2010 Biennial: Twilight Avenger, Houston, Texas. ‘Mariner 9’, 2012. 3-channel HD panoramic video installation with 5.1 surround sound, 20 min loop Originally commissioned by Tyneside Cinema, UK

|COLIN DAVISON

Behind Kelly Richardson’s

MARINER 9 NASA launched Mariner 9 toward Mars May 30, 1971 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and it arrived at the planet Nov. 14 of the same year. It was the first spacecraft to orbit Mars, rapidly followed by Soviet Mars 2 and Mars 3, which both arrived a few weeks later. After months of dust storms, it managed to send back clear pictures of the surface of the planet. Mars has long played on the human imagination as the most likely local planet to be inhabited by anything from single cell organisms to little green men. On Nov. 26, 2011, NASA launched the aptlynamed Curiosity rover which reached Mars in August. Curiosity’s mission involves studying the red planet in an attempt to discover information of past and present Martian environments and its potential to support life. Coinciding with this historic landmark in space exploration history, Canadian-born Kelly Richardson opened her premier showing of her astonishing video art installation Mariner 9 at Whitley Bay’s historic Spanish City Dome. Whitley Bay is a coastal venue in the Northeast of England close to Newcastle Upon Tyne and the work 60 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

was commissioned by Pixel Palace, the digital media arts programme of the Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. Mariner 9 is an enormous 12 metre wide video work on a human scale which makes the experience immersive. In the past Richardson filmed real landscapes and then worked her technological magic to produce what she terms “hyper real” cinema, a term taken from cultural theorist Jean Baudrillard which refers to something which is a simulation of something which does not actually exist. Mariner 9, however, proved additionally challenging as clearly it was impossible to film on the surface of Mars. Undaunted, Richardson discovered Nasa had the digital data available to reconstruct the environment using 3-D software. She even managed to replicate a 3-D dust storm which lasts for 20 minutes. “Taking NASA’s own imagery and technical data of the Martian landscape and using Terragen, a complex scenery generation software used by the film and gaming industries, Kelly has created an uber-realistic red planet, minutely replicating its distinctive geology, weather patSEPTEMBER 2012

terns and soundscape,” Exhibit commissioner Pixel Palace described Mariner 9. Mariner 9 is a glimpse into Richardson’s vision of Mars some 200 years in the future. It shows the planet’s surface littered with space satellites, some of which are replicas of actual rovers and crafts that have been sent to Mars and others which are products of Richardson’s imagination and artistic skill. “Despite its suggested abandoned state, several of the spacecraft continue to partially function, to do their intended jobs, to ultimately find signs of life, possibly transmitting the data back to no one,” Richardson said to Kyeo TV earlier this year. “That search for life, to know that we’re not alone in the universe is interesting on many levels but it’s also an endearing SEPTEMBER 2012

endeavour, particularly for a species seemingly hell-bent on destroying the vast majority of life we know to exist as we continue to consume our planet at a truly alarming rate. Within all of my work including Mariner 9, I’m interested in creating a kind of contemporary or future sublime: landscapes which are arresting and beautiful but equally unnerving.” Now a resident in the North East of England [a]Richardson also has a solo show entitled Legion at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art in Sunderland, which is eight miles from the Spanish City Dome where Mariner 9 is being shown[b]. This will be Richardson’s first UK solo show and will run until Sept. 29. Over the next couple of years, Mariner 9 and Legion will tour to the Towner, Eastbourne,

Kelly Richardson’s ‘Mariner 9’ is a hyper realistic representation of Mars from photos sent back from NASA’s Mariner 9 spacecraft. The exhibit premiered the same day Curiosity was launched.

|COLIN DAVISON

the Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool, the Albright Knox Gallery in Buffalo, New York and the Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver. If you would like to know more about Kelly Richardson and her work, visit kellyrichardson.net. More information on Pixel Palace’s and Mariner 9 can be found at thepixelpalace.org/ events/mariner9. mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 61

Molecular Gastronomy THE SCIENCE OF COOKING

BY JULIETTE LORD

call it, this type of cooking requires more than a set of Using techniques and equip- knives and a blender. Chefs will employ smoking flasks of ment more often associated liquid nitrogen to rapidly cool with a laboratory rather than a kitchen, molecular gastronomy food, syringes to produce tiny caviar-type spheres, and state is literally the science of cookof the art water baths to ensure ing. precision cooking. Given that The term originated in liquid nitrogen, for example, is 1992 from Hungarian born cold enough (-320°F or -196°C) physicist, Nicholas Kurti. Kurti found time between working on to cause severe frostbite upon uranium isotopes to develop an contact with the skin, these are interest in fine cuisine and occa- techniques that most people would not wish to try out at sionally hosted conferences on food science with French chem- home. However, It is particularly useful for freezing foods, ist Hervé This. This became because nitrogen is odourless, the inspiration for several of colourless, and tasteless. the top contemporary cuttingThe first taste of molecular edge chefs, even though many gastronomy is usually experiof them resist the “molecular enced in the restaurants of some gastronomy” label preferring of the world’s leading chefs, terms such as “modern cuisine,” “experimental cuisine” or including Ferran Adria from El Bulli in Rosas, Spain; Heston “avant-garde cuisine.” Blumenthal, from The Fat Duck Whatever you prefer to 62 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

in Bray and Dinner in the UK; Pierre Gagnaire, from his restaurant in Paris, France; Grant Achatz from Alinea in Chicago, Ill. and Wylie Dufresne from wd-50 in New York. The UK Chef Heston Blumenthal has managed, in his role of TV celebrity chef, to familiarise those of us unable to get a table in one of these prestigious restaurants with some of the techniques associated with this most modern of cooking genres. With his signature rimmed glasses and white coat, Blumenthal is the epitome of the mad scientist as he manipulates fuming glass flasks and industrial-looking blow torches. Famous for dishes such as snail porridge and bacon and egg icecream, Blumenthal is one of the most innovative chefs around and his two restaurants, the recently opened Dinner and SEPTEMBER 2012

the more established The Fat Duck, feature at numbers nine and 13 respectively in the 2012 World Fifty Top Restaurant list. It may be surprising therefore to discover that Blumenthal has made efforts to get regular people cooking molecular gastronomy in their own homes. In one of his UK Channel 4 TV series entitled “How to Cook Like Heston,” he gives detailed step-by-step instructions on recipes such as “Exploding Chocolate Gateau,” “Cheese on Toast Icecream” and “Potato Milk Jam.” A full range of the recipes shown on the show can be found at the Channel 4 website. Clearly some of the more extreme gadgetry of professional molecular gastronomy cookery is to be avoided in the amateur kitchens of the TV audience, but techniques such as using residual heat to cook a perfect boiled egg and employing tools such as paint guns and blow torches for a chocolate gateau firmly situate these recipes in the molecular gastronomy realm. For those even more adventurous cooks, there are now places to obtain specialised gadgets and ingredients for amateurs who wish to try their hand at some professional style cuisine. The molecular recipes website provides a starter kit which includes sachets of such essentials as Agar-Agar, Calcium Lactate, Soy Lecithin, Xanthan Gum and Sodium Alginate SEPTEMBER 2012

along with pipettes, syringes and other equipment. The “willpowder” website also provides a vast array of specialist ingredients to start a molecular gastronomy adventure, and is broken down into helpful categories such as “emulsification,” “spherification” and “thickening,” making it easy to find the product for the particular process you require. Another essential item for the wannabe molecular gastronome is the whipping canister to make those all-important culinary foams. These work by using a gas canister filled with nitrous oxide, which effectively fills the ingredient (such as cream) with tiny bubbles to produce a foam-like texture. These are available online in the UK and the USA. Other specialised equipment such as Sous Vide thermal cooking baths and the Anti –Griddle (used to freeze items quickly and to varying degrees of texture) are available if you have upwards of $1,000 US to spend. Liquid nitrogen can be delivered to home addresses but you will require a specialised Dewar container to store it or it will just evaporate, and you will require some special safety gloves and glasses to handle it.

While some people criticise molecular gastronomy as being artificial and unhealthy it should be remembered that although some of the ingredients have been processed they are all originally of biological origin and safe to eat. Most people regularly consume some quantity of chemical additives in their diet and the very process of cooking itself involves a chemical reaction to the food when heat is added. Molecular gastronomy simply advances and refines this process and in its application of science it creates increased opportunities for the chef to produce artistic, creative and innovative dishes. The artistry lies in the formulation of new tastes, textures and visual aesthetics of the food, the science is just the means of achieving that goal.

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