26 Remix Qatar 06 Contributors 08 remix
The New York Times Style Magazine SPRING travel 2012
A sojourn to Japan with the Morning Benders, Styled to a T: Krochet Kids and Michele and Nicola Finotto, New spas in St. Bart’s, The best beaches in West Africa, travel-ready kits, Mumbai’s neighborhood of the moment, A Jacques Garcia-designed New York hotel, Coach’s brush with James Nares , Jonas Wood’s fanciful interiors, fashion mavericks in Chicago, a new angle on Ward Bennett, Profile in Style: Tom Delavan.
31 High Art Pop Culture. Takashi Murakami’s “Ego” Exhibition. 34 An Experience beyond shopping writes Rory Coen. 36 Beauty in Magnitude. Rodrigo Vargas tells Sindhu Nair why he loves designing hotel complexes. 38 The Old in the New. Ayaba is not just reversing the order of the letters in ‘abaya’, it is about bringing out the glory in it, writes Debrina Aliyah. 42 Fashion Authority Holding. The esteemed title of Buying Director for Net-a-Porter is a thrill for Texas native Holli Rogers. By Orna Ballout 44 A need for Designer Fairs. By Laurene Leon Boym.
Copyright © 2012 The New York Times
47 SEEN QATAR
All for a jacket, Nidhi Zakaria Eipe caught up with two of Qatar’s ambassadors for the Puma “Built for One” T7 campaign to get their take on art, film and design in Qatar and the Middle East.
54 TALK
54 The ghostly allure of Brontë country
beckons a writer back. By Daphne Merkin.
56 The California town of Bakersfield is
rich with music and oil, and both are still pumping. By Ethan Hauser. 58 A photojournalist on assignment in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya finds the humanity behind the headlines. By Trevor Snapp. 61 Thanks to one shoe designer, evolutionary biology has never looked so good. By Jacob Brown. 64 In small-town Arkansas, a family fits in by standing out. By Fred A. Bernstein. 66 Jonathan Weiss is the wizard of sound. By Robert Sullivan. 71 The artist Mark Dion’s passion? Everything. By Jim Lewis.
72 FACE
72 Profile in Style: Daniel de la Falaise. 75 Golen Ticket, Artwork by ConfettiSystem 76 The Liu Wen Express, The world’s most famous Chinese model tours the motherland – and my, how both have changed. By Christina Larson. Photographs by Angelo Pennetta. Fashion editor: Ethel Park. 84 The Possibility of an island, Can one woman’s go-for-broke crusade rescue a forgotten speck off the coast of Canada? By Jim Lewis. Photographs by Jason Schmidt. 90 The Tao of Hoffman, At 74 Dustin Hoffman is ready for anything. By Giles Foden. Photographs by Hedi Slimane. Fashion editor: Sara Moonves.
On the cover Photograph by hedi slimane. the actor dustin hoffman wears a dunhill sweater, QR5090.64.
96 TIMELY
The skateboarder Nyjah Huston. By Tim Murphy. Photograph by Colin Dodgson.
Copyright © 2012 The New York Times
contributors Trevor
Snapp Jacob
Brown ‘‘By digging deeper into a story, I believe photographers can play a role in preventing conflict rather than just reporting on it,’’ says Trevor Snapp, a 31-year-old Corbis photojournalist who divides his time between Uganda, Mexico City and the world’s most dangerous war zones. Snapp gets the pictures his editors want but tends to stick around to get more. He shares a collection of personal, previously unpublished photographs in ‘‘Revolutionary Road’’ (Page 58), including those from a visit with a Salafi fundamentalist, Marwan, with whom he ate freshly slaughtered sheep.
‘‘Ideally I look for something entertaining but also journalistic,’’ says T’s features director, Jacob Brown. In ‘‘Revolutionary Road’’ (Page 58), he worked closely with Trevor Snapp to bring to T his tale of the Arab Spring. Brown spent January traveling from the Golden Globes in L.A. direct to Milan and Paris for the men’s shows, and then to Sundance (getting back in time to finalize articles on fashion’s obsession with running shoes and the designer Siki Im). ‘‘It’s great to stumble on an overlooked masterpiece at a place like Sundance and give it a huge story, or even a cover,’’ he says. More on that in a future issue.
Nair Orna Ballout corresponde n t Rory Coen Ezdihar Ibrahim Ali editorial coordinator Cassey Oliveira
Bernstein
editor Sindhu
fashion
&
lifest yle corresponde n t
art director
Venkat Reddy Abu Saiam senior graphic designer Ayush Indrajith graphic designer Maheshwar Reddy photography Rob Altamirano assistant art director Hanan
manager– marketing Zulfikar Jiffry Assistant Managers - Marketing Chaturka Karandana T h o m as J os e media consultant Hassan Rekkab
Fred A.
& editor- in- chief Yousuf Jassem Al Darwish chief executive Sandeep Sehgal executive vice president Alpana Roy vice president Ravi Raman
publisher
marketing research
& support
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accountan t
Emily Landry Pratap Chandran
sr. distribution executive Bikram Shrestha distribution suppo rt Arjun Timilsina Bhimal Rai
Qatar
Giles
Foden Giles Foden’s best-known novel, ‘‘The Last King of Scotland,’’ not only was made into an Oscar-winning film, but it also became the name of a racehorse. Foden believes such an homage is also deserved by Dustin Hoffman, who plays a racetrack macher in the HBO series ‘‘Luck.’’ ‘‘He’s so charming,’’ Foden said of the screen legend, profiled on Page 90. ‘‘Especially after a glass or two of the Athenaeum Club’s best claret.’’ Such conviviality is likely absent from Foden’s next novel, which imagines a near future in which water shortages disrupt the balance of world power.
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The Brooklyn-based writer Fred A. Bernstein contributes frequently to The Times, Departures and ‘‘every magazine with architecture in the title,’’ he says. Interested as much in the people who inhabit the buildings as the buildings themselves, Bernstein profiled a gay couple who moved into a Modernist house in small-town Arkansas in ‘‘A Bold Move’’ (Page 64). As for his own home, Bernstein got rid of his coffee table to accommodate a Ping-Pong table for his sons. ‘‘Form follows function,’’ he says.
published by
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photograph BY cedric bihr Fashion Editor: jason rider
The People
Kohl Crecelius (left), Stewart Ramsey (center) and Travis Hartanov (seated), founders of the nonprofit accessories company Krochet Kids International.
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The Project
The trio teaches women in impoverished nations how to crochet, exports their goods and then gives back all proceeds from the sales.
The Products
This month, Krochet Kids will introduce more of their trademark hats, including some made in Peru, and a line of bow ties and scarves made in Uganda.
fashion assistant: nicole boutiette. grooming by kristen shaw at the magnet agency.
on crecelius (far left): nigel cabourn jacket, QR3,185. go to barneys.com. post overalls vest, price on request. go to extra-nyc.com. j.crew henley, QR262.10. go to jcrew.com. levi’s pants, QR247.52. go to levi.com. gucci shoes, QR2093. go to gucci.com. on ramsey: j. crew jacket, price on request. burberry prorsum shirt, QR1801.8. go to burberry.com. krochet kids International t-shirt, QR72.8. go to krochetkids.org. nigel cabourn shorts, QR1,328.6. dries van noten shoes, QR2,9302.2. go to jeffreynewyork.com. on hartanov: michael kors shirt, QR1,073.8, and henley, QR637. go to bloomingdales.com. burberry prorsum pants,QR2,893.8. salvatore ferragamo shoes, QR1,019.2. krochet kids international hat, QR95.
Leisure Island
POINTS west
For Yodit Eklund, the 26-year-old designer behind Bantu swimwear, the beaches along Africa’s West Coast are a source of inspiration — so she photographed her recent collection there (including the suits above, on the road to Assinie-Mafia in Ivory Coast). She wonders why ‘‘some of the best beaches in the world’’ are surfed only by locals. Here, Eklund’s favorite spots.
Kribi, Cameroon Kribi is known for the break at Tara Plage, but surfing is only one reason to visit. Close by are the Lobé waterfalls, where fresh water falls directly into the Atlantic. Stay at Hotel Ilomba (hotelilomba.com), nestled in a tropical garden along a sandy beach. If you’re feeling ambitious,
head a few hours north to Limbe, where black sand beaches come courtesy of Mount Cameroon, an active volcano. Azuretti, Ivory Coast This quaint community is known for its expert fishermen, who charge the morning waves in pirogues, or flat-bottom canoes. In the afternoon, you can watch the fishermen’s children surf on planks of wood — or anything they can find that floats. ‘‘No one knows the ocean better,’’ Eklund says. La Maison de la Lagune (lamaisondelalagune.net) offers charming beach bungalows.
Assinie-mafia, Ivory Coast
Eklund’s all-time favorite beach — ‘‘the St. Tropez of West Africa,’’ she says — is east of Abidjan, between the ocean and a lagoon. It’s accessible only by canoe or private boat. Among mostly private beach chalets sits the Coucoué Lodge (coucouelodge .blogspot.com), a waterfront hotel with a fun nightclub. A few miles further down the coast is a remote surf spot near the Ghana border known locally as Mami Wata. You have to cross two lagoons by canoe to get there, but when you’re surrounded by nothing but mangroves and ocean, Eklund says, you’ll feel like the only person on earth. Chelsea Zalopany
Bag Check The latest travel-ready kits from all over the globe.
Omorovicza Essentials A facial in a bag from Hungary, with moisturizer, night cream, cleansing balm and mist . QR546, omorovicza.com.
top: abass makke. from left: tube swimsuit,QR655. at opening ceremony, New York and L.A. U-shaped one-piece, QR655. at barneys new york. board shorts, QR437. at the webster, Miami. le sereno: jimmy cohrssen. products: jens mortensen (4).
Dakar, Senegal The beaches in and around Senegal’s capital are a boater and surfer’s paradise. From the city it’s only a 10-minute ferry ride to Île de N’Gor, an island with world-class breaks. (It was one of the stops in ‘‘The Endless Summer.’’) For lessons, check out the N’Gor Island Surf Camp (gosurf.dk), a rustic inn popular with surfers.
When it comes to hedonistic pleasures — clothing-optional beaches, mega-yachts — St. Bart’s isn’t exactly lacking. But until recently, the island had one curious deficiency: a scarcity of high-end spas. (Hôtel Guanahani’s Clarins center was the only game in town.) Then last fall the Isle de France spa (islede-france.com) overhauled its treatments with the help of Natura Bissé, a company known for its anti-aging technology. Le Sereno (lesereno.com) added a Christian Liaigre-designed spa with an indoor-outdoor waterfront pavilion (below) and a menu heavy on products from the local brand Ligne St. Barth. And the Hotel Christopher (hotelchristopher .com) just opened a spa with seafacing treatment rooms and 15 different massages. Jill Fergus
Go Smile Jet Set Kit Aromatherapy whitening toothpastes for both day and night, courtesy of California (of course). QR55, gosmile.com.
Eshu Road Warrior A straightshooting Aussie trio for men: shave gel, face wash and moisturizer. QR116, macys.com.
L i ly N i m a
Percy & Reed Quick Fix A mobile arsenal of British hair remedies, from dry shampoo to finishing polish. QR138, shen-beauty.com.
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Hakkasan � The design team Gilles & Boissier lent just enough chinoiserie to the minimalist interiors at this new branch of the Michelin-starred London restaurant. The Chinese-centric menu includes dishes like stir-fried lotus root and duck salad with pomelo and pine nuts. Krystal, 206 Waterfield Road; 011-9122-2644-4444; hakkasan.com. �
star of india The Mumbai suburb of Bandra, long a
refuge for the city’s Catholics, feels more like an expat playground these days. And with a flurry of new galleries, shops and bars, the district is officially rivaling South Mumbai as the city’s style hub.
The Shop � A regular supplier to Western brands, this New Delhi-based textiles and housewares company opened a second store in a charming Bandra bungalow last year. Look for block- and screen-printed children’s clothes, recycled fabric hippo toys and a wide assortment of Kama Ayurveda soaps and oils. Ambedkar Road, opposite Pali Village Cafe; 011-91-222648-7887; theshopindia.com. Ahilaya � In a bright white interior hang lilac and lemon-yellow tunics and cover-ups, all expertly tailored in a modern silhouette and adorned with a touch of chikan, an embroidery style from the northern Indian city of Lucknow. Nav Pooja Apartments, Perry Cross Road, near Peace Haven bungalow; 011-91-22-2655-3366; ahilaya.com.
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Drashta At this new sunlit boutique on the neighborhood’s edge, Drashta Sarvaiya, India’s current runway star, puts her keen sense of fabric and color on full display: quilted silk-satin jackets, pleated chiffon dresses, ruched tops and embellished tunics in hot pink, indigo and saffron orange. B4, Snow White Co-op Housing Society, 18th Road, Khar; 011-91-22-2648-0838; drashta.in. False Ceiling The graphic designer Karthikeyan Ramachandran recently opened this informal space, touted as Bandra’s first real art gallery, as a platform for emerging artists, including the ones who work and live at a hillside residency he runs in nearby Kamshet. Currently on exhibit are drawings from Ramachandran’s graphic novel. Ambedkar Road, Pali Naka; 011-91-22-2605-5759; false-ceiling.com. Tanvi Chheda
If the British economy is flagging, it’s no worse than it was in 1948, when London’s last Summer Olympics earned the nickname the ‘‘Austerity Games’’ — an irony that hasn’t gone unnoticed. Luckily the city’s museums are stepping in to burnish its brand: two exhibitions focused on postwar British design are making the case that the country’s economic tribulations have always coincided with periods of creative ascendancy. ‘‘British Design 1948 to 2012,’’ opening March 31 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, charts artistic upticks after the war, during the oil crisis in the ’70s and after the recession in the ’80s, when the ‘‘creative salvage’’ movement spurred the careers of designers like Tom Dixon. ‘‘Designing Women,’’ at the Fashion and Textile Museum, which opened March 16, focuses on the midcentury modern textile designs of Lucienne Day, Jacqueline Groag and Marian Mahler, and plays up a heroic moment of British ingenuity: three women inspired by the Bauhaus and the Secessionists rejected the chintzes and florals of the ’30s and ’40s and helped democratize modernism. MONICA KHEMSUROV Modern English A 1961 Jaguar E-Type and a 1986 poster (far left) by John Maybury, at the Victoria and Albert Museum; a midcentury fabric by Lucienne Day (near left), at the Fashion and Textile Museum.
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The Shop: Shawn fernandes; clockwise from bottom: Jaguar Heritage; Courtesy of john maybury/victoria and albert museum; Courtesy of the fashion and textile museum.
Austerity Chic
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Left: the 168room property was designed in the ‘‘grand European tradition,’’ Zobler says. Spaces are intimate and filled with rich materials like embroidered raw silk.
nomad land With the opening of the Jacques Garcia-
designed NoMad Hotel (thenomadhotel.com), on the once-bleak corner of Broadway and 28th Street, the transformation of New York’s old ‘‘Tin Pan Alley’’ hits a peak. rima suqi
Right: for the rooms, Garcia was inspired by a photograph of an apartment in Paris where he lived in his 20s: clawfoot tubs sit next to antique writing desks beneath windows with architectural views.
Left: NoMad’s owner Andrew Zobler enlisted Daniel Humm and Will Guidara, the duo behind the three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park, to do the restaurant. Expect local-centric dishes and a family-style tasting menu.
Left: details like antique plank flooring, embossed leather headboards and distressed leather club chairs suit the hotel’s 1903 bones. Zobler wanted the hotel to feel like ‘‘a great house.’’
Case Study
Dror Benshetrit (left), the sought-after designer behind Dror, is no stranger to travel. He is constantly touring cities like Istanbul, Paris, New Delhi and Tokyo to show off his innovative building systems, like QuaDror, a ‘‘space-truss geometry’’ sleek enough to be confused with art and strong enough to apply to table trestles, houses and even bridges. So when the luggage maker Tumi approached him to create its latest — and his first — line of travel bags, he thought, How complex can it be? Very, it turned out. Nevertheless, Benshetrit pushed the boundaries of what a suitcase can be, with a collection of chic, multifunctional bags: totes that become backpacks, reversible briefcases, expandable satchels and a hard-shell carry-on that, with two pulls of a hinge, doubles in size. ‘‘Static objects do not work for me,’’ he says. Go to tumi.com. Kathryn branch 16
nomad, from left: Francesco Tonelli; Benoit Linero (4). benshetrit: backyard bill.
Below: the NoMad neighborhood is on the rise: a block away is the Ace Hotel, also developed by Zobler, and across the street is the designers Isabel and Ruben Toledo’s studio.
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The designers Clayton and Flavie Webster in their apartment in Los Feliz, Calif. ‘‘It’s very simple, but it’s a sanctuary,’’ Clayton says. ‘‘Most of our energy goes into the shop these days.’’
Above: Flavie wears a 19th-century cape in Angeles National Forest after a 2010 forest fire. Below: Chompy, the couple’s beloved Bengal.
The Cerre boutique; Clayton designed its limited-edition onyx and steel ‘‘planetary’’ tables.
Known for sharp tailoring and custom leathers (Rooney Mara wore one of their jackets in ‘‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’’), the designers behind Cerre find inspiration wherever they go. ‘‘We’re as fascinated by huge structures, like the pyramids, as we are by tiny patterns we see in New York bridges or alleyways,’’ says Clayton, who’s half Danish. Former models, the pair met in 2000 on a train from Paris to Cologne. ‘‘I chased her all around France and Spain for three months before she would even go out with me,’’ Clayton says. Flavie quips: ‘‘I’m French — I’m difficult.’’ Since then, they’ve traversed Europe, Senegal, Morocco and Egypt. Their new Los Angeles boutique (a celebrity magnet) has served to tame their nomadic tendencies, but they compensate by seeking creative mojo closer to home. ‘‘We drive deep into the desert,’’ Clayton says. ‘‘We love finding abandoned buildings completely overtaken by nature.’’ Sandra Ballentine
Apartment and Boutique: kava Gorna (3); all others images from Cerre.
FlaviE and Clayton Webster
Left: the ceramic skull was a gift from a friend; the couple found the cat sculpture in Egypt. Right: they take regular walks in Griffith Park.
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A Tokyo Bender
Last summer while the Morning Benders toured Japan, Chris Chu, the indie pop band’s boyish frontman, turned the trip into a heritage tour. Chu (with Japanese friends�)) was born near Tokyo but raised in California. ‘‘I’m soft-spoken and a little shy,’’ he says. ’’And I just felt immediately like I related to people there.’’ REBECCA WILLA DAVIS
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SLURPEES The band binged on ramen � , sampling something like 25 different noodle joints. Chu says that for classic tonkotsu, or pork-bone ramen, Nantsuttei in Tokyo (3-26-20 Takanawa, Minato-ku; 011-81-3-5791-1355) ‘‘blew everything else out of the water.’’ They also swooned for the summertime staple tsukemen, or dipping ramen, the best of which they found at Fu-Unji (2-14-3 Yoyogi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; 011-81-3-6413-8480). IN HOT WATER For a side trip, Chu and company set upon Nagano prefecture, home of the Japanese Alps. In lieu of skiing, off-season visitors enjoy ‘‘really beautiful hiking and onsen’’ (hot spring baths�). In Shirahone, Chu says, ‘‘They have this kind of water that looks like milk. It just feels so good on your skin.’’ TOP SHOP The denim outfitter Kapital� (multiple locations; kapital.jp) is taking the Japanese obsession with Americana to new extremes: bonnets, embroidered button-downs and, Chu says, ‘‘also this early-American, pilgrim-looking fashion line that people are starting to wear.’’
OPEN MIC Big Echo � (7-14-12 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo; 011-81-3-5770-7700), a popular karaoke chain offering private rooms, also happens to be the name of the band’s sophomore album. ‘‘That’s my favorite karaoke place, by default,’’ Chu says. ‘‘You have Japanese teens singing Green Day and Nirvana.’’ HIT THE MAT Chu took friends to Toki No Ma (2-3-14 Ebisu-Minami, 2nd Floor, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; 011-81-3-5722-8600), a sleek izakaya that serves local delicacies like horse sashimi. The back room is lined with tatami mats. ‘‘It’s sunken down and you take your shoes off,’’ Chu says. ‘‘It felt like we went through a time portal.’’ PEACE OUT The Benders took lazy post-show strolls through the bohemian Nakameguro neighborhood. ‘‘It’s a cool blend of different aspects of Tokyo because it’s one stop from Shibuya, where you’d be in the heart of the city, and then there’s also the side that’s a lot mellower because you have a canal running through it.’’
spirited choices
The Blind Barber, the East Village barbershop-cum-speakeasy, is fusing its twin obsessions in a new line of cocktail-inspired grooming products. The creams and aftershave are infused with juniper berries (a key ingredient of gin), and the hair wax and pomade are made with hops. But ye olde barbershop ablutions these are not: ‘‘We thought using a badger brush to whip up shaving cream, apply a preshave oil, lather twice, etc., was just too much for the guy at home,’’ says Jeff Laub (left), who founded Blind Barber with Josh Boyd and Adam Kirsch in 2010. ‘‘These products are for the style-conscious guy that’s got better things to do than spend an hour in front of the mirror.’’ Like forgetting about a bad haircut with a stiff drink. YURI CHONG 18
Laub: cedric bihr. fashion editor: jason rider. oliver spencer shirt, QR728, and shorts, QR874. go to oliverspencer.co.uk. l. l. bean signature sweatshirt, QR251. go to llbeansignature.com. 2. Tadao Yamamoto/corbis.
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photograph BY martien mulder Fashion Editor: bruce pask on michele (left): prada jacket, QR6,806.8 shirt,QR1,528.8, and pants,QR2,220.4. go to prada .com. church’s shoes, QR1,801.8. gucci jacket, QR7,170.8, shirt, QR1,965.6, pants, QR2,730, belt, QR855.5, and shoesQR2,165.8. go to gucci.com.
The Trend
Checks, mate! Bold geometry gives a graphic punch to a usually more sedate look.
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The Guys
The Italian vine purists Michele and Nicola Finotto are bringing their organic approach to iamwine. net, their new Web site that specializes in artisanal bottles.
The Look
Prada’s tattersalls have some subtle color, while Gucci’s strong plaid is boxier — though the cut isn’t boxy in the least.
* All prices indicative. For availability & boutique details check Brand Directory on Page 94.
fashion assistant: elena hale. grooming by holli smith for wella professionals at community nyc. photographed on location at isa, brooklyn.
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BY STEPHEN HEYMAN
WINNIE THE POSH A trio of new books paint Winston Churchill as a depressive dandy. His finest hour? Dinnertime.
See more of Churchill’s personal effects at nytimes.com/tmagazine.
Mixed media Clockwise from top: painting and tippling; a baby rattle; Churchill’s makeshift bookend, a toy lion he called ‘‘piglet’’; velvet slippers.
bookshelf Unlike Aunt Jemima or Uncle Ben, Colonel Sanders was a real person, although never a real colonel. It was some honorary title bestowed on notable Kentuckians by the governor. Yet Sanders introduced himself to his associates by it. It’s one of many entertaining affectations — including bleaching his beard — that Josh Ozersky uncovers in ‘‘Colonel Sanders and the American Dream’’ (University of Texas Press, QR72). Geoff Dyer is at his discursive best in ‘‘Zona’’ (Pantheon, QR87), a book that’s nominally about the Andrei Tarkovsky film ‘‘Stalker.’’ If he hadn’t seen it in his early 20s, Dyer says, ‘‘my responsiveness to the world would have been radically diminished.’’ Even dance naifs can appreciate the work of the polymorphically gifted choreographer Merce Cunningham in ‘‘A Pictures Book for John Cage Xmas 1984’’ (The John Cage Trust, QR164), a spiral-bound facsimile of one of his exquisite sketchbooks.
Tender Hooligans
Port Moresby, the blighted Papua New Guinean capital, is among the world’s most dangerous places, lorded over by curiously garbed outlaws armed with pistols made of bored-out iron pipes. In 2004, the photographer Stephen Dupont infiltrated this dystopian underworld and convinced its inhabitants to pose with their weapons. Newly collected in ‘‘Raskols’’ (left; powerHouse Books, QR109), his unmoralizing portraits are both visually striking and emotionally disturbing: some raskols are only children, others bear horrific scars. 22
Churchill: pen and sword books; toy lion: national trust/amy law; whistle: imperial war museum; Slippers: Chartwell books; ‘‘Raskols’’: stephen dupont/powerhouse books.
Let it be known that while he was defeating Nazis and chewing on cigars, Winston Churchill wore light pink underwear of the finest woven silk. (Such extravagant bloomers were necessary, he claimed, because of his very sensitive skin.) Dandyish details like these abound in Barry Singer’s ‘‘Churchill Style’’ (Abrams Image, QR91), certainly the first book dedicated to the wartime leader’s fashion sense, among his other intriguing superficialities, like dictating a speech in the nude. Singer’s book is part of a flurry of new titles connecting Churchill’s historical substance to his idiosyncratic swagger. ‘‘Winston Churchill: Portrait of a Unique Mind’’ (Pen and Sword Books, QR145.6, written by an M.D., Andrew Norman, examines Churchill’s bouts of suffocating depression — his so-called Black Dog days — when he would contemplate suicide. He avoided bedrooms with balconies: ‘‘I’ve no desire to quit the world, but thoughts, desperate thoughts come into the head.’’ Recently published in Britain, Cita Stelzer’s ‘‘Dinner With Churchill’’ (Short Books, about QR109.2) catalogs in delightful detail not only the great man’s diet — ‘‘cold Champagne, new peas and old brandy’’ — but also his clever use of repasts to further diplomacy. ‘‘If only I could dine with Stalin once a week, there would be no trouble at all,’’ he once said. A legendary table-mate, Churchill liked to use wineglasses and decanters to reenact famous battles, like the Battle of Jutland, blowing cigar smoke across the table to imitate gunfire. Thus wined and dined, even Roosevelt couldn’t help confessing to a man-crush, telling Churchill: ‘‘It is fun to be in the same century with you.’’
* All prices indicative. For availability & boutique details check Brand Directory on Page 94.
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Stroke of Genius
When Coach enlisted the talents of James Nares, it didn’t ask the artist to riff on the brand’s logo — it literally gave him a blank canvas. A double-layered Italian canvas, that is. Five of Nares’s dynamic single brush-stroke paintings provide the motif for a collection of striking limitededıtıon totes, 175 each in black, green, blue, orange and fuchsia (above). QR2,90.7 at coach.com.
The Insider
With one foot in Modernist cool and the other in vibrant Pop Art, Jonas Wood gives breathing room to densely patterned paintings of domestic interiors that celebrate the logic of incongruity. ‘‘I think painting’s fun,’’ Wood says in ‘‘Interiors,’’ the catalog accompanying his current exhibition, on view through May 12 at the David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles, where Wood lives. Austere his work is not. The bold parrot-and-leaf print on a bedspread that nearly consumes a guest room fairly shrieks at the unperturbed Bertoia wire chairs that face it. The Keith Haring figures on a bathroom shower curtain dance to the visual music of intersecting, overlapping grids of colored tile. As the son of art-inclined parents, Wood grew up in such environments, exaggerating them in paintings that pack multiple viewpoints, labyrinthine spaces and iconic images by Picasso, Matisse, Calder, Warhol and others into kicky cabinets of curiosities that feel just like home. l i n da ya b lo n s k y
Soul Sisters
Most of us don’t think of craft as holy. But it certainly was for cloistered nuns of the 17th through 19th centuries, who made reliquaries of rolled or ‘‘quilled’’ paper that was adorned with beads, shells, coral, fabric and other materials. Nearly 150 of these pieces will be on view in ‘‘Quilling: Devotional Creations From Cloistered Orders’’ at the Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli in Turin, Italy, from April 5 through Sept. 2. A number of works in the show are owned by the photographer Nan Goldin, who shot some of the pieces in the exhibition. (Her photograph ‘‘Untitled, Turin,’’ 2011, is shown above.) In addition to the reliquaries, the exhibition also includes miniature 19th-century reconstructions of nuns’ cells, like the one at right, which are as spare as the reliquaries are ornate. PILAR VILADAS 24
clockwise from bottom: studio elena geuna; Nan Goldin/guido costa projects; lucas zarebinski.
Alix Browne
* All prices indicative. For availability & boutique details check Brand Directory on Page 94.
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Out of Fashion
After blockbusters like the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Alexander McQueen exhibition, visitors to ‘‘Fashioning the Object,’’ which opens April 14 at the Art Institute of Chicago, might be inspired to ask, ‘‘Um, so where’s the fashion?’’ But that would no doubt come as a compliment to Bless, Boudicca and Sandra Backlund, the unconventional and fiercely independent designers who were selected by the show’s curator, Zoë Ryan, because their work ‘‘challenges the fashion system and speaks to the time in which it is made.’’ Three immersive environments highlight behind-the-scenes aspects of the creative process. The Boudicca designers Zowie Broach and Brian Kirkby have provided 25 to 30 of their conceptual short films. The Bless component will feature Desiree Heiss and Ines Kaag’s signature look books — using friends as models and distributed in publications like Monthy Vampire Magazine — and surreal hybrid objects like the ‘‘Hairbrush’’ (above). And Backlund will be represented by light-infused abstractions of her sculptural, handmade knits printed on 11-foot scrims, which underscore her emotional connection to her work. Says Ryan: ‘‘I’m curious to see what people will make of it.’’ a. b. Clockwise from left: a still from Boudicca’s short film ‘‘Living in Time’’; knitted pieces by Sandra Backlund; an image from a Bless look book; Bless’s ‘‘Hairbrush.’’
Ward Bennett (1917–2003) was one of design’s great American success stories. He left home at 13, created dresses and window displays, met Brancusi and studied painting with Hans Hofmann — before he was 30. When he turned to design, his clients included David Rockefeller, Gianni Agnelli and Jann and Jane Wenner. Bennett used industrial materials before they were chic and insisted that his furniture be comfortable. Many of his designs went out of production, leaving aficionados to hunt the secondhand market. But now Herman Miller is adding several Bennett pieces (including the Scissor chair and I-Beam table shown here) to its Herman Miller Collection, a portfolio of products for home and office that also includes classics by the Eameses, Nelson and Noguchi; contemporary designers like Sam Hecht, Leon Ransmeier and Ayse Birsel; and the Italian brands Magis and Mattiazzi. (The collection will make its debut this month; go to hermanmiller.com.) As Ben Watson, the company’s executive creative director, says, ‘‘We are celebrating our design heritage, but we’re not just looking backward.’’ P. V.
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backlund: ola bergengren
The Right Angle
remix profile in style
The spiky light fixture in the TV room is by Billy Cotton’s Custom Resource.
The designer Tom Delavan in the TV room of the 19th-century Greenwich Village town house he shares with his partner, Jim Hedges, and Hedges’s sons, Malone and Evans. The 1960s lamp is by Joe Colombo.
Tom delavan
The New York designer is known for effortless-looking rooms in which comfy upholstered pieces cohabitate happily with classical 18th- and 19th-century furniture and art and design from the 1960s and ’70s. For Delavan, who is the creative director of the online shopping site Gilt Home and the former editor-at-large of Domino magazine, it’s important that a house reflects the history of its inhabitants. His own home — an Anglo-Italianate town house in downtown Manhattan — showcases his aesthetic roots (‘‘I grew up in Connecticut in the ’70s, with that WASPy ‘Ice Storm’ sort of décor,’’ he says) and contains works by his favorite artists and furniture designers (Joe Colombo and Vico Magistretti, to name two). Most precious, though, are pieces made by his friends — a vase by Hugo Guinness, a box by John Derian. ‘‘These are the things that make a house a home.’’ Sandra Ballentine 28
Above: pieces by the artist Roni Horn above the bed. Delavan and Hedges collect Andy Warhol Polaroids, like this one (left) of Debbie Harry. Below: an enormous paper lantern from Pearl River floats over the living room.
Delavan in the back garden with Lulu, the family dog. Right: his dad built this Vermont A-frame, ‘‘which was very groovy at the time, a precursor to D.I.Y. prefab homes of today.’’
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Bottom Left: from gilt home; top right: from Tom delavan; all other photographs by kava gorna.
Left: ‘‘Maus,’’ a sculpture by Katharina Fritsch. Below: Delavan’s work space at Gilt Home’s offices.
Left: the living room fireplace mantel holds artworks by Louise Bourgeois and Elliott Puckette and a Ralph Lauren hurricane lamp.
‘I think it’s important that a space reflect the personal history of its inhabitant, as well as the history of the space itself.’
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An inspiration board in Delavan’s home office. Left: a photo of Hedges and his sons.
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Clocking the Dubai World Cup 2012
The Dubai World Cup, dubbed the World’s Richest Horse Race, held at the Meydan racecourse, had Swiss watchmaker Longines as the official timekeeper. The World Cup race is one of the most closely followed races in the world, offering a thrilling racing experience to equestrian enthusiasts. The final race was won by Monterosso. All the winning jockeys, owners and trainers were bestowed with stunning models from the Longines Saint-Imier collection. Since the prestigious event also celebrates style and elegance, the evening included the presentation of the “Most Elegant Lady” title to honor some of the most stylish women in attendance. Longines Ambassador of Elegance and Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan awarded the winner, Carolyn Coe, a model from the Longines Saint-Imier collection in steel and gold. Celebrating its 180th anniversary in 2012, Longines is presenting in Dubai this series of exceptional timepieces named after the company’s birthplace.
Sporting Glamour TAG Heuer shares an inevitable passion for motor racing and sports timing since it invented “Time of Trip”, the world’s first dashboard chronograph, in 1911. Today it plays a prestigious role as official timekeeper for one of the most thrilling sporting events – the Monaco Grand Prix – often adorning the wrists of many driving legends. For 2012, Tag Heuer launches four new novelties for the glamorous game. The Monaco Caliber 12 Chronograph-ACM limited edition honors TAG Heuer’s ongoing partnership with the Automobile Club de Monaco the silver sub-counters with exquisite “gras-de-boise” finishing and a black “soft touch” alligator strap with orange stitching exuding authentic motor-racing allure. The new Monaco Heuer Caliber 11 Chronograph is a glamorous redesign of the “McQueen Monaco” series. Standout features include a dark blue perforated leather strap, a stylish blue dial with vertical white stripes inspired by the stripes on Steve McQueen’s racing suit, red hands, the “Heuer” logo at 12, and the famous crown at 9 o’clock. A tribute to the Steve McQueen-vintage flair, the Monaco Twenty four Caliber 36 Chronograph construction is directly inspired by F1 racecar technology while the blue dial is a combination of the traditional McQueen template with racing suit white stripes. And last, the Carrera Caliber 16 Chronograph Monaco Grand Prix limited edition is based on the 1964 Jack Heuer tribute to the grueling Carrera Panamericana Mexico road race of the 50s. With Monaco Grand Prix red lettering on the bezel and a vintage F1 rubber tire strap, it pays Carrerainspired homage to Monaco.
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Italian flavors at Sormani
Ali Bin Ali’s hospitality arm opens Paris’ renowned Sormani at The Pearl-Qatar Enjoying an exclusive seafront position at the iconic The Pearl-Qatar, Sormani is set to take center stage in Qatar’s restaurant scene, by offering a distinctive new dining experience with the very best in modern French and Italian cuisine. The chic and modern dÈcor, especially designed by Arredaesse of Milano, lends the restaurant a splendid ambiance well complemented by the unparalleled view of the inland sea. General Manager of Ali Bin Ali Hospitality, Hashem Melhem promises a worldclass dining indulgence at Sormani where service is impeccable and truly special. Committed and passionate professional chefs, led by world-famous Pascal Fayet, interact with guests to create a highly personal experience, complementing a full-of-flavor menu of inventive Italian cuisine. While speaking about bringing Sormani to Qatar, Chef Pascal said, “Qataris are connoisseurs of good taste. They love something unique, something exceptional. Guests in Qatar will be treated to the same excellent food and service that we are known for in Paris.” Chef Pascal proudly presents diners with a spectacular menu of mouthwatering dishes that include the famous Carpaccio, lasagna, ravioli, risotto and a variety of fresh sea food, each prepared with the finest of ingredients-from the white truffles of Alba and Bugata Mozzarella, to Italy’s best Bresaola and risotto con fageoli with sausage from Naples.
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Feminine instinct
To the Tambour Bijou collection of refined and elegant feminine watches, Louis Vuitton has added a new jewelry-inspired version of the watch – the Tambour Bijou Secret. Regarded as a watch and jewel in one, the Tambour Bijou Secret in white or rose gold gleams with mother-of-pearl Monogram flowers set with diamonds within the dial. The first round of the Monogram flower gently slides away to reveal the second flower, this time with pointed petals. It comes fitted with a patent Monogram triple-tour or an alligator strap to clasp your wrist with a delicate secret.
Beauty secrets
Chanel’s Hydra beauty creams blossom with two magical sources of inspiration: the camellia, the emblematic flower of Chanel which helps skin to replenish and retain moisture; and blue ginger from Madagascar – the guardian of water, it helps skin to protect its hydration against damage caused by multiple external and internal stresses. The Hydra Beauty Creme is further enriched with shea butter and a canola derivative. Its smooth, rich and sensual texture visibly smoothes and plumps skin, both normal and dry. The Hydra Beauty Gel Creme is specially formulated for normal skin. Its sorbet texture wraps the skin in freshness and well-being, lending a matte, velvety finish and a radiant look. Packed with a thirst-quenching formula, both creams are ideal for the fragile skin of the face. They moisturize, protect against damage and pollution, and beautify skin every day, leaving behind an ultra-feminine, soothing signature scent of Chanel.
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Rings of desire Versace’s latest Muse collection is just the right pick for this season. Gleaming in all vibrant colors and the signature Versace Medusa logo, these jewelry pieces scream fashion. From the brilliant cut rubies to the blue sapphires and citrine stones, it’s too hot to be true. The collection also includes pendants, earrings and bracelets that can be cleverly mixed and matched to grab that second glance.
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Clever Contrasts For the Balenciaga spring/summer 2012 fashion show, Nicolas Ghesquière’s collection plays on contrast: smooth fabrics next to coarse, matte finishes next to shiny – the garment combines form and flexibility. The fashion show is composed of two broad looks. The first one is masculine and slender, composed of architectural, oversized jackets in “color-blocks” inspired by the 1980s. The silhouette outlines broad shoulders and a narrow waist. For the second look, the silhouettes are more casual and mark a “Safari” mood. The accessories – bags, shoes and bracelets – are designed to match the clothes, both in the range of color and material used.
Gems of fragrance
The chords of Omnia Coral sparkle with the brightness of bergamot and Goji berries that culminate in brightly colored hibiscus petals. Water lily lends a touch of aquatic lightness to the flowery heart while the final fruity notes are laced with pomegranate that mingles with the elegant depth of cedar and the warmth of musk. Omnia Coral, together with the Omnia Crystalline and Omnia Amethyste, form the Omnia collection from Bvlgari which represents an encounter between colorful gemstones and mythical flowers.
Tribute to motor racing
As official timekeeper of the Le Mans Classic – one of the world’s most renowned events for vintage cars – to be held from July 6-8, 2012, Richard Mille is unveiling two limited editions: the RM 008 LMC and the RM 011 LMC. Released as limited editions, both chronographs embody the synergy between watchmaking and motor racing. 34
A detail of an Eyeball painting shows painstaking craftsmanship by Murakami's 200+ person crew.
High Art, Pop Culture
Laurene Leon Boym explores Takashi Murakami’s “Ego” exhibition, showcased by the Qatar Museums Authority
F
eeling insouciant and chatty, I asked the man driving me around Doha in a Karwa cab if he knew about Takashi Murakami’s art. We were on the ride over to a cartoon-festooned warehouse, AlRiwaq, on the Corniche hosting the Japanese art superstar’s first exhibition in the Middle East, titled “Ego”. The driver replied in Bollywood English sing-speak: “Oh yes, that’s the yaar (friend) who tagged my car.” I giggled because I knew exactly what the man was getting at. All the aqua-colored Karwa cabs in the city at the moment are covered in the “advertising wrap”, a temporary whole car body peel-off sticker. This particular full-body happy flower advertisement features the Murakami show, which is on view until June 24, 2012. Yes, Murakami had accomplished the taking of the whole city! Even if for a limited time. At this moment, I was traveling in a kinetic work of art, or at least a mobile billboard. Takashi is inevitably smiling down on random scenes like these somewhere between art and commerce. This is his territory. Following major retrospectives at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and at the Château de Versailles, “Murakami – Ego” is the final chapter in a trilogy of exhibitions that have established Takashi Murakami as one of the most fascinating artists working today. This new exhibition, curated by Massimiliano Gioni, will feature more than 60 works from 1997 to the present, on loan from leading international institutions and private collections, as well as several new works created especially for this show. The artist in retrospective In 2012, predictably, Japan’s Takashi Murakami will again be one of the top-grossing living artists next to the likes of the UK’s self-appointed naughty boy, Damien Hirst, and the American savant provocateur Jeff Koons. For insiders and enthusiasts, Murakami’s ubiquitous place on the art scoreboard is a no-brainer, as his seemingly
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROB ALTAMIRANO
childlike creative output is the meticulously painted workproduct of a carefully crafted brand. It’s the art-world equivalent of eating a McDonald’s Big Mac in a Prada dress. Two tastes that go great together: High Art, Pop Culture. Nonetheless, Murakami’s blue-chip, Japanese, otakuobsessed fanboy-inspired work was not the vanguard moment in harvesting the high art, pop culture in the contemporary art market. Unlike his professed spiritual mentor, the American pop artist Andy Warhol, Murakami has been unusually successful in this ability to create work for sale in every art market niche available: high, low and inbetween. Other artists failed where Murakami succeeded. Thus spoke the art market’s Master of the Universe of all things anime and manga: “I set out to investigate the secret of market survivability the universality of characters such as Mickey Mouse, Sonic the Hedgehog, Doraemon, Miffy, Hello Kitty, and their knock-offs, produced in Hong Kong,” said Murakami on his meritorious career trajectory (2001). In 2001, almost 15 years into his career in the international art market, Murakami wrote a manifesto on his artistic destiny and drew the roadmap for his unfolding art career. That exhibit, titled “Superflat”, was the summary of what Murakami had been up to until that juncture and would continue to execute masterfully into the next few decades of his career as an artist. The paintings and a sculpture of “Superflat” at first glance “appeared” ridiculously simple, but his work magically transforms before the viewer’s eyes to become a rabbit hole of what it means to produce art
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(with emphasis on the production aspects). It begins with a recipe. A large proportion of Murakami’s artistic output is transparently executed by a team of trained art workers. Starting with a base of a painterly style, activated by a physical flattening of the surface, its catalyst is Japanese social culture. During a rare public interview with the Doha “Ego” exhibition curator, Associate Director at New York’s New Museum Massimiliano Gioni, Murakami explained his artistic output in cinematic terms. He tries to think of every project he undertakes in the same creative terms as a Hollywood director would develop a film franchise such as Star Wars. Gioni himself has a similar view, as he sees Murakami at the center of a small empire. “The way Takashi works is to collaborate with hundreds of assistants, collaborators and friends. Around him is a structure that makes his work so much more powerful, and the preparation of a show something akin to the building of a little city.” The exhibition “Ego” is Takashi’s city, which is somewhere between Japan, Las Vegas and Doha. It’s an apt metaphorical analogy for the artist’s personal inner dialogue, which recently shifted from the glories of fame and fortune toward spirituality. Ignited by the catalyst of the recent earthquake in Japan and the subsequent nuclear disaster at Fukushima, the artist made a full circle back to his first passion, Nihonga and Japanese art history. Walk through Entering the lobby of the “Ego” exhibition, it’s the visual analogy of a busy street intersection on 5th Avenue in New York. In lieu of
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a large SpongeBob SquarePants blow-up figurine, an oversized (Ego, get it?) representational street parade balloon sculpture of Murakami as Buddah greets visitors. Happily, every museum goer can be part of Murakami’s cinematic vision. It’s a dreamlike title sequence framed by “Flowers from the village of Pokoton” printed curtains and of course a store selling everything from acetate Murakami filefolders for QR100, Kaikai Kiki Plush™ character pillows, to an almost two-meter diameter “Gigantic Plush Flowerball Big” for QR1,450,000. The Murakami popup shop and its mass-produced “art for everyone” is a tip of the hat to the beloved late American painter and sculptor Keith Haring. Highly influential and (notably) a secondgeneration disciple of Warhol, Haring opened the first truly commercial mass-produced art shop, called “Pop Shop”, in 1985, around the time Murakami was graduating from Arts University in Japan. For nearly 20 years, in a prime location in New York City’s SoHo area, Haring’s Pop Shop sold affordable clothing and gift items all featuring Keith Haring’s unique icons. It was the original art souvenir shop. The first art-festooned room made me smile again. Candy-colored and irresistible. Dedicated to Murakami’s insidious study of pop culture is a huge sculpture of DOB in the Strange Forest. Mr DOB (b.1993) is Murakami’s most ubiquitous and enduring character. Surrounded by three-dimensional cartoon-like mushrooms, using his Tan Tan Bo Puking (aka Gero Tan) painting as a backdrop, you feel like you’ve entered another world, or at least Fondation Cartier in Paris back in 2002.
Enter the greatroom. The show is just getting good, and the movie series is about to start in the tent.
Behold happy flowers on a large scale sculpture simulating the plastic vacuum forming process.
A warm welcome to Al Riwaq: Portrait of the Artist as Buddha.
Awesome pop up store take away: Gigantic plush Flowerball Big. QR1,450,000
Moving onto the next “stage” = more drama, color and happy faces. There is a room dedicated to the oeuvre of the endearing characters of Kaikai and Kiki, again represented by two large sculptures in the center of the room amongst a backdrop of several stunning paintings filled with flat images of all sizes of Kaikai, Kiki and the Happy Flowers repeated ad nauseam. Murakami views his characters on different spacial fields, popping up in all sorts of random ways, saying wacky things, like on a TV cartoon. It’s a J-Pop love letter to Japanese culture with the colors, the contrasts and the overwhelmingly positive appearance of the characters. So happy, it’s conceptual. Simple composition is not Murakami’s strong point, and thankfully, there are few works in the show that follow this visual formula. However, the very large eyeball paintings that followed were a wake-up call, with their bright colors and encyclopedia of painting styles. Upon close viewing, an art history buff would get excited teasing apart all the visual references to casually tossedoff signifiers from every important artistic genre of the 20th century, from Abstract Expressionism to Pop. It’s hard to force yourself to physically move forward into the visual density of the great room of the exhibition: enormous sculptures on LED light pedestals; megasized floating Kaikai and Kiki Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade balloons; a full-sized circus tent showing cartoons and Kanye West videos. But best of all was the snack bar vitrines, not filled with Snickers candy bars and popcorn. Instead they are cleverly stocked with plastic manga toys from the likes of lovable anime mythology such as “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (PGSM) Princess Harp Sword”. They are a homage to the mass-produced toy-objects that served as precedent for Murakami’s sculptures. Products like these are merchandised at every Kiddy Land chain store in Japan. Unfortunately, none of the toys were for sale for the adult kids. THE 500 Arhats As a brilliant counterpoint to the circus lights and show in the center of the room, Murakami shows he is not just a one-trick pony with the specially-commissioned
onsite 100-meter-long scroll format artwork. “Gohyaku-Rakanzu” is a painting depicting the 500 “Arhats” (enlightened followers of Buddha who have attained nirvana) under the theme of Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. In this sobering masterwork, the artist depicts the dizzying theme of life and death by learning from Japan’s history, back when natural disasters and famine were prevalent. The insights and outcomes of the past informed a personal inquiry of spirituality on the part of Murakami, born Buddhist, who was trying to reconcile his personal emotions with the events, and the 500 Arhats is the perfect container for this dialogue. The work consists of connecting 100 paintings with multiple themes, and at least 100 staff members of the Murakami team were involved with the production. Intended as a memorial to March 11, 2011, it’s a culmination of a lifetime of analysis of Japanese aesthetics and showing what Japanese beauty really is. Beauty is a theme that continues in the next room, which is dedicated to a group of still life paintings on round canvases with a Murakami twist. These traditional flower paintings create a mashup of references to traditional Japanese flower painting and Andy Warhol’s 1966 series “Flowers”. It’s his most admirable trait that one of Murakami’s primary interests is serving as a mentor to the next generation of artists. Thus, he may very well by osmosis penetrate the creative psyches of the upcoming generation of young Qatari national artists. His is the focus group product-tested and perfected setup for mass-produced art. Like any episode of a Scooby Doo cartoon, there’s even a reveal at the end showing who’s in charge of the mischief drummed up. This time it’s involving the artist’s creative process and the many invisible helping hands engaged in the making of a sculpture. The final room of the exhibition has a large unfinished sculpture at center. There are relics of the process everywhere else. A surround of glass vitrines encases plaster and blue foam process models. A red magic marker sharpened up corrections on the sculpture via additional photographs pinned on the final wall. It’s easy to get lost in these images. “Look, kids, a third eye was added to the monster by the master,” I overheard a visitor saying to her charges. It is without doubt that the pen corrections are made by Murakami himself, and he is the man holding the oversized marker.
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An experience beyond shopping By Rory Coen
W
hen Sylvie Freund-Pickavance was recently asked to explain why people go shopping on vacation, you could sense the palpitating interest among the men present. Terry Daly, a divisional SVP at Emirates Airlines, perked a little in his seat and Hassan Al Hashemi, External Relations Director at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry – who had earlier claimed that it was becoming a real challenge to keep tabs on his wife’s credit card – became as keen as a lighthouse. Allow me to switch gears here. At the tail-end of a recent citybreak in Tallinn, Estonia, a quartet of men were wasting the afternoon in a local cafe until their 6 o’clock departure time - they were tired, spent and desperate to board their plane and return home. However one of them sheepishly departed the cafe unnoticed but was later found in a quaint, little souvenir shop on a blind-sided street. He seemed to be in a dilemma as he stood in front of a host of colorful Matryoshka doll sets – those nested wooden figurines which were born in Russia in the nineteenth century – debating with himself which set to purchase. He suddenly turned coy once his agenda became apparent to his friend, and he immediately turned into his shell and pretended to care less. “Look, I don’t think your mother will mind which set you bring her back,” his friend advised, detecting his obvious conundrum. “She will be delighted with the thought. It’s a nice thing to do you really can’t go wrong.” Suddenly his demeanour changed and he turned to his friend, with a set of red and pink dolls in his left hand, and replied with a loaded answer “Yes, my mother!” he announced, adding“she will be so happy,” and he continued his search with renewed confidence. Sylvie explained that people, when they are away, appreciate or perceive things differently. They are taken out of their comfortzone and operate in a culture with which they are not familiar, but which they, nevertheless, like to adapt. Two contrasting cultures in juxtaposition form intriguing possibilities. “Traveling isn’t about flying, as such,” she explained. “It’s about ‘going somewhere’, doing something different, getting out of your comfort-zone and cultivating an extraordinary experience. People like to bring home tangible memories of their vacation
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– things they wouldn’t necessarily see or experience at home.” The Chic Outlet ShoppingVillages Sylvie is the Business Director of Value Retail Management, the company that manages the collection of nine Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages across Europe. Her own responsibility lies with overseeing operations at Bicester Village and Kildare Village, two of the nine Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages. Sylvie recognised that there are two different types of shopping tourist. The first is only interested in well-known and ubiquitous brands, such as Burberry, Gucci and Prada. They need to be seen wearing these brands and wouldn’t typically deviate. Then there is the shopping tourist who trusts and appreciates their own taste and wouldn’t necessarily mind what organisation is behind a product. Our friend in Tallinn can probably be classed in the latter group, notwithstanding the fact that he was a little bashful about being seen to be procuring such an item for his own nostalgic reference. He did however trust his own taste and instinct, in spite of what his friends may have thought of his selection. There’s no accounting for taste, they say, and this is something that Value Retail Management is all about. Sarah Bartlett, Head of PR and Communications, Chic Outlet Shopping®, Value Retail Management, said that each of the nine Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages evokes its own unique personality, which is anchored in the region’s own cultural attributes. They try to breed a seamless transition between the shopping village and its immediate hinterland. “Bicester Village outside London is designed as a typical Cotswold village,” she explained. “La Vallee Village, close to Paris, is very, very chic, as you might expect; while Ingolstadt Village, in proximity to Munich, has Bavarian castles without it being very ‘Disneyesque’ – they’re all similar to the locality in which they reside. “We have 900 boutiques across our entire collection. We offer primarily the luxury or ‘aspirational’ brands at knockdown prices, but we also stock local brands that one might not be so aware of. For example, we have the only Alexander McQueen outlet worldwide. Then we have some quirky and niche brands such as Smythsons and Alice Temperley. “Eighty percent of our brand mix across Europe is the big global brands that everyone will recognize, while 17% of it is what we call niche European, but it obviously changes from country to country. If you go to La Roca Village in Barcelona, you will find the big, colorful Catalan brands for example – it’s about tapping into a different personality and that authentic
(L-R)Mansour Hajjar, Terry Daly, Sylvie Freund-Pickavance, Hassan Al Hashemi and Piers Schmidt at the recent "Blue Sky Luxury"Roundtable at the Armani Hotel in Dubai.
European experience within each location,” she added. Shopcation – creating a destination Value Retail Management employs an interesting tourism strategy to get shoppers through their gates. The group exceeded $2 billion in sales in 2011 and has grown by 20% year-on-year since 2005. Thirty million people visited the nine shopping outlets last year, 40% of whom were tourists. They chalk down this remarkable success to the concept of “shopcation”, where they encourage their shoppers to also enjoy what the local culture has to offer – to gain a holistic appreciation of where they are shopping. This might even help them to discover the kind of purchases they wish to make in the village. “We are trying to curate a destination,” said Sylvie, “where we can create an experience and attract the savvy, sophisticated and discerning customer, not just to our outlets, but to the regions that host them. All of our locations are in a place of great touristic interest so we are just adding to this experience.” For instance, Fidenza Village, one of the nine Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages, is set in the Emilia-Romagna region in north Italy, close to Milan and Bologna, where tiny hamlets and ancient castles pepper the craggy countryside. Visitors come to enjoy the La Scala and Teatro Regio opera houses in Milan and Parma, where the sounds of Giuseppi Verdi have for so long sweetened the walls. Close to the village is the
town of Parma, which is a “dangerous place if you enjoy fine cuisine”, said Sylvie. Guests to the village are conveniently transported to it from the towns of Bologna and Milan. In Catalonia, on the Mediterranean coast, dwells La Roca Village, another of the nine Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages. Barcelona is home to the major collections of Picasso and Salvador Dali, and the supreme architecture of Antoni Gaudi. The area also promotes a seductive flock of leisure beaches along the Costa Brava. There’s not much more that needs to be said about Paris. It’s everybody’s dream to visit the city at some corner of their life - be it for its glorious history, its unique allure or its efficiency for fashion. Ecosystem So it’s all about defining an ecosystem, where multiple parties can work off each other to grow their respective businesses. Value Retail Management couldn’t possibly make its model work without the help of tourist agencies, airlines and hospitality sectors. “We have a tourism team which works very hard in 24 different markets,” said Sarah. “We have a multi-pronged approach direct to consumers. We work with trade partners to really focus on our target customers to make sure they include us in their travel itinerary. We sell packages which include all there is to do in the customer’s ‘shopcation’ of choice. We are marketing an experience, an experience beyond shopping.”
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The designer loves designing hotels because of the stories they tell through their designs
Beauty in magnitude
The designer of the St Regis Doha, Rodrigo Vargas, tells Sindhu Nair why he loves designing hotel complexes.
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f there is one hotel premises that is attracting a lot of attention it is none other than the St Regis Doha. A year before it had officially opened, PR companies were setting up interviews with the CEO of the hotel chain and by the start of this year there wasn’t much about the new complex that the media didn’t know. It was a lot about numbers, so here are a few of them to help retrain your brain: 4,000 square meters of events and meetings space, a 1,850-square-meter ballroom, 16,000 square meters of leisure facilities, an Olympic-size swimming pool (50m x 25m) and ten restaurants and lounges. But to me it was not the pure expanse that defined the space, but the warmth in the pure detailing of the space that made it more humane to the guests. Be it the high ceiling or the larger-than-life intricate chandeliers, each of which took almost 12 hours of workmanship just to hang, the atmosphere within the St Regis seems to resonate with more cheer than elusiveness. It could be the profusion of warm colors and the Arab features that welcome its visitors and instantly put them at their ease. Or it could just be the people who make the encounters more personal and hence special. T-Qatar talked to the man behind the vision, the interior designer
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Intricate wooden lattice work serves as dividers or just as a design element
Rodrigo Vargas, who owns the interior design firm of the same name in Los Angeles. His work is often defined within the design community as “unexpected, bold and daring with a passion for understated luxury”. While the architecture of the St Regis reflects the brand philosophy of grandeur and a history steeped in tradition, the St Regis Doha interior gives the story a twist, spicing it up with a regional flavor. Rodrigo loves hotels, and he loves designing one because it allows him “to tell a story about the place, the city and the culture of the place it is situated in”. At the St Regis, he has woven an Arab fairy tale, but one that is truly ingrained in the St Regis history. “Sophistication is what the design is all about, and the
The two-tone flooring and stone cladding make the huge space look more intimate and humane
The play of water bodies within the lobby
The facade of the majestic St Regis
inspiration for this understated elegance has been from the local architecture,” he says. The mashrabiyya work that runs as a design feature throughout the interiors is a major ingredient in the Arab tale. Be it behind the concierge services in the main lobby, where the grandeur of the wooden latticework adds to the magnificence of the space, or adjacent the water body, where it acts as a partition and brings in privacy to a part of the lounge, inviting people to sit down and spend time, the mashrabiyya has been used vividly and with a different purpose each time. Bringing the human element in huge spaces is always a daunting task for designers but Rodrigo seems to have succeeded. And for this he has played with colors and materials to give the sense of scale. “Warm colors and materials were chosen, and in the living spaces, like the tea lounge and vintage bar, stronger colors and comfortable cosy furniture helped in humanizing the space.” Scale and proportion have been cleverly mastered to bring the beauty of the space to work on the senses rather than to use the space to overpower them. Another feature that stands out is the two color tones that run uniformly through the lobby. This is the feature that Rodrigo loves in the St Regis. “I love the two-tone horizontal banding in the main lobby as well as the intricate three-stone color patterns on the floors,” he says, adding:
“It’s an amazing building of great scale with a sense of place and we wanted the interiors to reflect the same element.” Walk around the St Regis, and once the grandeur of the expanse seems passe, take a look at the accessories and they have another story to narrate. The paintings of the Doha skyline that are locally sourced and the artifacts that add to the decor all have a role to play in the Arabian folklore. “We wanted the art to reflect the rich culture of the country,” he says. And for someone who has practised in the UK, how easy is it to interpret and to reflect the traditional architecture in the design elements. “We studied the architecture of mosques and the traditional patterns of the mashrabiyyas and reinterpreted them in a contemporary way. The stone banding in the lobby, the floor patterns and the woodwork reflect the rich layered effect of the traditional architecture,” he says. And the one place that Rodrigo loved in Doha was the traditional souk. “it’s an amazing place, its texture, the culture that it holds. You can see the vivid rich cultural history of Doha and be a part of it when you visit,” he says. As he designs more interiors there is one mantra he will adhere to: “Honor the place that you are working in. Understand the history of the space you are designing in. Design spaces that will stand the test of time...”
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remix Qatar
Al-Ansari’s creation using a laser cutout of a poetic verse describing her Qatari background.
A GLOBAL OUTREACH Led by fashion professor Stella Colaleo, the students – Marion Sanguesa, Maysaa Al-Mumin, Elizabeth Yang Soon Ju and Mona Al-Ansari – developed their own individual creations of the abaya based on the underlying theme of the project. But what makes the project more exciting is the diverse cultural backgrounds of the team members, giving their works a global vibe and making the abaya more accessible
Sanguesa’s theme of ‘flies’ is interpreted into the Invinsible Flying Woman concept
The old in the new Ayaba is not just reversing the order of the letters in abaya, it is about
bringing out the glory in it, writes Debrina Aliyah as she chats to the creators of this new project.
T
here are very few traditional garments around the world that have such a stronghold on cultural and communal identities as the Gulf abaya, a dress that is still revered and much respected for its symbolic role of preserving the honor and privacy of women. But as modernity and fashion becomes increasingly prevalent in dictating the designs of new age abayas, the original silhouette of the traditional abaya has become something reserved only for the older generation and may soon disappear altogether. In a move to revive the traditional garment, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQ )’s fashion students embarked on a project that marries the influences of both the old and the new worlds. T-Qatar gets the exclusive with the inspiring team of fashion students determined to bring back the glorious days of the abaya and present it in a
fresh perspective. The project, reversing the order of the original word, is called Ayaba and kicked off with the straight forward aim of creating a simple garment that can be worn with or without accessories to create different looks for every single day of the year. Within this framework, the Ayaba Project also sets out to take the original silhouette of the traditional abaya and recreate it within the modern fashion environment yet maintain the versatility and shape of the original garment. While the traditional abaya, simple in its form yet versatile, evoked feelings of womanhood through simple draping, the modern abaya mirrors new fashion forms and often features elaborate embellishments. The main struggle between the old and new world interpretations is the need for expression of individuality - something that is thoroughly explored in this project.
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to communities outside the Gulf region. “The fact that our group of designer students come from different parts of the world is the catalyst behind the success of this project. Each of the team contributes with enthusiasm to the interpretation of this garment. It becomes a way to embrace and to appropriate the Qatari culture to one’s own,” explains Colaleo, commenting on her team’s multicultural background. Yang, who comes from South Korea, draws a parallel between the abaya and the traditional outfit of the Korean Choson Dynasty, where both emphasize preservation of the honor of women. “It was very strange to see women in the abaya when I came to Qatar eight years ago, as it was very different from the way women dressed in Korea. As I learned more about the abaya, I realized that the function and silhouette are very similar to what our ancestors used to wear during the period of the Choson Dynasty, which included the covering of the body and
Working on a prototype in the workshop as they experiment with the 'Ayaba'.
The AYABA Project Poster with the different looks conceptualized by the team
even the face for women who came from noble families. To me, the identity of women in both Qatar and Korea seems to have similar aspects in their roles and social positions in the past,” she says. THE INTERPRETATIONS Slits, buttons and drawstrings are some of the little modifications adopted in the project to transform the abaya into endless variations and styles, presenting a variety of looks. The one single-piece garment eased seamlessly from funky daywear to elegant evening piece while retaining its original function as a clothing of modesty. “The adaptability of this garment means I am able to wear the Ayaba as an abaya in public, maintaining my modesty, and I can quickly change it into an elegant evening garment by adding glamorous accessories after I walk through the doors into private places. I wouldn’t have to consider wearing an additional abaya,” Al-Ansari explains. Al-Ansari’s creation, the Desert Message, is a representation of the progress of Qatari women in the modern context. As Qatari women become more educated and progressive in achieving the country’s developing vision, they still hold strongly to their cultural values and traditions. “As a Qatari woman, I feel that the desert represents a big part of our culture. My design represents the two sides of Qatari women in daily life. We are independent and strong women who retain our culture, tradition and values. Based on this concept, my abaya is one half plain and simple in design maintaining, the abaya attribute, while the other half is decorated in sand color, wood and leather with a laser cutout of a poetic verse describing my pride in my Qatari background,” she says. For Al-Mumin, who comes from Kuwait, her creation is inspired by a poem by Suad Al Sabah called ‘A Woman from Kuwait’. Integrating verses of the poem into her piece, her Ayaba interpretation is not only about the different ways you can wear an abaya but also the different ways you can read the poem. “I wanted my Ayaba to reflect and celebrate both the original abaya and its transformation into the Ayaba and at the same time tell a story about me as a Kuwaiti woman. I adapted the descriptive phrases from the poem and placed them on the inside and outside of the abaya. My abaya is reversible and may be adjusted by a grid of buttons and buttonholes. The exterior
is subtle and black with the phrases from the poem engraved on some of the buttons, where the text is small and discreet. In contrast, the interior consists of bright colored pieces of fabric reflecting the colors of the Gulf the sand, sea, sun and heat.” For a touch of fantasy, Sanguesa’s creation is the Invisible Flying Woman, inspired by fictional characters with super powers and emphasizing the role of the modern woman who juggles work and family life balance. “As the concept for my final collection is ‘flies’, as in bugs, I wanted to expand the theme to that project. I used mirrored plexiglass to design applique ‘fly’ motifs on my garments. I wanted to use them also in the Ayaba Project but in a different way, and that was how the concept of the ‘invisible woman’ came to me. It is used as a camouflage and for a woman to blend into her environment wherever and whenever she wants. It is my way of combining nature and fashion, and giving women a sort of super power as they are invisible and one with their surroundings,” she explains. The Ayaba Project was presented as part of the 13th VCUQ annual fashion show under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.
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remix Qatar تفسيرات العباية
الإطالالت املختلفة التي تبني تعدد ا�ستخدامات العيابة
والزي التقليدي ل�ساللة العائلة احلاكمة الكورية ت�شو�سون ،واملتمثلة يف املحافظة على �رشف الن�ساء .وعن ذلك تقول" :لقد كان غريبا جدا بالن�سبة يل عندما جئت �إىل قطر قبل ثماين �سنوات �أن �أرى الن�ساء وهن يرتدين العباية لأنها تختلف كثريا عما ترتديه الن�ساء يف كوريا .لكنني علمت فيما بعد �أن وظيفة العباية ت�شبه �إىل حد بعيد ما كان يرتديه �أ�سالفنا خالل فرتة حكم �ساللة ت�شو�سون ،حيث كانت ن�ساء العائالت النبيلة تغطي �أج�سامهن وحتى وجوههن .وبالن�سبة يل ،يبدو �أن لهوية الن�ساء يف كل من قطر وكوريا جوانب م�شابهة يف �أدوارهن ،ومراكزهن االجتماعية يف املا�ضي".
كانت ال�شقوق والأزرار والر�سومات من التعديالت التي �أدخلها امل�رشوع على العباية لتحويلها �إىل عدد ال ينتهي من االختالفات والأ�ساليب التي تعطي �إطالالت متنوعة .وبذلك ميكن حتويل هذه العيابة ب�سهولة من لبا�س يومي ع�رصي �إىل ثوب �سهرة �أنيق مع الإبقاء على وظيفتها الأ�صلية املتمثلة بكونها قطعة مالب�س ب�سيطة .وتو�ضح منى الأن�صاري ذلك بقولها�« :إن قدرة هذه العيابة على التكيف جتعلني �أ�ستطيع ارتدائها يف الأماكن العامة مع احلفاظ على وظيفتها الأ�سا�سية ،ومن ثم �أقوم بتحويلها ب�رسعة �إىل ثوب �سهرة �أنيق ب�إ�ضافة �إك�س�سوارات براقة كي �أ�ستطيع بعد ذلك الذهاب �إىل الأماكن اخلا�صة. وبذلك ال حاجة الرتداء عباية �إ�ضافية». وقد �صممت منى عباية "ر�سالة ال�صحراء" لتقدم املر�أة القطرية يف �سياق احلداثة .فرغم زيادة تعليم املر�أة القطرية وتقدمها يف حتقيق ر�ؤية البالد الوطنية� ،إال �أنها ما زالت متم�سكة بقيمها الثقافية وتقاليدها الأ�صيلة .وعن ذلك تقول�" :أنا كقطرية �أ�شعر �أن ال�صحراء متثل جزءا كبريا من ثقافتنا الأ�صيلة. لذا ف�إن ت�صميمي ميثل املر�أة القطرية يف احلياة اليومية .فنحن ن�ساء م�ستقالت وقويات نتم�سك بثقافتنا وتقاليدنا وقيمنا .وبناء على هذا املفهوم ف�إن ن�صف العباية التي �صممتها ب�سيط يف ت�صميمه ،ويحتفظ ب�سمات العباية يف حني مت تزيني الن�صف الآخر ب�ألوان الرمل واخل�شب مع تطريز بالليزر لبيت �شعري ي�صف فخري بخلفيتي القطرية". �أما مي�ساء امل�ؤمن من الكويت فهي ت�ستوحي ت�صميمها من ق�صيدة ل�سعاد ال�صباح بعنوان "امر�أة من الكويت" حيث ال يرتكز تف�سريها للعباية على الطرق املختلفة التي ميكن من خالل ارتدائها فح�سب ،و�إمنا �أي�ضا الطرق املختلفة أردت من العيابة التي التي ميكن بوا�سطتها قراءة الق�صيدة .وتقول مي�ساء" :لقد � ُ �صمم ُتها �أن تعك�س العباية الأ�صلية وحتتفي بها ،و�أن حتولها �إىل عيابة ،وتروي اعتمدت عبارات معينة من الق�صيدة يف الوقت نف�سه ق�صتي ككويتية .فقد ُ وو�ضع ُتها داخل وخارج العيابة .فالعيابة التي �صممتها قابلة للقلب وميكن تعديلها بوا�سطة �شبكة من الأزرار والثقوب ،وخارجها �أ�سود اللون ،حيث ُنق�شت عبارات من الق�صيدة على بع�ض الأزرار بن�ص �صغري احلجم .ويف املقابل، تتكون العيابة من الداخل من قطع من الأقم�شة امللونة الزاهية التي تعك�س �ألوان اخلليج من رمال وبحر و�شم�س وحر". �أما ماريون �سانغوي�سا فقد �صممت عباية "املر�أة اخلفية الطائر" امل�ستوحاة من �شخ�صيات خيالية تتمتع بقوة خارقة للت�أكيد على دور املر�أة الع�رصية الذي تتوزع �أعبا�ؤها بني العمل والأ�رسة .ويف هذا ال�صدد تقول" :يرتكز مفهوم جمموعتي على "الفرا�شات" حيث ا�ستخدمت �شبكة معكو�سة حتوي زخارف ا�ستخدمت هذا الت�صميم يف م�رشوع العيابة �أي�ضا لكن بطريقة لفرا�شات .وقد ُ خمتلفة ،ومن هنا ا�ستوحيت مفهوم "املر�أة اخلفية" حيث ا�ستعملته لتمويه املر�أة وجعلها تذوب يف بيئتها �أينما حلت ومتى �شاءت .وهذه هي طريقي يف اجلمع بني الطبيعة والأزياء ،و�إك�ساب الن�ساء نوعا من القوة اخلارقة لأنهن ي�صبحن غري مرئيات ويندجمن مع البيئة املحيطة بهن". وقد مت عر�ض م�رشوع العيابة كجزء من عر�ض �أزياء فرجينيا كومنولث ال�سنوي الثالث ع�رش ،الذي �أقيم حتت الرعاية الكرمية ل�صاحبة ال�سمو ال�شيخة موزا بنت نا�رص . 44
ت�صميم ماريون �سانغوي�سا الذي ي�ستخدم ال�شبكة املعكو�سة لت�صميم زخارف “الفرا�شات”
القديم في الجديد إن “العيابة” ليست مجرد عكس لترتيب حروف كلمة “عباية” ،وإنما هي تجسيد لسحرها .تتحدث دبرينا عليا إلى مبدعات فرجينيا كومنولث عن هذا المشروع الجديد.
يت�سم الكثري من املالب�س التقليدية يف العامل مبثل ما حتظى به العباية اخلليجية من هوية ثقافية وجمتمعية ،فهي اللبا�س الذي ال يزال يحظى باحرتام وتقدير لدورها الرمزي يف احلفاظ على كرامة املر�أة وخ�صو�صيتها ،لكن مع متتع عباءات الع�رص احلديث باحلداثة واملو�ضة� ،أ�صبحت العباية التقليدية تقت�رص على الأجيال الأكرب �سنا ،وقد تختفي متاما يف وقت قريب .لذا ،ويف خطوة لإنعا�ش �صناعة املالب�س التقليدية ،قام طالب ت�صميم الأزياء يف جامعة فرجينيا كومنولث يف قطر مب�رشوع للمزاوجة بني ت�أثريات العاملني القدمي واجلديد .و�أجرت تي قطر مقابلة ح�رصية مع فريق طالبات ت�صميم الأزياء احلري�صات على �إعادة �إحياء الع�رص الذهبي للعباية وتقدميها مبنظور جديد. لقد ُ�سمي هذا امل�رشوع بـ “العيابة” ،وهي كلمة م�شتقة من �إعادة ترتيب حروف كلمة عباية ،وانطلق امل�رشوع بهدف ت�صميم مالب�س ب�سيطة ميكن ارتدا�ؤها مع �أو بدون ملحقات للح�صول على �إطاللة خمتلفة يف كل يوم من ال�سنة .ويعيد امل�رشوع �أي�ضا ت�صميم العباية التقليدية يف �إطار املو�ضة احلديثة مع املحافظة على تعدد ا�ستعماالت العباية الأ�صلية و�شكلها .ويف الوقت الذي تت�سم فيه العباية التقليدية ب�شكلها الب�سيط وا�ستعماالتها املتنوعة ،وتعزيزها مل�شاعر الأنوثة� ،إال �أن العباية احلديثة تعك�س املو�ضة اجلديدة ،وتتميز يف كثري من الأحيان بزينتها
ال
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جتريب خمتلف الطرق الرتداء العيابة.
وتفا�صيلها .لذا ف�إن ال�رصاع الرئي�س بني تف�سريات العامل القدمي واجلديد يتمثل يف احلاجة للتعبري عن ال�شخ�صية الفردية ،وهو �أمر قام فريق امل�رشوع با�ستك�شافه ب�صورة كاملة. الوصول العالمي
قادت �أ�ستاذة ت�صميم الأزياء �ستيال كاالليو فريق الطالبات املكون من كل من ماريون �سانغوي�سا ،ومي�ساء امل�ؤمن ،و�إليزابيث يانغ �سون جو، ومنى الأن�صاري لتطوير �إبداعاتهن الفردية للعيابة ا�ستنادا �إىل املو�ضوع الأ�سا�سي للم�رشوع .لكن ما يزيد من �إثارة امل�رشوع هو اخللفيات الثقافية أ�سبغت على �أعمالهن روحا عاملية ،وجعلت العباية لع�ضوات الفريق التي � ْ تنا�سب املجتمعات خارج منطقة اخلليج .وحتدثت �ستيال عن خلفية فريقها املتعدد الثقافات قائلة�“ :إن طالباتنا من مناطق خمتلفة من العامل ،وهو ال�سبب الرئي�س لنجاح هذا امل�رشوع .فقد �ساهمت ع�ضوات الفريق بحما�س يف تف�سري العباية ،مما �أ�صبح و�سيلة الحت�ضان الثقافة القطرية واعتمادها يف ثقافة كل امل�شاركات يف امل�رشوع”. وقد اكت�شفت يانغ التي ت�أتي من كوريا اجلنوبية �أوجه الت�شابه بني العباية
remix Qatar
What can you tell us about online shopping trends in the Middle East? The Middle East is a very important market which continues to do well for us. Our customers in this region love the more special pieces from the collections, with Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin and Alexander McQueen being some of our most popular designers.
Fashion Authority Holding the esteemed title Buying Director for Net-a-Porter, fashion’s online retail haven, is a thrill for Texas native Holli Rogers, who has been working in the luxury fashion business for years. T Qatar learns more about her experience and personal style. By Orna Ballout
Y
Can you recommend one investment piece to get through the season in style? This spring it is all about the statement skirt and I absolutely love Jonathan Saunders’ blue embroidered version. Wear now with a slouchy knit and ankle boots and for summer pair with a luxe t-shirt and wedges.
Jonathan Saunders
If you could buy one item from Net-a-Porter right now, what would you purchase?
Prabal Gurung’s printed wool and silk pants - they are the perfect printed pant for spring! What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? To stay curious.
ou must be extremely busy working as the Buying Director of Net-a-Porter. What does the role entail? No two days are the same working at Net-a-Porter and I thrive on the buzz of this. A big part of my job is meeting with designers and brands, both existing and potential new ones, to view the latest collections as well as discuss possible exclusives and collaborations.
With your experience working in some of the top fashion capitals in the world, where do you think has the best fashion scene? Each city has its own unique sense of style and personality and can inspire in different ways. London has a cool edgy vibe, Milan is uber-glamorous, Paris is super chic and New York has a very minimal and modern aesthetic. For me however, I would have to say London really is a shining star right now!
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Do you have any exciting new designers becoming available on Net-a-Porter? We have added a host of exciting new brands to our portfolio this season, from ready-to-wear to fine jewelry. Highlights include Hakaan, Michael van der Ham, Creatures of the Wind, Repossi and Amedeo. We also have exclusive capsule collections arriving for summer which include a six-piece dress collection from Victoria Beckham. We’re offering an edit of our favorite silhouettes in exclusive colorways, and we are sure our customers will love them as much as we do.
Prabal Gurung
Do you feel a lot of pressure to always stay one step ahead of the style game? How do you manage it? I am always on the lookout for what the next big trend will be, both in work and out. I find inspiration and newness from many places: at the shows, reading style magazines and books or shopping in one of my favorite London haunts, such as Portobello Market.
How would you describe your signature style? My style is constantly evolving. I’m in fashion because I love the newness of it.
Spring/Summer key trends.
All that jazz
Print explosion
Head-to-toe, mismatched and clashing, it is all about print this season. From graphic and colorful at Mary Katrantzou and Peter Pilotto to paisley at Jil Sander and Etro to fun vegetable patterns at Dolce & Gabbana and Easton Pearson, there is a plethora of prints to choose from.
Jil Sander
The roaring twenties continue to have an impact on our wardrobes with The Great Gatsby film inspiring designers across the runway this season. Think drop-waisted flapper dress, marabou and plenty of shimmer. Gucci offered a strong and sexy take on the trend while Marc Jacobs and Oscar de la Renta went for dreamy romanticism with pastel and gold lame dresses, marabou feathers and beading.
Amedeo
Gucci Dolce & Gabbana
Marc Jacobs
Peter Pilotto
Point break
From Lisa Marie Fernandez and Peter Pilotto’s amazing printed swimwear to fitted neoprene dresses at Altuzarra, there were many variations of the surf trend on the catwalk. Christian Louboutin’s new fluoro neoprene shoes are an easy way to wear this trend - both comfortable and super-cool.
Altuzarra
Who is your biggest style crush? For me this always changes – at the moment one of my biggest style crushes is the CourtinClarins girls – they are all so beautiful and clearly having fun. Also worth a mention are the fabulous front row bloggers - Garance, Candice Lake, Tamu, Hanneli to name a few. And Caroline Issa from Tank definitely has her own style and always looks incredible. Which designers do you love this season? Prabal Gurung’s show was just stunning - his directional yet feminine silhouettes were reworked for spring in fabulous print and color combinations. I also loved Valentino’s collection, which felt really fresh – the beautiful lace espadrilles are top of my wish list.
Antique Market in Marylebone. Why did you choose the fashion field? I always knew it was a career I wanted to pursue and was very much inspired by my mother, who had an innate sense of style. Highlight the pieces that every girl should have in her wardrobe. Every wardrobe should have the key essentials: a great blazer, a little black dress, black pants, a leather jacket, a classic white shirt, great ankle boots and a sexy sandal. These pieces are the building blocks of your wardrobe which you can then update each season with more trend-led pieces.
What’s the one thing you can’t live without? My iPod – listening to music helps me to relax and unwind after a busy day.
Share a little unknown fact about yourself... I don’t know how unknown this is, but I do love Mexican food – you can’t beat a good burrito with guacamole!
When you’re not working, how do you usually spend your time? I love browsing unusual antique and interiors shops. My favorites include Flair in Florence, BDDW and John Derian in New York and Alfies
Future plans for Net-a-Porter. We are always on the lookout for the next big thing or working towards our latest exciting launch, whether in technology, fashion or e-commerce, so watch this space!
Christian Louboutin
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remix Qatar
Cyril Zammit, Director of Design Days Dubai, discusses design with guests at the special preview night of the inaugural Design Days Dubai fair.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan tours the special preview day at the inaugural Design Days Dubai fair.
A need for designer fairs Laurene Leon Boym laments the lack of ingenuity in locally-produced objects in the Arab world as she breezes through Design Days Dubai
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D
ubai in March. It was a delicious night for a walk on the promenade near the Burj Khalifa. The evening was ripe with humidity and the sky overhead tinted rich ultramarine blue. On a promenade that encircled a man-made lake with an aquacolor painted bottom, one could see the Pavilion from a distance. A line of guests snaked around the entrance of the temporary structure, with ladies, patiently waiting, dressed in the latest Alexander Wang clothing and Acme wedge sandals. Excited chatter in multiple languages, and in the far background there was a discreet oud playing its magical lullabies. A few guests clutched a brown, beige and orange invitation in their hands – none of whom seemed patient enough to wait for their turn to get to the front of the line. At the head there was a man in a thobe and Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses. The friendly scene outside the tent could have been Miami in December or Basel in June. It’s a testament to our shrinking, media-saturated planet that the identical scene happens in Dubai, on the eve of the opening of Design Days Dubai. Design Days, as it is affectionately known, is the latest international furniture exhibition on the international circuit, albeit with an Arab slant. It does not diminish in the shadow of its predecessors; it is bursting to the fabric seams of the tent with new revelations in local and international limited furniture. In that way, Design Days Dubai is a revelation, because it eschews the traditional (insert yawn here) stereotype of Arab taste – golden shawarma wrapped in Swarovski crystals with a side order of glitter – for something different.
The Proust Geometrica Chair on display at the PF Emirates Interiors stand at the Design Days Dubai fair.
are not prepared to pay the price of work on the international market, and there remains a schism between what collectors will pay for art, and will pay for design.” Witness the following exchange: Guests play with the Abaya/Kandoora-inspired foozball table at the Qatar-based Virginia Commonwealth University stand at the special preview night of the inaugural Design Days Dubai.
The Birth Slotted in the crowded category of muscular collectable design trade fairs that include such notables as Salone del Mobile (Milan), 100% Design (London) and Design (Miami/Basel), this jewel of an exhibition in Dubai can stand proud next to its forbear. My spies inside the show report that it’s stuffed to the brim with onlookers, many of them potential design collectors. There is enough buzz and curiosity just for the privilege to view the work inside the tent structure, and maybe participate in an impromptu chat with a participating designer, a workshop or a lecture. And it could’ve been Miami Basel in 2006, when Design Days Dubai's Fair Director, Cyril Zammit, was working for private bank HSBC in Switzerland and got the ingenious idea to sponsor the sister collectable furniture fair, Design Miami. Miami came knocking again when, in 2009, at a Design Miami lecture series, Ben Floyd and John Martin of Art Dubai heard a talk about collecting design, by Simon De Pury, the eponymous auction house director of Phillips, de Pury. The duo then got a unique
idea to bring a copycat design-art collectable market to Dubai. It could work. It was an untapped market. With buyers already in town for Art Dubai, collecting limited-edition designs seemed like a no-brainer that would enhance the already privileged Art Dubai brand. When collectors buy the art, they need a sofa to match! So, in Design Days Dubai, there is this ambitious undertaking, merchandising and selling what amounts to a new independent product in a context that many people in the region would consider a “European” sensibility. Are people in our region primed to understand the quality, themes and presentations that are a norm in countries with developed art furniture markets (UK, USA)? Also, how well does the show prepare and educate the prospective collector? I think a region with our resources can do more, despite attempts by the Design Days Dubai team and the creation of extensive programming and preparation. Importantly, there is still the problem of selling stuff and the creation of a category for it. According to one gallerist, who would like to remain anonymous, “buyers at the show
Buyer: Ooh, I like this table, it’s so pretty. How much is it? Gallery: It is $10,000 (QR36,400) entirely handmade. (Buyer says nothing, gives stink eye to gallerist.) Gallerist continues: Would you like to know the history of the artists? The artists' work has previously been sold for between $5,000 and $30,000 (QR18,200 and QR109,000). The work of these artists has been shown at several A-list galleries in the biggest cities in the world and their designs are in many major museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, NYC Buyer: I just bought myself a Bentley, that’s too expensive for a table. Etcetera, etcetera. The goods The one booth in the March design madness in the Design Days tent that had Ikea-like prices to satisfy a potential buyer was a truly populist enterprise, the DXB store. In its second year (the first was 2011), the initiative was branded in two additional venues (Art Dubai and Sikka). Planned as a showcase for the explosion of cottage creativity in the Emirates, it featured around 40 designers, many of whom made the product to sell at the store in their home studios, utilizing locally-produced materials to produce limited-edition objects, artist’s multiples, clothes and textiles. The scene in the DXB store in the Design Days Pavilion was crammed like a New York City subway car, with shoppers hoarding pretty bags for their mac babies.
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remix Qatar Carwan Gallery, Philippe Malouin, Intarsia & Lathe 1 and 2 Handcrafted maple and oak (bowl) Limited Edition of 12 + 2 P 2008 [Carwan commission 2012] Photography by Ad Achkar Photo caption for Coletivo Amor de Madre Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Sebastian Brajkovic, Lathe V (Red) Bronze, silk-embroidered upholstery 100 x 97 x 59 cm Edition of 8, 2008 Image courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery
Croft, Jaehyo Lee, 0121-1110=111094 Wood, big cone pine (chair) 95 x 95 x 77 cm 2011
Digitally-printed scarves and silk cushions by OTT flew off the shelves and were sold out of stock by the end of the show. There was complementary handcrafted Rana Mikdashi jewelry and t-shirts by Khalid Mezaina that were equally admirable. And the shortfalls While the store was a great success, raising local designers’ profiles and bringing in some profit, there were material and production limitations with the initiative, and these underscore the problems of making and selling design in the region. Creativity IS a topic worthy of discussion. This deficit in ingenuity in the locallyproduced objects highlights the real problems of creating a homegrown design initiative in the UAE and elsewhere in the Arab world: limited manufacturing resources for product production. If you need a metaphor for this, it’s the design equivalent of an icecream shop serving only vanilla-flavored ice cream. We need either to start producing objects of better quality here or to create government initiatives to reduce the shipping costs and import duties into the region for designer goods. That’s a huge hurdle that needs to be jumped, because it limits what designers here in the region can make. And that limits
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the creativity that fires up a fledgeling design scene. There is poor quality of materials and low standards at many of the existing shops. Currently, there are no standard-bearers for a craft-based economy in the region, and no one has stepped up to the plate. In a discussion about “Teaching Design” in the Pavilion on a Tuesday evening, teachers at universities in the region lamented the deficit of a small-scale manufacturing infrastructure in the region, which is essentially the key to creating a homegrown design economy. One exception being that in the area of Sharjah, there are plastic injection molding facilities and ceramic sanitary product facilities, but these are focused on producing mass market industrial products in large quantities. There is no local equal to a Royal Tichelaar Makkum, the Netherlands' oldest company, a ceramics manufacturer of the highest order, which adds cultural value to its brand by making the most of history through the eyes of young contemporary designers. Alexis Georgacopoulos, the Director of Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne, Switzerland (ECAL), a design university represented on the “Teaching Design” panel, underscored the numerous benefits of young designer/studentmanufacturer collaboration with established
high-value companies. “ECAL students are learning to design by designing for the world, with existing companies, and by using materials and manufacturing processes in the factory to get things made,” he said. “In ECAL, students mimic the work of a real-life design consultancy’s stages with a client. For young people, it is an invaluable lesson in the design process that helps “prime the pump” for later, after graduation - and possibly, if they are lucky, to get products on the market. “The manufacturer also benefits from the arrangement, with an infusion of young, fresh ideas and energy into their brand. It’s done as a research project for the company to see what they can produce in the future. Both sides have to choose partners carefully. We’ve been incredibly lucky at ECAL to have our students collaborate with Cristofle, Hublot and Swarovski, for example. But ECAL is not the only example of training designers this way. Design Academy Eindhoven, in the Netherlands, has been a leader in this type of training.” It’s not unwise to invoke a country that has developed a strong design culture and identity for young people to emulate, such as the Netherlands. In realising the dream, we must look to precedents in the region for that to happen.
All for a jacket Nidhi Zakaria Eipe caught up with two of Qatar’s ambassadors for the Puma "Built for One" T7 campaign to get their take on art, film and design in Qatar and the Middle East.
J
ustin Kramer collects stories. A self-confessed junk connoisseur, he spends hours trawling the Internet for interesting images, from which he gains inspiration for his work. A visual artist, filmmaker and mentor at the Doha Film Institute, customizing things seems to run in Kramer’s blood. Khalid Al-Baih seems to be everywhere at once. Graphic designer, interior designer, political cartoonist, illustrator, activist, artist – the man defies categorization. Originally from Sudan, Al-Baih moved
to Qatar when he was 11 years old and has been here ever since. “I’m kind of a local,” he grins. So what do these two have in common? Creativity and a passion for design, and it is for this simple reason that they were picked as Qatar ambassadors by Puma. Puma recently kicked off its “Built for One” T7 campaign across the Middle East. As part of the 40th anniversary celebration of the iconic T7 jacket, sported by legends like Pele, the Beastie Boys and Professor Green, Puma invited 25 ambassadors from across the Middle East including Qatar, Iran, Pakistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE to Dubai to take part in an exclusive workshop to create their own customised Puma T7s.
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JUSTIN KRAMER Kramer’s grandfather was a painter, and he taught him very early on that to make something your own, you have to add something of yourself to it. Most of what Kramer owns is ‘customized’ in some way. “I was the eleven-year-old stealing cans of silver spray paint and converting my Converse All Stars, sewing patches on to my jackets with a needle and thread, drawing David Bowie lightning bolts on my eyes – whatever I Justin Kramer could think of,” he laughs. A trait that made him a natural pick for the Puma he puts it down to trust. “It’s all T7 design customization project. about the time you put into it. You Originally from New Jersey, Kramer have to gain people’s trust and get first visited Doha in 2009 to help run the to know people before they will inaugural Doha Tribeca Film Festival. open up to you,” he explains. “I’m When he was later offered a chance to very interested in human stories. move to the city as part of the education But I think to do them justice you team of the Doha Film Institute, he have to be a part of them first.” couldn’t resist. At the Puma T7 event in Which is exactly what he did for Dubai, he took his role as an ambassador his latest film, Zabaleen, which for Qatar seriously, wanting his work to be a reflection of his experiences. “I documents the ongoing struggles wanted to depict the iconography of the and entrepreneurial and environmental region, the things that are underground,” achievements of a community which he explains. One of the first images that collects and hand-sorts the 15,000 he found visually arresting was people tonnes of domestic refuse produced by sitting, sometimes even standing, on Cairo’s 17.8 million residents every day. the top of Land Cruisers. “It’s shocking Kramer immersed himself in the beauty the first time you see it, but after a while and chaos of Cairo, taking three years to it becomes just normal, everyday stuff. complete filming for the documentary. But the rest of the world has not seen Zabaleen is scheduled to be released in anything like it and those are the kinds of August 2012. things I wanted to capture on the jacket.” Nomadic by nature, Kramer still He used traditional majlis fabrics from considers the farm fields of southern Qatar to add something of the country’s New Jersey, where he grew up, to be unique character into the piece. home. “My dad is a blue-collar farmer, a Ask him about the challenges of man of manual labor, and I never really authentically portraying the stories of fit into that world,” he admits. “I was a culture different from one’s own, and always the odd one out.” It did not take
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him long to figure out where he did fitted in, though. Kramer feels he has found his calling in helping others – and himself – to share stories. “It’s one of the things I feel I can most contribute to,” he says. “A continued record of oral history, heritage and culture in the world for generations to come.” Where to from here, I ask? “I want to continue encouraging and empowering people in the region to make films. They are the only ones who can tell their stories accurately. It’s really important. If they don’t tell their stories, who will?” It strikes me how self-effacing Kramer is, often speaking as if he were one of the students instead of the teacher. “What’s
really important for me is helping people learn by example. You can’t learn how to make a film by sitting in a classroom—we need to get out there, we need to do it, we need people to get their hands dirty, otherwise it will be very hard for us to progress in this journey.” Perhaps he is not as far from his hands-inthe-earth roots as he imagines. KHALID ALBAIH At the Puma T7 event, Al Baih created a jacket that was inspired by the Arab Spring. “It’s what we lived through in the region for the past year and half and I wanted to relate this jacket to that,” he explains. He designed a grey camouflage jacket with the Puma logo on one side and a skull wearing an army beret on the other side. On the inside of the jacket, he used a floral patterned material to signify Spring. Albaih credits the Internet with kick-starting his career. Initially his work was refused at every publication he sent in to, on account of being too controversial. Albaih started his website ‘Khartoon’ and posted to his Flickr, Twitter and Facebook accounts. Very soon it all took off and he became a legitimate cartoonist. Though his cartoons have been published on Al Jazeera, and in The Atlantic and various other international publications, he is characteristically modest about his achievements. “I only exist on the Internet,” he laughs, telling me about his recent trip to France to attend a cartoonists convention. “It was the first time in my life I was seeing other cartoonists – they were all very professional – and they were asking me ‘where do you publish?’ and I said ‘wherever they take my work!’” he jokes. Albaih currently works in multimedia, public art and exhibitions with the Qatar Museums Authority. He is visibly
excited about the opportunities for young local artists, particularly in the spaces of collaboration and knowledgesharing. “Qatar is working on showcasing local artists everywhere. There is a lot of emphasis here on education and new thought in art.” Albaih sees fostering home grown talent as a crucial step in encouraging a culture of creativity and freedom of expression in the region. “Living in Qatar and the wider region, it was very hard growing up being interested in art because it was never really considered a career or something you could make a living out of,” he laments. Meeting with the Puma T7 ambassadors from other Middle Eastern countries who were all of the same generation, Albaih noted a new spirit among the young. “Before, we were all very defeatist, we didn’t know what we could do, how we could
“ ”
I’m just glad to be a part of this generation – the generation of the Arab Spring. change things, if things were ever going to change or if we would have a voice,” he says, “but now it’s different. People are not scared anymore. They know they can change things and they’re proud of it.” He sees this attitude reflected in the regional art scene, with young artists becoming bolder and braver and contributing to a new, unique paradigm that has emerged from the interpretation of political events. “One of the first things that blew up with the Arab Spring was the graffiti all over the walls in Libya and Egypt – it was the artists who were doing things,” explains Albaih. “Most of the activists were artists in one way or another.” Still, he is not naïve about the challenges being faced by the countries of the Arab Spring. Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Syria are all far from stable, but he sees hope in the passage of time and the commitment to change. “Art is like a soft war zone,” he reflects. “I’m just glad to be a part of this generation – the generation of the Arab Spring. Everybody thought we were just failures who watched MTV growing up and all we care about is the West and fashion – but we actually changed the whole world.” Spurred by this recognition, Albaih has made positive change his catch cry. “I want to do more – more illustrations, design, cartoons, and collaborative work. I want to change. Whatever I can do, I will do. I’m not going to stop. I can’t stop now.” And touched by the contagious passion and enthusiasm in his voice, you can’t help but hope that he never does.
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«هذه هي املرة الأوىل يف حياتي التي �أ�شاهد فيها غريي من الر�سامني ،فجميعهم حمرتفون وكانوا ي�س�ألونني "�أين تن�رش �أعمالك؟" وكنت �أجيــب � ،أينمـا يقبلون ن�رشها». ويعمل خالد حاليا يف الو�سائط املتعددة والفن واملعار�ض مع هيئة متاحف قطر .وهو ي�شعر بحما�س وا�ضح �إزاء الفر�ص التي يحظى بها الفنانون املحليون ال�شباب ،وال�سيما يف جماالت التعاون وتبادل املعرفة �إذ يقول« :تعمل قطر على �إبراز الفنانني املحليني يف كل مكان .وثمة الكثري من الرتكيز هنا على التعليم والفكر اجلديد
يف الفن» .ويعترب خالد �أن ت�شجيع املواهب املحلية هي خطوة حا�سمة يف ت�شجيع ثقافة الإبداع وحرية التعبري يف املنطقة ،م�ضيفا« :من خالل عي�شي يف دولة قطر واملنطقة كان من ال�صعب �أن �أهتم بالفن ،لأنه ال �أحد هنا يعتربه مهنة �أو جماال ميكن للمرء �أن يحقق منه �شيئا ما» .ومن خالل لقاء خالد مع �سفراء بوما تي 7من دول �أخرى يف ال�رشق الأو�سط والذين كانوا جميعا من نف�س اجليل ،الحظ وجود روح جديدة يف �صفوف ال�شباب حيث يقول عن ذلك« :لقد كنا جميعا من قبل انهزاميني للغاية �إذ مل نكن نعرف نغي الأمور� ،أو ماذا ميكن �أن نفعل ،وكيف ميكننا �أن رّ ما �إذا كانت الأمور ميكن �أن تتغري� ،أو فيما �إذا كان �سيكون لدينا �صوت .لكن الأمر اختلف الآن ،ومل يعد النا�س ي�شعرون باخلوف .فهم يعرفون �أنه ميكنهم يغيوا الأمور وهم فخورون بذلك» .ويرى خالد �أن رّ �أن هذا املوقف ينعك�س على امل�شهد الفني الإقليمي من خالل زيادة جر�أة و�شجاعة الفنانني ال�شباب وم�ساهمتهم يف �إر�ساء منوذج جديد وفريد من
نوعه يربز من تف�سري الأحداث ال�سيا�سية .وعن ذلك يقول« :لقد كانت من �أول الأ�شياء التي فجرت الربيع العربي الكتابة على اجلدران يف ليبيا وم�رص حيث كان الفنانون هم الذين يقومون بذلك ،وكان معظم النا�شطني فنانني ب�شكل �أو ب�آخر». غري �أنه ال يغفل عن التحديات التي تواجهها دول الربيع العربي ،فم�رص ،وتون�س ،وليبيا ،واليمن، و�سوريا ،كلها بعيدة عن اال�ستقرار ،لكنه يرى �أنه ثمة �أمل مع مرور الوقت وااللتزام بالتغيري .يقول خالد�« :إن الفن هو مبثابة منطقة حرب باردة و�أنا �سعيد لكوين جزءا من هذا اجليل ،جيل الربيع العربي� .إذ يعتقد اجلميع �أننا فا�شلون ،وال يهمنا �إال الغرب والأزياء ،وم�شاهدة حمطة �إم تي يف ،لكننا نغي العامل ب�أ�رسه» .ومن هذا املنطلق يف الواقع رّ متكن خالد من حتقيق الكثري� ،إال �أنه يقول�« :أريد �أن �أفعل املزيد ،و�أن �أر�سم املزيد من الر�سوم ،و�أن �أقوم باملزيد من الت�صاميم ،والعمل اجلماعي� .أريد التغيري ،و�سوف �أقوم بكل ما ميكنني القيام به ،ولن �أتوقف لأنه ال ميكن �أن �أتوقف الآن» .ولي�س بو�سع املرء �إال �أن يت�أثر بال�شغف واحلما�س املوجودين يف �صوته ،و�أن ي�أمل ب�أال يتوقف بالفعل. 54
ك�سفري لقطر على حممل اجلد �أثناء حدث بوما تي 7 الذي �أقيم يف دبي ،حيث كان يريد �أن ي�شكّل عمله انعكا�سا لتجربته .وعن ذلك يقول« :لقد �أردت �أن أ�صور ما متثله هذه املنطقة» .ومن ال�صور الأوىل � ّ التي وجد �أنها فريدة يف هذه املنطقة جلو�س النا�س �أو حتى وقوفهم على �سقف �سيارة الالند كروزر �إذ يقول« :لقد �شكل ذلك �صدمة يل عندما ر�أيته للمرة الأوىل ،ولكن بعد م�ضي فرتة من الوقت �أ�صبح �أمرا
“ ”
العامل وكنت دائما �أ�شذ عنه» .لكنه مل يتطلب وقتا طويال ملعرفة املكان الذي ينا�سبه �أكرث .وي�شعر كرمير �أنه قد وجد نف�سه يف م�ساعدة نف�سه والآخرين على تبادل الق�ص�ص .و�أ�ضاف قائال�« :إنها واحدة من الأ�شياء التي �أ�شعر �أنه ميكنني �أن �أ�ساهم فيها� ،إذ يوجد يف العامل �سجل هائل من التاريخ والرتاث والثقافة
إن الفن بمثابة منطقة حرب باردة ،وأنا سعيد لكوني جزءا من هذا الجيل ،جيل الربيع العربي
طبيعيا ويوميا .لكن بقية العامل مل ي�شهد �شيئا كهذا من قبل لذا �أريد �أن �أ�صور مثل هذه الأ�شياء على ال�سرتة» .وقد ا�ستخدم كرمير الأقم�شة امل�ستخدمة يف املجل�س التقليدي يف قطر لإ�ضفاء �شيء فريد على يعب عن �شخ�صية البالد. ال�سرتة رّ وعندما ي�س�أله املرء عن التحديات التي تواجه ت�صوير ق�ص�ص من ثقافة خمتلفة عن ثقافته ف�إنه يجيب�« :إن الأمر يتعلق مبدى اجلهد الذي يبذله املرء يف ذلك .فعلى املرء �أن يكت�سب ثقة النا�س و�أن يتعرف عليهم قبل �أن يفتحوا قلوبهم له .و�أنا مهتم جدا بالق�ص�ص الإن�سانية ،لكنني �أعتقد �أنه �إذا �أراد املرء �أن يفي هذه الق�ص�ص حقها فعليه �أن ي�صبح جزءا منها �أوال» .وهذا بال�ضبط ما قام به يف فيلمه اجلديد« ،الزبالني» الذي يوثق الن�ضاالت امل�ستمرة والإجنازات البيئية ملجتمع الزبالني يف القاهرة الذين يجمعون ويفرزون يدويا � 15ألف طن من النفايات املنزلية اليومية ل�سكان القاهرة .وقد انغم�س كرمير نف�سه يف جمال القاهرة وفو�ضتها على مدى ثالث �سنوات التي تطلبها ا�ستكمال ت�صوير فيلمه الوثائقي «الزبالني» الذي �سي�صدر يف �أغ�سط�س عام .2012 وكرمير بطبيعته يحب الرتحال وهو ما يزال يفكر يف جعل احلقول الزراعية يف جنوب والية نيو جري�سي التي ن�ش�أ فيها موطنا له �إذ يقول« :والدي مزارع يحب العمل اليدوي ،لكنني مل �أن�سجم فعليا مع ذلك 55
املتنقل �شفاها وامل�ستمر لأجيال قادمة». لكن �إىل �أين �سيتنقل من هنا؟ يجيب قائال�« :أريد اال�ستمرار يف ت�شجيع النا�س يف املنطقة على �صناعة الأفالم. فهم وحدهم القادرون على �أن يق�صوا ق�ص�صهم بدقة .وهذا �أمر مهم للغاية لأنهم �إن مل يرووا ق�ص�صهم ب�أنف�سهم، فمن الذي �سريويها؟» .ومن العجيب �أن كرمير يتحدث يف كثري من الأحيان كما لو كان طالبا ولي�س معلما ،لكنه يقول عن ذلك« :من املهم حقا بالن�سبة يل �أن �أ�ساعد النا�س على التعلم من خالل تقدمي القدوة �إذ ال ميكن للمرء �أن يتعلم كيفية �صناعة الأفالم من خالل اجللو�س يف الف�صل الدرا�سي. فنحن بحاجة �إىل اخلروج والعمل خارج الف�صول الدرا�سية و�إال �سيكون من ال�صعب للغاية �أن نحرز �أي تقدم يف هذه الرحلة». سترة الربيع العربي
�صمم خالد يف حدث بوما تي � 7سرتة ا�ستوحاها من الربيع العربي .و�أو�ضح ذلك قائال« :لقد عا�رصنا الربيع العربي يف هذه املنطقة خالل ال�سنة والن�صف أعب عن ذلك من خالل املا�ضية ،لذا فقد � ُ أردت �أن � رّ ال�سرتة» .وقد �صمم خالد �سرتة رمادية ومموهة حتمل على جانبها �شعار بوما يف حني يوجد على
khalid AlBaih
جانبها الآخر جمجمة ترتدي قبعة ع�سكرية يف الداخل من ال�سرتة ،وا�ستخدم مادة نباتية منقو�شة، للداللة على الربيع. ويعزي خالد للإنرتنت ف�ضل انطالقة حياته املهنية. ففي البداية ُرف�ض ن�رش �أعماله بحجة كونها مثرية للجدل .عندئذ �أ�س�س موقعه على الإنرتنت خرتوون Khartoonون�رش ر�سائل على التويرت وفليكر والفي�سبوك .و�رسعان ما �أ�صبح ر�سام كاريكاتري م�شهورا ،ورغم �أنه قد ُن�رشت ر�سومه الكاريكاتورية يف قناة اجلزيرة ،وذي �أتالنتيك ،وخمتلف اجلهات الدولية الأخرى� ،إال �أنه متوا�ضع بخ�صو�ص �إجنازاته �إذ يقول �ضاحكا�« :أنا موجود فقط على �شبكة الإنرتنت» .وحت ّدث عن رحلته الأخرية �إىل فرن�سا حل�ضور م�ؤمتر ر�سامي الكاريكاتري قائال:
remix Qatar
اإللهام في تصميم سترة التقى نيدهي زكريا إيب مع سفيري بوما في قطر اللذين تحدثا عن آرائهما حول الفن والسينما والتصميم في قطر ومنطقة الشرق األوسط.
ج�سنت كرامـــر الق�ص�ص ،كمــــا �أنــه مي�ضي ال�ساعات على الإنرتنت بحثا عن ال�صور املثرية لالهتمام ،التي ي�ستمد منها الإلهام لأعماله. وهو فنان ب�رصي وخمرج ومعلم يف م�ؤ�س�سة الدوحة للأفالم ،حيث يبدو �أن التكيف مع الأمور يجري يف عروقه� .أما خالد البيه فيبدو �أنه موجود يف كل مكان يف �آن واحد .فهو م�صمم جرافيك ،وم�صمم ديكور داخلي ،ور�سام كاريكاتري �سيا�سي، وم�صور ،ونا�شط ،وفنان .وهو يف الأ�صل من ال�سودان لكنه انتقل �إىل قطر عندما كان عمره 11عاما ،وهو يعي�ش هنا منذ ذلك احلني ،حيث ي�صف نف�سه مبت�سما بقوله�« :أنا تقريبا من �سكان هذا البلد املحليني». لكن ما الذي يجمع بني هذين الرجلني؟ �إنه الإبداع وال�شغف بالت�صميم ،حيث مت اختيارهما لهذا ال�سبب الب�سيط �سفريي العالمة التجارية بوما يف قطر. وقد بد�أت بوما م�ؤخرا حملة �سرتة تي 7يف ال�رشق الأو�سط .وكجزء من االحتفال بالذكرى الأربعني ل�سرتة تي 7الفريدة التي ارتداها �أ�ساطري الريا�ضة مثل بيليه ،وفريق بي�ستي بويز ،وبروفي�سور غرين ،دعت بوما � 25سفريا لها من خمتلف �أنحاء ال�رشق الأو�سط ،مبا يف ذلك قطر ,و�إيران,
يجمع
وباك�ستــان ,والكــويت ،وال�سعودية ,والبحرين ,والإمارات ,العربية املتحدة، للح�ضور �إىل دبي للم�شاركة يف ور�شة عمل ح�رصية كي ي�صمم كل منهم �سرتة بوما تي 7اخلا�صة به. جوستين كريمر
كان جد كرمير ر�ساما وقد علمه منذ نعومة �أظافره� ،إنه �إذا �أراد �صنع �شيئا خا�صا به فعليه �أن ي�سبغ عليه �شيئا من نف�سه .لذا فمعظم ما ميلكه كرمير م�صمم له خ�صي�صا بطريقة �أو ب�أخرى .يقول كرمير �ضاحكا« :عندما كنت يف احلادية ع�رشة من العمر كنت �أ�رسق علب ر�ش طالء الف�ضة و�أ�صبغ كل ما لدي باللون الف�ضي ،و�أخيط رقع على �سرتاتي بالإبرة واخليط ،و�أر�سم على عيني كل ما يخطر ببايل من �أ�شكال» .وهذه ال�صفة هي التي جعلته االختيار الطبيعي مل�رشوع بوما تي 7للت�صميم التخ�صي�صي. وكرمير هو من والية نيو جري�سي ،وقد زار الدوحة للمرة الأوىل يف عام 2009 للم�ساعدة يف �إدارة مهرجان الدوحة ترايبيكا ال�سينمائي االفتتاحي .وعندما ُعر�ضت عليه الحقا فر�صة لالنتقال �إىل الدوحة كجزء من فريق التعليم يف م�ؤ�س�سة الدوحة لل�سينما ،مل ي�ستطع مقاومة هذا العر�ض .و�أخذ كرمير من�صبه 56
talk
I
n the North of England, at the Western edge of Yorkshire, the accents are incomprehensibly thick, the ghosts are palpable, and the moors, dotted with sheep, seem to go on forever. Everywhere is the dry stone walling — assembled by hand with no mortar — that has lasted for centuries and defines field boundaries and ownership. This is the obdurate, timeless landscape that bred the celebrated Brontë sisters and fertilized their singular literary imaginations, which have held readers spellbound since 1847, when their novels first appeared under male pseudonyms. Charlotte, Emily and Anne, together with their brother, Branwell, grew up in this region, known as the Worth Valley, in the tiny village of Haworth — ‘‘a strange, uncivilized little place,’’ as Charlotte once described it to her publisher. This quotation doesn’t quite do justice to the hold Haworth and its environs had on all the siblings, who left it for longer or shorter periods only to come
White spirits Haworth at its moody, Brontë-esque best, after a snowfall. P hotograph by A drian G aut
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life on moors The
ghostly allure of Brontë country beckons a writer back. By Daphne Merkin
back to the remote, windswept setting where they felt most at home. I first visited Haworth more than 30 years ago as a freshly minted English major transfixed by such bold creations as Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester and Heathcliff, and by the timorous young women who had written so powerfully about female aspirations and subversive love. There was something askew in my own background, although outwardly different from the Brontës’, that led me to identify with their struggles to get themselves heard. And in the small, low-ceilinged rooms of the Brontë Parsonage Museum, with its scant collection of childhood toys, I found a model for the way writerly selves can be forged from less than propitious circumstances. So I returned this past winter, having written an introduction to a new edition of ‘‘Wuthering Heights’’ in the intervening years and prompted by a resurgence of interest in the sisters: a film remake of Charlotte’s ‘‘Jane Eyre’’ came out last year, and a new version of Emily’s ‘‘Wuthering Heights,’’ directed by Andrea Arnold, is due later this spring. There is also a British biopic of the sisters in the works, and in April Knopf will release a one-volume edition of Anne Brontë’s novels.
It is a crisp, sunny Friday morning in mid-January when I make my way over from Ashmount Country House, where I am staying, to the center of town. En route I pass a man washing dishes in the window of his cottage, a mug of coffee at the ready, and a handwritten notice on an abandoned building offering a ‘‘pink bridesmaid/prom dress size 10’’ for 40 pounds; for a minute I feel like I have wandered into a short story by William Trevor or some other master of small-town observation. I step into a store selling ‘‘Yorkshire relics,’’ a designation that includes colored glass bottles, pieces of pottery and a tattered paperback copy of ‘‘Mein Kampf.’’ The town seems curiously empty except for shopkeepers and several stray cats, but I am told more visitors are expected over the weekend. The summer months are the busiest time for tourists (the first time I was here was in July and the village was bustling), which include busloads of Japanese, who are apparently great Brontë fans. Although Haworth no longer draws the quarter of a million visitors every year that it did in the 1970s, it still brings in 75,000 people annually, the majority of whom don’t even bother with the Brontë sites but content themselves with walking up and down the main street, gawking at the lost-in-time-quality of it all. John Huxley, a retired sports journalist who moved here 12 years ago, says that Haworth remains largely how it was 100 years ago. ‘‘If Patrick Brontë came back,’’ he says, referring to the sisters’ clergyman father, ‘‘he would recognize large chunks of the village.’’ I can see what he means, for there is a period-piece atmosphere to Haworth. Indeed, it is possible to imagine the sisters in their long skirts strolling along the cobbled street, stopping in to mail a manuscript from the original wooden post-office counter that still stands in a small card shop that has been in the same family since 1652. Many of the cottages, made from millstone grit and fitted
and impassioned guide, Johnnie Briggs, who runs Brontë Walks. The moors, Briggs explains, begin where the cultivated land ends; in the Brontës’ time, the small tenant farms grew oats, kept dairy cattle and took in handweaving, but in more recent decades the fields have been taken over by the horsy set and hobby farmers from the cities. Composed of bracken, heather and grass, the frost-covered moors glow with an almost lunar color; in the summer the heather bursts into a vivid purple. There is a nip in the air as Briggs and I climb up about a mile and a half to see Top Withens, a ruined hilltop farm that is supposed to have provided the setting for the Earnshaw house in ‘‘Wuthering Heights.’’ (In 1956, the newly married Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes visited here, an occasion that inspired poems from both of them.) With other walkers and their assorted dogs passing by us, we reach the skeletal remnants of the farmhouse as the wind rises and the grouse make their strange cackling noise. I can make out mosses and tiny orchids winking their way through the frost, but mostly I am struck by the overwhelming sense of solitariness that this landscape invokes — and also by its eerie allure,
suggesting the kind of brutal, elemental romance that was played out by the doomed Heathcliff and Cathy. On my last morning, I linger over my breakfast of eggs and toast, finding it hard to leave Haworth’s bleak charms. There is something about this out-of-the-way place that has gotten under my urban skin; I can understand why the sisters were drawn back to it, especially the elusive Emily, who flourished in its seclusion. I pay a last visit to the graveyard, where the rooks caw and a black cat follows me around proprietarily. For a moment, I think of picking up and renting one of the former worker’s cottages, leaving aside the familiar for the rugged embrace of this part of the world. I suppose there is always the hope that whatever led the Brontës to pull great books out of themselves might work again if one only entrusted oneself to the same brooding surroundings. Unimportant things seem to fall away here, or maybe I am only imagining it. And then reality asserts itself: I remember a car is waiting for me and then a plane, and I tell myself that the spell of Brontë country will keep until I find my way back again. n
Memory bank Top left and above: ephemera at the Brontë Parsonage Museum. Left: one of the shops on Haworth’s main street catering to literary pilgrims. on the web For Haworth, England, travel essentials, go to nytimes.com/ tmagazine.
Adrian Gaut
out with lace curtains over their mullioned windows, go back several centuries, as do the higgledy-piggledy alleys that lead to workers’ accommodations. At one end of the street stands the Black Bull Inn, where the adored but feckless Branwell Brontë drank himself into nightly stupors. ‘‘There are no normal people here,’’ says Tony Venables, the scruffily bearded proprietor of a crammed-to-bursting little bookshop on Haworth’s main street, which features comprehensive sections on the village’s history and the Brontës. ‘‘There are only odd eccentrics. It must be something they put in the water.’’ Venable’s bookstore, one of two in this town of 5,000 — the other, a few doors down, features ‘‘exclusive Brontë mugs’’ — is flanked by pastry shops, vintage clothing stores and cafes that conspicuously advertise their connection to the family (‘‘Ye Olde Brontë Tea Rooms,’’ ‘‘Enjoy coffee with free Brontë shortbread!’’). Up the winding road, at a steep incline from Venable’s store, is St. Michael and All Angels church, dating from 1620 and last rebuilt in 1879. Here, Patrick preached his Sunday sermons to a congregation of 200 to 300 people, mostly farmers, textile workers and a few landed gentry. All of the sisters died before age 40; Charlotte and Emily are buried in a family vault to the right of an altar marked by a brass plaque. (Anne is buried by the sea in Scarborough.) An adjoining graveyard is said to be the final resting place of some 40,000 locals, many of whom died in childhood. When I stop in on Sunday morning, a double baptism is being performed and the pews are filled with young families. Behind the graveyard is the Brontë Parsonage Museum, where the family lived from 1820 onward. The house itself still has the bare, slightly scrubbed look that led Charlotte’s biographer Elizabeth Gaskell to comment, ‘‘I don’t know that I ever saw a spot more exquisitely clean.’’ The present director, Andrew McCarthy, shows me around and points out that he is at pains to keep it from becoming a ‘‘Brontë reliquary.’’ (This intention didn’t keep him from setting off for Sotheby’s right before Christmas with £610,000 to bid on a miniature book of Brontë juvenilia that came up for sale; he was outbid by the French.) The rooms have been decorated in keeping with the period of the Brontës; the original sofa Emily is thought to have died on in the dining room is here, as is Anne’s art box, a pair of Charlotte’s white stockings and several of her almost-child-size dresses. (She stood at under five feet.) The next day I head out for the moors, accompanied by an immensely knowledgeable
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talk
origin of country
The California town of Bakersfield is rich with music and oil, and both are still pumping. By Ethan Hauser
S
aturday night. We’re cruising up North Chester on our way to a Basque feast at Noriega’s, when something catches our eye across the median. Bryce hangs a U-ie so we can get to the source: a makeshift church in an empty warehouse. ‘‘Sinners Welcome’’ reads the gothic script banner hung on a rolled up metal grate, and a young man with a shaved head and vacant eyes asks if we know the Lord. Bryce and I nod reflexively. Inside, past rows of folding chairs, another man is at the lectern, trying to strangle salvation out of an electric guitar. It’s not pretty, though maybe it isn’t supposed to be. A few yards away, on the sidewalk, three teenage girls furiously suck on cigarettes, like there are nutrients or redemption in them. A heavyset woman on a scooter motors toward us. Nashville of the West, they used to call Bakersfield. Surely this is not what they meant. I’d arrived a day earlier in this central California city in search of that old time music. Buck Owens settled here; Merle Haggard was born and raised in Oildale, the unincorporated area north of the city proper, and built a mansion on the Kern River, which snakes through what is now a national forest with sheer canyons that empty into the rushing water; and countless musicians, from Gram Parsons to Dwight Yoakam, have made pilgrimages. (Yoakam’s 1988 ‘‘Streets of Bakersfield,’’ a duet
60
Dance hall days Ethel’s Old Corral Cafe, where a band tunes up the Bakersfield sound every Sunday. on the web For Bakersfield travel essentials, go to nytimes.com/ tmagazine.
P H O T O G R A P H B Y bryce duffy
he recorded with Owens, was No. 1 on the Billboard country singles chart.) There’s even a specific strain of music named for the place: the Bakersfield sound, highlighted last year in a Volkswagen ad set to the 1962 Wynn Stewart song ‘‘Another Day, Another Dollar.’’ The Bakersfield sound grew out of a reaction to the polished and lifeless tunes coming out of Nashville. Thus the country music born here in the ’50s and ’60s, wafting from the honkytonks and recording studios, was more stripped down, a little louder, abetted by the punch of electric guitars, the sway and lurch of rockabilly. What you heard on a record didn’t sound so far off from what you would hear Friday night at the bar, when men in cowboy hats would sing sweetheart duets with their dolled-up wives, the two of them feisty, contrite and wise, resplendent in Nudie suits. While it’s not hard to find, say, authentic indie rock — throw a dart at a map of Brooklyn or Portland or Austin — country music, of the not-built-forstadiums, non-Keith Urban variety, is more elusive these days. You could get lucky and
“ ”
believe is real — part Lucinda Williams, part June Carter — especially when you come upon it in as unheralded a place as this. She serenades couples who giddily take to the dance floor, three minutes to show off their rhinestone-studded jeans and escape the workaday blandness of their other lives. Later, Marc Madewell, who also plays at Trout’s, joined the band for a song. Madewell is Bakersfield through and through — born and raised here, with a Haggardesque scowl. It’s a resemblance not lost on others; ‘‘He could be the next Merle,’’ one knowledgeable promoter told me. Haggard is a country outlaw, part of a group of musical greats like Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash who thumbed their noses at the Nashville establishment. Mel Tillis, on the other hand, is about as well behaved as you can get and still be a country musician. His set at the Crystal Palace was as much banter as it was music, and in between songs, Tillis, who wrote classics like ‘‘I Ain’t Never,’’ cracked wise about his wife’s hearing, told stories about his stutter (while stuttering) and recounted tales of the actor Tim Conway. (Tillis was hawking a DVD, ‘‘Huntin’ Buddies,’’ in which he starred alongside Conway.) At certain moments, gazing at the courteous audience, I wished I were back at Ethel’s, before realizing that there aren’t all that many Mel Tillises left in the world, and to see him borders on something like musical, if not patriotic, obligation. This is the mix that pervades Bakersfield today — the glossy music hall that civic boosters plaster on their brochures and the dives where country purists take shelter. Over lunch at the Arizona Cafe, I asked Robert Price, the editorial page editor of The Bakersfield Californian, about his sense of the city. He said the distinct flavor came from a few things: the ‘‘stew’’ that includes Dust Bowl migrants from the 1930s and ’40s, Basque sheep men whose herds thrived on the verdant acreage, and the roughnecks who drilled the wells and made sure they kept pumping. Bakersfield’s isolation, he added (‘‘two hours to the coast, two hours to L.A. and two days if you go anywhere east’’), only fermented this mix. Price asked where I was staying, and I told him the Padre, the city’s oldest hotel, which was recently refurbished into something approaching boutique flavor. It’s now all shined up — welcome
In those scuffed rooms, emptier than is just, heartbreak finds music, or maybe it is the other way around. stumble upon a throwback with a pedal steel and a library of Waylon Jennings covers — or you could fly to LAX and drive two and a half hours north to Bakersfield, where there is still great, moving country music to be heard, in the unflatteringly lit basement of Trout’s (the last of the original honky-tonks); at the Crystal Palace, a shrine to all things Buck Owens; and at Ethel’s Old Corral Cafe, a dive set halfway between Panorama Drive and the oil fields that gave Oildale its name. A defiantly un-P.C. statue of a giant Indian giving the ‘‘How’’ sign stands out front of the corral, along with six American flags, and inside is a mix of bikers, cowboys and locals who fall somewhere in between. A band plays every Sunday, and the afternoon I was there it was Nightlife, fronted by Justin and Wendy McWilliams. Justin was born in Salt Lake City, where his parents played in their own band, and ‘‘everything they did was Bakersfield.’’ ‘‘I was raised with this stuff,’’ he said during a break between sets. Wendy, his wife, has one of those voices you don’t quite
news for folks like Price, who root for downtown’s revival — but as with a lot of places in Bakersfield, you don’t have to dig deep to find a more rebellious past: annoyed at city officials for enforcing fire safety codes, the hotel’s former owner once installed a missile on its roof. Munitions aside, that tattered spirit is best found in the town’s bars, with their criminally cheap happy hours and men and women eager to get lost in them. In those scuffed rooms, emptier than is just, heartbreak finds music, or maybe it is the other way around. One night at Trout’s, I saw Lloyd Reading, a 92-year-old sideman who has been performing up and down the Central Valley for more than 70 years. He has stories about Buck Owens — ‘‘He came into the Pine Burr one night. ‘Buck, Buck, do some songs,’ I said. ‘I don’t have time. I have to get a beer’ ’’ — and a daughter, Anna, bent on ensuring no one forgets who he is. He is also finishing up a new album, ‘‘Aw’ Take ’Em Back Boys,’’ which Anna insisted I listen to in a minivan parked in the rain-slicked lot out back. There was something a little disconcerting about the evening: a legendary but littleknown country musician amid a sea of 20-somethings amped on karaoke and who knows what else. (The front room of Trout’s pulls in the youth vote, while the back room, festooned with guitars and murals of country greats, pays homage to the evergreens.) Certainly Bakersfield is not the only town in the world where you can find juxtapositions that seem almost post-apocalyptic. Any city hollowed out by boom and bust bears the scars: abundant ‘‘for lease’’ signs, pawn shops, tattoo parlors, teenagers with bad posture and too much time on their hands. But in Bakersfield it’s all framed by music and history. About a half hour southeast, in Arvin, is the Weedpatch Camp, the federal government installation that was the setting for ‘‘The Grapes of Wrath,’’ and just a few miles north of downtown is the China Grade Loop, which winds through one of the 10 most productive oil fields in the United States. At the golden hour that closes each day, the sun lends the industrial machinery something near beauty. That’s when it’s easy to picture the young Haggard, perched on the hillsides writing some of his most famous songs while staring out over the wells. If you are lucky, you will hear some of them covered on a late afternoon at Ethel’s, by a band that will be back at their day jobs come Monday morning. Delivery men, HVAC specialists, secretaries. But here, in their Sunday finery, they sing different, and just as essential, psalms. Tip them well. n
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Al Nas is one of Egypt’s most popular religious television channels. It used to feature music and dancing until the owners turned it over to famous Salafist clerics, whose ideas resonate deeply with the country’s working class. When I arrived at the station in Cairo, the entire staff was praying in the parking lot.
revolutionary road A photojournalist on
assignment in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya finds the humanıty behind the headlines. By Trevor Snapp
On a Friday afternoon in November, hundreds of men crowded into a neighborhood mosque in Tripoli. At the call to prayer, the young men laid down their guns painted with the Libyan flag. ‘‘Since the revolution, far more people are now praying at the mosque,’’ the imam said.
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Every night that I was in Tripoli I walked through Martyrs’ Square. Filled with Photoshopped postcards making fun of Muammar el-Qaddafi, it has become the center for revolution kitsch since the city was liberated. Libyans can’t get enough of humiliating their ex-leader.
Marwan and his wife, Nisa, took me to her parents’ house during the festival of Eid al-Adha. Her father was a taxi driver and a huge fan of America. Neither of his other daughters wore the niqab full covering, but they said they wanted to in the future. After Tunisia’s revolution, many young people embraced wearing symbols of Islam.
Young activists graffiti Tahrir Square after battling soldiers and police for 96 hours. The outside and inside of the square represent two different Egypts. Outside, men lazily sip coffee and women window shop. Inside, it feels like art and words and stones can change the course of history.
One night in Tripoli’s Martyrs’ Square, Sufi Muslims gathered to protest against the fundamentalist Muslims who had desecrated the graves of revered Sufi. Salafists had reburied the bodies in a public cemetery. ‘‘This is not what the revolution was about,’’ one protester told me.
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Salafists in a poor suburb outside of Cairo listen to candidates from the powerful Salafist Al Nour party. Many Salafists in North Africa don’t trust politics, but Egyptian Salafists have embraced it with zeal, winning the largest number of votes after the Muslim Brotherhood.
trevor snapp
Inside a bathhouse on Martyrs’ Square in Kairouan. Such establishments are a vital part of life in Tunisia, but fewer young people use them. The divide mirrors a larger issue: the older generation is grateful for the changes brought by their children but still fearful of the future.
My friend Marwan helps butcher a lamb during the festival of Eid al-Adha. ‘‘We don’t want to trade one dictator for another and force people to be just like us,’’ he told me. In the same breath he called for Tunisia’s new government to be based on Sharia law.
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a girl on the subway lets her auburn locks tumble down her back. I’m startled, and my heart skips a beat. Then I remember it’s O.K. I’m in New York, back in the unveiled world. The last subway I rode was in Cairo, rushing to photograph Tahrir Square. I stumbled into the ladies car, and a woman in hijab asked me to get off at the next stop. As a Corbis photojournalist covering conflicts from South Sudan to Central America, I’m used to traveling between societies, but I’m not immune to culture shock. I’ve spent the last year in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, chasing the newspaper headlines and looking for the stories behind the revolts. In the Tunis souk these days, every store sells head scarves. When Ben Ali was in power, veils were frowned upon, but now Islam feels like a fashion trend. Men grow out their beards and wear short pants in the style of Muhammad. Women go shopping for veils together like schoolgirls. They are the hottest accessories on the post-revolution streets. At the forefront of the Islamic revival are the Salafists, a youthful revival of fundamentalist Islam. They appear to have no use for the West; Osama Bin Laden was a Salafi jihadist. That said, most I’ve met preach peace, especially now that they are out from under the religiously oppressive regimes that were previously used to justify violent jihad. A few I even call friends. After the dawn prayer in the ancient city of Kairouan I went home with Marwan to sacrifice a lamb for the festival of Eid al-Adha. As the blood spilled onto the roof of his rough concrete house, his wife, Nisa, pushed me to tell America that Muslims aren’t terrorists. Then Marwan’s mother served us fresh lemonade. Later, I asked Marwan, who owns an Internet cafe, if the Muslim world and America will ever get along. ‘‘No,’’ he answered before turning back to his computer. In Libya, I touched down on the bullet-scarred runway of Misrata. Yells of ‘‘Allahu Akbar!’’ filled the cabin, taking me back to the beginning of the war when I first came to the country, when ‘‘Allahu Akbar’’ sounded like an uncertain prayer for a miracle, not a victory cry. Before returning home, I found myself sipping Johnny Walker Black at a car showroom in Tripoli. The dealer made millions selling to Muammar el-Qaddafi’s corrupt cronies but switched sides early. The country — even the jihadists we once sent to Guantanamo — is now grateful to America for helping fell Qaddafi. A relative of the dealer’s supposedly called in the airstrike that hit Qaddafi’s convoy just before he was captured. Luckily NATO didn’t kill him, he told me; ‘‘that would have been a disaster.’’ Down below us was a wrecked BMW 7. It had been commandeered by the rebels. It’s a car I’ve always wanted, but will never have. We talked about America and the Muslim Brotherhood, once considered a terrorist organization, now increasingly a moderating force. It’s looking like the Brotherhood will do well in the next election and western diplomats are knocking on their doors, getting used to the idea that a former prisoner at Guantanamo could very well be the next leader of Libya. But that night we talked about Istanbul’s night life, smoked Marlboros and nibbled on pomegranates in rose water. I could have been at a dinner party in Brooklyn, until I heard women laughing and realized it had been a long time since I’d seen a woman’s hair.
Born to Run
Thanks to one obsessed shoe designer, evolutionary biology has never looked so right. By Jacob Brown
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pair of serious running shoes first entered my wardrobe last January, by accident. I’d left my gym bag at home and couldn’t be bothered to retrieve it preworkout. So midafternoon I found myself leaving a Champs Sports store in Times Square, wearing a new pair of Nike Free Run+ sneakers in black, with a red Swoosh and a white tread. The svelte silhouette had caught my eye. Light and easy to pack, the Frees got shoved in my suitcase a few weeks later when I headed to Europe for the men’s fashion shows. During an outfit panic in Milan, I made a gamble, pairing the shoes nike free run+ with a spring 2010 Prada suit; they looked good outside the gym. Soon I bought a pair of the updated Nike Free Run+ 2 and Lunar Glides (both in all black with a white tread). More recently I added Lunar Glides+ 3 (yellow tread with black upper, touch of aqua) and replaced my worn-out Frees. And my running followed, going from the treadmill to the road, from 3 miles to 10. I’m not special: running and running shoes are cool right now. But a random fashion trend this is not. These latest shoes are a result of 40 years of sneaker culture, an eon of human nike lunar glide+ 3 evolution and the eureka moment of a track-and-field star turned Nike designer named Tobie Hatfield. In 1971, Bill Bowerman, the University of Oregon track coach and co-founder of Blue Ribbon Sports (soon to be Nike), poured latex into a waffle iron to create some of the first nubbed-sole running sneakers. Then his student Steve Prefontaine — with his mustache, N.C.A.A.
championships and James Dean lifestyle — made them cool. In the interim we’ve lusted after new Jordans, retro Reebok Pumps, reissued Adidas Superstars. The nike free run+ 2 appeal has usually been about a star athlete’s name or a throwback look. For me, sometimes it’s been purely about fashion, like when I could only wear Dior Homme by Hedi Slimane sneakers or black Y-3 high-tops with studded heel caps (first in silver studs and then in black studs). Never, or at least rarely, has the underlying technology of the shoe mattered. Certainly no particularly thrilling colorway on a pair of Nike Dunks ever lured me onto a basketball court. Nike Free shoes emphasize natural motion, letting the wearer’s feet fall in a manner similar to running barefoot. They are light; the treads are sliced and segmented so that they bend and grip every contour in the ground. You can feel
Sports authority Above: Tobie Hatfield at a high school track-andfield meet. Until he severely injured his back during his senior year, he was considered one of the most promising pole vaulters in the country.
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In 1971 Bill Bowerman poured latex into a waffle iron to create nubbed-sole sneakers.
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that [boom] and we are in the middle of this one as well. Our results prove it, running up strong double digits again in Q2.’’ Ditto at Adidas. According to Mikal Peveto, the North American director for running, lightweight products are the company’s fastest growing segment, now making up nearly 40 percent of sales. As the younger brother of Tinker Hatfield — the man behind the Air Max and many Air Jordans — Tobie Hatfield is something like Nike royalty. He came to prominence in 1996 after designing the shiny gold track spikes worn by Michael Johnson as he won two gold medals at the Atlanta Olympics. Tobie’s not a fashion guy — actually few at Nike are — but he did learn a relevant lesson from the experience. The look, the shine, was important to Johnson. So was the experience of wearing them. As Tobie explains, ‘‘He wants his track spikes to feel like a rocket ship.’’ Herein lies the crux. The modern running shoe has evolutionary biology behind it, and it shows in the resulting design. Form following anatomy. Barefoot is sexy. And then there’s the experience of wearing them. In a time when organic and natural are paramount, when people (me included) follow diets based on the eating habits of our Paleolithic ancestors, shoes that cease to interfere with the biomechanics of our gait, that let us run in the manner that our feet and legs evolved to do so, are shoes that people will obsess over. And it’s true: When you wear them, they feel like rocket ships.
nike lunar eclipse+ 2
Nike free 3.0, out this spring
Nike air max+ 2012
nike free 4.0, out this spring
adidas adizero adios 2
adidas climacool fresh ride
A step ahead Left: The commercial director Nathaniel Brown in New York wearing Nike Free Run+ 2 shoes with fluoro laces. ‘‘Wore these while filming the ‘Watch the Throne’ tour a few months ago,’’ he said. ‘‘Kanye was like, ‘Dope, I like your kicks.’ ’’
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left: anna bauer
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the bumps and cracks in the road, as if you’re barefoot. According to a 2004 study published in the journal Nature, the human form evolved specifically to run. Our gait requires muscle formations, tendons and bone structure absent in other primates, and absent in our tree-dwelling ancestors. Sure, compared to, say, a cheetah, Homo sapiens run at a snail’s pace, but when it comes to endurance, our specialized legs (and behinds), along with our copious sweat glands and lack of fur, mean we can outlast most mammals — advantageous to the hunters among our hunting and gathering forbears 2 million years ago. In 2001 Hatfield figured this out in a roundabout way. He noticed that Stanford University’s track-and-field team was doing particularly well, and after talking to its coach, connected an emphasis on barefoot training to a lower rate of injury. The light bulb went off. In August of 2004, Nike produced its first iteration of the Free. Only in the last few years has the public embraced them, but Free technology pervades almost everything Nike does, from the Lunar Glide to the new Air Max, and has spurred competitors to follow suit. During Nike’s December earnings call, the company’s brand president, Charlie Denson, noted, ‘‘We haven’t seen this much energy around running since the first boom happened back in the ’70s. We were in the middle of
talk a bold move In small-
town Arkansas, a family fits in by standing out. By Fred A. Bernstein
At home Above: Don Bacigalupi (seated) and Dan Feder in their living room. Top: some of the couple’s 450 Murano glass pieces are displayed near the dining area.
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here’s one house in Bentonville, Ark., that looks nothing like the others. It was designed in 1954 by Cecil Stanfield, a Modernist architect who helped give Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., (two hours west) its ‘‘Jetsons’’-esque appearance. The house’s large windows are the kind that people in small towns tend to associate with storefronts. That meant the lives of its owners would be displayed
as surely as the merchandise in Sam Walton’s first five-and-dime, just a few blocks away. Which made it, paradoxically, the right house for Don Bacigalupi, Dan Feder and their 6-year-old son, Guston. ‘‘We live our lives very openly,’’ says Feder, a graphic designer and stay-at-home dad, who has been with Bacigalupi, a respected museum director, since the early 1990s. Still, even Alice Walton, the Walmart scion who grew up in Bentonville, wasn’t sure the couple would be happy raising their child there. After offering Bacigalupi the job of director of her Crystal Bridges Museum, in 2009, Walton insisted he get to know people in the Ozarks town before deciding. She even went ahead and found potential
the same time, they wanted a house in which they could display contemporary art and objects, including their collection of Murano glass. The one house that fit the bill wasn’t on the market. But after rejecting close to 100 properties, they sent their agent to knock on the door of the owner, a woman in her 90s. She invited them over for drinks and decided, on the spot, to let them buy it. No doubt they impressed her with their feel for the architecture. Bacigalupi, speaking like the art historian he is, says, ‘‘The purity of the design is about the juxtaposition of stacked stone walls and glass with vertical mullions, a kind of rhythm.’’ But over the years, the owners had covered nearly every window surface with wooden shutters. Feder supervised a nine-month renovation (which coincided with Bacigalupi’s much bigger construction project: the completion of the museum, designed by Moshe Safdie). Both projects were about light. And both eventually had to address the same problem: How do you hang art in buildings that are predominantly glass? The couple took down everything that blocked the house’s windows, figuring that they could always put up curtains or shades later. And they restored the dramatic spiral staircase designed by Stanfield to look practically weightless. When it came time to unpack their 450 Murano glass pieces, the men discovered that the second-story ledge was a perfect place, even if everyone driving through town would have a clear view of the colorful collection. (Once, a passer-by asked them when their store was opening.) It was harder finding
room for paintings and prints. A 14-footDomestic arts wide, 6-foot-tall triptych by Vik Muniz, From left: the depicting the Last Supper in chocolate house’s exterior; the living room, syrup, dominates the family room. with David Salle’s Gus’s room has a Jonathan Borofosky ‘‘Reading in print and a painting by Philip Guston Bed’’; Bacigalupi (for whom he was named); called and Feder’s son, Guston, in his room, ‘‘Command Control,’’ it depicts a with ‘‘I Dreamed I fighter squadron and is ‘‘perfect for a Found a Red boy’s room,’’ Bacigalupi says. Ruby,’’ a print by Jonathan Borofsky. The house’s ample public spaces were recently the site of the BacigalupiFeder family’s annual Super Bowl party. Bacigalupi and Feder aren’t just pretending to like football now that
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‘A woman looked at Gus, then looked at me and Don, then looked at Gus — you could tell she was doing the math.’ they’re Arkansans; the two men came out to each other as sports fans years after they first met in Texas in 1993. As for Gus, he proudly displays his blue ribbon from last fall’s Mutton Bustin’ competition at the Washington County Fair. ‘‘He was the only contestant in skinny jeans and a T-shirt; all the others were experienced riders with boots, chaps and vests,’’ Bacigalupi says. ‘‘But he rode a 250-pound sheep named Three Bags Full for several seconds and emerged from the dirt unscathed.’’ That, he declares, is ‘‘Full-on assimilation!’’
Annie Schlechter
friends for the two men, via a gay employees group at Walmart. ‘‘After knowing that Don was the right fit for us,’’ Walton wrote in an e-mail, ‘‘I wanted to be certain the community was the right fit for him and his family. That was my No. 1 priority.’’ A few weeks after the couple visited Bentonville, Bacigalupi accepted the job, a move that was hailed in the art world for bringing credibility to a museum some had seen as a vanity project. And to hear the couple tell it, the adjustment has been easy. When they were registering their son for youth soccer, Feder recalls, ‘‘A woman looked at Gus, then looked at me and Don, then looked at Gus, then looked at me and Don — you could tell she was doing the math.’’ But that was the only time their family configuration has given anyone much pause. It helps that Bentonville, where hundreds of Walmart suppliers have set up corporate offices, is one of the most cosmopolitan small cities in America. As for their own adjustment, it is significant, Feder says, that they were coming not from New York or Los Angeles but from Toledo, Ohio. There, while Bacigalupi ran the Toledo Museum of Art, Feder became the first male member of the Ottawa Hills Moms Club. He never asked the group to change its name. ‘‘To me, Mom is a job title, not a gender,’’ he says. The men had no interest in living in a gated community. In fact, they were determined to find a place near stores and restaurants, giving them ‘‘that small walkable radius that you might find in a city like New York,’’ Feder says. (Bacigalupi, 51, is from Brooklyn; Feder, 43, grew up in Albuquerque.) At
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talk House speakers From left: Jonathan Weiss’s star model, the Imperia; the comparatively diminutive Monarch.
prick up your ears
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Jonathan Weiss is serious about sound. Robert Sullivan listens closely.
o understand what Jonathan Weiss, the founder of Oswaldsmill Audio, is doing in the world of sound reproduction — or what the general public refers to as stereo systems — you have to forget what you know. Or what you think you know. That stack of little black boxes connected by wires in your living room? Sorry, but as far as Weiss is concerned, that equipment has more in common with your microwave than anything he plays music on. The tunes you hear when you are on the treadmill, ear buds lodged in your auditory canals? If that noise were a visual, it would be a bad Xerox. ‘‘Horrible,’’ Weiss says. I have come to see and hear Weiss’s handiwork in his loft in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn, which he also uses as a showroom. ‘‘This is the shape of our historical progress
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in the quality of sound reproduction,’’ he says, drawing a downward slope through the air as he moves toward a set of Imperias, his star speakers. Weiss is a collector of fine old gear and well-made tools, and a visitor who didn’t know his occupation could be forgiven for thinking that the Imperias are a pair of well-maintained Victorian rocket launchers, something salvaged from the set of ‘‘Doctor Who.’’ ‘‘In the ’60s, home audio equipment was starting to go to hell,’’ Weiss continues, selecting vinyl LP’s to play. (Weiss also makes turntables and tube amplifiers because, frankly, if you have some of the best speakers in the world, what good are they if you are running your music through a cheap needle and lousy transistors?) ‘‘In the ’80s, things just literally fell off a cliff.’’ Or, as he states pointedly on the O.M.A. Web site, ‘‘People not only forgot what great sound reproduction sounded like, but at this point, most have never even heard it.’’ I am about to hear it, through the Imperias, which go for QR637,000 and are tall like basketball players, each speaker horn cut from solid Pennsylvania black walnut, polished to a vaguely midcentury West Coast finish. Weiss’s
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Weiss’s first record was ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,’ played on a Fisher-Price turntable.
THE POSSIBILITIES OF SOUND first hit Weiss when he was a teenager working at the Mann Bruin Theater in West Los Angeles. One morning, as he swept up popcorn, the projectionist cranked up the soundtrack to ‘‘American Gigolo’’ on the theater’s old-school wooden speakers. ‘‘It was a great feeling,’’ Weiss recalls. ‘‘I just wish I could have heard ‘Apocalypse Now.’ ’’ Previously Weiss had led a sound-sheltered life. He was born in New York, his mother an abstract painter, his father a mechanical engineer working in insurance sales. His first record was ‘‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,’’ played on a Fisher-Price turntable. He moved with his family to Southern California for high school, but returned east to attend Princeton University. His dorm-room stereo? ‘‘I refuse to tell you,’’ he says. ‘‘It wasn’t tube. It was a solid state. But
Decked out An Oswaldsmill Audio turntable in honed slate.
Princeton was the first time that I saw really fetishistic stereos.’’ After graduating with a degree in international relations, Weiss filled a backpack with philosophy books and roamed Asia for two years. Upon returning to New York, he taught himself filmmaking and eventually directed an adaptation of J. G. Ballard’s experimental novel ‘‘The Atrocity Exhibition,’’ an exploration of media and psychology. (Ballard called the film ‘‘a poetic masterpiece.’’) Meanwhile, Weiss fed a growing fascination with pre-World War II sound reproduction, setting up his expanding collection of vintage sound components in loft after loft. In 1997, he bought Oswald’s Mill, the 18th-century mill and house for which his company is named, in New Tripoli, Pa. As he and his wife, the photographer Cynthia van Elk, slowly rebuilt the mill’s looted and crumbling living area, Weiss hosted sound tastings — weeklong events that were potlucks of tube amps and preamps, mercury vapor rectifiers and wine. Guests came with tone arms from Germany and Western Electric monitors from the 1940s. Experts mingled with D.I.Y.-ers, RCA’s ‘‘Radiotron Designer’s Handbook’’ as their field guide. For Weiss, the crime of bad sound reproduction is rooted in an intellectual snobbery. ‘‘That’s such a huge prejudice, that technology only improves,’’ he says. ‘‘You go to school now maybe to learn acoustic engineering, and the idea that people in the 1930s could ever have known more than you know, that’s just too much.’’ Weiss was producing his first speakers when, in 2007, the photographer and filmmaker Anton Corbijn requested a pair. About eight months later, Weiss arrived at Corbijn’s place in Amsterdam with two elegant, horn-topped wooden pyramids, which he had named the AC1. Corbijn, for the record, takes no credit for the AC1’s creation, just pleasure. ‘‘They are so fulfilling,’’ he says. And they are big. ‘‘When people go to Steinway,’’ Weiss points out, ‘‘they don’t say, ‘I’d like one of your grand pianos, but do you have a really small grand piano?’ ’’ In a sense, Oswaldsmill Audio is a proprietor of locally sourced sound engineering — its products are homegrown, the result of Lehigh Valley craftsmanship. The smooth turntables are made from ancient Appalachian slate. The aluminum alloy in the horns is cast by a local foundry, the not-yet-dead industrial legacy of Bethlehem Steel. And the nearby Knoll furniture factory has guaranteed a supply of woodworkers with skills to make the speakers. ‘‘The manufacturing capacity in the area is extremely special,’’ Weiss says. ‘‘Ultimately this has to do with harmonic resonance.’’ Back in Dumbo, as the sun sets beyond the Manhattan Bridge and the Imperias continue to send music into the room, the range of Weiss’s conversation is as wide as the tonal distance from oboe to bass trombone. Corbijn had told me, ‘‘I think that Jonathan is a philosopher,’’ and it’s true: despite the high price of his spectacular equipment, Weiss directs the listener to a higher plane that’s cheap, or even free. ‘‘It’s a physical thing — sound and harmonics,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s a deeply spiritual thing. It’s not just playing your Jascha Heifetz and your ‘Dark Side of the Moon.’ There’s a whole other layer to this.’’ As he speaks, he carefully adjusts a stylus on a groove. ‘‘People listen to music constantly,’’ he says, ‘‘and because they do, they have lost the ability to listen.’’ n
adrian gaut
playlist includes ‘‘Smiley Smile,’’ by the Beach Boys, a mono recording of Bob Dylan, some Stravinsky conducted by Stravinsky from 1961 and Bobby McFerrin, live, for starters. If you are into stats, then you will need to know that the range of the Imperia’s vertical array of conical horns is 20hz to 20khz, which covers the entire human audible spectrum. If you are into the history of sound, you will want to know that the Imperia’s midrange speaker uses a Cogent DS1428 field coil compression driver, which is modeled on a vintage RCA component, the MI-1428B. If you are a sound geek, you will go nuts over the sheer size of the rearloaded subwoofer horn’s neodymium woofer. And even if neodymium is nothing to you, you may find it fascinating that Weiss’s system uses very little power to send the Stravinsky-conducted clarinet sweeping through the Dumbo loft as if it were a searchlight. But regardless of how much you care about frequency response or energy, when you close your eyes, you don’t so much hear Nina Simone as understand her presence, and to hear Nina Simone so profoundly and beautifully makes you want to cry.
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Bottom: JaegerSloan © Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.
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The Know-it-all The artist Mark Dion’s passion? Everything. By Jim Lewis
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he cover of Mark Dion’s Phaidon monograph describes him as a ‘‘celebrated artist/explorer/ archeologist.’’ Not three vocations that ordinarily inhere in one man (though some improbable combination of Audubon and Indiana Jones might cover it) and not the full tally of Dion’s occupations, either. To them can be added: teacher, naturalist, advocate, author, designer, collector (that is to say, hoarder), curator and probably six or seven other things I don’t have room for here. Dion is one of those curious characters the world produces every so often; men and women who combine making things with intervening in the institutions
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that show them — in museums and schools, in cities and far-flung sites, disrupting the flow and structure of our picture of the world just enough to make us wonder why we give it that structure and flow in the first place. Dion’s a collector of collections, especially the hundreds or thousands (or more — who knows how many?) hidden in forgotten buildings in small cities around the world: Cabinets of Wonder, specimen museums, obscure archives, as well as the complex and uncataloged collections of things, both manufactured and natural, one might find in, say, a patch of the rain forest or a bank of the Thames. In February, he was in New
York working on ‘‘Phantoms of the Clark Expedition,’’ an exhibition that explores, among other things, the Explorers Club — the venerable members-only institution. The installation, which runs from May 9 to Aug. 3, is part critical, part fond, and is intended to show, through artist-made objects, what such endeavors don’t reveal about themselves. Dion is an owlish man with an Encyclopedia Brown air about him, who lives in an apartment in Washington Heights with his wife, their dog and a kind of controlled clutter of books, knickknacks, souvenirs and the like. When I visited him there, a fishbowl on the living room table seemed to be filled with matchbooks and old receipts; a few minutes later, it stirred, alarmingly. ‘‘That’s the mouse,’’ he said casually, and then we went back to our conversation, which roamed all over the world, back millenniums and up to the present again. Endangered species, Renaissance customs, a periscope contraption that Freud had installed in his office in Vienna (whence Dion
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‘What I want is to remind people that human beings are a part of natural history.’ the world, be it Aquinas’s Great Chain of Being, Linnaeus’s classification of the natural kingdom or an Enlightenment amateur’s private display of curios, along with all the attitudes they embody, from the benign (sheer curiosity and the enticements of adventure) to the malignant (West-is-best imperialism, violence and environmental depredation). He’s done this sort of thing well over a hundred times and produced 15 books and a half dozen ‘‘field guides’’ along the way. ‘‘Examining the beast from within the belly of the beast,’’ was the way he described it.
from top: Smithsonian Institution Archives; Stefan Ruiz.
Ghost story From top: Mark Dion with objects from his show ‘‘Phantoms of the Clark Expedition’’; the Trophy Room of the Explorers Club in New York, where ‘‘Phantoms’’ will be installed.
had just returned) so that he could spy on patients sitting in his waiting room. A very good artist can do a lot; surprisingly few of them know a lot, at least outside of their immediate concerns. Dion is one of the exceptions, perhaps because his immediate concern is . . . everything. What’s more, he has an agenda, though it’s grown more subtle, more generous and less didactic over the years. ‘‘What I want,’’ he told me, ‘‘is to remind people that human beings are part of natural history.’’ And to remind us that natural history is made by human beings. ‘‘Anything that eats has a system of organizing the world,’’ he pointed out. Dion demonstrates those ideas mostly by representing the pre-existing. He finds things — whether it’s detritus from an urban archeology dig, trees in South Africa or objects in Ohio State University’s museums and archives — and shows them, assembled in an order that half mimics and half parodies the various orders we impose on
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talk Uncharted territory Below: Robert Sterling Clark, (second from left) and members of his 1908–9 expedition to northern China. Bottom: Dion’s papiermâché campfire.
E
Nter The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, and here the story gets complicated. In sum: the Clark is a museum and research institute near, and affiliated with, Williams College in Massachusetts. It was established in the mid-1950s to house the couple’s collection, primarily of Impressionist art. Robert Sterling Clark was an heir to the Singer Sewing Company fortune; before he’d gotten into fancy things — before he’d moved to Paris and met Francine — he’d been a military man and a gentlemanexplorer, an adept in the odd, turn-ofthe-century, Teddy Roosevelt sense of masculinity, which gathers together a host of disparate activities (outdoorsmanship, environmentalism, hunting, scientific inquiry, colonialist warfare) under a corona of noblesse oblige and presents it as a paragon of perfect modern manhood. In 1908 Clark mounted an expedition to Northern China, leading 40 men in an attempt to map out the terrain, measure the weather and pick up a few mineral samples and small
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animals along the way. In June of 1909, it ended, when one of his cartographers was murdered by bandits. Clark and his men retaliated and were promptly escorted out of the country. Still, they managed to stay long enough to gather some useful information and material, and Clark wrote a book about his journey, which came out in 1912. Michael Conforti, the Clark’s director, decided to mount an exhibition marking both the 100th anniversary of the book’s publication, and the institute’s recent opening of an office in New York City at the Explorers Club, a building that had, half coincidentally, once been home to Sterling Clark’s estranged brother, Stephen. Lisa Corrin, a curator who had worked with Dion before, suggested the artist be brought in to add a contemporary, critical touch to a museum that is essentially fixed in time. Not that the Explorers Club is itself entirely au courant. It’s a Tudor town house on East 70th Street made of brown brick and stained glass windows, with creaking stairs, paintings of polar bears and, the day Dion and I stopped by, a malfunctioning elevator. As he showed me around, everything started to fall into place: Clark’s biography; the bleary and compromised romance of adventure travel; the Clark family’s internal fractures; the institute’s attempt to get a foothold in New York City; and the club’s own curious and slightly anachronistic presence, in the midst of an Upper East Side that’s no longer quite as spotlessly elegant as it once was. And in the center of it all, Dion himself, with a space cleared in the Trophy Room on the top floor to mount a show mostly about what is not there: the institute’s own exhibit, about 150 miles north in Williamstown, Mass., and the tools and artifacts from Clark’s original journey to China, most of which have been lost in the intervening years. Dion, then, is working in a ghostly space in between institutions, between cities, centuries and theories and practices; in response he’s made a spectral show, fabricating the materials that Clark would have brought with him — including a campfire, provision
boxes, instruments and tools, the revolver the haplessly murdered cartographer left behind in camp and a few biological specimens (squirrel, giant moth, dead pig) — all of them (except the squirrel) made out of unpainted papier-mâché and carefully arranged on the main table of the Trophy Room, where they’re overseen by a marble bust of Clark himself. They look ashen and uninflected, like so many survivors of Pompeii, the wraithlike leftovers of an adventure that was part science project and part amateur guerrilla war, part benign and sincere, part highhanded and clumsy. An artist more intent on scoring points would have found Clark’s expedition an easy target, and the Explorers Club, with its
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Dion is working in a ghostly space in between ınstitutions, between cities, centuries and theories and practices.
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casual imperialism and its atmosphere of shabby gentility, interesting only as an artifact of a bygone era. But Dion had a subtler view of things; at one point he explained to me that his worldview is ‘‘generally Marxist.’’ At another he mentioned that his favorite book is Jules Verne’s ‘‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.’’ It was the only conversation I’ve had that jumped from a dissection of the ills of worldwide capitalism to the phrase ‘‘So that is a whale penis, over there.’’ The two sensibilities are like vodka and vermouth: their individual flavors leave you unprepared for how they taste together. Head up to 70th Street for the installation, stay for the building, and for the strange nexus that, for these several months, it will house: a critical celebration, an array of curious artifacts, and a fusty and unexpected location, revived and made relevant again.
face profile in style
Below: an old haystack ladder at the farm of his friends, Monsieur and Madame Verne. ‘‘They’ve taught me a lot about living in harmony with and from the land.’’
Left: Daniel Le Bailly de La Falaise at his farm in the southwest of France. Above: his friend Laurent Cazzottes’s moonshine distillery.
Left: the chef planting garlic in his vast vegetable garden. Depending on the season, he also grows fennel, carrots, asparagus, lovage, parsley and artichokes. ‘‘I’m passionate about artichokes and crazy for parsley,’’ he says.
daniel de la falaise
As comfortable wearing vintage YSL at a fashion show as he is tending his tomato plants in Bugatti-blue French work clothes, this pedigreed private chef (he catered Kate Moss’s wedding dinner!) is passionate about produce. ‘‘I was brought up on a farm with a wonderful vegetable garden and was lucky enough to taste things at the very top of their game — a carrot pulled from the ground and eaten with a sprig of tarragon, a newly dug beet bathed in horseradish vinaigrette,’’ he says. ‘‘For me, food is about simplicity and vitality, and the finest, freshest ingredients you can find.’’ S a n d r a B a ll e nt i n e
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P H O T O G R A P H s B Y adrian gaut
Above: delicacies from a local fishmonger. Right: de la Falaise’s grandmother painted the massive cabinet in his sitting room.
De la Falaise’s master bath. Right: the farm’s kitchen contains enough copper pots to cook for an army. Far right: his grandmother painted the vintage trunks.
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‘Every vegetable keeps a mistress in the herb garden — artichokes and parsley, tomatoes and lovage, asparagus and tarragon.’
Above: He buys most of his ingredients at local markets. Below: a bombshell on a friend’s old tractor.
Above: the chef sells his infused oils and vinegars under his Le Garde-Manger de la Falaise label; go to danieldelafalaise.fr for information. Right: a cut of beef called the ‘‘spider.’’ Below: his garden.
De la Falaise prepares his signature arugula salad ‘‘three ways,’’ with young arugula, mature arugula and ‘‘bolting sprigs,’’ the part of the plant just about to flower.
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TRAVEL SPRING 2012
leonard fong
The New York Times Style Magazine
golden ticket
art work by confettisystem
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80 by Christina Larson photographs by angelo PENnETTA fashion editor: ETHEL PARK
The Liu Wen express The world’s most famous chinese model tours the motherland — And my, how both have changed.
mao rushmore beneath a statue of the chairman at orange island park in changsha.
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yellow ribbon at the yuelu academy in changsha.
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memory lane on a street of traditional houses near the Liuzi Temple in Yongzhou.
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neon dreams on the town in changsha.
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Slipping into a pair of blue Marc Jacobs pants
in the back of a rented van in Yongzhou, China, the model Liu Wen was feeling an unusual degree of jitters. Changing clothes on the go is standard practice for models shooting on location, and she liked the look: ‘‘It’s tomboy style,’’ she said. ‘‘I feel it’s my style.’’ And under most circumstances — long travel, bad weather, unexpected wardrobe glitches — China’s first bona fide supermodel has a reputation in the industry for being gracious and professional. But as the van pulled up to her old middle school, she peered worriedly out the curtained windows at a waiting crowd: hundreds of frantic teenagers in white uniform jackets, spitting images of her recent former self. ‘‘It’s getting crazy here,’’ she said. The students were chanting, ‘‘Liu Wen, Liu Wen’’ and were armed with cellphone cameras and notepads for autographs, eager for the return of their school’s most famous alum. ‘‘I’m not that big a celebrity,’’ she said. ‘‘I’m just an ordinary person.’’ At 24, Liu is not so far removed, in years, from her time at Yongzhou No.3 Middle School. She grew up in the southern province of Hunan, most famous as the birthplace of Mao Zedong and as a powerhouse of domestic pork production. Back then in Yongzhou, population 5.7 million, there were ‘‘no fashion stores, not even fashion magazines,’’ she said. ‘‘Our sense of the outside world came mainly from South Korean soap operas.’’ About the only widely recognized Western brands in town were Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald’s. Her modest five-story school has long open-air corridors leading to cramped classrooms lined with old-fashioned blackboards. On the walls hang portraits of Chairman Mao, Vladimir Lenin, William Shakespeare, Hu Jintao and other inspirational figures. In winter, to conserve electricity, students and teachers wear coats inside to keep warm. It was, in other words, hardly fated that a girl from China’s pig country would go on to become, as Liu has, the first Asian model to be the global face of Estée Lauder, the first Chinese model to walk the Victoria’s Secret runway and one of the most booked Asian runway models in the world. She has learned to wear stilettos (‘‘I never wore high heels in my hometown’’) and taught herself English. She moved to Beijing and then to New York City. Perhaps the only thing that remains the same is that she is single. ‘‘I have never had a boyfriend,’’ she told me. ‘‘In my school days, everyone thought I’m too tall for a Chinese girl. And now, I travel so much. Maybe in 2012.’’ It was her first time home in more than a year, and she was reflective about how her perspective had changed. ‘‘Twenty-four is still young in New York, but in Hunan most of my friends are married.’’ For the most part, Liu takes mind-boggling change in stride. Perhaps this quality, more than anything else, defines young Chinese people today. But somehow contemplating it all, compressed into a single instant, felt overwhelming. Yet when she stepped into the shrieking crowd, shaking hands
Jil Sander
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and answering questions, the anxiety wore off. ‘‘I feel like here is home,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s been a long time, but it still feels very warm.’’ In a little room upstairs, Liu had lunch with several of her old teachers, surrounded by laminated posters of beach scenes and palm trees — exotic places few of her peers have seen. With the heating off, everyone huddled around a circular table in sweaters and dark jackets, save for the principal, Mr. Liu, who wore a gray suit with a purple tie for the occasion. On the table was a plastic dish full of sunflower seeds. The teachers uncorked two bottles of red wine, a treat, and offered rounds of toasts, standing up and clinking glasses in the style of a Chinese banquet. Liu, who does not drink alcohol, raised her cup of green tea and offered a personal motto: ‘‘Be a good student and enjoy
your life. You never know the future.’’ Certainly Liu’s success rides largely on her looks — ‘‘I often use the word ‘sharp’ to describe her,’’ a casting director for Victoria’s Secret, John Pfeiffer, told me. ‘‘She’s not a soft, delicate beauty. But she has that very indefinable ‘It’ factor, full of presence.’’ That she defies the stereotype of the spoiled, immature mannequin has also helped her. (‘‘After our first meeting, she sent a handwritten thank you card; it was charming,’’ Aerin Lauder remembers.) Yet her rise is due in equal measure to the extraordinary moment in China’s history from which she emerged. When Liu was born, in 1988, the daughter of a construction worker, many of the brands she has modeled for — Dior, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier — were unknown in the country. Beijing was then a sea of bicycles, and thick coal dust in the air
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‘Twenty-four is young in New york, but in hunan most of my friends are married.’ Hermès
ABOVe: among the carved bamboo At the Yuelu Academy. jacket, $QR7,645. go to hermes.com. Alexander wang shirt, QR1,183. call (212) 977-9683.
darkened both shirt collars and the sky. China’s per capita annual income was just $704 (last year it was $5,184), and only a sliver of the population could afford such luxuries as skin creams and handbags. With roaring economic growth every year of her childhood, Beijing was transformed by the time Liu moved there in 2006, as an 18-year-old aspiring model. No longer a wasteland of sleepy state-owned department
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stores, the capital was throwing up stadiums, shopping malls and car dealerships. At the same time, the city had become a magnet for China’s young dreamers — artists, writers, designers, punk bands, models. It was into this energetic new world that Liu stepped one November morning after a 20-hour train ride from Yongzhou. She had come alone, clutching two suitcases full of warm clothes and snack foods her mother had
packed. That fall, she had won a modeling contest in Hunan; her victory gave her the idea that modeling might be a career, but in no way assured success. She insisted that she’s ‘‘not pretty, pretty, pretty by Chinese standards — big eyes and small nose and mouth.’’ She had come on a leap of faith. In her first apartment, which she split with two other aspiring models, she began to pile up fashion magazines, at least 2,000 by her own estimate. Many, like Vogue China, had only recently printed their first issue, catering to a new class of urban Chinese consumers whose spending on cosmetics alone has leapt from $24 million in 1982 to $168 billion in 2009. In 2007, Liu was discovered at a Beijing fitting by Joseph Carle, then a creative director at Marie Claire International looking for models to whom both Western and Chinese women could relate. Soon she was appearing in those magazines she’d been hoarding, and by 2008 she’d walked for Burberry in Milan. The next year she moved to New York, knowing almost no English. ‘‘I could only smile and say, ‘yes’ and ‘no,’ ’’ she recalled. But she learned quickly with the help of Broadway shows, ‘‘Gossip Girl’’ and by comparing Chinese and English versions of the Harry Potter books. And she found a new look in vintage stores, a concept little known in China. Over Skype her mother asked her: ‘‘Why would you buy that old stuff, when you can afford new?’’ Back in Hunan province, Liu posed at the ancient Yuelu Academy in Changsha, under a misty gray sky. Taking an optimistic view of the drizzle, she repeated an old Chinese saying: ‘‘Rain brings riches.’’ At that moment, a group of Chinese tourists wandered through the impromptu set, trailing a woman with a microphone clipped to her collar: ‘‘Ladies and gentlemen, this way.’’ Had she not become a model, she had planned to enter a local vocational school to become just such a tour guide. Now the crowd paid little attention to the tall slender woman wrapped for warmth in a blue parka. Only one young girl stopped and stared. Turning to a friend, she whispered, ‘‘She is so beautiful.’’ Liu warmed to the familiar lilt of Hunan dialect. In the van later, barreling between the Changsha and Yongzhou, she curled up across two seats and caught up on sleep. Outside, the light had faded; the view through the window soon changed from city — new hotels and high-rises — to rolling fields where farmers toil with spades in small plots still untouched by modern farm equipment. It felt a little like traveling back in time, although both worlds, the ancient and the hyper-modern, exist in China today. And Liu has learned the art of slipping between them. At about midnight, the van pulled up to a rest stop near a Sinopec gas station. There were several large trucks laden with construction materials or oinking pigs, their drivers sleeping in the cabs. Liu and members of the crew wandered into the 24-hour convenience store and strolled down its brightly lit aisles. She picked up a bag of chocolates and a red sugary concoction labeled ‘‘Wang Zai Milk Drink.’’ A bit nostalgic, she said with a sigh, ‘‘It’s my favorite from my teenage years.’’ And then, though half asleep, she had the good grace to offer to translate between Mandarin and English, between the drowsy Sinopec store clerk and the black-clad New York makeup artist. ‘‘Yes, we have chips,’’ Liu said. ‘‘Shrimp flavor or cheese flavor?’’ n on the web For the model Liu Wen’s favorite places in Hunan province, go to nytimes.com/tmagazine.
* All prices indicative. For availability & boutique details check Brand Directory on Page 94.
head of the class with students from her middle school in yongzhou.
Marc Jacobs jacket, QR5,460, shirt,
QR1,802, pants, QR3,367, and shoes,QR2,529,8. makeup and Hair by Ozzy Salvatierra at streeters. Production: Yuan Yuan Jin at YYO Production
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By jim Lewis Photographs by jason schmidt
The Possibility of an
can one woman’s go-for-broke crusade rescue a forgotten speck off the coast of canada?
island
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picture-book little towns from across a half mile or so of water. On clear days the light bounces freely across the distance, and the buildings appear so sharply etched you’d think you could reach out and touch them. When the clouds come in, everything seems to dissolve into mist and vapors. In spring, spectacular blue-white icebergs drift lazily past the harbors, occasionally letting out growls and groans as they calve. Time is different; history foreshortened. Irish and English accents still poke up through local speech (‘‘Would you like some oiwce, dere, Jim?’’ a local man said to me. Some what? ‘‘Some oiwce. From de oiwceberg.’’) Anglican and Catholic and a few other houses of worship dominate the landscape; directions invariably begin with, ‘‘Well, you go down to the church. . . .’’ The small graveyards scattered around are full of surnames you recognize: the man who owns your B&B, the girl who works in a local restaurant. It’s a land out of time, or it was, until time took it back in, and a single edict devastated the place as swiftly and completely as Katrina devastated New Orleans. The outports were based on the cod industry, but the cod were disappearing, so in 1992 the Canadian government declared a moratorium on fishing, and just like that, Fogo Island, and hundreds of outports just like it, simply collapsed. By then, Cobb had left the island to get an undergraduate business degree in Ottawa; she’d worked for an oil company in Alberta, then for a firm that specialized in cold-weather engineering. In 1988, she quit and spent six months traveling through Africa; the next year, she joined the fiber optics company JDS Fitel (JDS merged with the American company Uniphase), and in time she was promoted to C.F.O. By 2000, she was the third-highest-paid female executive on American payrolls; in 2002, the year she cashed out, she made about four times as much as she’d made in 2000. She spent several years sailing around the world, and eventually made her way back, as many native sons and daughters do, to Fogo Island: one of the richest women in Canada, returning to one of its poorest communities. Her plan was simply to take a break from her travels, but
‘‘You want to know why I am the way I am?’’ Zita Cobb asked. She’s a slender woman in her early 50s, with close cropped hair that gives her a certain iron-pixie mien. She has the distinct composure one often finds in people who’ve done well in the business world, brisk good humor layered over a fierce intensity. She was speaking in her office in a small building on Fogo Island, a freckle of land that lies off the northeast corner of Newfoundland, Canada, with a population of 2,700 or so scattered across a series of fishing communities with names like Seldom, Joe Batt’s Arm and Tilting. It’s a place so singular and remote that it has its own peculiar time zone, 1.5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time — though in truth it feels like it’s hundreds of years behind: when it’s 10 p.m. in New York, it’s 1825 on Fogo Island. Cobb was born here. ‘‘When I was 5, I had TB,’’ she says. ‘‘We didn’t have a hospital, but the Christmas Seal boat came around, everybody lined up on the dock, and you got a chest X-ray. So I had to go away for a year, and I was in a sanatorium. For that whole year I never saw anyone in my family. I think I came out of that fully independent. When my father came to get me I remember looking at this man and thinking, ‘Who the frick is that?’ ’’ He was a fisherman, as were most of the people on Fogo Island at the time, and the world he brought her back to was astounding in its seclusion. Overhead there were astronauts orbiting the earth. On the island, there was no electricity, no telephones or radios. Her parents, who could neither read nor write, raised her and her six brothers in a 900-square-foot house, where they’d pursued a life of semi-subsistence virtually identical to their forebears. No land deeds, no bank accounts, for that matter no cash: they sold their fish to merchants for credit in a company store, and everything else they needed they made themselves. Cobb showed me a picture of her mother as a girl, taken some time in the early 1940s. ‘‘I really don’t think that they knew there was a war on,’’ she said. ‘‘How would they know?’’ Her ancestors had arrived straight from Ireland and England and started fishing. Newfoundlanders call these minuscule fishing villages ‘‘outports,’’ which gives them an apt air of edge-of-the-known. Getting to Fogo Island still isn’t easy; it typically entails several flights, a 60-mile drive, a 45-minute ferry and then another drive. Staying there is an exercise in anachronism. There are no fast food outlets on the island, only one bank, no movie theaters or malls, and if there was a neon sign anywhere I didn’t see it. The houses all face the North Atlantic, cold and seemingly endless. Circling around the island’s many bays and inlets (it’s about 4 times the size of Manhattan, with about 50 miles of paved road), one grows used to looking at the
it’s a land out of time, or it was, until time took it back in, and a single edict devastated fogo island as completely as katrina devastated new orleans. she returned to an island that had fallen into desuetude. Her first response was to set up a few scholarships, but one night she was buttonholed by a local mother. (Fogo Island women are nothing if not direct.) ‘‘Oh, it’s all really fine what you’re doing,’’ the woman said. ‘‘But you do realize that you’re just paying our children to leave, don’t you? You look smart enough. Can’t you do something to make jobs?’’ It’s a simple question that people are grappling with in small towns everywhere, from the Gulf Coast to Nebraska. ‘‘Rural renewal’’ is a far less common term than its urban counterpart, but the problem is just as pressing, and in many ways similar: a community with vivid traditions and a struggling population gets hit by a disaster — economic, natural, political or all three — and has to decide how to recreate itself without becoming soulless and bland. Fogo
Future horizon Opposite, clockwise from top left: Zita Cobb; Tower Studio, one of four artist’s dwellings Cobb has built so far; her hotel going up. Previous spread: Bridge Studio.
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cobb made an open-ended financial commitment. All she had to do was invert the old maxim: teach them not to fish, and she would feed them for a lifetime. Island has a curious advantage. It’s historically and geographically isolated; its population is small, homogenous and for the most part fixed; its economy is simple; and Cobb had the resources to make an open-ended financial commitment. There are few variables to control for, no wild cards to keep at bay. All she had to do was invert the old maxim: Teach them not to fish, and she’d feed them for a lifetime. So she went C.F.O. on the place. She set up a foundation with her brother Tony called Shorefast (the name comes from a line used to fix cod traps to the shore), putting up millions of her own money and getting matching grants from various Canadian agencies; she started thinking and planning. The morning after I arrived on the island, she gave me a presentation: there was a section on the island’s berries; maps, quotes, photographs, invocations and exhortations; brief histories of cod fishing, of local cuisine, quilting and boat-building; descriptions of microfinance initiatives, and topping it all off, a project consisting of six art studios, scattered around the island, along with a smart new hotel to house visitors. Cobb had cataloged all the local knowledge she could find, and used it to build a complex array of projects: restaurants, a library, furniture, boat races, oceanic studies, astronomy, theater, art galleries.
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There seems to be little she hasn’t thought of. Consider, for example, the punts: small wooden rowboats that once dotted the harbor. One day, Cobb’s brother pointed out to her that there were only a handful of people on the island who still knew how to build them, and they were getting along in years. ‘‘Do you realize we’re eight funerals away from never being able to build another punt on Fogo Island?’’ he said. So Tony set up a punt-building program and, to keep the effort from becoming irrelevant, established a yearly race between Fogo Island and nearby Change Islands, a solution both ingenious and extremely popular. Whether the rest of her plans will prove as effective remains to be seen. As it stands, the project is in medias res: four of the six studios have been built, and the Inn itself should be finished by November. All of them were designed by Todd Saunders, an up-and-coming architect who’s as close to local as it’s possible to get. Born and raised in Gander, the nearest town with an airport, he now lives in Norway. But like so many Newfoundlanders, what he wanted most was an excuse to go back home. When Cobb first contacted him, on his cellphone as he was kayaking in a fjord, he said he blurted out, ‘‘I was waiting for this call. ’’ It was an unusual commission. ‘‘I had to make modern architecture the way a Newfoundlander would,’’ Saunders said. ‘‘Scandinavian design has a refinement to it, but Tilting’s got this ugly beauty.’’ To an outsider, Tilting, like the
other towns, is more jolie than laide, but it has simplicity and consistency. If there’s been any new residential construction on the island in a century, you wouldn’t know it, and the buildings that exist look much like what you’d get if you asked a 6-year-old to draw a house. The greatest risk for an architect who wants to build there is, well, architecture: a structure that seems too designed would have looked silly, at best, and insulting at worst. On this count, the studios are very well done indeed: they’re small, rough-hewn buildings, almost as simple as their neighbors but with forms and touches that keep them from seeming pious or perfunctory. The two-story Tower Studio, a vertical building at the end of a narrow boardwalk, has twists in it that makes it refractory, like a jewel made out of wood; the Bridge Studio looks like someone broke off a piece of a SoHo loft and fixed it on a hillside; and the Squish Studio, which sits on a rocky promontory, has a view so dominated by water that it feels like a wheelhouse. The Inn is the largest of Saunders’s projects, and perhaps most difficult to get right. When it’s done, it will contain more than 40,000 square feet of floor space, spread over four stories — considerably larger than any other building on the island. There’ll be 29 rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, nested on top of various public spaces, all gathered in a subtly X-shaped building that sits on a promontory outside of Joe Batt’s Arm. So far, it’s cost $20 million — probably as much as it would cost to buy every other building on the island — and when it’s done it will belong to Shorefast. Whether it will dwarf the community or crown it is hard to
say; Cobb herself makes nervous jokes about its size, but it’s bound to be a spectacular place to stay. The Inn will bring the tourists, and most of the money, but according to Cobb, art is the key to Fogo’s reinvention, not because it comes with cash, but because it comes with consciousness, with communal self-knowledge and a sense of possibility. Accordingly, the studios are scattered around the island; the idea is not for artists to mix with each other, but to place them in the towns and see what happens. With little feel for art herself, Cobb hired Elisabet Gunnarsdottir, an Icelandic woman with a background in design and arts administration, to set up a semi-autonomous organization called the Fogo Island Arts Corporation. ‘ ‘This place was dying, really,’’ Gunnarsdottir told me. ‘‘But one of the things I love about this project is that this is not us coming in as saviors: ‘Here we are, we know it all, listen to us.’ We have to create something new, modern, for the future. But how do we do it so that there’s a continuation, there’s a link with the past?’’ If you ask the islanders what, in fact, they want and expect, you get a host of contradictory answers. Like Newfoundlanders in general, they’re at once proud, somewhat inward and unusually welcoming of visitors. And they’re profoundly attached to the place, if frustrated by its penury. The result is something like the Amish rumspringa: young people often leave, usually to work in Alberta, but a surprising number end up coming back.
Sea change From left: the village of Fogo, overlooking Little Harbour; a traditional fisherman’s hut in Tilting; Squish Studio. on the web For Fogo Island travel essentials, go to nytimes.com/ tmagazine.
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the tao of Come fortune or failure,
Photographs by hedi slimane Fashion editor: Sara Moonves
hoffman at 74 Dustin HOffman is ready for anything. Giles foden finds him on a lucky streak. Second act In the HBO series ‘‘Luck,’’ Dustin Hoffman plays a gambler recently released from prison. Prada shirt, QR1,419. Go to prada.com.
‘‘And just how long have we got the magic?’’ It’s fall in Britain. Above a manor house in Buckinghamshire, the skies are ashen. In the surrounding woods, leaves rustle with a suggestion of coming night and winter’s arrival. The words are the fairly typical remarks of a film director to his cinematographer. The magic is that last hour of light, before it becomes impossible to continue filming. Magic hour, golden hour, this is the time. What’s not typical is that the speaker is Dustin Hoffman, directing his first feature film at 74, unless you count an abortive crack at ‘‘Straight Time’’ (1978). That film he handed over to someone else, while continuing to play the lead, a career criminal newly released from jail. Dressed in a gray hoodie, black jeans and sneakers, bouncing from foot to foot in the cold, Hoffman is overseeing a scene from ‘‘Quartet.’’ Adapted from Ronald Harwood’s play, it’s a joyful movie about old age. The plans of four oncefamous opera singers to put on a concert at their retirement home go wrong as buried grudges come to the surface. A vast crane looms over the gravel drive. This shot’s all about the taillights of a car, successively obscured and then revealed by the twists of the road. Despite its bankable
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theme of growing old with hope, the temptation to think that this is a swan song for the star of ‘‘The Graduate,’’ ‘‘Rain Man’’ and ‘‘Tootsie’’ is irresistible. They have to reshoot. ‘‘Do you think he’ll get this?’’ I ask the producer Finola Dwyer as we stand watching, clutching polystyrene cups of coffee. She smiles. ‘‘Filmmaking’s all about timing’’ she says. ‘‘That’s one of the risk factors, and sometimes you can’t control it. Sometimes it’s just luck.’’ The remark is germane, because at the same time as directing ‘‘Quartet,’’ Hoffman is playing the lead in HBO’s new drama series ‘‘Luck.’’ Created by the TV veteran David Milch (‘‘NYPD Blue,’’ ‘‘Deadwood’’), it is immersed in the world of horse racing and gambling. It couldn’t be more different from ‘‘Quartet.’’ Hoffman again plays a newly released criminal: Chester ‘‘Ace’’ Bernstein, a man in his late 60s and an intelligent autodidact. ‘‘The problem is,’’ Hoffman tells me a few weeks after the set visit, ‘‘and it’s the opportunity as well as the problem, we don’t know how bad Ace is. We don’t know whether he has ever killed anyone. I don’t know the answer.’’ We’ve met at the Athenaeum, a club on London’s Pall Mall, for lunch. (Hoffman has steak and chips.) As we climb to the smoking room after eating — he’s in gray again, but this time it’s a crisp light charcoal suit and a thin black tie — he continues talking about Ace Bernstein. ‘‘It’s made me think there’s no such thing as character. So I began with very simple things. I did different things with my hair. I got out of the shower and pushed my hair straight back and thought, Well, there’s a part of him. And then you let stuff come in. Of course, part of it’s learning the lines, and these are very specific, Milchian lines.’’ Milch, speaking by telephone from his office in Santa Monica, Calif., will later concur with the open-ended notion of character that Hoffman is responding to. ‘‘Dustin gives a true sense of Ace’s inwardness just by his presence,’’ he said. ‘‘Dramatic character is an idea of something beyond the words, or somehow mysteriously behind the words, that you can’t get in the absence of a wonderful performance. And he really does give us that.’’ We have carried up a quarter decanter of red wine left over from
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partly hoffman is running from the specter of depression: ‘it’s tactile, a green knot in my stomach,’ he says. Chance encounter Hoffman was photographed at his home in Los Angeles in January. Giorgio Armani shirt, $495. Go to armani.com.
lunch. Hoffman takes a sip. ‘‘There is so much preconception,’’ he says. ‘‘So the less you do, the more you allow the audience to infer. There are a few givens. Once you get them down, the performance self-organizes. And the scary thing but also the best thing, if you succeed — and here’s the connection between gambling and art, I guess — is the risk of failure.’’ Failure, accident, not knowing and, yes, luck: these are the themes that come up again and again. Born in Los Angeles in 1937, the son of a struggling furniture salesman, Hoffman attended Santa Monica City College for a year before dropping out. After acting school and a long apprenticeship, Hoffman became famous overnight at 30 after what he describes as the freak chance to play the 21-year-old Benjamin Braddock in ‘‘The Graduate’’ (1967). ‘‘It was the switch that turned me from off to on,’’ he says. ‘‘Before that part, I had been a mainly unemployed actor for over 10 years. Basically a failure, from anyone’s accounting of it. Yet I knew what I was about.’’ (There’s a nice moment in the pilot of ‘‘Luck’’ when the
bellhop at the Beverly Wilshire says to Bernstein, returning from prison, ‘‘I just graduated,’’ and Hoffman’s character replies: ‘‘Good for you kid, so did I.’’) ‘‘I do believe in luck myself,’’ he says, ‘‘but also in fate — it’s a duality. They had been working on ‘The Graduate’ for two years or something. They had a script and were casting, and I was at the end of the list. They had been through the Redfords and all those people. So in a sense, it has all been an accident.’’ Hoffman says that when he moved to New York in 1958, casting directors were looking for blond hair and blue eyes. ‘‘And I was just this . . . mutt! Before ‘The Graduate,’ I felt that I would be fighting my whole life. I got fired a lot.’’ For a decade he lived hand to mouth. After filming ‘‘The Graduate,’’ Hoffman had $3,000 left in the bank and went on unemployment. He chose not to work in film for over a year, despite countless offers, until ‘‘Midnight Cowboy’’ (1969), in which he played the grotesque lowlife Ratso Rizzo, a role that earned him $150,000. He is said to have made $20 million from his percentage in ‘‘Tootsie.’’ He describes Hollywood as ‘‘a moneymaking machine,’’ but he distances himself from his industry’s crazed environs and all its glitzy trappings: ‘‘I don’t hang out; it makes me uncomfortable.’’ Now that he is a director himself, he smiles wryly at the memory of his past clashes with directors and producers. (Sydney Pollack, after ‘‘Tootsie,’’ said he would only work with Hoffman again ‘‘after a long rest.’’ David Puttnam, the producer and former head of Columbia Pictures, referred to Hoffman as a ‘‘worrisome American pest.’’) Were it not for the colorfulness of his speech — Hoffman is not shy to swear — it would be hard to equate this amiable man with tales of rage and intransigence. ‘‘You look back on yourself and you wonder, Why was I that way?’’ he says, shaking his head ruefully. One thing anyone who’s worked with Hoffman, then or now, would probably agree on is his single-mindedness of purpose. As Michael Mann, an executive producer of ‘‘Luck,’’ puts it, ‘‘He focuses with great specificity. Dustin as Ace has power in stillness, strength even in immobility. It’s as if he holds a source of energy within him.’’ Sitting under high bookshelves stacked with classics, Hoffman offers his own explanation: ‘‘It’s not
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intellectual. You’re mostly aware of what you don’t like. Henry Moore said something like that. You keep chipping away at what isn’t an elephant. And Miles Davis said: ‘Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there’ — I’ve put it on my wall. We think the conscious is the determining factor, and actually it’s the least reliable instrument. The knowing is the infringement. You find what is exposed.’’ Hoffman is genuinely likable. His candor, his ability to expose himself even in a conversation with a journalist, seems authentic. But as with all great actors, there remains the feeling that everything, even his uncompromising dedication to the forbidden territory of the unconscious, is a performance: his longtime friend and ‘‘Fockers’’ series co-star, Barbra Streisand, once said, ‘‘You have to be very careful of him. He will say anything.’’ It may well be that the truth about him really does lie in something exterior, something in the shell rather than the kernel of the nut. He mentions a quotation from the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan that refers to ‘‘the armor of an alienating identity,’’ the idea being that if we have too strong a concept of our own identity, we exclude other formations. In the best possible way, he seems to me like a man on the last leg of a marathon journey of escape from himself. Partly Hoffman is running from the specter of depression: ‘‘It’s tactile, a green knot in my stomach,’’ he says. ‘‘I once didn’t work for five years because of it.’’ But his escape attempt is also a deliberate process of stripping himself to something elemental. ‘‘You go back to being a 2-year-old looking at a leaf, the construct of it. You are doing the same thing again. It’s something in the middle that messes you up.’’ There have been constant challenges in his life. In his 20s he was burned very badly by cooking oil. He has confessed to being a premature ejaculator. (‘‘As you get older there is nothing better: at my age it takes an hour and a half so I think I’m amazing!’’ he once told a journalist.) He brushes aside criticism in the British press for a commercial he did for Sky, at the height of the phone hacking scandal. ‘‘Sky’s Murdoch?’’ he says in amazement. ‘‘Good thing I didn’t know, or maybe I wouldn’t have done it, what with my well-known liberal views. They got me . . . I put my hands up!’’
It’s nearly teatime in Pall Mall. The room begins to fill with a tinkling of cups. Outside, it’s the magic hour. Hoffman shakes his head. ‘‘I have never known how something I was doing was going to turn out. With the project, as with the character, it’s always a kind of revelation. I said that to my wife about ‘Luck.’ ’’ Hoffman and his wife, Lisa, married in 1980 and have four children. His previous marriage, to Anne Byrne, in 1969, ended in divorce (‘‘our relationship was doomed from the beginning,’’ he has said); they had one child together and Hoffman adopted Byrne’s daugher from a previous marriage. These days, Hoffman divides his time between residences in New York, Los Angeles and Kensington, London. In the 1980s, he had close relationships with Arthur Miller (‘‘we lived near each other and he wanted to borrow my tennis court’’) and Joseph Heller: ‘‘When he got ill and was in the hospital and couldn’t move, I brushed his teeth for him, and got him one of those Walkmans — they were new then — to listen to classical music.’’ Hoffman now does this himself: puts on headphones and walks the streets. Mentioning Heller’s novel ‘‘Closing Time,’’ he says: ‘‘If I had one wish, it
would be to live long enough to get to a point where you know yourself. Is that ever possible? Well, you won’t and you don’t. But you have to retain a sense of wonder.’’ Part of the appeal to Hoffman of a drama about gambling lies in a remark of David Milch’s: ‘‘More and more I think the key thing with gambling is about a desire for a loss of time, or for time not to run in the normal way.’’ Is there still time for a new career in television dramas? Hoffman shrugs and says he has tombstone fantasies. ‘‘At least once a week. I write down the epitaphs, I guess as a daily awareness of mortality that arms me against it. For instance: ‘I knew this was going to happen.’ ’’ ‘‘That would be a good catchphrase for Ace,’’ I interject. ‘‘Interesting you say that because I think I may be allowing this role to be closer to myself than I ever have done before. At my age I have no other choice but to inherit the moment and see how it develops. I am out there every day, wary but still open to new experience, which is good for that character and good for me too.’’ We stand up, suddenly aware that teatime has turned into evening, and the room has filled up with people getting drinks and reading the newspapers, and he says, ‘‘We should finish our good wine.’’ Descending to the lobby, I ask him what’s next. ‘‘Back to L.A. for Christmas and then back here for the edit of ‘Quartet.’ Then to Vegas for some of the next season of ‘Luck.’ I don’t know how I am going to manage it. I’m getting too old for this jetting around.’’ But as he enters the winter night, wrapping his scarf round his neck and clamping his headphones on his ears to embark on the walk to Kensington, he seems like a man ready for anything, odds be damned. n
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B Y T im M urph y
Nyjah Huston
Board Certified
Nyjah Huston, 17, makes flying down a stairway railing on a skateboard look easy, as if anyone could flip the board under his feet in midair, then land on it, bones intact. ‘‘But you have no idea how much time and pain went into that,’’ says Huston, who lives in Laguna Beach, Calif., where his dad taught him to skate at age 5. He’s been skating professionally since he was 11 and last year won gold at the X Games in L.A. Home-schooled his whole life, Huston spends a few hours a day at the skate park and travels three months a year to compete in places like Australia, Spain and Costa Rica. Between competitions, he tools around Laguna listening to Wiz Khalifa in his Mercedes CLS 63 AMG (his deals with brands like Element and D.C. Shoes are lucrative) and fuels up on his mom’s vegan tacos. Only last year did he finally lop off the dreadlocks he’d had since childhood. ‘‘The back of my head feels lighter now when I skate,’’ he says. 100
P H O T O G R A P H B Y colin dodgson
Marni shirt, QR1,783. go to marni.com. fashion associate: Rae boxer.