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64 Doha’s Culture Fix. Photographs by Rob Altamirano.
60 Adrenalin Junkie Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdalla Al Thani: Philanthropic goals and living life on the edge. By Vani Saraswathi
42 talk
6 contributors
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B oom times in Hyderabad, India; contemporary art in Margate, England; luggage that stands out in a crowd; hipper airport slippers; Profile in Style: Carolina Irving. Styled to a T.
remix QATAR The New York Times Style Magazine 28 Hermes Garden of Smiles; Ralph Travel & Style May-June 2011
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4 9 The publisher Gerhard Steidl lives for the book — not by it. By Jim Lewis. 54 Colonial design comes out of the attic and into the spotlight. By Douglas Brenner.
44 PLACE
T here’s a revival under way in London, mixing homegrown culture, reclaimed buildings and vintage-clad traditionalists.
48 SEEN QATAR
48 David Downton’s line of beauty. By Mohieb Dahabieh. 52 Paloma Vasquez De Castro in an utopian world. By Cassey Oliviera.
Lauren Well Wheeled; Van Cleef & Arpels Drops of Magic; Gucci Artisans Corner.
71 the stuff of life Artwork by Andy Harman
Copyright © 2011 The New York Times
56 Hassan Sharif, the odd object maker. By Sindhu Nair.
82 A DIAMOND in The ROUGHAGE Yes, it’s hard to be green, but Lynn Yaeger has an oddball scheme to save the planet.
72 MAN CAVE WITH A VIEW
When Alexandre de Betak designed his dream house in Spain, he left no stone unturned. By Lynn Yaeger. Photographs by Jason Schmidt.
90 vine ripened
I n his latest creation, the Metamorphosis shelf, the designer and artist Sebastian Errazuriz really goes out on a limb. Text by Andreas Kokkino. Photograph by Adrian Gaut.
96 TIMELY
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T he interior decorator Courtney Applebaum. By Alix Browne. Photograph by Cameron Krone.
92 a beautiful mine after the horrors of the ’90s, when bling was equated with blood, de beers brings new meaning to diamond clarity.
contributors Tati
Andy
Cotliar
As a child, the Argentine model Tati Cotliar loved to play make-believe: ‘‘I always imagined things that couldn’t happen to me in the real world.’’ So posing in ‘‘A Diamond in the Roughage’’ (Page 82) as an exotic overgrown garden, with rose petals and yellow dandelions on her face, was no great feat for the 22-year-old porteña and cinema nut. Cotliar just walked the fall 2011 runways for Louis Vuitton, Prada and Marc Jacobs.
Peter
Philips ‘‘I love a little tongue-incheek,’’ says the makeup artist Peter Philips. In the ’90s, Philips drew a gothiclooking Mickey Mouse face onto a model for a Raf Simons-inspired fashion shoot. ‘‘We didn’t exactly keep a low profile here, either,’’ he says of our green story (Page 80). Philips is a fixture at Fashion Week — he did the makeup for Fendi and Alexander McQueen this past season — but his home remains Chanel’s gilded headquarters in Paris, where he is its global creative director of makeup.
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Harman
Mohieb
Dahabieh Mohieb Dahabieh has been a fan of David Downton’s drawings ever since he first laid eyes on one.Two years ago, on being seated at an Elie Saab Haute Couture show, he couldn’t help peeking at a stranger’s sketchbook next to him. “He was calmly and swiftly depicting the immaculate ladies of the front-row opposite. While rough and rushed, the images echoed the inimitable freedom and spirit of David Downton’s work. Shyly, I struck up chat, thrilled to discover soon after that he was in fact the very man,” he says of the man he interviews in A Line of Beauty (pg 48). Mohieb is the Creative Director of MoDa’s touch, a London-based creative agency specializing in image management and luxury brand development.
Andy Harman says his T artwork (‘‘The Stuff of Life,’’ Page 71) was inspired by a Google search for travel destinations, which led him to ‘‘beaches, airlines, asteroids, foreign countries and, of course, porn.’’ Harman, a New York-based set designer who hails from Ohio, clustered objects like inflatable cactuses, wet suits, ’70s bumper stickers, hubcaps and fluorescent lights onto a 9-foot-tall, 7-foot-wide armature. He thinks of the result as the ‘‘ultimate escapism.’’
managing editor Vani Saraswathi deputy editor Sindhu Nair fashion & lifest yle correspondent Orna Ballout correspondent Rory Coen Pragati Shukla Ezdihar Ibrahim Ali editorial coordinators Cassey Oliveira art director Venkat Reddy asst director – production Sujith Heenatigala assistant art director Hanan Abu Saiam senior graphic designers Ayush Indrajith Sampath Gunathilaka M D
managers – marketing Mohammed Sami Zulfikar Jiffry senior media consultant Chaturka Karandana media consultant Victoria Ferraris Hassan Rekkab
Douglas
Brenner Douglas Brenner grew up in the Pennsylvania countryside — where there is ‘‘real, genuine Colonial stuff everywhere.’’ As a boy, he designed towns and houses out of cardboard and balsa wood. ‘‘I was a little Colonial Revival architect myself,’’ says the writer, who revisits the style in ‘‘Nation Building’’ (Page 42). A former editor of Garden Design and Martha Stewart Living, Brenner worked for the Landmarks Preservation Commission in the 1970s, documenting New York’s oldest buildings. He is now editing a book about a family that did a Colonial Revival restoration of their 18th-century house.
& editor- in- chief Yousuf Jassem Al Darwish chief executive Sandeep Sehgal executive vice president Alpana Roy vice president Ravi Raman
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PHOTOGRAPH BY Jeff Hen rikson
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The Trend
Oh, snap! It’s the return of that ’80s stalwart, the bodysuit, this time sans shoulder pads and in tantalizing flesh tones at Chloé and Maison Martin Margiela.
The Girl
The French actress Léa Seydoux is about to raise her profile stateside when Woody Allen’s new romantic comedy, ‘‘Midnight in Paris,’’ opens in May.
The Look hair by karin bigler at artlist new york. makeup by helene vasnier for dior cosmetics at artlist new york.
A streamlined lemon and nude Max Mara bodysuit and skirt has us puckered up.
max mara bodysuit, QR2,275, and skirt, QR1,802. Max mara is at villaggio. Fashion Editor: sara moonves.
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Ciao, Bella
Giulietta, which had its debut in a whitewashed loft during New York Fashion Week, is helmed by Sofia Sizzi (above, center), a Florentineborn Manhattanite who is driven by a love for lavish Italian fabrics. ‘‘Is that really double-knit?’’ one observer whispered of a black wool suit consisting of skinny flared trousers, a hip-length narrow-lapeled jacket and a long fitted vest that could serve as a minidress to nouveau Twiggys. The 24-look collection includes a black wool sateen dress accented with a Peter Pan collar, a handmade lace widow skirt and a saffron printed pantsuit based on Sizzi’s sketch of a Baroque cathedral ceiling. The shoes — velvet, satin and felt wedges and heels (all vegan, to match the 33-year-old’s lifestyle) in salmon, saffron and cardinal red — attest to what Sizzi learned while working as an accessories designer at Gucci, Calvin Klein and Donna Karan. Clever ’60s proportions and mod collaborations with the milliner Patricia Underwood and the jeweler Thomas Bliven add a bit of nonecclesiastical zing. From QR1,583 at Barneys New York. chelsea zalopa
Just Add Water
‘‘Since I was a little girl, I’ve been collecting flowers and floral fabrics,’’ says Emilie Bon, the swimwear designer behind the year-old lingerieinspired line Lilibon. The latest collection of eight petal-printed items includes bandeau and pinup-style maillots and bikinis trimmed in lace and tulle. Bon’s inspiration? A pressed anemone she found among her childhood keepsakes. C.Z.
Glass Menagerie When the designer Gregory Parkinson
approached the specialty jeweler Ten Thousand Things to create accessories for his spring 2010 collection, his only request was ‘‘riots of color.’’ The result is a series of coin-size glass enamel talismans, which have since become a permanent fixture at Ten Thousand Things’ meatpacking district studio/boutique. ‘‘As you stack them, it becomes like a composition of sorts,’’ says David Rees of Ten Thousand Things. He and his partner, Ron Anderson, create folksy bijoux by fastening the swirling, multicolored pendants onto necklaces. ‘‘It’s like we’re making stones instead of finding stones, and how fun is that?’’ C. Z . Bright eyes Ten Thousand Things flower necklace, QR965. Go to tenthousandthingsnyc.com or ylang23.com. 10
Giulietta: Kava Gorna (2); Still Lifes: Jens Mortensen.
Fresh cut Lilibon Susie bathing suit, QR1,099. Go to lilibonnyc.com.
We Shop in Public When it
foot prints
When Charlotte Dellal married last summer, the bride picked leopard-print pumps as her ‘‘something new,’’ with ‘‘something blue’’ piping along the heels. Of course, when you’re the designer behind the retro-glam, neo-burlesque shoe brand Charlotte Olympia, a little fashion arts and crafts is par for the course. The cute and quirky footwear spurred one matrimonially inclined guest to ask Dellal for a pair in purple. ‘‘I think there’s a big gap in the bridal market,’’ she says. ‘‘So much thought goes into the lingerie and bouquet. Why not your shoes, too?’’ This month she unveils a nuptial-minded collection: classics like the Dolly and Paloma, in sky blue, scarlet and, naturally, leopard, along with a heart-shaped getaway bag to toss them in. We can’t think of any reason not to say, ‘‘I do.’’ From QR2,657 C. Z.
Sun Dial
Your cellphone can’t catch the waves, and summer isn’t endless. The clock is ticking for a water-resistant watch. edward barsamian
Burberry Chronograph with rubber strap and steel case, QR1,802.
Michael Kors Silicone rubber chronograph, QR582.
Lacoste rio Silicone strap, turquoise aluminum bezel watch. QR710. Go to lacoste.com.
Nixon The Rubber Player in purple molded silicone, QR546. Go to nixonnow.com.
Victorinox Swiss Army Divemaster 500 Chrono in orange, QR3,258. Go to swissarmy.com.
top right: Photograph by Ben Toms. fashion editor: sara moonves. fashion assistant: max ortega govela. azzedine alaÏa top, QR5,132, and skirt, QR8,736. go to shopalchemist.com. charlotte olympia shoes. middle: photograph by Jacob Sutton. hair by Christian eberhard at julian watson agency. makeup by thomas de kluyver at d+V Management. Set design by Vincent olivieri at the magnet agency. Nixon watch: tony cenicola/the new york times.
goes live this month, Motilo.com will use features like videoconferencing to allow users to shop with friends and create complete outfits, even if the items are from different online stores. And thanks to social networking components, users’ shopping predilections will be broadcast to the world, allowing anyone to become a trendsetter. To kick-start the process, Motilo’s C.E.O., Sofia Barattieri di San Pietro, commisioned a bevy of pretty young ‘‘It’’ girls and stylists, including Valentine Fillol-Cordier, Anna Dello Russo and the D.J. Bip Ling, to share their picks with Motilo’s users. ‘‘Soon we want to involve different women, with different backgrounds, ages and charisma,’’ Barattieri says. ‘‘It is only the beginning.’’ Below, Fillol-Cordier wears a Carven silk- bourette pantsuit and a Lanvin brushed-satin floral brooch, all available at Motilo.com. kathryn branch
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P H O T O G R A P H B Y t i m barb e r
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Fashion Assistant: Alex Tudela. grooming by souhi at de facto for dior men.
The Hotelier
Carlos Couturier, co-founder of the pioneering Mexican chain Grupo Habita, will open the brand’s 11th hotel — and first American property — in New York this spring.
The Project
On an industrial block in West Chelsea, Hôtel Americano (hotel-americano.com) will bring gritty glamour to the gallery district. It’s sure to be the art world’s go-to bolt-hole.
jil sander jacket, QR6,825, and pants, QR2,348. george m c cracken shirt, QR1,074. go to george-mccracken.com. nike sportswear x steven alan shoes, QR564. go to stevenalan.com. Fashion Editor: jason rider.
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The Look
The glass and steel Enrique Norten building has 56 rooms done by Arnaud Montigny with beanbag chairs, iPads and denim robes by Loden Dager (which also outfitted the staff).
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tollywood staR 5 , is Now that Hyderabad, India ● booming as a business hub (Microsoft, among other tech giants, is here), the city is looking past the stuffed suits and angling for the jet set. Its history rivals that of the more popular Jaipur, with distinct architecture from the Nizam rule and a mining heritage that gave us the Kohinoor diamond. A flurry of new openings — boutique hotels, upscale restaurants and shops catering to stars of the local Telugu film industry, known as Tollywood — is moving the metropolis into the spotlight. Shivani Vora
1 ● 2 STAY The newest Park hotel ● (22 Raj Bhavan Road; 00-91-402345-6789; theparkhotels.com), part of the Indian chain of boutiquestyle properties, has 270 rooms overlooking Hussain Sagar Lake, many of them suites by designers like Rohit Bal, Manish Arora and Jean-Francois Lesage.
Hyderabad may be the birthplace of biryani — sample opulent versions of it at the Park’s buzzy Aish restaurant — but it’s also an international city. A cool crowd gathers at the Italian place Prego (the Westin, Raheja Mindspace IT Park; 00-91-40-67676767; westin.com), which has EAT
poolside tables overlooking the towers of Hitec City, Hyderabad’s business district, and at Ruci & Idoni (Urmila Towers Road No. 10, Banjara Hills; 00-91-40-2333-1166; ruciandidoni.com), a gourmet shop that does a popular Western brunch at its upstairs cafe.
PARTY The Park currently rules the night with two lounges (and a dance club, Kismet, on the way). Sip from the extensive cocktail menu at Sicca Bar, a modern take on an oldfashioned gentleman’s club, or dance to remixed Bollywood beats at the diamond-shaped Carbon.
SHOP This is a city of malls, with Inorbit (inorbit.in) the reigning champ at 800,000 square feet. The Hitec City complex has a mix of Western and Indian stalls and shops selling textiles and jewelry, among them the pearl specialist Mangatrai. Look for a kurta and sari to match at Ruby’s (MLA Colony, Road No. 12; 00-91-40-6460-7786), a starlets’ favorite in tony Banjara Hills.
UNWIND Book an almond, saffron and rose petal scrub at the new Jiva Spa at the Taj Falaknuma Palace 3 (Engine Bowli, Falaknuma; 00● 91-40-6629-8585; tajhotels.com/ jivaspas). This sanctuary within the 4 has ornate historic hotel ● treatment rooms overlooking cascading gardens. fly Qatar Airways flies daily to Hyderabad
To help travelers avoid the pileup of indistinguishable black bags on the luggage carousel, Tumi has enlisted the graffiti artist John Matos to decorate a group of its lightweight Vapor cases. Matos, who goes by Crash, started spray-painting walls in the Bronx in 1975 and was showing in galleries and museums by the 1980s. For the Tumi project — which will be limited to 1,000 of each case in the four-piece collection — Matos explains that he ‘‘didn’t sit there thinking, What would be cool on a Tumi bag?’’ If he’d thought of himself as just a tagger for hire, he says, ‘‘the work wouldn’t have come out as good.’’ QR1,620 to QR2,166; tumi.com. b ru c e pas k 14
suitcases: jens mortensen.
Luggage Tags
common threads
Roubaix: CYRILLE WEINER (2); Shoes: JENS MORTENSEN; Book: Jake Guevara/The New York Times (2).
Roubaix, France, an old textile town near Lille, has stitched its fabric- driven past to the fashion-driven present. As part of its Maisons de Mode initiative, the regional government recently helped turn a disused cinder block warehouse into Le Vestiaire (right; 27 rue de l’Espérance; maisonsdemode.com), a complex of shops and ateliers for emerging designers. Stéphane Martello, a k a Mister Crochet, knits Etsy-chic pieces like a tiered turtleneck capelet. The dapper designer Eric Garde at Sakal does a wide range of sleek overcoats for men and women in everything from fine wool to faux-fur pile. The shop Mercredi (Wednesday, a half day for many happy French schoolchildren) has tot-size flannel shirts and pinafore dresses. And at Rhum Raisins (in a separate Maisons de Mode cluster at 101-107 avenue Jean Lebas), the three lovely Vermeulen sisters make pretty, structured clothes like a navy crepe dress with an empire waist and pleated skirt, and a sleeveless faux-fur patchwork minicoat with a stole collar. Tim Murphy
Slip Away These easy-on-easy-off flats will put you into the airportsecurity fast lane (and let you step out in style once you’ve landed).
FROM top: NEWBARK SHOE, QR1,656. GO TO NEWBARK.COM. CÉLINE LOAFER, QR2,621. AT CÉLINE, BAL HARBOUR, FLA. TOD’S SHOE, QR1,547. GO. BOTTEGA VENETA SLIPPER, QR1,711. Tod's and BOTTEGAVENETA are at villaggio.
Seeing Double There is an almost clinical sobriety to the photos in Todd Eberle’s new book, ‘‘Empire of Space’’ (Rizzoli, QR309). Culled from Eberle’s 30-year career and presented in pairs, the pictures force you to consider the visual kinship between disparate subjects: a Jeff Koons sculpture begins to look like a tomato; Granny’s plaid sofa becomes a Frank Lloyd Wright ceiling; and an old I.B.M. computer morphs into the United Nations Secretariat tower. Eberle says that after making this book, he finds such parallels everywhere: ‘‘It’s incredible to have a new way of seeing the world.’’ stephen heyman 15
P hotograph by M i c ha e l H a u pt m a n
The Architect
Charlotte Macaux Perelman, who founded Studio CMP in Paris after stints with the hotel-world heavyweights Philippe Starck and André Balazs.
The Space
Macaux turned this painter’s loft near Union Square into a collector’s lair. ‘‘When I see a place, I emphasize the atmosphere and keep the soul,’’ she said.
The Look
Hair by Michele Salvadori for John Sahag workshop. Makeup by Keiko Hiramoto for Dior Beauty.
Rough yet pedigreed, with original Rietveld Crate chairs, a Perriand daybed, Maurizio Cattelan mug shots and a Rudolf Stingel orange resin radiator.
Balenciaga by nicolas ghesquière dress, QR9,810. text by christine muhlke. Fashion editor: Sara Moonves.
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Living color 1. Jaime Hayon’s Favn sofa adds a playful option to the sleek upholstery for which Fritz Hansen is famous. 2. Marco Dessí’s Dakar folding table for Skitsch combines utility and fun in an aesthetic that he calls ‘‘brutiful.’’ 3. Tom Dixon’s Bulb light is a lowly CFL that is brightened by an 81/2-inch mirrored glass reflector (shown here in a chandelier formation).
BRAVO, MILANO!
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Funny, you don’t look 50. The Milan Furniture Fair may be having a big birthday, but this year’s introductions promise to be as fresh as ever.
If anyone knows how to mark an occasion, it’s the Italians. For the 50th anniversary of the Salone del Mobile, the fair that has come to be the epicenter of the global contemporary design market, they’re turning Milan into a giant stage to display what they do best. Among the attractions will be a retrospective of Italian design, co-curated by Alberto Alessi, at the Triennale Design Museum and an eight-room installation, designed by Denis Santachiara, at the Piazza Duomo that highlights ‘‘creative potential channeled through scientific principles.’’ The Salone even has a smartphone app, which you can find at cosmit.it. Ultimately, though, the fair is about selling furniture, and when this year’s 2,500-plus exhibitors gather from April 12 to 17 to show off their latest innovations, that should provide excitement enough. MONICA KHEMSUROV
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In line 4. The Miss Less chair by Philippe Starck with Eugeni Quitllet for Kartell has a monolithic plastic base and a thin, tilted back. 5. Cassina reinterpreted Charlotte Perriand’s sinuous Tokyo bamboo chaise, a 1940s design, in wood for outdoor use. 6. It may look like molded plywood, but Doshi Levien’s Impossible Wood chair for Moroso is made of injection-molded liquid wood.
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Light touch 7. Marcel Wanders’s Chrysalis floor lamp for Flos projects what Wanders calls ‘‘fabulous flowers of light’’ onto the ceiling. 8. BarberOsgerby’s Tip Ton chair for Vitra allows users to tilt toward their work surfaces, a perk more common in pricey ergonomic chairs.
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Fast Company
Seventeen examples from Ralph Lauren’s holdings of classic cars — including the sexy, slightly menacing 1955 Jaguar XKD shown here — are featured in the exhibition ‘‘The Art of the Automobile: Masterpieces of the Ralph Lauren Collection,’’ at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris. How do you say ‘‘vroom’’ in French? More info on page 32.
Living Color
Miller House: Indianapolis Museum of Art; Car: Michael Furman.
Next month, the Indianapolis Museum of Art will open to the public the house that Eero Saarinen designed for the industrialist J. Irwin Miller and his wife, Xenia, giving design pilgrims one more reason to visit Columbus, Ind., the mecca of Modernist architecture that Miller sponsored. The stone- and glass-walled house, which Saarinen completed in 1957, includes about 14 acres of landscaping by Dan Kiley and meticulously preserved interiors by Alexander Girard, who sank the world’s first conversation pit into its living room. The Eames Aluminum Group chairs were designed for the Millers, whose dining table was a precursor to Saarinen’s Tulip pedestal series. The couple lived in the house until their deaths (his in 2004, hers in 2008) and left behind a portrait not just of enlightened 20th-century arts patronage but of family life as well. ‘‘It’s not like the Farnsworth House, which was a weekend getaway, or the Glass House, which is purely an architect’s personal expression of his ideas,’’ says Bradley Brooks, the museum’s director of historic resources. ‘‘It had to accommodate entertaining and employees and five kids, and yet it was still resolved so beautifully.’’ M. K.
Just Right
When Jonathan Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of industrial design, was a boy, a Braun juicer designed by Dieter Rams (above) made a big impression: ‘‘At a glance, you knew exactly what it was and exactly how to use it.’’ So it’s fitting that Ive, whose own work reflects the German master’s principles, wrote the introduction to ‘‘As Little Design as Possible: The Work of Dieter Rams,’’ to be published by Phaidon in June. Written by Sophie Lovell and Klaus Kemp, the book examines Rams’s ‘‘less but better’’ philosophy, as illustrated by the hundreds of products (like the coffee grinder shown here) that he produced for Braun, as well as by the iconic 606 shelving system for Vitsoe, still in production after 50 years. On May 2, the Vitsoe shop at 33 Bond Street will open an exhibition of early 606 pieces, while Braun is producing watches — including the one shown here — inspired by models that Rams and Dietrich Lubs designed in the 1970s. Go to ameico.com. Pilar viladas 19
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P hotograph by A m i S i o u x
The Guys
The Lausanne, Switzerland, design trio Big-Game: GrĂŠgoire Jeanmonod (Swiss), Augustin Scott de Martinville (French) and Elric Petit (Belgian).
The Look
The Thing
Playful, geometric functionalism, repurposing automobile windshields for their Flat mirrors or being inspired by industrial packaging for their Pack Sweet Pack line.
chairs, QR2,177 each. go to sleekidentity.com. Loden Dager jackets, QR2,002, and pants, QR1,001. Go to lodendager.com. J. Crew oxford shirts, QR247. go to jcrew.com. Walk-Over shoes, QR819. text by mark rozzo. Fashion Editor: Andreas Kokkino.
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Grooming by nicole hermann babel
The Bold chair, by the Paris manufacturer Moustache, a colorful, curvy two-piece metal skeleton wrapped in polyurethane foam.
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Dried hydrangeas and eucalyptus complement the colors in the house.
Left: Margaret Howell in her country house, on the coast of Suffolk, in England. Above: down the lane from the house, three flooded fields (part of a nature preserve) attract swans and other birds.
Above: on a white painted vintage Ercol chair, Howell’s tuxedo jacket and a long-handled dusting brush (perfect for cobwebs), given to her by a friend.
margaret howell
When it comes to home décor, the quintessentially English fashion designer remains true to her aesthetic — casual simplicity and utility crossed with highquality heritage materials. Her 1961 Modernist country retreat in East Anglia is filled with the streamlined midcentury pieces she loves and peppered with vintage flea market finds. ‘‘It’s quite a tiny house,’’ she says, ‘‘but it’s well laid out, airy and open, and being here helps me connect with nature.’’ SANDRA BALLENTINE 22
P H O T O G R A P H s B Y emma hardy
Above: Margaret (left) with her sisters, circa 1953. Right: the Margaret Howell flagship store, on Wigmore Street in London, carries her men’s and women’s collections, old and new ceramics, Anglepoise lighting and vintage furniture by the midcentury British company Ercol.
Left: in the living room, Howell sits on a vintage settee. Also in the mix: Alvar Aalto chairs for Artek and Vitsoe shelving by Dieter Rams. An antique Japanese pot shares the mantel with colored driftwood that Howell found on the beach. She bought the Josef Albers poster on a visit to the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation.
Above: after a bracing beach walk, Howell serves tea and biscuits.
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East Anglia is very flat, so you get impossibly broad skies and wonderful light. You can see storms coming in from the sea. It’s an ever-changing landscape.
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Above: family photographs. Right: a wellused pair of scissors.
Above: vintage vessels from Denby and Poole Pottery sit in front of midcentury Swedish curtains. Below: a favorite means of transport.
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emma hardy
Left: Howell walks on the beach, which is a half mile from the house. Right: a 1929 watercolor hangs above an old office chair. The Lucienne Day Marquis curtains were created for the home design store Heal’s in 1959. 23
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P H O T O G R A P H B Y t i m barb e r
The Guy
The designer Todd Bracher, a native Long Islander and Tom Dixon alumnus, has been the creative director for both Jaguar Interiors and Georg Jensen, and now works out of a studio in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
The Look
The Things
‘‘I try not to ‘design’ anything,’’ he says, preferring to ‘‘let the solutions flow.’’ This self-effacing approach produces expressive objects like his Stick table lamp, which is inspired by an insect.
stool, from QR1,423. At Cappellini. Carafe, QR175. Go to yoox.com. louis vuitton sweater, QR3,076. louis vuitton is at villaggio. Robert Geller shirt, QR965. GO TO forwardforward.com. J. Crew Jeans, QR357. go to jcrew.com. text by mark rozzo. Fashion Editor: Andreas Kokkino.
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GROOMING by Enrico Mariotti at see management
Inspired by a pelican’s neck, Bracher designed this Vas glass carafe for Italesse. His stackable steel Alodia stool for Cappellini is equally at home in an architect’s office or a Brooklyn watering hole.
Left: the classicistat-heart usually wears solidcolored buttondowns; she started dressing in uniform during her school days in Paris. Above: Irving (center) and her two sisters ready for école.
This Tamar pattern came from a Turkish rug. Above: a jacket from Irving & Fine, the label she designs with Lisa Fine. Left: color palettes.
carolina irving
Enormous suitcases, a digital camera and fashion-pack friends like Hamish Bowles and Christian Louboutin are constant companions for the on-the-dash textile designer Carolina Irving, whose finds in souks and museums inspire her delicately patterned, vintage-looking pastels. Born in Miami to Venezuelan parents and raised in Paris, she developed a passion for antique textile design in college. ‘‘My fabrics look old, hand printed, vegetable dyed,’’ Irving says. ‘‘A modern twist isn’t me at all.’’ VALERIE STIV ERS - I SAKOVA
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P ortrait by K ava G orna
Above: a postcard of a Mycenaean bull’s head from the 16th century B.C. Right: a multicolored building in Syria.
Fashion Editor: Ethel Park. brooks brothers shirt, QR320. go to brooksbrothers.com. Hair by Jordan M for Bumble and Bumble. Makeup by Chiho Omae for FrankReps. Set Design by Amy Henry. Childhood and Damascus Images: From Carolina Irving; Color Palettes: Kava Gorna; Still Life Images: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times (3).
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Above: a street in Aleppo, Syria. Left: Irving is drawn to the wood sofas and simple cushions in this room on the Greek island of Patmos.
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I like the antiquity in the Middle East, but what I’m really interested in is the combination of cultures. You see such a mixture of European and Eastern influences there. Left: Robert Byron’s ‘‘The Road to Oxiana’’’’ got Irving traveling early on. Far left: the magnolia blossom motif on her Lucknow fabric comes from a printed textile she found in India.
Left: she loves Egypt’s Siwa oasis for its mudbrick architecture. Right: with Louboutin. Far right: her Aegean Stripe was inspired by decoration on early Greek vases. 27
maxMara dress, QR4,186. verdura bracelet, price on request. go to verdura.com. michael kors belt, QR1,274. christian louboutin shoes, qr2,530. go to barneys.com. Portrait and Background Images: Kava Gorna; Still Life Images: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times (4); All other images from Carolina Irving.
Left: Irving surrounded by books, vintage fabrics and photos from all over the globe. Below: an image of an African Wodaabe tribesman.
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Garden of Smiles Very few perfume launches involve wearing overalls and getting one’s hands dirty. But then Un Jardin Sur Le Toit is no ordinary fragrance. Le nez de Hermès Jean-Claude Ellena talks about the latest in the garden series and tells Reem Arr he is all about simplicity, and the here and now.
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famous Hermès’s signature orange. Finally we were at the rooftop garden smelling the fragrance in its entirety and to meet the head perfumer of this house of luxury. Jean-Claude Ellena is undoubtedly one of the most renowned and talented perfumers of our time. Son of a wenty four Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honorè Paris perfumer and father to one, he has been deeply influenced by is the iconic address of the legendary French Edmond Roudnitska, the French master perfumer known for luxury goods house which began as a harness creating some of the most famous perfumes in the world. workshop in 1837. We walk past busy counters When asked why and when he decided on becoming a entertaining customers mesmerized by the bags perfumer, Jean-Claude exclaims: “That’s really a good and scarves, and take a tiny elevator to the fifth question; honestly I didn’t decide to become one. I am a floor. perfumer by luck and you could even say perfumery picked We were spared the usual press launch me. I was born in Grasse, a town considered to be the world rigmarole and were greeted by Hermès’s head capital of perfumes. I wasn’t the brightest of pupils so my cook who led us through the process, starting with a fruit father insisted I start working as an apprentice at Antoine compote that would include the fruity components of the fragrance (apple and pear). Progressing onto the potting shed, Chiris factory, after which I enrolled at the newly-opened perfumery school at Givaudan. But after I attended classes we planted roses into ceramic pots, which were of course the
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you reach a stage where you only need to think ‘strawberry’ and smell it in your mind. You can even take it further by combining it with another smell and imagining the result, all this without even physically using the ingredients. A true perfumer first creates in his mind and then in the lab.” When asked about his patrons, he shrugged “Frankly I don’t know and don’t have a particular profile of who will be wearing it. If you’re a creator, you work for yourself not for somebody else, but when you have finished composing the perfume, share it with other people and hopefully they will like it.”
Jean-Claude Ellena Adding a smile to his garden
for only nine months of the three-year course, I was offered a job there.”
The Artist Rules Hermès’s philosophy echoes this thought and it is perhaps one of the few luxury houses which doesn’t believe in a detailed brief. “Here the artist calls the shots. There are no focus groups, no marketing research on what we should launch. Only very few people decide on the finality of the launch. Hermès is very quality focused,” says Jean-Claude. “One only needs three percent of the market to be a success. So it would be a matter of finding three out of a hundred who like your fragrance. You don’t need tests for that. In a way, focus group is playing it safe. In politics you need 51 percent. But this is not a democracy. The democracy is in the choice.” This respect for the creator and artisan is perhaps what makes Hermès different. There is no urgency to become too big or to get clients at all costs. In fact this lack of aggressive marketing is the group’s best marketing strategy. Un Jardin Sur Le Toit like everything else that Jean Claude creates didn’t begin on a brief, but from an experience he lived. “It might be an experience on the spot, or a real place, like the Garden Perfumes or Kelly Caleche inspired after a visit at the Hermès leather stock. For me, creation means to try to build a road while walking.” The perfumer-composer, as he likes to be called, has journeyed far and wide to capture experiences for his earlier scents. But for Un Jardin Sur Le Toit – the fourth fragrance in the series – he only had to take the stairs up to the rooftop garden of Hermès boutique. When asked to describe the fragrance in one word his unsurprising answer was “Smiling”.
Simple not minimal His distinctive and instantly recognizable style and understated sense of chic have revolutionized the industry. Jean-Claude is often called a minimalist, where other noses work with a palette of a thousand or so materials he would use just a few hundreds. Where the average modern fragrance could contain more than a hundred ingredients, his would have as little as twenty. But he ascribes this to simplicity and not minimalism, stating that his perfumes don’t try to say a lot of things at once. Top Notes “In all my compositions I try to T Qatar was invited for the exclusive launch of the fourth and latest fragrance from the gardenavoid melancholy, nostalgia and inspired collection translates to A Garden on the Roof. After the Mediterranean, the banks of the Nile and the Indian countryside, it invites you to the secret rooftop garden above the House of the past. My approach is the Hermès. It starts out with grapefruit-citrus scent, followed by crisp apple and pear with plenty of present – no future, no past. Just green. The notes are apple, pear, rose, green grass, basil, magnolia and compost. It’s bright and today. Being of one’s time is also the green notes add a decent bite without being overwhelming. Spraying this fragrance will evoke how one creates something the smells walking into a beautiful flower store or fruit garden. There’s this rush of green-floral immortal.” notes that blend into one. The fruit gives way to the flowers, a gentle rosewater and magnolia blend. Arguably, it takes about 20 This cheerful and easy to wear fragrance years to become a perfumer and may be better suited to warm weather, another score years to master so should be well accepted in the Middle the art, so Elena is at the height East. The collection’s signature bottle of his prowess. “Creating smells has a green-hued base this time. The package looks very attractive with a is like learning a new language,” sketch of the city of Paris, including he says about mastering the art. a view over the House of Hermès’s “Like you have words and rooftop garden conceived by none other grammar, I have ingredients and than Philippe Dumas, Emile Hermès's their smells. The first step is to grandson. learn and remember each smell Un Jardin Sur Le Toit is available in 50 and 100 ml Eau de Toilette. and store them in your memory. This takes years to perfect – then Hermès is present at The Pearl-Qatar.
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ت�ؤمن بعقد اجتماعات للبحث يف منتجاتها اجلديدة .يقول جان كلود: “الفنان هنا هو من يقوم مبعظم الأمور� ،إذ ال توجد هنا جمموعات الرتكيز ،وال بحوث ت�سويق ب�ش�أن ما ينبغي علينا �إطالقه .هنالك فقط جمموعة حمدودة من الأ�شخا�ص الذين يتخذون القرار ب�ش�أن الإطالق النهائي .وتركّ ز هريمي�س على النوعية تركيزا كبريا .فاملرء ال يحتاج �سوى �إىل %3من ال�سوق ليحقق النجاح .لذا ينبغي �إيجاد ثالثة �أ�شخا�ص يحبون عطورنا من �أ�صل مائة ،وال حاجة للقيام باختبارات لتحقيق ذلك .فالهدف من جمموعات الرتكيز هو القيام بالأعمال على نحو م�ضمون �إذ يف ال�سيا�سة يحتاج ال�سيا�سيون �إىل .%51لكن هذه لي�ست بدميقراطية .فالدميقراطية هي يف االختيار”. ولعل هذا االحرتام للمبدعني واحلرفيني هو ما مييز هريمي�س ،فهي لي�ست بحاجة ملحة للنمو منوا عظيما �أو للح�صول على عمالء مهما كلف الأمر .ويف الواقع ُيعترب انعدام العدوانية يف ت�سويق هريمي�س �إ�سرتاتيجية الت�سويق الأف�ضل للمجموعة. وعطر �آن جاردان �سري يل تويت Un Jardin Sur Le Toitهو كغريه من العطور التي �أبدعها جان كلود مل ينطلق بعد ح�ضور اجتماع ما ،و�إمنا نتج عن جتربة عا�شها حيث يقول عنها“ :قد تكون جتربة ع�شتها يف مكان حقيقي مثل عطر غاردن بريفيومز Garden � Perfumesأو كيلي كلي�شيه Kelly Calècheاللذين ا�ستوحيتهما بعد زيارة قمت بها مل�ستودع هريمي�س للجلود .وبالن�سبة يل ،الإبداع هو حماولة �شق طريق �أثناء امل�شي”. “مكون العطور” كما يحب �أن ي�سمي نف�سه كثريا وبعيدا وقد �سافر ّ للح�صول على التجارب لإبداع عطوره ال�سابقة .لكنه بالن�سبة لعطر �آن �أن الآخرين يتعاملون مع حوايل 1000رائحة� ،إال �أنه ال ي�ستخدم �إال جاردان �سري يل تويت Un Jardin Sur Le Toitمل ي�ضطر �إال ب�ضعة مئات فقط .ويف الوقت الذي قد يحتوي العطر العادياحلديث على ل�صعود الدرج �إىل احلديقة املوجودة على �سطح بناء هريمي�س .وعندما مكون ف�إن عطور جان كلود ال ت�شتمل على �أكرث من .20 �أكرث من ّ 100 طُ لب منه �أن ي�صف العطر بكلمة واحدة كان جوابه غري املفاجئ هو لكنه يعزو ذلك �إىل الب�ساطة ولي�س االعتدال ،م�شريا �إىل �أن عطوره ال “االبت�سامة”. حتاول �أن تقول �أ�شياء كثرية يف �آن واحد .و�أ�ضاف قائال�“ :أحاول يف جميع العطور التي �أقوم برتكيبها جتنب احلزن واحلنني �إىل املا�ضي. فتوجهي هو احلا�رض فقط ،ولي�س امل�ستقبل �أو املا�ضي .وحتى من خالل مكونات فريدة تركيزي على احلا�رض �أ�سعى لإبداع �شيء خالد”. ميكن ترجمة العطر الرابع والأخري من جمموعة العطور امل�ستوحاة وميكن القول �إن املرء يحتاج �إىل حوايل 20عاما لي�صبح �صانع عطور ،من احلدائق �إىل “حديقة على ال�سطح” .فبعد البحر الأبي�ض املتو�سط، والعديد من ال�سنوات الأخرى ليتقن هذا الفن ،لذا يعترب جان كلود �إنه قد و�ضفاف النيل ،والريف الهندي ،ف�إن هذا العطر يدعو املرء �إىل زيارة و�صل �إىل قمة هذا الفن .وعن ذلك يقول�“ :إن �إبداع العطور مياثل تعلم حديقة ال�سطح ال�رسية الواقعة فوق دار هريمي�س. لغة جديدة .فمثلما توجد كلمات وقواعد لغوية لدي مكونات لها روائح .ويبد�أ �أريج العطر برائحة احلم�ضيات واجلريب فروت ،يليها عبق التفاح وتتمثل اخلطوة الأوىل بتعلم وتذكّ ر كل رائحة وتخزينها يف ذاكرة والكمرثى مع الكثري من روائح النباتات اخل�رضاء .ويتكون العطر املرء ،وي�ستغرق �إتقان ذلك �سنوات .بعد ذلك ن�صل �إىل مرحلة ال يحتاج من روائح التفاح ،والكمرثى ،والورد ،والع�شب الأخ�رض ،والريحان، فيها املرء �إال �إىل جمرد بـ ‘الفراولة’ على �سبيل املثال في�شم رائحتها واملغنوليا ،وال�سماد .لذا ُيذكّ ر هذا العطر بالروائح التي ي�شمها املرء، يف عقله .وميكن للمرء حتى �أن يجمع ما بني هذه الرائحة ورائحة �أخرى وهو يدخل �إىل متجر جميل للأزهار �أو حديقة الفاكهة ،والتي ترتافق مع فيتخيل الرائحة التي تنتج عن ذلك ،وكل ذلك حتى من دون ا�ستخدام روائح الأع�شاب اخل�رضاء .وتختفي رائحة الفواكه فيما بعد ليحل حملها املكونات ب�صورة فعلية .ف�صانع العطور احلقيقي يقوم �أوال ب�صناعة مزيج من عبري الأزهار وماء الورد اللطيف واملغنوليا. يجربها يف املخترب”. وينا�سب هذا العطر املرح الطق�س احلار لذا من املتوقع �أن يتقبله النا�س العطر يف ذهنه ثم ّ أعرف � ال “ب�رصاحة أجاب: � أعماله ل الراعية اجلهات وعندما ُ�سئل عن املدرجة بقاعدتها املجموعة هذه زجاجة وتتميز أو�سط. ال ال�رشق يف ّ ولي�س لدي �أية معلومات عمن �سي�ستخدمون عطوري .فعندما يبدع املرء باللون الأخ�رض .وعلبة العطر جذابة للغاية حيث حتمل ر�سما تخطيطيا �شيئا يقوم بذلك لنف�سه ال ل�شخ�ص �آخر ،لكن عندما ينتهي من تركيب ملدينة باري�س مع منظر من حديقة �سقف دار هريمي�س للعطور من ر�سم العطر ف�إنه يعر�ضه على الآخرين وي�أمل ب�أن ينال �إعجابهم”. فيليب دوما ،حفيد �إميل هريمي�س. ويتوفر عطر هريمي�س �آن جاردان �سري يل تويت Un Jardin Sur Le Toitعلى �شكل ماء تواليت بحجمني 50و 100مل. قواعد الفنان تتجلى هريمي�س ب�أنها قد تكون واحدة من دور الرفاهية القليلة التي ال ويقع متجر هريمي�س يف الل�ؤل�ؤة -قطر.
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�أ�سلوب جان كلود الوا�ضح و�إح�سا�سه املميز �أدى �إىل حدوث ثورة يف �صناعة العطور
حـديــقـة االبتسامـات قليلـــة جـــدا هـــي أحـــداث إطــــالق العطـــور التــــي يرتـــدي القائمـــون عليــــها ستــــرات العمـــل ويعملــــون فيـــــها بأيديهــــم ،لكـــن عطـــــر آن جــــاردان سيـــر لي تـــــوايت ،Un Jardin Sur Le Toitوهـــــو األحــــدث فــــي سلسلـــــة عطور تحــدث عنـــه خبيــــر العطـــور فــــي هيرميـــــس ،جــــان كلـــــود الحديقـــة مـــن هيرميس ،ليـــــس بالعطـــر العــــادي ،فقـــد ّ إيلينــــا ،لريـــــم العــــر قائـــال إنـــــه يعبـــر عــــن البساطـــة والزمــــن والمكــــان الحالييـــن.
في
�شارع 24فوبورج� ،سان �أونوريه، باري�س يقع الدار الفرن�سي الأ�سطوري ل�سلع الرفاهية ،الذي بد�أ يف عام 1837كور�شة ل�صنع جتهيزات الفرو�سية� .رسنا بقرب طاوالت بيع يحيط بها عمالء مفتونني باحلقائب والأو�شحة ،ثم �صعدنا مب�صعد �صغري
جان كلود ت�أثرا كبريا ب�إدمون رودنيت�سكا ،وهو كبري معلمي �صناع العطور الفرن�سية ،ي�شتهر ب�إبداعه يف �صنع بع�ض �أ�شهر العطور يف العامل. وعندما �سئل جان كلود متى وملاذا قرر �أن ي�صبح �صانع عطور �أجاب قائال“ :هذا �س�ؤال جيد حقا .ب�رصاحة مل �أقرر �أن �أ�صبح �صانع عطور، فقد �أ�صبحت �صانع عطور مبح�ض ال�صدفة ،بل ميكن القول حتى �إن لدت يف غرا�س ،وهي بلدة تعترب �صناعة العطور قد اختارتني .فقد ُو ُ عا�صمة العطور يف العامل .ومل �أكن تلميذا ذكيا لذا �أ�رص والدي على �أن �أبد�أ العمل كمتدرب يف م�صنع �أنطوان كريي�س ،وبعد ذلك دخلت مدر�سة �صناعة العطور التي اف ُتتحت حديثا يف غيفاودان .وبعد درا�ستي ملدة ر�ضت علي ت�سعة �أ�شهر فقط من �أ�صل مدة الدرا�سة البالغة ثالث �سنوات ُع ْ وظيفة هناك”.
�إىل الطابق اخلام�س. وحل�سن احلظ ُ�أعفينا من املقدمات املعتادة للبيانات ال�صحفية، وا�ستقبلنا كبري خرباء هريمي�س الذي قدم لنا �رشحا لعملية ا�ستخال�ص العطور من الفاكهة كالتفاح والكمرثى .ثم توجهنا �إىل منطقة زراعة النباتات التي قمنا فيها بزراعة بع�ض الورود التي ت�شتهر بها هريمي�س يف �أ�ص�ص خزفية .و�أخريا �صعدنا �إىل حديقة ال�سطح ف�شممنا روائح العطور الزكية ،والتقينا برئي�س �صانعي العطور يف دار الرفاهية هذه .بسيط وليس معتدل جان كلود �إيلينا هو بال �شك واحد من �أ�شهر �صانعي العطور املوهوبني لقد �أدى �أ�سلوب جان كلود الوا�ضح و�إح�سا�سه املميز بالأناقة �إىل حدوث و�صف هذا املبدع ب�أنه معتدل ،فرغم يف ع�رصنا .وهو ابن ل�صانع عطور ووالد ل�صانع عطور �أي�ضا .وقد ت�أثر ثورة يف �صناعة العطور .وغالبا ما ُي َ 31
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Well Wheeled Ralph Lauren’s auto chic
O
Bentley Blower,1929
Bugatti 57 SC Atlantic coup, 1938 Ferrari 375 Plus, 1954
Jaguar XKD, 1955
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ne of the major car collections in world belongs to icon of style, American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Now his wheels are on the road, showing at the Musee des Arts Dècoratifs in Paris – a must visit for the Qatari car connoisseur. A selection of 17 of the most prestigious sports cars from the 1930s to present day chosen by curator Rodolphe Rapetti, and put on display by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, outline the main phases of European automobile history. With this collection, Ralph Lauren shows that the automobile is a major art form created by the industry’s biggest names: Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Bentley, MercedesBenz, Jaguar, Porsche and of course, Ferrari, the high point of this unique collection. In 1970, Les Arts Dècoratifs presented a selection of competition cars, “Bolides Design.” To compile the exhibition, a special jury was assembled, featuring designers Joe Colombo, Roger Tallon and Pio Manzu, and the artists Jean-Paul Riopelle, Jean Tinguely and Victor Vasarely, as well as Robert Delpire and François Mathey. The jury chose the models with the idea of the car as a design object, a work of art, showing that “art and technique, each at their own level, are the expression of man and his relationship with design.” The Ralph Lauren collection can be seen from the same perspective. Patiently assembled over several decades by the fashion designer in a quest for speed and performance, it includes some of the most extraordinary jewels in the crown of European automobile history, with beauty as its common denominator. Within the collection are some of the most elegant and innovative cars in automotive history, from the “Blower” Bentley (1929), the Ferrari 250 GTO (1962), the famous Mercedes 300 SL (1955) and the unforgettable Jaguar “D type” whose shark fin blazed a triumphant trail at Le Mans in 1955, 1956 and 1957. But the grand tourer, the Bugatti Atlantic (1938) of which only four models were produced, represents the ultimate in luxury while showcasing the evolution of styles and techniques on the road.
جاكوار1955 ،
السيارات الكالسيكية
مجموعة رالف لورين للسيارات األنيقة
تنتمي
بنتلي بلوار1929 ،
جاكوار 1955
فرياري 1964 ،
�إحدى املجموعات الكربى لل�سيارات يف العامل �إىل م�صمم الأزياء الأمريكي ال�شهري عامليا رالف لورين. وقد مت اختيار � 17سيارة ريا�ضية مرموقة من جمموعته الظهار املراحل الرئي�سية لتاريخ ال�سيارات الأوروبية من الثالثينات من القرن املا�ضي حتى يومنا هذا، وهي معرو�ضة الآن يف متحف الفنون يف باري�س. ويبينّ رالف لورين من خالل هذه املجموعة �أن ال�سيارة هي �شكل فني، من �إبداع �أكرب الأ�سماء يف هذه ال�صناعة مثل بوغاتي ،و�ألفا روميو، وبنتلي ،ومر�سيد�س بنز ،وجاغوار ،وبور�شه ،وبطبيعة احلال فرياري التي تعترب ذروة هذه املجموعة الفريدة.و�سبق �أن قدم متحف الفنون يف باري�س يف عام 1970جمموعة خمتارة من ال�سيارات الفريدة �سميت "ت�صاميم ال�سيارات" .وقد مت ت�شكيل جلنة حتكيم خا�صة الختيار �سيارات تلك املجموعة ت�ضم كال من امل�صممني جو كولومبو ،وروجر تالون ،وبيو مانزو ،والفنانني جان بول ريوبيل ،و جان تينغويل، وفيكتور فازاريلي� ،إ�ضافة �إىل روبرت ديلباير ،و فران�سوا ماثي.وقد اختارت جلنة التحكيم الطرازات التي حتقق فكرة �أن ال�سيارة هي عمل فني وت�صميمي يو�ضح �أن “الفن والتقنية ،كل مب�ستواه ،هما تعبري عن الإن�سان وعالقته مع الت�صميم”. وميكن ر�ؤية جمموعة رالف لورين �أي�ضا من نف�س املنظور. وقد قام رالف لورين بتجميع جمموعته ب�صرب على مدى عدة عقود �سعيا وراء ال�رسعة والأداء ،حيث ت�شتمل جمموعته على ال�سيارات الأكرث ا�ستثنائية يف تاريخ ال�سيارات الأوروبية التي يجمع فيما بينها اجلمال. وت�ضم املجموعة بع�ضا من �أكرث ال�سيارات �أناقة وابتكارا يف تاريخ �صناعة ال�سيارات مثل بنتلي بلوار ،)1929( Blowerوفرياري 250 جي تي �أو ،)1962( GTOومر�سيد�س � 300إ�س �إل ال�شهرية (،)1955 وجاغوار نوع دي D Typeالتي ال تن�سى وقد ت�ألقت يف لومان يف الأعوام 1955و 1956و .1957لكن ال�سيارة الأكرث تفردا يف املجموعة هي بوغاتي �أتالنتيك ( )1938التي مل ينتج منها �سوى �أربع �سيارات فقط والتي متثل الرتف ب�أجلى مظاهره وتظهر تطور الأ�ساليب والتقنيات يف هذا املجال. 34
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Van Cleef & Arpels Drops of Magic
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egendary French maison, Van Cleef & Arpels (VCA), shares many similarities with Qatar. “Both offer a fusion of tradition and modernity, deep roots and superb fruits,” reveals Stanislas de Quercize, at the opening of the exclusive boutique in Villaggio mall. The introduction of the boutique to Doha’s burgeoning luxury sector with local partners, Ali Bin Ali Group, looks promising. “We share a great relationship with Ali Bin Ali – they want to build a bright future and it is positive for us to showcase VCA. On every visit to Doha I see a new sky scraper which is so
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Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, the Duchess of Windsor are amongst those who through the years have chosen Van Cleefs & Arpels as the go-to jeweler for whimsical creations. CEO Stanislas de Quercize tells Orna Ballout why that’s so.
harmonious with the rest – proof of quality and enduring style, an audacious city that will stay forever.” This reference to longevity is precisely the staying power VCA has maintained since its establishment by founders Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels in 1906. Since then, the maison has accumulated a reputation of creating unique designs rooted with history and tradition: “Our creations are timeless – what you acquire for a wedding or anniversary will be enjoyed today, tomorrow and eternity.” The glitzy new boutique, designed by British designer Anouska Hempel exudes glamour, femininity and sensuality – perfectly complimenting the VCA’s
characteristics. The store concept is that of a private apartment – featuring a VIP area, watch bar and jewelry lounge with the aim of making visitors feel at home while viewing show stopping designs. Stanislas, a licensed lawyer, has a wealth of experience in the jewelry realm having previously led prestigious projects as CEO of both Cartier and Montblanc before taking up his position with VCA in 2005. “There is nothing I value in life more then love, friendship and creations. VCA is a maison about creating... even our name means Very Creative Artist – it is moving to see the power of creation effecting emotions.” The VCA masterpieces have delivered many magical moments, as they cater to an elite clientele consisting of Royals and celebrities. “The elite are connoisseurs; they want the best – something unique that will bring them luck. Why do you think celebrities attending the Oscars choose to wear VCA – because they want to win and know we’ll bring them luck. They are demanding people and know we won’t disappoint them.” Jacques Arpels, member of the founding family, once revealed that “the mission is to offer the best.” According to de Quercize, this vision is safe-guarded with “the best quality stones that will quicken the heartbeat of the beholder, and superb craftsmanship. Every piece is created with the idea of bringing the wearer luck, from dragonflies to butterflies – to enchant and re-enchant lives.” In a world that offers so much choice, the factor differentiating VCA from a mass of luxury brands is determined by its roots. “We always look for quality and long-term designs that will hold their value – brands are usually fashion orientated. The world is good as it offers both options; VCA is displayed in museums and sold at auctions because it is synonymous with long term value.” A current exhibition in the Cooper-Hewiit Museum, New York, America, gives people the chance to view rare offerings created for special clients. Highlights include a dazzling display of pieces worn by Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Duchess of Windsor, Jackie Kennedy and Princess Fawzia of Egypt. “Even though they are not with us anymore – through their jewelry you see their life, excitement and joy,” says de Quercize. For a quick fix to satisfy a luxury appetite – it is recommended to visit the boutique and explore the enchanting VCA tale.
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Why do you think celebrities attending the Oscars choose to wear VCA – because they want to win and know we’ll bring them luck
New store at the Villaggio mall.
Show Stopping: The Oiseaux de Paradis Necklace (above) and Lady Arpels Opera Watch are some dazzling VCA offerings available.
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�أحد روائع �رشكة فان كليف �آند �آربيلز ،يعر�ض يف املنفذ اجلديد والذي �أفتتح م�ؤخرا يف جممع فيالجيو للت�سوق بالتعاون مع م�ؤ�س�سة علي بن علي
الــــراقـــي دائمــــــا ،الــــــــذي تتميـــــز بـــه هـــذه املدينــــــة اجلريئـــــة التي �ستبقــــى اىل الأبد”. وهذا البقاء واال�ستمرارية هو بال�ضبط ما حافظت عليه فان كليف �آند �آربيلز منذ ت�أ�سي�سها من قبل امل�ؤ�س�سني �ألفريد فان كليف و�إ�ستيل �آربلز عام .1906ومنذ ذلك احلني باتت هذه الدار تتمتع ب�سمعة كبرية يف �إبداع ت�صاميم فريدة من نوعها متجذرة يف التاريخ والتقاليد يقول عنها �ستاني�سال�س�“ :إبداعاتنا خالدة ،فاملجوهرات التي ت�شرتيها منا املر�أة حل�ضور حفل زفاف �أو ذكرى �سنوية �سوف تتمتع بها اليوم وغدا و�إىل الأبد”. وهذا املنفذ اجلذاب واجلديد هو من ت�صميم امل�صمم الربيطاين �آنو�سكا همبل حيث يتميز ب�أنه ين�ضح بالأناقة والأنوثة والإثارة ،وهي �صفات فان كليف �آند �آربيلز نف�سها .وي�شبه املخزن �شقة خا�صة وهو ي�ضم منطقة خم�ص�صة بكبار ال�شخ�صيات ،ومكان لعر�ض ال�ساعات ،و�صالة جموهرات كي ي�شعر الزوار كما لو كانوا يف منزلهم �أثناء ا�ستعرا�ضهم لت�صاميم الدار التي ت�ستحق التوقف عندها. و�ستاني�سال�س هو حمام مرخ�ص يتمتع بخربة هائلة يف عامل املجوهرات بعد تر�أ�س �سابقا م�شاريع مرموقة كرئي�س تنفيذي لكل من كارتييه ومون بالن قبل توليه من�صبه اجلديد مع فان كليف �آند �آربيلز يف عام .2005 وبهذا ال�صدد يقول“ :ال �شيء �أق ّدره يف احلياة �أكرث من احلب وال�صداقة والإبداع .وفان كليف �آند �آربيلز هي دار خالقة تهدف لت�صميم الإبداعات التي تلم�س العواطف”. وقد كان لروائع فان كليف �آند �آربيلز حلظات �سحرية كثرية لأنها تعنى بعمالء من النخبة من العائالت املالكة وامل�شاهري. وعن ذلك يقول�“ :إن النخبة هم �أ�شخا�ص خرباء ويريدون كل ما هو �أف�ضل وفريد ،وكل ما من �ش�أنه �أن يجلب لهم احلظ .ملاذا تعتقدون �أن امل�شاهري الذين يح�رضون حفل توزيع جوائز الأو�سكار يختارون التزين ب�إبداعات فان كليف �آند �آربيلز؟ �إنهم يفعلون ذلك لأنهم يريدون الفوز وهم يعرفون �أننا �سوف جنلب لهم احلظ .فهم �أنا�س كثريو املتطلبات وهم يعلمون �أننا لن نخيب �آمالهم”. وقد قال جاك �آربيلز ،وهو فرد من العائلة امل�ؤ�س�سة ،يف �إحدى املنا�سبات�“ :إن مهمتنا تقدمي الأف�ضل” .وي�ؤكد �ستاني�سال�س �أن هذه الر�ؤية تتحقق ب�أف�ضل ما يكون “من خالل الأحجار الكرمية ذات �أف�ضل نوعية ممكنة وبراعة ال�صنعة التي تخطف قلوب الناظرين �إذ يتم �إبداع كل قطعة جموهرات من خالل فكرة جلب احلظ وال�سحر ملرتديها”. ويف هذا العامل الذي يقدم الكثري من اخليارات يتحدد العامل الذي مييز فان كليف �آند �آربيلز عن غريها من العالمات التجارية العاملية الفاخرة من خالل جذورها .و�أو�ضح ذلك قائال�“ :إننا نتطلع دائما للجودة العالية والت�صاميم طويلة الأجل التي حتتفظ بقيمتها يف حني �أن العالمات التجارية الأخرى عادة ما تكون موجهة نحو املو�ضة. ف�إبداعات فان كليف �آند �آربيلز ُتعر�ض يف املتاحف وتباع يف املزادات لأنها مرادفة للقيمة على املدى الطويل”. وقد �أتاح متحف كوبر هيويت يف نيويورك بالواليات املتحدة الفر�صة م�ؤخرا للنا�س مل�شاهدة �إبداعات نادرة مت �صنعها لعمالء خا�صني .ومن �أبرز معرو�ضات املعر�ض قطع مبهرة ارتدتها غري�س كيلي ،و�إليزابيث تايلور، ودوقة وند�سور ،وجاكي كينيدي ،والأمرية فوزية من م�رص .و�أ�ضاف قائال “على الرغم من �أنهن ل�سن موجودات معنا الآن� ،إال �أنه مبقدورنا �أن ن�ستك�شف حياتهن ب�إثارتها وفرحها من خالل جموهراتهن”. ولأولئك الذين يتوقون لإ�شباع �شهيتهم من الإبداعات الفاخرة ،ب�إمكانهم زيارة هذا املنفذ ال�ستك�شاف حكاية فان كليف �آند �آربيلز ال�ساحرة.
where style lives.
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فـــــان كليـــف آنـــد آربيلــز قطــــرات مـــن السحـــر
اختارت
غريـــ�س كيلــــي و�إليزابيث تايلـــور ودوقـــة وند�ســــور فان كليــــف �آنـــد �آربيلــــز ك�صـــانــــــع املجوهـــــــرات الذي يتوجهن �إليه دائما للح�صول على �إبداعاته الفريدة .ويو�ضح الرئي�س التنفيذي لل�رشكة� ،ستاني�سال�س دي كري�سيز� ،أ�سباب ذلك لأورنا بلوط. ت�شرتك الدار الفرن�سية الأ�سطورية فان كليف �آند �آربيلز بالكثري من �أوجه ال�شبه مع قطر ،قال عنها �ستاني�سال�س دي كري�سيز �أثناء حفل
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ال�سيد نبيل علي بن علي ،نائب الرئي�س التنفيذي ملجموعة علي بن علي ،وال�سيد �ستاني�سال�س دي كري�سيز ،الرئي�س التنفيذي ل�رشكة فان كليف �آند �آربيلز ،وهما يق�صان ال�رشيط احلريري �إيذانا بافتتاح املنفذ اجلديد يف جممع فيالجيو للت�سوق.
افتتاح املنفذ احل�رصي يف فيالجيو مول“ :يتميز كالهما مبزيج من التقاليد واحلداثة ،واجلذور العميقة ،والفواكه الرائعة”. ومن الوا�ضح �أن �إ�ضافة هذا املنفذ �إىل قطاع الرفاهية املتنامي يف الدوحة الفاخرة بالتعاون مع ال�رشيك املحلي ،جمموعة علي بن علي ،هو �أمر واعد .والتي يقول عنها�“ :إن عالقتنا مع علي بن علي عالقة رائعة ،فعلي بن علي تريد بناء م�ستقبل م�رشق و�إيجابي ،يف حني �أننا نريد �أن نعر�ض منتجاتنا. ويف كل زيارة �أقوم بها �إىل الدوحة �أرى برجا جديدا يتنا�سب مع بقية الأبراج ،وهو ما ُيعترب دليال على اجلودة والأ�سلوب
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Gucci Workshop In Florence, from the 1940s
At work in the Artisans Corner
The Snaffle Bit, Handmade and the New Bamboo Bags
Florentine Flavor At Gucci Artisans Corner
E
very wondered what kind of skill and craftsmanship goes into a brand that has a 90-year heritage? On May 25, to celebrate its 90th anniversary, Gucci will bring its Artisan Corner to the city. At its store in Villaggio, the House’s most skilled artisans of the Florentine leather goods will be stationed at custom-built workshops and will offer a unique viewing of time-honored traditions. As they assemble some of the most iconic handbags, you can witness firsthand the meticulous attention to detail and superb craftsmanship that is involved in the production of every item in Gucci’s leather goods collection. You can even get a hand-crafted product personalized with hand-embossed monogramming, featuring a special inside plaque embossed with the location and date. The Artisan Corner display includes custom work tables, a sewing machine, a leather stand, and metal tools, as well as additional background materials which show the products’ evolution from mood board to sketches. An accompanying video display will show Gucci’s artisans at work over the years, also reflecting the fact that these skills are handed down through family generations. The craftsmen will focus on assembling the New Bamboo,
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the Snaffle Bit, and the Handmade bag – three of Gucci’s signature handbag designs presented on the runway by Giannini. The original Bamboo was created in 1947 and was reintroduced in the Spring Summer 2010 collection. The New Bamboo is comprised of 140 separate pieces which are hand-assembled by an expert artisan in Gucci’s Florentine workshops. It is crafted in the same manner as the original and requires 13 hours of work to ensure its perfect details. The Snaffle Bit bag showcases hardware first used by Gucci the late 1950s: after years in the archives, this season Giannini has reinterpreted this icon as a snap closure mechanism across this new line of handbags. Folk influences, masterful craftsmanship, a nod to the House’s equestrian heritage, berber accents and ultra precious, hand-treated materials make this bag a new icon. The Handmade bag, which also debuted on the Spring Summer 2011 runway, is a testament to Gucci’s impeccable quality and superior craftsmanship. As with the Snaffle Bit bag, each single Handmade bag requires a remarkably lengthy procedure at Gucci’s Florentine headquarters, where only 10 Tuscan artisans possess the expertise for this process. As demonstrated by the artisans’ precise stitching, weaving, and manually applied ornaments, this bag is the culmination of masterful hand techniques performed by Gucci’s specialized leather goods experts.
ور�شة عمل غوت�شي يف فلورن�سا ور�شة عمل غوت�شي يف فلورن�سا يف عام 1940
جمموعة خمتارة من احلقائب متتاز باملهارة واحلرفية ت�صميم حلقيبة يف ركن امل�صممني
نكهــة فلورنســا
فـــي ركـــن حرفيــي غوتشــــي
هل
ت�ساءلت يوما عن نوع املهارة واحلرفية َ اللتني تتمتع بهما العالمات التجارية ذات الرتاث الذي يرجع �إىل 90عاما؟ يف 25مايو ،واحتفاال بالذكرى ال�سنوية الت�سعني لت�أ�سي�س غوت�شي� ،سوف جتلب هذه الدار العريقة للدوحة ركن حرفييها ال�شهري حيث �سيجل�س حرفيوها املهرة يف جمال ال�سلع اجللدية من فلورن�سا ،يف ور�ش عمل يف متجر هذه العالمة التجارية يف فيالجيو ليقدموا عر�ضا فريدا لتقاليدها العريقة .و�سيتاح لزوار املتجر ر�ؤية ه�ؤالء احلرفيني وهم ي�صنعون بع�ض حقائب اليد الأكرث �شهرة ،و�سي�شهدون على اهتمامهم بالتفا�صيل الدقيقة وبراعتهم يف �إنتاج كل �سلعة من �سلع غوت�شي اجللدية. وميكن للزوار احل�صول على منتج يدوي ال�صنع ،يحمل �سماته ال�شخ�صية ويحوي لوحة خا�صة نق�ش عليها يدويا مكان �صنعه وتاريخه.ويت�ضمن ركن احلرفيني طاوالت عمل خا�صة ،و�آلة اخلياطة ،وزاوية لعر�ض اجللود، و�أدوات معدنية ،ف�ضال عن املواد الأ�سا�سية الإ�ضافية التي تبينّ تطور هذه املنتجات من فكرة �إىل ت�صميم مر�سوم على الورق .و�سيتم �أي�ضا عر�ض �رشيط فيديو يظهر حرفيي غوت�شي ،وهم يعملون على مر ال�سنني مبينا انتقال هذه املهارات عرب الأجيال املختلفة لعائلة غوت�شي. و�سريكز احلرفيون على ت�صنيع ثالث من �أ�شهر حقائب غوت�شي وهــــي 41
،New Bambooو ،Snaffle Bitو .Handmadeوقد �صممت حقيبة Bambooالأ�صلية يف عام ،1947و�أعيد طرحها يف جمموعة ربيع و�صيف .2010وتتكون هذه احلقيبة من 140قطعة منف�صلة ،يقوم حرفيو غوت�شي اخلرباء بتجميعها يف ور�شات عمل غوت�شي بفلورن�سا، حيث يتم ت�صنيعها بنف�س الطريقة الأ�صلية ،وهي تتطلب � 13ساعة عمل ل�ضمان خلو جميع تفا�صيلها من �أي عيب. �أما حقيبة Snaffle Bitفهي حتتوي على قفل خا�ص ا�ستخدمته غوت�شي لأول مرة يف منتجاتها يف �أواخر اخلم�سينات .وبعد �سنوات من حفظ هذه التقنية يف الأر�شيف �أعاد امل�صمم جيانيني يف هذا املو�سم تف�سري هذه التقنية ال�شهرية من خالل خطه اجلديد من حقيبة اليد .وتتميز هذه احلقيبة بالت�أثريات ال�شعبية ،وبراعة ال�صنعة ،والتعبري عن تراث الدار يف جمال الفرو�سية ،وا�ستخدامها للمواد الثمينة امل�صنعة يدويا. رحت لأول مرة يف ربيع و�صيف ،2011 �أما حقيبة Handmadeالتي طُ ْ فهي تعبرّ عن النوعية العالية اجلودة ملنتجات غوت�شي و�صناعتها الفائقة .وكما هي احلال يف حقيبة ،Snaffle Bitيتطلب ت�صنيع كل حقيبة � Handmadeإجراءات طويلة يف مقر غوت�شي فلورن�سا الذي ال يزيد عدد احلرفيني الذين ميلكون اخلربة الالزمة للقيام بهذه العملية عن .10 وبف�ضل اخلياطة الدقيقة للحرفيني ومهارتهم يف تزيني احلقيبة يدويا ف�إن هذه احلقيبة تعترب تتويجا للتقنيات اليدوية البارعة التي ي�ستخدمها خرباء غوت�شي املتخ�ص�صني يف جمال ال�سلع اجللدية. New
talk Backward glances From left: a 1930s Howard Johnson’s in Queens, N.Y.
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architects and other traditionalists as doddering throwbacks to effete ideas. A more evenhanded appraisal of the latter camp — and its active engagement in contemporary social and cultural issues — informs ‘‘The American Style: Colonial Revival and the Modern Metropolis,’’ an exhibition at the he silent star of the 1948 hit film ‘‘Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House’’ is a handsome Colonial Museum of the City of New York (June 14 to October 30). The museum’s own home, a 1932 redbrick Colonial Revival with bright clapboard walls and dark shutters. Cary Grant and Myrna Loy co-starred as the New landmark, rightly figures as a prime artifact. ‘‘A lot of people look at Colonial Revival as kind of a joke, as if it were all York City adman Jim Blandings and his wife, spinning-wheel chairs,’’ says Donald Albrecht, who curated Muriel — up-to-date apartment dwellers whose relationship with early-American style personified the show with Thomas Mellins. ‘‘We’re saying it is a style of the hopes and struggles of moviegoers from coast high quality with its own masters — and it’s the ur-example of architecture and design as a narrative art.” to coast. The Blandings’ country home became New York’s Colonial Revival storytellers have been so popular that Kellogg’s cereal boxes offered a cardboard spinning narratives since the Centennial of 1876 and before. cutout model, and Manhattan charity fund-raisers oversaw ‘‘That’s when America was old enough to have a past and the construction of a full-scale Dream House knockoff on reflect on it,’’ Mellins says. ‘‘Every generation since then, a vacant lot in Midtown. As the backdrop for a 1949 fashion including ours, has viewed ‘Colonial’ through its own lens.’’ photo in Cosmopolitan magazine, the suburban colonial Until the early 1900s, Washington-slept-here sentimentality parked at the corner of 48th and Fifth now seems quaintly and eclectic pastiches of old-timey comfort dominated the surreal, but at the time it was shot, this ‘‘back to the New Look’’ tableau would have made perfect sense to passers-by. view. Then-and-now contrasts also reinforced New Yorkers’ boosterish faith in relentless progress. Serious scholarship Colonial-inspired design loomed surprisingly large on Gotham’s aesthetic skyline from the 1920s until the aftermath and connoisseurship altered the picture by World War I, as Manhattan designers, decorators and retailers set ever of World War II, a prominence ignored by conventional more exacting tests of authenticity for neo-Colonial histories that rate Art Deco and Modernism as the era’s only shows in town. Such scenarios routinely cast Colonial Revival buildings and reproduction furnishings. A faux Duncan
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From Left: the Museum of the City of New York, Wurts Collection.
Nation Building Colonial design, one of the country’s oldest branding campaigns, comes out of the attic and into the spotlight. By Douglas Brenner
Historical hybrids Above, from left: George Washington-themed wallpaper from Nancy McClelland; a postcard of model houses at the Town of Tomorrow at the 1939 World’s Fair.
Phyfe sofa in the exhibition, copied line for line from a Federal-period original in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and sold during the 1920s at W. & J. Sloane, demonstrates that ‘‘Colonial’’ genealogy could handily stretch a good deal later than the Revolution. Whether veneering Flemish-bond brickwork onto a dowdy East Side brownstone or filling out an heirloom tea set, knickerbocker blue bloods favored Colonial Revival’s hereditary restraint as a snub to arriviste ostentation. The style’s forthright simplicity, however, could also convey quite different social messages. New York cultural and political elites championed the power of Colonial buildings and artifacts to educate and assimilate recent immigrants. Delano & Aldrich, famous architects of aristocratic clubs, deftly scaled down Colonial elegance for neighborhood settlement houses. In democratic nods to 18th-century icons like Mount Vernon and Independence Hall, public schools and post offices sprouted cupolas and pediments. Howard Johnson’s featured these patriotic details on its architectural menu, too. Carrying the flag for the upper crust, R. T. Haines
Great Depression only underscored Colonial’s trusty strength. Praising a replica of Federal Hall (the vanished Wall Street site of Washington’s inauguration) erected in Bryant Park by Sears Roebuck in 1932, Eleanor Roosevelt invoked the spirit of the founding father as ‘‘good for all of us, in the trying times we are going through.’’ The same year, anticipating a Beaux Arts ball pegged to Washington’s bicentennial, B. Altman advertised ‘‘authentic Colonial costumes made of Celanese fabrics.’’
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e olde and modernistic blended with remarkable ease. A 1932 Town & Country article remarked, ‘‘What is true of architecture is true of everything, from skyscrapers to Ernest Hemingway,’’ and praised Tiffany & Company updates of Colonial silver as ‘‘quiet, mannerly pieces of solid virtues which can be used with decorum in a room . . . which is content to rest on the accomplishments of the English Georgian period.’’ The decorator-antiquary Nancy McClelland stamped her revivalist wallpaper patterns with latter-day chic. Russel Wright, who was promoted as ‘‘a modern Paul Revere,’’ designed a pair of pewter salt and pepper holders that channeled the early American master. Warren McArthur made a chic ladder-back chair in anodized Halsey, the first curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s aluminum. The Town of Tomorrow at the 1939 World’s Fair proved uncannily prophetic. Model dwellings like the Electric American Wing, which opened in 1924, argued that wellchosen period displays could stem ‘‘the influx of foreign ideas Home and the Triple Insulated Home tucked dishwashers, air-conditioning and other technological marvels behind utterly at variance with those held by the men who gave us raised-panel doors and mullioned sash that proudly evoked the Republic’’ and promote ‘‘the Americanization of many 18th-century domesticity. of our people, to whom much of our history is little known.’’ Colonial never regained its prewar status as a major urban Halsey simultaneously headed Oneidacraft, a W. & J. style, although present-day examples — from reverent neo- Sloane subsidiary that manufactured high-end antique reproductions. Such crossovers, which would raise eyebrows Georgian mansions to puckish caricature silhouettes — at the museum confirm the style’s record as the longest-running today, were then commonplace in the chummy network of revival in town, albeit for a carriage-trade clientele. The curators, collectors, dealers, publicists, editors and retailers architect Peter Pennoyer designed the exhibition’s historically that made New York the center for promoting Colonial Revival good taste. The department stores John Wanamaker, appropriate installation, including his own riff on a classic wooden doorway with fluted pilasters and a leaded-glass Lord & Taylor and B. Altman & Company stocked fine fanlight. Although the displays will not include the clip-on antiques. In 1929, Popular Mechanics speculated on design shutters and vinyl clapboard of today’s mass-produced tract futures, advising, ‘‘Styles in homes come and go like styles in cars. It pays to build in a style as liquid in public approval as houses, they’re proof that for suburbanites everywhere, Colonial remains the stuff American dreams are built on. n a Liberty bond at the bank. Colonial is such a style.’’ The
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From Left: Historic New England; the Queens Borough Public Library
In 20th-century Colonial style, ye olde and modern blended with remarkable ease.
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The Hot list
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To take the pulse of fashion in London, look no further than Yasmin Sewell, the tastemaker behind the transformation of the venerable Liberty department store and the fashion director of Moda Operandi. Here’s what Sewell and her flock will be wearing this spring. Em i ly Math i e so n
1 ‘‘Oversize T-shirts are on the ● money for this spring’s silhouette. Draw in Light’s are silk-screened by hand with jagged-edge prints that offer a creative take on a basic.’’ From about QR874, exclusively at Liberty; liberty.co.uk. 2 ‘‘Richard Nicoll’s knife-pleat ● skirts suit all ages and sizes. And you’ll find plenty of other great styles at cheaper prices, from House of Holland to Topshop.’’ QR5,533 at Net-a-Porter; net-a-porter.com.
3 ‘‘I love Acne’s Shank ● boots; they’ll go perfectly with soft summer dresses. And Acne’s new flagship store is a must-see.’’ QR4,222; acnestudios.com.
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4 ‘‘Shirts aren’t just for ● working girls. Tailored shapes, like this one from Cos, look great with nearly everything, especially denim shorts.’’ QR288; multiple locations; cosstores.com. 4 ●
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Wheels on Fire
Is London the new Portland? The city’s crush on the bicycle has become a full-scale romance.
The Hangout Look Mum No Hands! opened last year as a space to have a latte, watch a cycling film or fix a flat. The easy-going vibe (led by its proprietors, seen seated at left) and excellent cafe fare and beer attract plenty of pedestrians wearing Lycra or not. 49 Old Street; 00-44-207-253-1025; lookmumnohands.com.
Run by the husband-and-wife team Sian Emmison and Tom Morris, Bobbin Bicycles is the gearhead’s antidote: there are beautiful upright bikes, flowery seat covers, bowler-hat helmets and jaunty capes, all of it low-tech. 397 St. John Street; 00-44-207-837-3370; bobbinbicycles.co.uk. The Boutique
The Supplier Condor Cycles is legendary among London’s serious cyclists. It designs and assembles bespoke bicycles on site (the frames are made in Italy), and lets you try out different geometries for the perfect fit. 49-53 Gray’s Inn Road; 00-44-207269-6820; condorcycles.com. E. M.
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Artful Lodging
All over town, hoteliers are bringing aging buildings back from the scrapheap with striking revamps. The most anticipated new opening is the Corinthia (Whitehall Place; 00-44-207930-8181; corinthia.com; doubles from QR2,639), a former Ministry of Defense building now awash in beige marble and plush fabric and outfitted with huge rooms and a luxe spa. E. M.
portraits: tyrone lebon; still lifes: jens mortensen.
The Champions When not at their day jobs, Andrew Diprose (the art director of U.K. Wired) and his brother Philip (an editor for television) run The Ride, a journal of stories and essays by people like the cyclist Graeme Obree and the D.J. Norman Jay. (Andrew and Philip are seen standing at left.) theridejournal.com.
Raising the Bar
Stodgy old pubs and the suds they serve are being replaced by London’s new wave of cocktail labs, distilleries and microbreweries. Lounge Bohemia (1E Great Eastern Street; 00-44-772-070-7000; loungebohemia .com), the appointment-only speakeasy hidden between a kebab shop and a newsstand, serves libations like the Old Castro (cigar-infused rum served over vanilla candy floss) in a space filled with Czech Modernist furniture. And at a discreet spot at 69 Colebrooke Row (011-44-754-052-8593; 69colebrookerow .com), Tony Conigliaro (left) tinkers in his upstairs laboratory to supply his downstairs bar with cocktail ingredients like essences of rose petal. Supplying such watering holes is the new artisanal distiller Sipsmith (27 Nasmyth Street; 00-44-208-741-2034; sipsmith.com), which makes small batches of dry gin and barley vodka, and Meantime Brewing Company (Blackwell Lane; 00-44-208-293-1111; meantimebrewing.com), which crafts pilsners and ales from bog myrtle and wormwood. ROCKY CASALE
Kitchen Crew
clockwise from left: tyrone lebon; jason lowe; tyrone lebon.
Move over, Gordon Ramsay. A fresh crop of star chefs has come into its own, giving the London dining scene a bolt of new energy. R. C. The Locavore
The Scenemaker
The Wunderkind
The Frontiersman
Jeremy Lee, executive chef at Blueprint Café (28 Shad Thames; 00-44-207-378-7031; www.blueprintcafe.co.uk)
Tom Collins, chef director of Bistrotheque (23-27 Wadeson Street; 00-44-208-983-7900; bistrotheque.com)
Ed Wilson, co-owner of Brawn (49 Columbia Road; 00-44-207-7295692; brawn.co)
At the wall-to-wall-glass eatery above the Design Museum, Lee has championed local eating for 15 years, before the term ‘‘locavore’’ was ever uttered. His insistence on seasonal cooking has led London diners toward such specialties as eel sandwiches, Scottish girolle mushrooms and lemon posset.
Collins, along with Bistroteque’s owners, David Waddington and Pablo Flack, introduced high cuisine to the thendesolate Hackney in 2004, helping ignite the East London scene. The threesome’s series of temporary restaurants — most recently Studio East Dining in Olympic Park — also kicked off London’s pop-up craze.
Jackson Boxer, proprietor of the Brunswick House Cafe (30 Wandsworth Road; 00-44-207-7202926; brunswickhouse cafe.co.uk) At age 25, Boxer has perfected the trend of serious food in curious settings. His restaurant in Brunswick House, in a particularly grimy section of Vauxhall, serves reinterpreted classic British dishes in a space shared with the chandeliers and Masonic pews of the antiques shop Lassco.
After opening Terroirs in the no-man’s-land of Covent Garden, Wilson headed east to Columbia Road to launch Brawn, a bright spot dedicated to the careful sourcing of ingredients in an area of dusty pubs and dull Italian joints. Named after the traditional dish of potted pig’s head, Brawn mixes English fare with Italian salumi and French cheese.
Welsh Rarebit Redux ‘‘To eat well in England, you should have breakfast three times a day,’’ W. Somerset Maugham once said. But British cuisine has come a long way since then. The seminal restaurant St. John opened in 1994, inspiring a slew of like-minded restaurants to revive English cooking and butchery. At Hereford Road (3 Hereford Road; 00-44-207-727-1144; herefordroad.org), Tom Pemberton creates classics like grilled razor clams with thyme and whole guinea fowl with dandelion-leaf salad. Hix (above; 66-70 Brewer Street; 00-44-207-292-3518; www.hixsoho.co.uk) is packed with artists and media players dining on beef and oyster pie or pheasant curry. And at Dean Street Townhouse (69-71 Dean Street; 00-44-207-434-1775; deanstreettownhouse.com), Stephen Tonkin recreates ultratraditional dishes like mince and potatoes and Welsh rarebit. This is to say nothing of the scores of gastropubs turning out haute bar food: head to the Bull and Last (168 Highgate Road; 00-44-207-267-3641; thebullandlast.co.uk) or the Harwood Arms (27 Walham Grove; 00-44-207-386-1847; harwoodarms.com) and you’ll never think of the Scotch egg in the same light again. GUY DIMOND
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The Make Lounge This craft center (right) founded by a former journalist has five studios and a bright retail space in Islington. Classes include candle making and crocheting; sew-it-yourself garment kits and decorating supplies are for sale. 49-51 Barnsbury Street; 00-44-207609-0275; themakelounge.com. Drink Shop & Do You can pick up a vintage tea set or buy retro furniture at this design shop and cafe before settling in to play with clay or take a knitting lesson from the stylish owners. 9 Caledonian Road; 00-44203-343-9138; drinkshopdo.com. The Papered Parlour Set up by two artists, this crafting hub offers daylong workshops in sewing, silversmithing, screen-printing and photography led by professionals and specialists. 7 Prescott Place; 00-44-207627-8703; thepaperedparlour.co.uk.
Create Boutique Everything from millinery to lingerie making is on offer at Create Boutique’s roving workshops. ‘‘It’s less about crafting and more about making something bespoke and unique,’’ says the owner, Jackie Woosnam-Savage. 1-3 Dufferin Street; 00-44-785-902-8118; create-boutique.co.uk E. M.
Culture Club To help
navigate the city’s dizzying cultural output, T asked insiders from art, music and theater to weigh in with their top picks for spring. y u ri c h o n g
laura aldridge spring loaded
2001: a space odyssey live
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Colin Marsh is the executive director of the immersive theater company Punchdrunk, which stages performances in such unexpected places as an abandoned office block and the tunnels beneath Waterloo Station (punchdrunk.org.uk). • ‘‘Frankenstein,’’ a new play by Nick Dear at the National Theatre (nationaltheatre.org.uk) until May 3, is directed by Danny Boyle in his return to theater from movies. • ‘‘Spring Loaded,’’ at the Place (theplace.org.uk) from May 4 to June 18, is a contemporary dance series spotlighting British and international choreography. • ‘‘Richard III,’’ at the Old Vic (oldvictheatre.com) beginning June 18, stars Kevin Spacey under the direction of Sam Mendes.
In a city that once considered book talk to be gauche in the extreme, people currently speak of little else. Literary salons are sprouting all over: in sawdusty pubs, at clubs with rooftop pools, at art centers and in private drawing rooms. Many are closed to the public, but travelers can get a taste of highbrow London at a pair of popular gatherings. Damian Barr started the Shoreditch House Literary Salon as a theater of ideas where access to sympathetic readers would be, he says, ‘‘as valuable as the access to the writers and their thoughts.’’ Barr is a man of principle, so although members have priority, the salon is open to anyone who joins the SHLS Facebook group and is completely free, even the first cocktail. At the gay literary salon Polari, which began in a small Soho bar and recently relocated to the Southbank Center (southbankcentre.co.uk), the novelist and journalist Paul Burston puts on the most theatrical London salon, featuring music and performance art in addition to readings and discussion. SUSIE BOYT
Stuart Shave’s Modern Art gallery, a pioneer in East London when it opened in Bethnal Green in 1998, is now in the West End. It will show Linder’s provocative collages and light boxes in April (modernart.net). • Video and photography by Shahryar Nashat and Laura Aldridge’s cat works are at Studio Voltaire in Clapham from March 31 to May 14 (1a Nelson’s Row; 00-44-207-622-1294; studiovoltaire.org). • Janice Kerbel, who’s known for her ‘‘studies,’’ including ‘‘Bank Job’’ (1999), in which she mapped out a bank heist in meticulous detail, will show at the Chisenhale Gallery from April 1 to May 15 (64-84 Chisenhale Road; chisenhale.org.uk). • The German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and his ensemble, the Chicago Tentet, take the stage April 18-20 at Cafe OTO (18-22 Ashwin Street; cafeoto.co.uk).
The London-based band Fanfarlo won critical acclaim in 2009 for its first album, ‘‘Reservoir.’’ It’s currently at work on a follow-up and will head out on tour this summer (fanfarlo.com). • Enslaved, at the Underworld (theunderworldcamden .co.uk) in Camden on April 22, is a Norwegian black metal band that has pushed the boundaries of rock for 20 years. • The punk-electronica trio Micachu and the Shapes will collaborate with the London Sinfonietta on ‘‘Chopped and Screwed,’’ at Queen Elizabeth Hall on April 5 (southbankcentre.co.uk). • For ‘‘2001: A Space Odyssey Live,’’ the Philharmonia Orchestra and Philharmonia Voices will accompany a screening of the Stanley Kubrick film April 7-8 at the Royal Festival Hall (southbankcentre.co.uk).
clockwise from top left: Chris Nash/Frauke Requardt Company/ Courtesy of The Place; ruth clark; courtesy of BFI.
Craft Service It isn’t just Kate Moss who’s in the knitting circle. Londoners are swept up in a D.I.Y. craze.
courtesy of the make lounge
salon selective
seen qatar
David Downton The Line of Beauty
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The designer is the subject. Working on Stephane Rolland.
raced back to 1600, fashion illustration was for centuries the only way of portraying fashion. It became so popular by the 20th century, that many of the top illustrators were the celebrities of their day. Superseded by photography, fashion illustration has gone from being one of the sole means of fashion communication to having a very minor role. In recent years, a few notable illustrators have continued to inspire us with this art’s sheer wonder. The most influential of this rare breed is David Downton.
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A graphic design graduate of the early 80s, Downton’s first decade odd-jobbing on anything from children’s books to menu cards and bottle labels gave rise to his lucky break in 1996, before which fashion had been unfamiliar territory. A commission from The Financial Times had him portraying Paris’s highly celebrated haute couture shows. Delighted by the idea of a trip to Paris, he leapt at the chance without imagining that it might turn his world upside down and
Downton with Cate Blanchett, and his portriat of the angular beauty.
All women love sitting for you. Is it because you hyper-beautify catapult his career. Today, David Downton is the world’s them? number-one fashion illustrator. His subjects are some of the world’s most glamorous – Cate Blanchett, Catherine Deneuve I don’t set out to flatter. I feel that my drawings tell the truth – a varnished truth. When looking at my subjects, I suppose I and Paloma Picasso. can see instinctively why they’re special and what features I A master of his craft with an acutely perceptive eye, he should emphasize. And yes, I do aim for high spots. The final instinctively brings to life both the literal and quintessential result is a feeling – an impression or an illusion – of the time through careful selection and hyperbole. His rendering of we spent together. But I am not revealing some inner exquisite fashion and jewelry, and iconic glances and psychological truth, I am dealing with the surface, responding postures of the famous have lead to marketing campaigns, to the person sitting in front of me. portraiture commissions, numerous exhibitions, and editorial work. Your portraiture is not exclusive to celebrities. You also receive Mohieb Dahabieh brings T Qatar excerpts from a commissions from various non-celebrity individuals. How does creative conversation in London. the process compare? The only difference is that celebrities are far more confident of themselves and of their image. They are used to being scrutinized and reinterpreted in photo shoots and on film. ‘Civilians’, if I can put it that way, can be very worried about being looked at and become conscious of their imagined flaws. But to me, the process and results for both are equally exciting.
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“I am obsessed with line. It has endless possibilities. I like the lines to evoke an immediacy as though the drawings might have just been done there and then in a minute.” Knowing David is driven by a love of beauty, Mohieb invites him to The Cult of Beauty, an exhibition on the 19th century Aesthetic Movement at the Victoria & Albert Museum – to see the exhibition through David's eyes and be intrigued by learning what he is drawn to. Am I right that you’re all about beauty? Well, yes. I respond to beauty as I see it. I respond through drawing.
What are the qualities that inspire you the most? I am drawn to graphic qualities, angular features, and individuality. Grace and strength of character are a plus. The lines in your drawings, bold or super-fine, are so immediate, some are even chaotic, making each drawing seem almost as though it was accidental. I am obsessed with line. It has endless possibilities. It can express emotion, capture a likeness, or give information. I
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like the lines to evoke an immediacy as though the drawings might have just been done there and then in a minute. At this moment he poses at the avant-garde artist James McNeil Whistler’s infamous ‘The White Girl’, a painting considered controversial in its day. Almost entirely white, it is dramatic, minimalist and unpolished. It seems contemporary against the highly polished and sophisticated beauty that defined the era. You see the artist in this. The brushstrokes are very expressive and also very visible. It is not about ‘nature perfected.’ I love the fact that it looks unfinished. Completion would appear wrong to me. Is that why yours (brushstrokes) are so spare? Well the sparseness is in fact controlled. It is a part of the very important elimination process. When drawing, I usually make between ten and twenty drawings of each pose. Gradually, eye and hand begin to work together to eliminate what is unnecessary and highlight what is important. Brush strokes. From left, commissioned work for Van Cleef & Arpels, portrait of Valentino; commissioned work for Omega; fashion portrait for Valentino; and portrait of Joan Collins
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I feel a contemporary nostalgia when looking at your work. Some, especially the fashion illustrations exude a sort of grand manner that is so reminiscent of the golden age of couture, the 50s. I used to hate it when people referred to my work as ‘classic’. Now I see it as a compliment, since the fashion illustrators of the 40s, 50s and 60s are the ones I most admire. That said, I am not interested in pastiche.
Is haute couture the lifeblood of your world? Haute couture is about artistry, fantasy, drama. It always feels to me that the designers are let off the leash and are giving us their undiluted selves. Tell me what that Versace show – your debut into the world of fashion – was like. It was totally ‘other-world’. It was like being given the keys to Narnia, really. I just saw it as wonderful and also at times hilarious. The first few seasons were difficult; I didn’t understand the codes or the hierarchies. These days I relish it. It’s like being given a pass into ‘Kingdom of Indulgence’... but never forget that they take the pass away from you when you leave. The veteran model Carmen Dell’Orefice has compared the sitting to making love. She also said that you capture a part of the sitter’s soul in a way that a camera can’t. These sittings must be so special and intimate. Which one has been most memorable? Hard to say. Perhaps it was when Catherine Deneuve was interrupted by her phone and I froze for an instant 'Masters of fashion when she said she illustration'... couldn’t speak as she was is David Downton’s new book that posing for a portraitiste takes a look at the work of some adorable. Perhaps I should of the greatest fashion illustrators engrave that on my throughout history; available in the Middle East at most Virgin stores. tombstone!
الفنان داونتاون يت�ألق يف ر�سم الأزياء
�إنني مهوو�س باخلطوط لأن احتماالتها ال نهائية .فهي ميكن �أن تعبرّ عن العاطفة� ،أو �أن تبينّ نقاط الت�شابه، �أو �أن تعطي معلومات .و�أحب �أن �أ�ستح�رض من خاللها العفوية ،كما لو كان قد مت �إجناز الر�سوم خالل فرتة وجيزة. وينظر ديفيد يف هذه اللحظة �إىل لوحة الفنان الطليعي جيم�س ماكنيل وي�سلر “الفتاة البي�ضاء” ،وهي لوحة كانت ُتعترب مثار للجدل يف يومه فهي بي�ضاء متاما تقريبا وفريدة منها لدرجة �أنها تبدو معا�رصة باملقارنة مع جميع اللوحات الراقية واجلميلة التي متيز تلك احلقبة. هل ترى الفنان يف هذه اللوحة� .إن �رضبات فر�شاته معبرّ ة جدا ووا�ضحة للغاية �أي�ضا .فهي ال حتاول ت�صوير الطبيعة كما لو كانت كاملة .و�أنا �أحب �أن تبدو غري مكتملة لأنني �أعترب االكتمال �شيئا غري �صحيح. هل هذا هو ال�سبب الذي يجعل �رضبات فر�شاتك متناثرة كثريا؟ �إن هذا التناثر هو يف الواقع مدرو�س وهو جزء من عملية التخل�ص من اخلطوط الزائدة .فعندما �أر�سم �أقوم عادة بر�سم ما بني ع�رشة �أو ع�رشين ر�سما لكل و�ضعية .ومن ثم تبد�أ العني واليد بالعمل معا تدريجيا للتخل�ص من اخلطوط التي ال لزوم لها والرتكيز على ما هو مهم. �أ�شعر بحنني معا�رص عندما �أنظر �إىل �أعمالك اخلا�صة .وبع�ض لوحاتك ،وال�سيما ر�سوم الأزياء ،تذكرين بالع�رص الذهبي للأزياء الراقية يف اخلم�سينات. كنت يف املا�ضي ال �أحب �أن ي�شري النا�س �إىل �أعمايل على �أنها ُ “كال�سيكية” .لكنني الآن �أراها كمجاملة لأن ر�سامي الأزياء يف الأربعينات واخلم�سينات وال�ستينات هم من �أكرث الفنانني الذين �أعجب بهم .غري �أنني ال �أحب تقليد �أ�ساليب الآخرين.
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هل الأزياء الراقية هي حمور عاملك؟ �إن الأزياء الراقية تعني اخليال والفن والدراما .و�أنا �أ�شعر دائما ب�أن امل�صممني يرتكون العنان ملخيلتهم ويعطوننا روحهم ب�صورة نقية وبدون �أية تعديل. دخلت من خاللها �إىل �أخربين عن عر�ض �أزياء فري�سات�شي الذي َ عامل املو�ضة لأول مرة. لقد كان “عاملا �آخر” مذهال ورائعا للغاية .وكانت املوا�سم القليلة الأوىل �صعبة حيث مل �أكن �أفهم الرموز �أو الت�سل�سالت �شعرت كما الهرمية .لكنني �أ�ستمتع بذلك يف هذه الأيام .لقد ُ لو كانوا قد �أعطوين مفتاح “مملكة الأحالم” لكن ينبغي �أال �أن�سى �أنهم �سي�أخذون مني املفتاح عندما �أترك هذا العامل. هت عار�ضة الأزياء املخ�رضمة كارمن ديلوريفي�س جل�سة �شب ْ لقد ّ ر�سم �صورتها مبمار�سة احلب .وقالت �أي�ضا �إنك تلتقط جزءا من روح ال�شخ�ص الذي تر�سمه بطريقة ال ميكن للكامريا �أن تلتقطها. لذا البد �أن هذه اجلل�سات خا�صة جدا وحميمة .ترى �أي من هذه اجلل�سات التي ال ت�ستطيع �أن تن�ساها على الإطالق؟ من ال�صعب حتديد ذلك .رمبا كان ذلك عندما رن جر�س هاتف كاترين دينوف �أثناء جتمدت ر�سمي لها وقد ُ “�أ�ساتذة ر�سم الأزياء ”Masters of Fashion Illustration للحظة عندما قالت �إنها ال ت�ستطيع التحدث لأنه كتاب ديفيد داونتاون اجلديد الذي يتحدث عن عمل بع�ض �أعظم ر�سامي يوجد “ر�سام جذاب” الأزياء يف التاريخ .وهذا الكتاب متوفر ير�سمها .رمبا ينبغي �أن �أنق�ش ذلك على �شاهدة يف ال�شرق الأو�سط يف معظم متاجر قربي! فريجن.
بع�ض احلقائق النف�سية الداخلية ،و�إمنا �أتعامل مع ال�سطح هذا النوع النادر من الفنانني ديفيد داونتاون. تخرج ديفيد يف جمال ت�صميم الغرافيك يف �أوائل الثمانينات ليعمل من خالل اال�ستجابة لل�شخ�ص الذي يجل�س �أمامي. ّ يف �أول عقد من الزمان يف كل �شيء بدءا من كتب الأطفال ،مرورا ببطاقات قوائم الطعام ،وانتهاء باملل�صقات على الزجاج .ويف �إنك ال تر�سم فقط امل�شاهري و�إمنا تتلقى �أي�ضا طلبات من طلبت منه �صحيفة فاينان�شال غري امل�شاهري كي تر�سمهم .كيف تتم عملية املقارنة؟ عام 1996ابت�سم له احلظ عندما ْ تاميز ر�سم عرو�ض الأزياء الراقية يف باري�س .وقد �شعر بال�رسور الفرق الوحيد هو �أن امل�شاهري ي�شعرون بثقة �أكرب يف من فكرة ال�سفر �إىل باري�س ،لكنه مل يتخيل �أن هذه الفر�صة �سوف �أنف�سهم و�صورهم .فقد اعتادوا على �أن يتم التدقيق بهم حتدث حتوال جذريا يف حياته املهنية ،فديفيد داونتاون اليوم هو و�إعادة تف�سريهم بال�صور والأفالم .و�أما “املدنيون”، الر�سام الأول للأزياء يف العامل ،وقد ر�سم بع�ض �أ�شهر املمثالت �إذا ما جاز يل التعبري عنهم بهذه الكلمة ،فهم ي�شعرون يف العامل مثل كيت بالن�شيت ،وكاترين دونوف ،وبالوما بيكا�سو .بارتباك �شديد عندما يتم النظر �إليهم لأنهم يقلقون ب�ش�أن ويتميز ديفيد بحرفية عالية ودقة يف املالحظة حيث ير�سم عيوبهم املتخيلة .لكن بالن�سبة يلُ ،تعترب هذه العملية الأزياء واملجوهرات وامل�شاهري ،من �أجل حمالت الت�سويــــــق ونتائجها �أمرا بنف�س الدرجة من الإثارة. التحريـــــــري. والــــــعمــــــــــل واملعـــــــــــــار�ض وقد جلب مهيب ذهبية �إىل تي قطر مقتطفات من املقابلة التي �أجراها مع ديفيد داونتاون يف لندن. مبا �أن مهيب يعرف �أن ديفيد يحب اجلمال فقد دعاه “إننــي مهـــووس بالخطـــوط ألن احتماالتهــــا ال نهائيــــة .فهـــي يمكــن ملعر�ض The Cult of Beautyحول احلركة اجلمالية يف أن تع ّبــر عــن العاطفــــة ،أو أن تب ّين نقــــاط التشابــــــه ،أو أن تعطــــــي القرن 19يف متحف فيكتوريا و�ألربت كي يكت�شف ما معلومـــــــات .وأحـــــــب أن استحضـــــر مــــن خاللهــــــــا العفويـــــة، الذي �سينجذب �إليه ،وكي يرى املعر�ض من خالل عينيه .كمـــــا لـــــو كـــــان قــــد تــــم إنجاز الرسوم خالل فترة وجيزة”. هـــل �أنـــا حمــــق ب�أنـــــك تع�شــــق اجلمال؟ ح�سنـــــا ،نــــــــعــــــم� .إن ردة فــــــعــــــــلي بالــــــن�سبـــــــة للجمـــال هـــي كمـــــا �أراه ف�أنا �أرد من خـــــالل الر�ســـم. حتبجميعالن�ساءاجللو�س�أمامككيتر�سمهن.هللأنكتغايليفجتميلهن؟ �إنني ال �أحاول �أن �أمتلق ،ف�أنا �أ�شعر ب�أن ر�سوماتي تقول احلقيقة ب�صورة ملمعة .فعندما �أنظر �إىل الن�ساء اللواتي �أر�سمهن �أعتقد �أنني �أ�ستطيع �أن �أرى ب�صورة غريزية ما الذي مييزهن ،وما الذي ينبغي �أن �أركّ ز عليه .نعم� ،إنني �أتطلع دائما للكمال فالنتيجة النهائية هي �شعور �أو انطباع �أو وهم يتعلق بالوقت الذي ق�ضيناه معا .لكنني ال �أك�شف
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مـــــا هــــي ال�صفات التي تلهمــك ب�صورة �أكثــر مــن غريها؟ �إنني �أجنذب لل�صفات الوا�ضحة واملالمح املميزة والفردية ،كما �أن الر�شاقة وقوة ال�شخ�صية هما ميزتان كبريتان بالن�سبة يل. تتميز اخلطوط يف ر�سوماتك� ،سواء كانت ثخينة �أم رفيعة ،ب�أنها عفوية للغاية حتى �إن بع�ضها يت�سم بالفو�ضوية ،مما يجعل من كل ر�سم يبدو كما لو كان غري مق�صود. 52
ديفيــــد داونتــــاون
الفنان ديفيد داونتاون يقوم بر�سم �أ�شهر املمثالت يف العامل
خطـــــــوط الجمــــــــال
يرجع 53
ر�سم الأزياء �إىل العام 1600حيث كان الر�سم هو ال�سبيل الوحيد لعدة قرون لت�صوير املو�ضة .وقد ازداد ر�سم الأزياء �شعبية يف القرن 20لدرجة �أن العديد من الر�سامني الأوائل كانوا من امل�شاهري يف زمنهم .وقد حل الت�صوير الفوتوغرايف حمل ر�سم الأزياء ليتحول الر�سم من و�سيلة وحيدة لت�صوير الأزياء �إىل و�سيلة ثانوية للغاية .لكن يف ال�سنوات الأخرية وا�صل قلة من الر�سامني البارزين �إلهامهم من خالل هذا الفن الكبري .ومن �أهم
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From painting to designing, Paloma's dreams got bigger.
P
aloma Vazquez De Castro could have been a painter. But success as a painter would have been elusive, and Paloma knew that. She chose to be a designer instead, her foray into the fashion world also being her first step into the house she helped build – the cult Spanish fashion label Hoss Intropia, located in Villaggio. It was a chance encounter with Constan Hern·ndez, at a professional studio where she painted for five years. One encounter led to another, and the brand was born. Hernandez is now the President and Founder of Hoss Intropia, The word Intropia doesn’t is not in the dictionary; it’s a fusion of ‘interior’ and ‘utopia’ that gets translated into the brand’s ethos. “The essence of Hoss Intropia is good taste and originality,” says Paloma. “And the woman I design for has her own inner style. She is feminine, elegant and passionate about life and everything around her.” Much like Paloma herself, inspired by almost everything she sees. “I get inspired by everyday simple
Paloma Vazquez De Castro In an Utopian world. By Cassey Oliveira 54
things – a bird, a song, a sunset, a poem, art books, paintings (especially that of Spanish painter Diego Velàzquez), and architects. Inspiration is found in the most unsuspected things, but we just fail to see it. “Sometimes it even surprises me how little things can be so enormously inspiring.” Traveling doesn’t fail to inspire her either. “I love the beautiful colors of India, amazing elegance of Paris and the architecture of Italy. Every country has something special.” And fashion is never inspired by a single country; it’s a concoction of diverse cultures – just like her team. “My team, all women by the way, comprises a Canadian, a Briton, a French and of course Spanish designers, of different age groups and experience. We try to mingle different nationalities and bring out the best of all worlds. Each of them has a say in the actual design.” When it comes down to designing, the team doesn’t adhere to rules or restrictions. Its freedom and partnership that dominate in an open concept of design which allow them to create their own fabrics and prints. “Every season, Hoss Intropia comes out with a large collection that caters to a wide range of taste; yet is carefully unified through color and shape by the team.” Amidst several creative hands, Paloma manages to lend her personal touch to the collection. “I like to blend different styles and techniques to create a synthesis, bringing them together in a coherent collection aimed at the ever expanding world of women.”
Glimpse of the Spring/Summer 2011 collection from Hoss Intropia
Season’s splendor Spring’s giving way to the sizzling summer, and the brand gracefully combines romanticism with minimalism in its spring/summer 2011 collection. Avid customers get to choose from relaxed daywear comprising loose silk blouses, tailored jackets and layered trousers, or chic eveningwear comprising bowed and pleated silks, and embellished fabrics. Anything that’s not ‘in’ this season? “I think nothing should be “in or out” but rather worn with style and personality,” says Paloma. The brand has roped in Helena Christensen as the face of its collection who is also the official photographer of the catalogue. Why her? “Helena has an incredible
inner self, and a soft and feminine look, while still empowering. She has the ‘Intropia’ – an inner utopia and a dream; a dream of developing her photographic career that came true. She is a true Hoss Intropia woman,” says Paloma. The brand is famous for selecting models with artistic inclinations and an inner self that they express through fashion. This year, the brand will also be offering a new line in collaboration with Miguel Palacio. The capsule collection is designed by Miguel and sold exclusively in Hoss Intropia stores. “Miguel is the perfect fit for Hoss Intropia. He designs for real women and has elegance and a romantic touch,” she says. Regional reign The Spanish brand had opened its first store in Qatar in September 2010 at the Villaggio Mall. This was part of Hoss Intropia’s expansion plan that saw similar openings in Kuwait and Riyadh as well. The brand is expected to mark its presence in Dubai, Jeddah and Beirut soon. Despite the regional expansion, none of the collections are designed exclusively for the Middle East women. “I still have to discover more about her in order to design specifically for her,” says Paloma. “However, we get lot of Middle East clients through our London-based stores; it’s a brand that fits the region’s woman.” A trend that has caught up in the region is ‘layering’ which is a chic way of adapting international fashion to cultural norms. Paloma refuses to comment on this for she feels the Middle East woman has a knack of making layers work well for her. “I am not the one who should give advice on that,” she says.
Masters of fashion
A designer whose work you greatly admire? (Jeanne-Marie) Lanvin and (Cristóbal) Balenciaga. What is the one accessory you swear by, and which every woman should have? A beautiful foulard and comfortable flats. If we rummage through your handbag, what will we find? Make-up and a notebook to draw and note things down. And in your wardrobe? Vintage garments and the rest is a secret. Your style statement? Be yourself! Women come in all sizes and shapes. Why aren’t designers tapping into this business? I agree. Women are diverse and so should the designs be. We don’t do bigger sizes as such, but we do have many garments that can be great for all sizes.
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- لوحات ل�رشيف ح�سن اللوحة اخللفية يف املعر�ض :“�سجيل االفتتاحية للمتحف ّ ”قرن من الفن احلديث The realist Hassan Sherif poses alongside his 'real' installation
The Odd Object Maker Emirati artist Hassan Sharif gets Sindhu Nair to see the method in his madness, or rather appreciate the lack of it.
T
he installation is hard to miss. For one, it is among the first pieces at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art; then there is the material it is made of – slippers and wire. You pause, look, reflect and wonder – exhibit or faux pas? If that thought passed your mind, then Hassan Sharif ’s mission is accomplished. For the Emirati artist this is his expression, and the only thing he has to say to those who look at his work in bewilderment is: “Education is important in understanding visual art.” So you go back and take a second (a third, a fourth...) look at his installation, and begin to comprehend the beauty in its contour, the simplicity of the form and material, and think why not...
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Beyond artistry Sixty-year-old Hassan is originally from Abu Dhabi but has lived and worked in Dubai most of his life. After graduating from the Byam Shaw School of Art in London, he started out as a caricaturist for the newspaper Akhbaar Dubai (Dubai News) in the 70s. In 1984 he established the first public space to display modern art in Sharjah, which later expanded to Dubai. In 2007 he along with four other artists set up The Flying House, an institution to promote contemporary Emirati artists. His first nine years with the newspaper was spent doodling cartoons, the ideas for which stemmed from daily life and the people he dealt with. “I was also painting then. At that time I was interested in post-impressionist or impressionist type of paintings. Paul Cezzane and Picasso were important figures and my interest was in their form of paintings. But my way of work depended
2010 ،بطن بقرة م�صنوعة من احلديد والأملونيوم والنحا�س × 200 × 375 �أبعادها �سم100 ب�إذن من املتحف العربي للفن احلديث Cow belly, 2010 Iron, aluminum and copper 375 x 200 x 100 cm Courtesy of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
more on historical context or the time frame I was working in.” Does that make him a modern artist? He disagrees. “I make contemporary art, be it painting, objects or caricature. Contemporary is not a form of art but the way you think. I represent this time or moment. I am a realist and that is why I believe in the contemporary form of art. I also represent contradictions in all my art.” Contradictions, believes Hassan, paves the way for an interesting medley of simple facts, which also forms the crux of most of his experimentations and some of these are on display at the Flying House studio at Dubai. “My work deals with daily life, how people walk, how they see, how life stimulates them, their reactions to life. I am an observer. And the art I produce is what I see in the world. It is real.” Neither caricaturist nor artist, he prefers being tagged “an object maker”. But does he harbor a secret love for any one form of art? “Each one has its beauty. When I make objects, I touch objects with my fingers, and I love that feel. When I do caricature, the feel of pen on paper makes the experience memorable. Paintings are about colors. Each medium has its own secret. You have to work with the material to know its secret. Sometimes you have to touch them, or cut them to know their secrets.”
and political condition of the 70s decade. That, in addition to the great influence of the 70’s contemporary art in Europe and America, molded this outlook. These new intellectual and artistic theories were aimed at criticizing a life that revolved around consumption in all forms and the slew of negative effects it brought about. I started to look at life with increasing criticism, becoming more and more cynical by the day.” “It was this the new world order, whose slogan is ‘Adapt your aspirations to our ends’ that particularly irritated me; this vulgar market mentality that flooded shops with consumer products. So, I resorted to the idea of ‘redundant repetition’ in producing art. I would continuously engage myself in boring, recurring and endless activities, a feature that would become a signature of my artwork since 1982.” It was during this time, that Hassan produced a series of seven paintings as a sort of homage to one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Edvard Munch’s and his famous Dance of Life.
seeking patrons Hassan feels strongly about education and its importance in understanding art in all forms. “You need an educated society to understand different forms of art. Without education art itself may become redundant. In the region an important player in the process was His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al-Thani’s, the man behind the Mathaf collection, which he began putting together 20 years ago. “Here is a man who understood the importance of all this, when art was not considered important in our society. You need more people like him who promote art, to collect and to encourage artists.” Artists like Hassan Sharif who use the ordinary to make the unique. To emphasize the importance of education Hassan recalls an incident at the inaugural Sharjah Biennial in 1993, when a visitor threw a shoe at his installation. Unaffected by that insult, Hassan says: “He just showed his ignorance while some others have always wanted to touch my installation.” Curators though have recognized the value of his work and now take special care to house his installation in glass cases! bridging the gap “Most of my works are of objects that you find easily. I use Hassan feels that there is a gap between conventional materials that are available. I want my audience to react to my painting and conventional sculpture. installations, to touch and feel them,” he says. “In the late 70s and the 80s you can see installations in Take the flip-flops piece. The process of cutting the slippers which the sculptor cuts and takes out portions of objects and and tying it back with wire holds a purpose for the artist; it then the completed piece is kept on a base as a display. I did implies his intention of trying to understand the material, and not want my sculptures to follow that pattern. I wanted mine the tying beckons at the contradiction of what life is all about. to be made of things that people are aware of, and not to be He also has completed installations consisting of cardboard displayed on a base as if it is something to be revered. I boxes and books, clothes and stone, iron and copper. wanted my objects to be ‘normal’.” Hassan’s choice of materials reflects the period of his Realizing this gap between conventional painting and artwork but he admits that all of his creations are laced with conventional sculpture, Hassan was intent on finding an sarcasm. alternative “work of art”. “How else can a slipper find its way into a Museum, other “I also realized that my sarcastic outlook towards life was a result of my engagement in caricatures that critique the social than in an art form?” The artist does have the last laugh.
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لكن هل يجعله ذلك فنانا حديثا؟ ينفي ذلك بقوله�“ :إنني �أر�سم فنا معا�رصا �سواء كان ذلك لوحة� ،أم قطعا فنية� ،أم ر�سوم كاريكاتريية .فاملعا�رصة لي�ست �شكال من �أ�شكال الفن و�إمنا طريقة للتفكري .ف�أنا �أمثل هذا الوقت �أو اللحظة ،كما �أنني واقعي، وهذا هو ال�سبب الذي يجعلني �أ�ؤمن بال�شكل املعا�رص للفن .ف�أنا �أمثل التناق�ضات يف جممل فني”. ويرى ح�سن �أن التناق�ضات متهد الطريق للو�صول �إىل مزيج من احلقائق الب�سيطة املثرية لالهتمام ،وهذا ي�شكل �أي�ضا جوهر معظم جتاربه املعرو�ضة يف �أ�ستوديو البيت الطائر يف دبي. وم�ضى قائال�“ :إنني �أتعامل من خالل عملي مع احلياة اليومية ،وكيف مي�شي النا�س ،وكيف يرون ،وكيف حتفزهم احلياة على العي�ش ،وردود �أ�شغل نف�سي با�ستمرار يف �أن�شطة مملة متكررة وال نهاية لها ،وهي �سمة ّ فعلهم ب�ش�أن احلياة� .أنا ب ،والفن الذي �أنتجه هو ما �أراه يف العامل� ،أعمايل الفنية منذ عام .”1982ويف تلك الفرتة �أنتج ح�سن �سل�سلة من مراقِ �سبع لوحات تكرميا لأحد �أهم الفنانني يف القرن الع�رشين ،وهو �إدوارد فهو فن واقعي”. مون�ش ولوحته ال�شهرية “رق�صة احلياة”.
م�صنوعة �سنة 1987من القما�ش والورق والغراء ب�إذن من املتحف العربي للفن احلديث
وهو لي�س بر�سام كاريكاتري وال بفنان و�إمنا يف�ضل �أن ي�سمى “�صانع صعود نجم الفن ُ
الأ�شياء” .لكن هل لديه ع�شق �رسي لأي �شكل من �أ�شكال الفن؟ يجيب ح�سن“ :لكل �شكل من �أ�شكال الفن جماله .فعندما �أ�صنع الأ�شياء �أمل�سها ب�أ�صابعي ،و�أنا �أحب هذا ال�شعور .وعندما �أر�سم الر�سوم الكاريكاتريية ف�إن �إح�سا�سي بالقلم على الورق يجعل منها جتربة ال تن�سى .واللوحات �أ�سا�سها الألوان ،ولكل و�سط �رسه اخلا�ص به .لذا ينبغي على املرء �أن يعمل باملادة ملعرفة �رسها .وعليه يف بع�ض الأحيان �أن يلم�سها �أو يقطعها ملعرفة �أ�رسارها”.
الفن التقليدي والعالم الحقيقي
يرى ح�سن �أن ثمة فجوة بني الر�سم التقليدي والنحت التقليدي �إذ يقول: “كنا نرى يف �أواخر ال�سبعينات والثمانينات �أعماال فنية قطع منها النحات بع�ض �أجزائها ،ثم و�ضع اجلزء املنتهي على قاعدة لعر�ضه. لكنني ال �أريد ملنحوتاتي �أن تكون بهذا النمط و�إمنا �أريدها �أن تكون م�صنوعة من الأ�شياء التي يعرفها النا�س ،وال �أريدها �أن تعر�ض على قاعدة وك�أنها �شيء ي�ستحق التبجيل� .إنني �أريد من �أعمايل �أن تكون ‘طبيعية’”. وانطالقا من �إدراكه لهذه الفجوة بني اللوحة التقليدية والنحت التقليدي جاء ت�صميم ح�سن على �إيجاد “عمل فني” بديل .و�أو�ضح ذلك بقوله: أدركت �أي�ضا �أن نظرتي ال�ساخرة للحياة جاءت نتيجة لعملي يف “لقد � ُ جمال الر�سوم الكاريكاتورية التي تنتقد احلالة االجتماعية وال�سيا�سية يف ال�سبعينات .وقد كان لذلك ،بالإ�ضافة �إىل الت�أثري الكبري للفن املعا�رص يف �أوروبا و�أمريكا يف ال�سبعينات ،الأثر الكبري يف ت�شكيل هذه النظرة .وتهدف هذه النظريات اجلديدة الفكرية والفنية �إىل انتقاد احلياة التي تدور حول اال�ستهالك بجميع �أ�شكاله والآثار ال�سلبية الكثرية التي �أحدثها .وقد بد� ُأت �أنظر �إىل احلياة مبزيد من النقد وازدادت �سخريتي يوما بعد يوم” .و�أ�ضاف قائال�“ :إن ما �أثار غ�ضبي هو النظام العاملي اجلديد الذي �شعاره هو ‘تكييف طموحاتك للو�صول �إىل غاياتنا’ ،وعقلية ال�سوق املبتذلة هذه هي التي غمرت املحالت التجارية باملنتجات اال�ستهالكية .لذا جل� ُأت �إىل فكرة ‘تكرار املكرر’ يف �إنتاج الفن .ف�أنا
ي�ؤكد ح�سن على �أهمية التعليم يف فهم الفن بجميع �أ�شكاله قائال�“ :أنت بحاجة �إىل جمتمع متعلم لفهم �أ�شكال الفن املختلفة .فبدون التعليم قد ي�صبح الفن نف�سه �أمرا زائدا عن احلاجة .ومن �أهم الالعبني يف املنطقة �سعادة ال�شيخ ح�سن بن حممد بن علي �آل ثاين ،وهو الرجل الذي يقف وراء جمموعة املتحف التي بد�أ بتجميعها منذ 20عاما”.و�أردف قائال�“ :أدرك �سعادته �أهمية كل ذلك ،عندما كان الفن ال ُيعترب مهما يروجون للفنون، يف جمتمعنا� .إننا بحاجة �إىل املزيد من �أمثاله الذين ّ ويجمعون القطع الفنية ،وي�شجعون الفنانني”� ...أي الفنانني مثل �رشيف ح�سن الذين ي�ستخدمون الأ�شياء العادية لإبداع �أ�شياء فريدة من نوعها. وللت�أكيد على �أهمية التعليم ذكر ح�سن حادثة وقعت عند افتتاح معر�ضه يف ال�شارقة عام 1993حيث �ألقى �أحد الزوار حذاءه على عمل ح�سن الفني .لكن ح�سن مل يت�أثر بهذه الإهانة �إذ يقول“ :لقد �أظهر بذلك جهله يف الوقت الذي كان البع�ض الآخر يودون دائما �أن يلم�سوا �أعمايل الفنية” .غري �أن القائمني على املعر�ض بدءوا يعرتفون بقيمة �أعماله الفنية و�صاروا يعر�ضونها يف �صناديق من الزجاج! وتابع بقوله�“ :إن معظم �أعمايل م�صنوعة من �أ�شياء ميكن �إيجادها ب�سهولة .ف�أنا ا�ستخدم املواد املتوفرة و�أريد �أن تكون ردة فعل جمهوري هي مل�س �أعمايل وال�شعور بها” .لن�أخذ مثاال على ذلك القطعة الفنية امل�صنوعة من ال�شبا�شب� .إن عملية قطع ال�شبا�شب وربطها مرة �أخرى ب�سلك متثل الغر�ض بالن�سبة للفنان ،لأنها ت�شري �إىل عزمه على حماولة فهم املادة ،وترمز عملية الربط �إىل التناق�ض املوجود يف احلياة .وقد انتهى ح�سن �أي�ضا من �إبداع �أعمال فنية م�صنوعة من �صناديق الورق املقوى ،والكتب ،واملالب�س ،واحلجر ،واحلديد ،والنحا�س.ويعك�س اختيار ح�سن للمواد الفرتة الزمنية لأعماله الفنية لكنه يعرتف ب�أن ما يغلب احلياة بعد الفن... على كل �إبداعاته هو ال�سخرية. الفن و�أنهى حديثه �ضاحكا وهو يقول: بعد خم�س �سنوات... “كيف ميكن لل�شب�شب �أن يجد طريقه �س�أ�صبح �أكرث ثراء ،و�أكرث �صحة �إىل متحف� ،إن مل يكن ذلك من خالل و�سعادة ،و�س�أبدع املزيد من الفن� .شكل من �أ�شكال الفن؟”. 58
يرى الفنان االماراتي ح�سن �رشيف ثمة فجوة بني الر�سم التقليدي والنحت التقليدي
�أورالندو توم�سن
حســــن شريـــف فنـــان فريــــد … يبدع في صنع األشياء الفنان اإلماراتي حسن شريف يشرح لسيندو ناير األسلوب الذي يتبعه بجنون ....
مــن
ال�صعب على املرء �أن ّ يفوت عليه هذا العمل أكثر بكثير من مجرد فنان
الفني ،فهو من القطع الأوىل يف املتحف العربي للفن احلديث (املتحف) كما �أن املواد نعت منها القطعة هي مواد فريدة التي ُ�ص ْ عبارة عن �شبا�شب و�أ�سالك ،مما يجعل املرء يقف عندها ليت�أملها ويت�ساءل:
هل هذه قطعة فنية تعبرّ عن م�شاعر معينة �أم جمرد قطعة ال تعني �أي �شيء؟ ّرت بهذه الطريقة ف�إن ح�سن �رشيف يكون بذلك قد �أجنز ك ف قد كنت َ ف�إذا َ مهمته .فبالن�سبة لهذا الفنان الإماراتي هذه طريقته يف التعبري ،وهو يقول لأولئك الذين ينظرون �إىل �أعماله بحرية“ :التعليم مهم يف فهم الفنون الب�رصية”. لذا عليك �أن تعود وتلقي نظرة ثانية (وثالثة ،ورابعة )...على قطعته الفنية كي ت�ستوعب جمال تركيبها وب�ساطة �شكلها ومادتها ،وعندئذ �ستقول لنف�سك َ مل ال... 59
يبلغ ح�سن من العمر 60عاما ،وهو بالأ�صل من �أبو ظبي �إال �أنه عا�ش وعمل معظم حياته يف دبي .فبعد تخرجه من مدر�سة بيام �شو للفنون يف لندن ،بد�أ يعمل كر�سام كاريكاتري يف �صحيفة �أخبار دبي يف ال�سبعينات .ويف عام � 1984أ�س�س �أول معر�ض للفن احلديث يف ال�شارقة والذي تو�سع الحقا �إىل دبي .ويف عام � 2007أ�س�س مع �أربعة فنانني �آخرين “البيت الطائر”. وهي م�ؤ�س�سة تعنى بت�شجيع الفنانني الإماراتيني املعا�رصين. �أم�ضى ح�سن �أول ت�سع �سنوات من م�سريته املهنية يف ر�سم الر�سوم الكاريكاتورية لل�صحيفة ،عرب بهاعن م�شاغل وهموم احلياة اليومية للنا�س. وعن ذلك يقول“ :كنت �أر�سم هذه الر�سوم بالألوان الزيتية ففي ذلك الوقت كنت مهتما بنمط الر�سم االنطباعي �أو ما بعد االنطباعي ،كما كنت معجبا بلوحات بول �سيزان وبيكا�سو .لكن طريقتي يف العمل كانت ترتكز �أكرث �إىل ال�سياق التاريخي �أو الإطار الزمني الذي كنت �أعمل فيه”.
seen qatar
since things like ‘Help another person’ are not one-time goals. The list is a daily reminder of my long-term goals as well as daily principles to live by. We (the youth) need to find a vision, create goals, and form plans and actually take the steps towards actualizing them,” he says. A few that they have moved to their ‘done-bin’ include sky diving, river rafting, elephant safari, featuring in a TV series, cruising the Côte d’Azur, cliff jumping in Mauritius, Everest base camp, drive a F1 car, and burn rubber at the Gumball 3000. The Gumball 3000 must be the dream of every Qatari with deep pockets, after all they prepare for this from the moment they can spell C-A-R and S-P-E-E-D. Gumball 3000, is now an annual 3000 mile event that has gained a reputation as being the ultimate road race, with celebrity participation. Its legacy dates back to 1933 when motorcycle racer Mister Baker crossed the US coast-to-coast in 54 hours, earning him his ‘Cannonball’ nickname. In the 1970s Motor journalist Brock Yates started the Cannonball Baker Sea To Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash in honor of Cannonball. The first race was held on April 1, 1971, and first prize was a Gumball dispenser. The first race was won by Baker and Dan Gurney, former race driver for Formula One and Le Mans, who drove a Ferrari. They needed about 35 hours from New York to L.A. The race was cancelled in 1979, but revived in 1999 to great response. Moe and Matt were the winners of Gumball 3000 Ambassador’s award 2009 and are rearing to hit the road again. Of the next Gumball challenge, Moe writes on their Facebook page “in traditional Sheikh attire, we will pursue the quest to avoid being stopped by police using our on-dashboard radar detectors, police scanners and a cool box filled with just ‘Red Bull’...” That’s when they are not scaling new heights, which is what we set out to discuss with Moe A.K.A Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani.
Adrenalin Junkie Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdalla Al Thani: Philanthropic goals and living life on the edge. By Vani Saraswathi
I
magine the Fast Five meeting Harold and Kumar, in a Khaleeji cult version of their exploits. Starring Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdalla Al Thani. Doesn’t sound quite right, does it? How about starring Moe, the Sheikh’s self-style moniker. Adrenalin junkie doesn’t begin to describe the man who treks the globe with best buddy Matt (who chooses to play a shadow role in this article) in a quest to complete his bucket list of 117 tasks. “Not all things on my list can be crossed off once achieved,
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From Speed to Summit Earlier this year, he went on a three week expedition to climb Mount Aconcagua, in the Andes mountain range, the highest mountain in the Americas at 6,962 m (22,841 ft.) and second highest of the Seven Summits. He was climbing alongside Masoud Mohammed (Matt), a resident of Dubai; Raed Zidan from Palestine and Arab mountaineering pioneer Zed Al Rifai from Kuwait. He donated 100% of the proceeds to Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) which aims to provide quality Primary and Secondary education for all children of Asia.
months of preparation and training pays off. It often comes with a lot of tears of happiness.”
Atop Aconcagua Sheikh Mohammed with his team of merry trekkers.
Team Determined Sheikh Mohammed first contacted Zed for advice before his Everest effort. “He was very helpful and guided us on the first steps that had to be taken and has ever since climbed with us on all expeditions we’ve done so far. I could not wish for a better mentor and I am absolutely honored that he is climbing with us. His guidance and Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani has already conquered Mount instructions are invaluable. We would have never taken up this sport without him.” Everest Base Camp in 2009 and Mount Kilimanjaro in 2010 Though they do not train together, since they don’t all live (to raise money to combat Malaria in Africa). in the same city, they do keep each other updated on training, “It’s not just for fun, it’s a challenge to push yourself to the and are in touch on a regular basis. “As a team we have been extreme potentials of your abilities. It’s also not just about making it or not, I will keep at it until I complete what I set off climbing together, I think it is very important to understand each other to avoid unnecessarily conflicts on the mountain. to achieve. That is the message I want to send, keeping at “Masoud and I have been friends from High School; Raed your goals until you conquer them, an important lesson for we met on the Gumball3000 rally in 2009 and became our generation.” instant friends.” The next summit planned is Mount Elbrus the highest Romancing the Peaks The romance with heights and all things adventurous started Mountain in Europe soaring 5,642m in June. So, does it get lonely at the top? “When you are among very early, says Sheikh Mohammed. “But it was on a river friends you are never lonely, but it is certainly not very easy to rafting trip in Nepal in 2008, the love of mountains started cope with the extreme cold weather and the low oxygen with the first sight of Mount Everest. One year after my river rafting trip I decided to give trekking a shot, hiking all the way levels.” A moment of great fear that Moe recalls is while climbing to Everest Base Camp (5,360m).” Mount Aconcagua on summit day. “There was a huge Of all his climbs, Aconcagua was the toughest he says. crevasse with a drop of over 1,000m. I slipped and luckily I “Due to the sudden change in weather conditions, I was hit managed to stop myself from falling and pulled myself up and got back on track!” The ultimate bliss is reaching a summit: “Especially Kilimanjaro, as it was the first of the seven summits for me.” Around the time the four were in the Andes, the Middle East uprising was at its height. But political chitchat is the last thing the mountaineers wished to expend their energy on. “Well actually, when we’re climbing we barely talk since talking drains energy so it’s only when we rest or camp for the night that we converse. We didn’t really know what was going by a powder storm at 6,700m with winds reaching 70km/hr!” on in the Middle East until we spoke to our families for the But it’s that thrill of risk and pushing limits that gets him to first time; the hot topic at that time was Egypt and so sometimes when we would reach a camp site we would sit don his trekking boots. and wonder what happened in Egypt and were quite anxious Speaking of the changing mental state from base to summit, Sheikh Mohammed says: “At the start of the hike it’s to know the updates.” Though he sees himself as a successful businessman always the target in sight (the peak), as you come closer with (musafir.com) 10 years down the line, good family man, and less oxygen in the air the mental factor is very important; even more than the physical, as you will need to push yourself an avid adventurer, Sheikh Mohammed’s life mantra will continue to be: Always on the move, planning my next to the maximum to face extreme measures. But the glory of adventure... reaching the summit is like no other; all the hard work with
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There was a crevasse with a drop of over 1,000m. I slipped and luckily managed to stop myself from falling...
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وقد فاز مو ومات بجائزة �سفري غومبول 3000لعام ،2009وهما يعتزمان خو�ض �سباقات جديدة.وبخ�صو�ص حتدي غومبول املقبل، كتب “مو” على �صفحته يف موقع الفي�سبوك�“ :سرنتدي الزي التقليدي لل�شيوخ و�سنوا�صل ال�سعي لتجنب �إيقافنا من قبل �سيارات ال�رشطة ،وهو ما جل�سنا للتحدث عنه مع “مو” �أو ال�شيخ حممد بن عبد اهلل �آل ثاين. من السرعة إلى قمم الجبال يف وقت �سابق من هذا العام ،ذهب ال�شيخ حممد يف رحلة ملدة ثالثة �أ�سابيع لت�سلق جبل �أكونكاجوا يف �سل�سلة جبال الأنديز، وهو �أعلى جبل يف الأمريكيتني وثاين �أعلى قمة من القمم ال�سبع حيث يبلغ ارتفاعه 6962مرتا ( 22841قدما) .وقد ت�سلق اجلبل مع حممد م�سعود (مات) ،وهو من دبي ،ورائد زيدان من فل�سطني، واملخ�رضم العربي يف ت�سلق اجلبال زيد الرفاعي من الكويت. وتربع ال�شيخ حممد بكامل عائدات مغامرته مل�ؤ�س�سة �أيادي اخلري نحو �آ�سيا (روتا) التي تهدف �إىل توفري التعليم االبتدائي والثانوي عايل اجلودة جلميع الأطفال يف �آ�سيا. وكان ال�شيخ حممد �آل ثاين قد قهر قبال جبل �إيفر�ست يف عام ،2009وجبل كليمنجارو عام ( 2010جلمع الأموال ملكافحة املالريا يف �أفريقيا). وبهذا ال�صدد يقول�“ :إنني ال �أقوم بذلك للمتعة فح�سب ،و�إمنا ميثل ذلك �أي�ضا حتديا لدفع نف�سي لال�ستفادة من �أق�صى قدراتها .وال يتعلق الأمر كذلك بالنجاح ،ف�أنا �س�أوا�صل املحاولة حتى �أحقق الأهداف التي و�ضعتها لنف�سي .وهذه هي الر�سالة التي �أود �أن �أوجهها لل�شباب� ،إذ على املرء �أن يوا�صل حماولة حتقيق �أهدافه حتى ينجح يف ذلك ،وهذا در�س مهم جليلنا”. حب القمم يقول ال�شيخ حممد �إن حبه للمرتفعات واملغامرات قد بد�أ يف وقت مبكر جدا .وك�شف ال�شيخ حممد �أن من بني جميع اجلبال التي ت�سلقها كان �أكونكاجوا هو الأ�صعب ،م�ضيفا“ :ب�سبب التغيري تعر�ضت لعا�صفة عاتية عند ارتفاع املفاجئ يف الظروف املناخية ُ و�صلت �رسعة الرياح �إىل 70كلم� /ساعة!”� .إال 6700مرتا ،حيث ْ �أن متعة ركوب املخاطر هي ما دفعتني ملتابعة القيام برحالتي. وحتدث ال�شيخ حممد عن تغيري احلالة العقلية للمت�سلق من القاعدة �إىل القمة قائال“ :يف بداية الت�سلق يكون دائما الهدف هو بلوغ القمة ،لكن مع االقرتاب نحو القمة يقل الأوك�سجني يف الهواء، وت�صبح العوامل النف�سية مهمة جدا حتى �إنها تكون �أهم من العوامل البدنية ،مما يجعل املرء يحتاج �إىل �أن يدفع نف�سه �إىل �أق�صى حد للتغلب على هذه الظروف القا�سية .لكن ال مثيل لبهجة الو�صول �إىل القمة ،التي ُتعترب تتويجا لكل هذا العمل اجلاد من الإعداد والتدريب. وي�أتي ذلك يف معظم الأحيان مع كثري من دموع ال�سعادة”.
الفريق المصمم على بلوغ أهدافه
ات�صل ال�شيخ حممد يف البداية بزيد للح�صول على م�شورة منه قبل ال�رشوع يف رحلته �إىل �إيفر�ست .وبهذا ال�صدد يقول“ :لقد كان ذلك وجهنا ب�ش�أن اخلطوات الأوىل التي ينبغي �أن نقوم مفيدا جدا فقد ّ بها ،ومنذ ذلك احلني �صار يرافقنا يف جميع البعثات التي قمنا بها حتى الآن .ومل �أجد معلم �أف�ضل منه فتوجيهاته وتعليماته ال تق ّدر بثمن ،ومل يكن مبقدورنا �أن منار�س هذه الريا�ضة من دونه”. ومبا �أن �أع�ضاء الفريق ال يتدربون معا فال حاجة لأن يعي�شوا يف مدينة واحدة ،يقول ال�شيخ حممد“ :لقد قمنا كفريق بالت�سلق معا ،و�أعتقد �أن
ذلك مهم جدا كي نفهم بع�ضنا البع�ض لتجنب �أية نزاعات ال داع لها على اجلبل .ف�أنا وم�سعود �أ�صدقاء من املدر�سة الثانوية ،و�أما رائد فقد التقيناه يف �سباق غومبول 3000عام ،2009و�أ�صبحنا �أ�صدقاء على الفور” .والقمة املقبلة التي يعتزمون ت�سلقها يف يونيو هي جبل �إلربو�س ،وهو �أعلى جبل يف �أوروبا حيث يبلغ ارتفاعه 5642مرتا. لكن ترى هل ي�شعر ال�شيخ حممد بالوحدة وهو على القمة؟ يجيب: “عندما يكون املرء بني �أ�صدقائه فهو ال ي�شعر �أبدا بالوحدة ،لكن بالت�أكيد لي�س من ال�سهل التعامل مع الربد القار�س وانخفا�ض م�ستويات الأوك�سجني” .وهنالك حلظة خوف هائلة يتذكرها “مو” �أثناء ت�سلقه جبل �أكونكاجوا �إذ يقول“ :كان هنالك �صدع كبري يبلغ زلت قدمي لكنني حل�سن احلظ متكنت عمقه �أكرث من 1000مرت .وقد ْ وجنحت يف العودة �إىل فجررت ج�سمي، من جتنب الوقوع فيها، ُ ُ امل�سار ال�صحيح!” .و�أجمل حلظة متكن فيها من قهر قمة كانت: "“الو�صول �إىل قمة كليمنجارو لأنها من بني �أعلى �سبع قمم يف العامل”. وعندما كان الأربعة يف جبال الأنديز ،كانت االنتفا�ضة يف ال�رشق
ال�شيخ حممد بن عبد اهلل �آل ثاين يف رفقة زمالئه املف�ضلني
“ ”
رأيت جبل إيفرست للمرة األولى أثناء حبي للجبال بدأ عندما ُ قيامي برحلة تجديف قوارب في نهر في نيبال عام .2008 وبعد ها قمت بتسلق جبل إيفرست ( 5360مترا) الأو�سط يف �أوجها .لكن اللغو ال�سيا�سي هو �آخر �شيء يود املت�سلقون �إ�ضاعة طاقتهم فيه .و�أو�ضح ذلك قائال“ :عندما نت�سلق اجلبال ف�إننا نادرا ما نتحدث لأن الكالم ي�ستنزف الطاقة ،لذا ف�إننا ال نتحادث �إال نخيم لق�ضاء الليل .ومل نكن نعرف حقا ما يجري يف عندما نرتاح �أو ّ ال�رشق الأو�سط �إال عندما حتدثنا �إىل عائالتنا للمرة الأوىل ،فقد كنا حري�صني جدا على معرفة �آخر التطورات”.وعلى الرغم من �أن ال�شيخ حممد يرى نف�سه كرجل �أعمال ناجح (� )musafir.comإال �أن �شعاره بعد � 10سنوات من العي�ش كرب �أ�رسة مثايل ومغامر فذ يبقى� :أن �أكون بحركة دائمة و�أن �أخطط ملغامرتي املقبلة...
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ال�شيخ حممد بن عبد اهلل �آل ثاين:
عاشــــــق المغامـــــرات الشيخ محمد بن عبد اهلل آل ثاني :أهداف خيرية وحياة مليئة بالمغامرات بقلم فاني ساراسواثي
تخيل
�أن ت�سمع عن مغامرات مثرية بنفحة خليجية من بطولة ال�شيخ حممد بن عبد اهلل �آل ثاين الذي يطلق على نف�سه ا�سم “مو”... فهذا الرجل يع�شق املغامرات ويحب �أن يخو�ضها يف خمتلف بقاع الأر�ض مع �أف�ضل �أ�صدقائه حممد م�سعود �أو“ مات” (الذي يف�ضل �أن يبقى يف الظل يف هذه املقالة) حيث لديه قائمة من 117مغامرة ي�سعى للقيام بها. ويقول ال�شيخ حممد عن ذلك“ :لي�س كل �أهدايف ميكن �إلغا�ؤها مبجرد حتقيقها .فبع�ض الأهداف مثل ‘م�ساعدة النا�س’ لن تتحقق مرة واحدة. فالقلة من النا�س ممن مار�س ريا�ضة القفز احلر ،والتجديف بالقوارب يف �أنهر هائجة ،والقيام برحالت ال�سفاري على ظهور الفيلة ،والظهور يف �سل�سلة تلفزيونية ،والتجول يف �شاطئ العاج ،والقفز من على املرتفعات
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ال�صخرية ال�شاهقة يف موري�شيو�س ،وت�سلق جبل �إيفر�ست ،وقيادة �سيارة فورموال ون ،وامل�شاركة يف �سباق �سيارات غومبول (.3000 )Gumball �إن غومبول 3000هو حلم كل قطري ثري ملا ميثله من �إثارة و�رسعة، وهو حدث �سنوي ل�سباق طرق بطول 3000ميل ا�شتهر مب�شاركة امل�شاهري فيه .ويعود �إرث هذا ال�سباق �إىل عام 1933عندما قام مت�سابق الدراجات النارية م�سرت بيكر باخرتاق الواليات املتحدة من ال�ساحل �إىل ال�ساحل يف � 54ساعة ،مما �أك�سبه لقب “طلقة املدفع”. ويف ال�سبعينات �أطلق ال�صحفي املتخ�ص�ص بالدراجات النارية بروك ييت�س “�سباق الك�أ�س التذكاري لطلقة املدفع بيكر من البحر �إىل البحر امل�رشق” تكرميا لطلقة املدفع .ويف � 1أبريل � 1971أقيم �أول �سباق من هذا النوع وفاز فيه بيكر ودان غورين ،وهما �سائقان �سابقان يف �سباقي فورموال ون ولو مان ،حيث قادا �سيارة فرياري وقطعا امل�سافة من نيويورك �إىل لو�س �أجنلو�س يف حوايل � 35ساعة .وقد �ألغي ال�سباق يف عام ،1979لكن يف عام � 1999أعيد �إحيا�ؤه وحظي ب�إقبال كبري.
Brass basics The beauty is in the detailing.
Beauty in drama The pathway to the theatre.
Katara The City’s Culture Fix By Sindhu Nair
T Greek ambiance The entrance to the amphitheatre inside Katara
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he cobbled entranceway lined with bronze-tinged lamp-post and the curled alleyways leading to Qatari styled buildings, all have a distinct Arabic flavour about it. Yet Katara – which literally means ancient Qatar – promises a global cultural experience. Katara’s coast is dotted with restaurants offering flavours from around the world: Turkish Sukar Pasha, Saffron Lounge offering Indian cuisine, Egyptian cafe and sheesha bar Khan Farouk Tarab Cafe, and of course, the wildly popular Karak & Chapatti which is more centrally located. There are other flavors to savor, but that’s not what the ‘global’ touch is about... food is only a part of it. The recently concluded kite festival saw vibrant colors from the Far East and South East Asia dotting the skies over Katara, the Marine Festival before that saw the seafaring ways of several nations. The cultural village aspires to provide a platform for a variety of events. Today, the appeal of Katara is its careful planned and executed rusticity. However, that may soon be offset when the third phase comes into being. This phase would be a commercial plaza housing
Friday fervor The Friday mosque in blue-green mosaic tiles with the pigeon-house adjacent to it.
Arabic Flavor Woven bamboo roofs and the play of space
high-end boutiques and commercial space. Malika Mohammed Al-Shraim, the Manager PR who takes us around Katara, says the aim of the commercial space is to create an atmosphere akin to the Champs-Elysees. “The design for this commercial avenue will follow European architecture and will be a window to that culture. Phase 4 will have around 234 villas and will host artist, painters, poets and dancers within Katara. They will either stay here on a short-term basis or for a longer period and will interact with the people and conduct workshops. The finalization and completion of these phases will make this a meeting point for all cultures.” What Katara – the brainchild of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the official representative of HH the Emir – has in mind will surely be a cultural reawakening for the region and this will in turn make tourism a bit more lucrative than it is now. But a Champs Elysees in Doha? I would rather shop in souqs and reserve the Champs Elysees experience for a Paris visit. But I hold further opinion till I see the product. Taking shape If one recalls the site as the village was taking shape, the layout seemed haphazard but slowly the pattern emerges. The centre of the formation is the amphitheatre, which Malika calls the “heart” of Katara. The other buildings seem to branch out from this centre and are arranged geometrically
Basic beauty The exterior is unpolished, off-white colored, matt finish typical of Qatari walls, unadorned barring the few wooden windows and doors. Frescos are but a slight relief.
behind it on both sides. But this pattern becomes irrelevant as one moves around, with the buildings placed around the street in different angles and progressions. Simplicity in planning but extreme complexity to the eye adds to the flavor of the street-style called al freej in Arabic. The heart of the complex, the amphitheatre does not have much Qatari features but its Gothic style of architecture exaggerates the already large structure to mammoth proportions. Ionic columns stand majestically tall bearing the load of the high roof and long spans make it an interesting structure. The only Qatari element in this structure could well be the ceiling which is woven bamboo with the aim to cool the building. The centre stage can be viewed from a 360 degree seating arrangement with the quadrant facing the ocean left open thus providing beautiful views of the shoreline and the buildings beyond. The amphitheatre can accommodate up to 5000 people. Other than this huge amphitheatre, Katara is also home to two theatres: the Opera House and the Drama theatre. The Opera Theatre can seat up to 550 and is done up in rich red velvety tones while the Drama theatre that can house 450 enthusiasts is distinctly dramatic with a night glow setup. This access to performance space made Katara an ideal venue for the 2010 Doha Tribeca Film Festival. Magical Mosques The two mosques within Katara are both designed by Zeynep 65
Design Superlative Texture and color form an important part of the design.
Jewel Box The golden temple has intricate details in Kundekari woodwork
Fadillioglu, a Turkish designer who has the distinction of the being the only female designer of mosques. The Golden mosque and the Friday mosque are specatacular constructions with distinct Ottoman detailing. According to the architect, Zeynep, “Texture and color craftsmanship have been as important as form in the designing process. Each and every item has been crafted by specialist artists. The main entrance door is hammered out of brass. The entrance corridor has calligraphic panels carved into marble.” She breaks down the design process of Friday mosque: The Mihrab facing us shows the orientation to Mecca and is the main focal point. The freestanding circle symbolizing the universe carries a calligraphic script in leather. The script is “Allah müfetth’ül-ebvah”. It is flanked by brass cast panels that look like doors. The columns holding the domes are decorated in leather and ornamented in tezhip (filigree work in gold), hand carved in brass.” “The artistic works on the ceiling are done by restorers from Dolmabahae Palace in Istanbul. The tiles in turquoise and mauve are engraved with the names of “Allah” and “Muhammed”. The Mimbar(pulpit where the Imam stands to deliver sermons) is handcrafted with beads over a brass embossed leather base.” The golden mosque shimmers in the sunlight, with the gilt of gold mesmerizing the visitor. The Gold Mosque is like a jewel box out of 24-carat gold mosaic. The wooden door is of “Kündekari” woodwork in old Ottoman style. At the entrance, brass lines are inset in the marble, like in Islamic designs. Inside the mosque, the Mihrab, “door to Mecca” is an example of fine craftsmanship carved in brass, flanked by Islamic designs. “Calligraphic scripts are inlayed in marble inside this mosque. The women’s section is separated with a metal mesh curtain in Islamic pattern,” says Zeynep. But my personal favorite building is the pigeon house or dove house structure. An elongated cone-like structure with holes along its circumference and timber shoots binding the structure. 66
م�سجد كتارا مــــن ت�صميــــم امل�صممة الرتكية زينب ف�ضل �أوغلو
المساجد السحرية
يف كتارا م�سجدان هما من ت�صميم زينب ف�ضل �أوغلو، وهي م�صممة تركية ،والتي تعد املر �أة الوحيدة يف العامل التي قامت بت�صميم م�ساجد .ويتميز امل�سجد الذهبي واجلامع الكبري ببنائيهما الرائعني والتفا�صيل العثمانية املتميزة .وعلى حد قول املهند�سة املعمارية زينب“ :يكت�سب البنية واللون �أهمية كبرية يف عملية الت�صميم .فقد مت �صنع كل قطعة يف امل�سجد من قبل فنانني متخ�ص�صني .فباب املدخل الرئي�سي م�صنوع من النحا�س ،يف حني �أن ممر املدخل ولوحات اخلط منحوتة على الرخام”. و�رشحت لنا زينب عملية ت�صميم اجلامع الكبري قائلة: “يظهر املحراب الذي يقابلنا اجتاه مكة املكرمة ،وهو نقطة الرتكيز يف امل�سجد .وترمز الدائرة �إىل الكون وهي حتمل ن�صا من القر �آن الكرمي خمطوط على جلد حتيط به لوحات نحا�سية تبدو كا لأبواب .وقد زينت الأعمدة التي تدعم القباب باجللد ،وهي مزينة بزرك�شات دقيقة بالذهب ومنحوتة يدويا على النحا�س”. وم�ضت قائلة“ :مت تنفيذ الأعمال الفنية على ال�سقف من قبل اخلرباء الذين رمموا ق�رص دوملا با�شا يف ا�سطنبول ،حيث نق�شت على البالط بالفريوز البنف�سجي ا�سمي “اهلل” و”حممد” .و ُز ِّين املنرب باخلرز والنحا�س الأ�صفر املنقو�ش واملو�ضوع على قاعدة جلدية”� .أما امل�سجد الذهبي فهو يلمع حتت �أ�شعة ال�شم�س بربيق الذهب الذي يفنت الزائر ،وهو ي�شبه �صندوق جواهر من املطعم بالذهب عيار 24قرياطا .فالباب املوازييك َّ اخل�شبي م�صمم وفق الطراز العثماين القدمي .ويزين املدخل بخطوط من النحا�س على الرخام بت�صاميم �إ�سالمية� .أما املحراب فهو حمفور يف النحا�س ،حتيط به الت�صاميم الإ�سالمية بحرفية عالية. وت�ضيف زينب� “ :إن الكتابات داخل امل�سجد منقو�شة على الرخام .وم�صلى الن�ساء مف�صول عن م�صلى الرجال ب�شبكة معدنية ذات ت�صاميم �إ�سالمية”. 67
جانب من مباين كتارا التي متثل الرتاث القطري ب�أدق تفا�صيله
�إن املباين الـ 32ذات الت�صاميم التقليدية هي مقار ملختلف اجلمعيات واملنظمات .فامل�رشوع ي�شتمل على مركز �إعالمي ،ومرافق �أكادميية خمتلفة، و�سوق حرف يدوية ،و�سوق كتب ،ومقاه، وم�ساحات خ�رضاء ،ومراكز ا�ستعالمات، ف�ضال عن مرافق ال�شاطيء
املحافظة على الرتاث القطري يظهر جليا يف الزخارف على الأبواب
وتتمحور جاذبية كتارا اليوم حول ب�ساطة التخطيط والتنفيذ ،لكن هذا قد يتغري عندما يبد �أ تنفيذ املرحلة الثالثة التي تت�ضمن �ساحة جتارية ت�ضم منافذ راقية وعالمات جتارية متنوعة. وتقول ملكة حممد �آل �رشمي ،مديرة العالقات العامة التي �أخذتنا يف جولة يف كتارا� ،إن الهدف من امل�ساحات التجارية خلق جو �أقرب �إىل ال�شانزليزيه ،م�ضيفة�“ :سيكون ت�صميم هذا ال�شارع التجاري وفق العمارة الأوروبية ،حيث �سي�شكل نافذة على تلك الثقافة .و �أما املرحلة الرابعة فت�ضم 234فيال �ست�ست�ضيف الفنانني والر�سامني وال�شعراء والراق�صات داخل كتارا والذين �سيقيمون هنا لفرتة قد تكون ق�صرية �أو طويلة ،و�سوف يتفاعلون مع النا�س وينظمون ور�ش عمل .وعندما تنتهي هذه املراحل �ست�صبح كتارا ملتقى جلميع الثقافات”. كتارا هي من بنات �أفكار ال�شيخ جا�سم بن حمد بن خليفة �آل ثاين ،املمثل الر�سمي ل�صاحب ال�سمو
�أمري البالد املفدى ،وقد ت�أ�س�ست لت�شكل �صحوة ثقافية للمنطقة ،وهذا بدوره �سيزيد من �أرباح ال�سياحة عما هي عليه الآن .لكن ال�شانزليزيه يف الدوحة؟ �إنني �أف�ضل �أن �أت�سوق يف �أ�سواق تقليدية ،و �أن �أترك جتربة ال�شانزليزيه لزيارة باري�س .لكن من املبكر �إعطاء �أي ر �أي قبل ر �ؤية الت�صور وهو حقيقة ماثلة.
مرحلة التخطيط
�إذا تذكرنا موقع احلي الثقايف �أثناء �إن�شائه فقد كان التخطيط يبدو ع�شوائيا حينما بد �أ �شكله يظهر ببطء .ومركز احلي هو امل�رسح الذي ت�سميه ملكة “قلب” كتارا� .أما املباين الأخرى فتبدو بعيدة عن هذا املركز ،وت�صطف برتتيب هند�سي وراءه على كال اجلانبني .لكن هذا النمط ي�صبح غري وا�ضح كثريا عندما يتجول املرء يف احلي، حيث تبدو املباين م�صطفة حول ال�شوارع بزوايا خمتلفة .فالب�ساطة يف التخطيط مع املظهر بالغ التعقيد للعني ي�ضيف �إىل نكهة ال�شوارع التقليدية
التي ت�سمى بـ “الفريج” باللهجة القطرية. وال يحمل امل�رسح الكثري من ال�سمات القطرية، و �إمنا يتميز ب�أ�سلوب العمارة القوطية مع املبالغة الكبرية ب�أبعادها .فا لأعمدة ال�ضخمة والعالية تقف �شاخمة لتدعم ال�سقف املرتفع. �إال �أن العن�رص القطري الوحيد يف هذا البناء هو املكو ن من اخليزران املن�سوج الهدف ال�سقف ّ منه املحافظة على برودة املبنى .وميكن ر�ؤية خ�شبة امل�رسح من كافة املقاعد املرتبة بزاوية 360حيث يقابل ربع املدرج البحر ب�إطاللة جميلة على ال�شاطيء واملباين خارجها .وي�ستوعب امل�رسح 5000متفرج� .إ�ضافة �إىل هذا امل�رسح ال�ضخم، يوجد يف كتارا �أي�ضا م�رسحان �آخران هما دار الأوبرا وم�رسح الدراما .ويت�سع دار الأوبرا �إىل 550متفرجا ،ويتميز ب�ألوانه احلمراء املخملية، يف حني �أن م�رسح الدراما يت�سع �إىل 450متفرج، ويتميز بت�صميمه املنا�سب ل�سحر الأ�ضواء يف الليل. وبف�ضل هذه امل�سارح �شكّلت كتارا املكان املثايل ملهرجان الدوحة ترايبيكا ال�سينمائي .2010 68
تت�سم املباين ب�أنها غري م�صقولة من اخلارج ،و�أنها ذات لون مائل للبيا�ض حيث ت�شابه جدرانها الت�صميم القطري التقليدي،
كتــــارا بوتقــة االمتـزاج الثقافــي فـي الدوحـة بقلم سيندو ناير
على
جانبي املدخل ترا�صفت �أعمدة الأنور الربونزية اللون لت�صل �إىل الأزقة امل�ؤدية �إىل املباين القطرية التي تتميز بنكهتها العربية .لكن رغم ذلك ف�إن احلي الثقايف “كتارا” الذي يعني ا�سمه “قطر القدمية” يتميز بتجربته الثقافية العاملية �إذ تنت�رش على طول �ساحله املطاعم التي تقدم �أطباق من جميع �أنحاء العامل مثل مطعم �سكر با�شا الرتكي ،و�صالة الزعفران التي تقدم م�أكوالت هندية ،واملقهى امل�رصي ،ومقهى ال�شي�شة خان فاروق طرب ،ومقهى كرك لل�شاي وال�شباتي ال�شعـــبي والذي يتميز مبوقعه املركزي .وهناك نكهات �أخرى ميكن تذوقها، لكن هذا لي�س كل ما نعنيه باللم�سة “العاملية” ...فالطعام لي�س �سوى جزء منها .فقد �شهد مهرجان الطائرات الورقية الذي اختتم م�ؤخرا �ألوانا ناب�ضة باحلياة من ال�رشق الأق�صى وجنوب �رشق �آ�سيا زينت �سماء كتارا ،كما �شهد املهرجان البحري قبله م�شاركة العديد من الدول .لذا ف�إن احلي الثقايف يطمح لأن ي�شكل منربا ملجموعة متنوعة من الأحداث.
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photograph by Spencer Higgins
The New York Times Style Magazine
DESIGN SPRING 2011
The Stuff of Life artwork by Andy Harman
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A galaxy far, far away Alexandre de Betak’s house in Majorca was built with indigenous materials by local artisans, but the results, like the terra cotta R2-D2 ashtray, are out of this world. Opposite: a view to the master bedroom shows its cavelike qualities. 72
man cave With a view
when alexandre de betak designed his dream house in spain, he left no stone unturned. text by
Lynn Yaeger photographs by Jason Schmidt
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Rough, but hardly roughing it The kitchen (left), which is anchored by a large island and a farm table that seats 14, opens onto a cozy seating area (below). Opposite: raftlike lounges create a comfortable outdoor living room by the pool.
‘‘For 10 years I was dreaming about it, for five years I was looking for a spot for it, for two years working on it, for another two years building it, and finally here it is,’’ says Alexandre de Betak, luxuriating in the master bedroom of the house he has created, inside and out, in a small coastal village in the Tramuntana region of Majorca. Like virtually every other room, this one has devastating views of the Mediterranean Sea, oddly curvaceous white plaster walls and a surfeit of unpretentious, quirky design gestures. Consider a pair of shutters set in a rounded expanse — painted olive gray-green, a shade approved by the village’s strict building code — that open to reveal a view of, no, not the orange grove that forms a part of the property, nor the ancient terraces laid out by the Moors a thousand years ago, but a wide-screen TV. But ask de Betak if the undulating surfaces — there’s hardly a right angle in the place — are meant to evoke the spirit of Antoni Gaudí, and he laughs and concedes that the influence is more like Barbapapa, the shape-shifting cartoon character from the 1970s. ‘‘I love ’70s organic architecture,’’ he says. ‘‘I am very influenced by the time when I grew up.’’ Every piece of site-specific furniture, every matte-brass faucet custom ordered from Britain, every faux-vintage ceramic and olive wood light dimmer, has been stage managed by de Betak, 42, a renowned events producer, art
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director and designer whose work includes fashion shows and extravaganzas for clients from Dior to Rodarte to Tiffany. Among his memorable spectacles was Jennifer Lopez’s fragrance introduction, for which he sent up fireworks spelling out ‘‘J.Lo Glow’’ in the night sky. His company, Bureau Betak, has offices in New York, Paris and Shanghai. The specially commissioned neon sculpture above the stairs featuring bright Chinese characters (its installation, according to witnesses, was no picnic) is an homage to de Betak’s recent flood of Asian commissions. ‘‘In a way, this is a house that China built,’’ he admits. When asked to translate the sign, which is inspired by so-called massage parlors, he laughs and answers, ‘‘stone house by the sea.’’ De Betak’s earliest days in fashion are directly responsible for his romance with the area, which has the charm and expat appeal of Amagansett circa 1960. His first client, the designer Sybilla, brought him here 20 years ago — a time when the village was so underdeveloped that many of the houses had no phone service. (De Betak remembers waiting for hours at the town’s sole phone booth for a call from Donna Karan.) Though it is a tiny outpost — six square miles between mountain and sea; a scant 800 or so people residing in perfectly harmonious homes (thank those tough building codes) — it became a hugely stabilizing force in de Betak’s wildly peripatetic life. ‘‘I travel like a maniac, and the only place I stay a month is here. I’ve never accepted a job for August!’’ he says. ‘‘Sometimes I pick up my two boys from school in Paris [the model and actress Audrey Marnay is their mother], and we hop on the last plane to Majorca. Even just for the weekend, it’s a big life changer to come here.’’ His refuge may be remote, but it’s certainly not intended for solitary contemplation. Today de Betak is hosting a luncheon under a canopy of olive branches for 20-odd visitors, among them many of the local people who worked on the house. Two little guests in glittery tutus (they wear school uniforms during the week, so they break out on Sundays) delight in showing off various amusing aspects of the house: the spigot in the kitchen wall — matte brass, of course — that dispenses wine; the three blob-shaped sleeping cutouts in the children’s room that require scrambling up
Let them all hang out De Betak only just finished building the house last summer, but already it has become a refuge for his family and many (many) friends, including assorted off-duty models (Natalia Vodianova, Liya Kebede), photographers (Christophe Rihet) and stylists (Aleksandra Woroniecka). With ample hiking, swimming, sailing and arts and crafts (de Betak’s two sons and their friends hand-painted all of the ceramic dishes in the house), chez de Betak is perhaps the chicest summer camp on the planet, as his personal photographs attest. That’s him with his boys, midleap in the bottom row. 76
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Set in stone De Betak designed every aspect of the house, down to the smallest details. Above, clockwise from top left: shelves in the kitchen are his nod to the artist Donald Judd; a rock sconce in one of the guest bathrooms; a neon sign above the stairwell; an iPhone dock that Barney Rubble would love. Opposite: the children’s wing is outfitted with a three-berth sleeping cave. 78
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Between a rock and a soft place Opposite: one of the house’s many guest bedrooms. Above: in the living room, a mountain of pillows covered in vintage military linen is perfect for a siesta — or movie night.
a white wall, a maneuver that only a particularly dexterous 5-year-old can accomplish. A secret door inside the children’s closet leads to a storage space crammed with what looks like hundreds of baskets of light bulbs. (‘‘I always loved bulbs,’’ de Betak explains, ‘‘and I use light a lot in my shows. In my office in Paris I have 300 bulbs.’’) Rows of duffel bags contain almost the entire stock of vintage linen from a military surplus dealer at Paris’s Porte de Clignancourt market. De Betak uses the fabric to create all the cushions and bed linens in the house. ‘‘It’s very practical,’’ he says, and indeed, stacks of beige pillows, saved from predictability by the one-of-a-kind sofas they enhance, are easily tossed in the wash if and when a tipsy guest splashes some spigot-poured wine. De Betak wanted the place to be ecologically sensitive and in tune with the local culture, ‘‘but twisted in my way.’’ So a guest cabin that is nicknamed ‘‘Can Pitufo’’ — or ‘‘Smurf House’’ — has been built around a tree, which had the builders tearing their hair out. ‘‘Chop it down!’’ they pleaded, but de Betak, who strikes one as cheerfully compulsive and happily headstrong, insisted, and now a spa-worthy shower wraps around that natural wonder.
The techniques he employs as a master showman served him well in building the house, only now the results are meant to last 200 years rather than 20 minutes: ‘‘I rendered everything with mood boards, and then with 3-D drawings of specific ideas.’’ Which was a good thing, considering that these notions included projects not necessarily familiar to Majorcan craftsmen, like clay ashtrays in the shape of R2-D2 and Darth Vader, and Flintstone-esque iPod docks encased in stone. ‘‘There’s so much made of rock here — rock lamps, rock sinks, rock tubs, even a rock TV. Maybe I should do a line of rock accessories?’’ he suggests, only half-joking. De Betak says he wanted the ambience to be ‘‘very minimal but warm,’’ and though he is not specifically referring to the fact that the compound has surround sound but no air-conditioning, he could be describing the blend of naturalism and witty modernism that is central to the endeavor. ‘‘It’s the most fun project I have ever done. I am a perfectionist, but you can’t make it perfect,’’ he says with a sigh, looking out over the pool with its glistening Nile-green glass tiles — locally sourced — to the sea beyond. ‘‘The house was made for life, and it should never be really finished. It’s a good lesson. What in life is ever really finished?’’ n
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A DIAMOND in The ROUGHAGE Yes, it’s hard to be green, but Lynn Yaeger has an oddball scheme to save the planet.
photographs by
richard burbridge styled by robbie spencer
Sometimes it’s wonderfully easy, sometimes not so very. Deciding to throw that dirty makeup towel on the floor of the hotel bathroom, despite the card detailing the environmental consequences of your wanton gesture in three languages? An ethical conundrum that can sully a whole day (or at least a morning). But slathering your visage with the wholesome-est creams, bedecking yourself in the finest ancient gems and even brooking controversy by maybe daring to don a few vintage pelts, all in service of saving, celebrating — even worshiping — the earth? Simple. It’s already the second decade of the new century, and we are dealing with style questions, ethical and otherwise, that would have bedeviled our chic ancestors. We may pay lip service to sustainability and strive for a toddler-size carbon footprint, but who among us is considering the environment when our cupboards are stuffed with nonbiodegradable synthetic Marc Jacobs fetish frocks, shiny plastic Balenciaga houndstoothcheck spring coats and truckloads of industrial-strength Spanx made of who knows what mysterious chemical compound? Not to mention the sheer quantities of merchandise that languish in our armoires, living as we do in a time when 30 pairs of shoes don’t raise an eyebrow, instead of the measly two (or maybe three or four, if they were really prosperous) that our forebears made do with. Back then, life was so much easier. You didn’t need to worry about the ecological correctness of your cosmetics because they
The Yum yum tree Take a nibble of alexis bittar’s bird-head brooch. Go to alexisbittar.com. dior fine jewelry ring. irit design earrings, QR16,380. Go to iritdesign.com. lanvin choker, QR11,084. Go to lanvin.com. shourouk necklace, QR3,750. at henri bendel. UNDER THE FOLIAGE, Burberry prorsum jacket, QR36,382. go to burberry.com.
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stalk of the town Giving carmen miranda a run for her money in chanel cuffs, Qr5,387 each. subversive jewelry by justin giunta necklace. go to subversivejewelry. com. proenza schouler necklace, QR6,552. go to proenzaschouler.com. on model’s right hand: deborah pagani ring, QR43,214. Go to ikram.com. verdura ring, QR70,980. go to verdura.com. on model’s left hand: lucifer Vir Honestus ring, QR37,856. Go to barneys. com. verdura ring, QR81,900. prada top, QR2,530. go to prada.com. j. w. anderson top (worn underneath), QR1,820. go to j-w-anderson.com. Lip Color: chanel rouge coco lip colour in cambon, QR117. eye candy Opposite: Next year’s costume for Carnaval? alexis bittar pin, QR1,620, and cuff, QR1,983. Dior Fine jewelry ring. Eddie Borgo cuff, QR1,092. Go to capitolcharlotte.com. graff earrings. at graff, tom binns design bracelet, QR2,693. Jean Paul Gaultier jacket, QR10,483. go to ikram.com. alberta ferretti blazer (worn underneath), QR6,534, and skirt, QR5,078. lacrasia gloves. for similar styles, go to lacrasia.com. lip color: chanel rouge coco shine in monte carlo, QR117. Nail COlor: Chanel mimosa, QR91.
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Mourning jewelry made of human haır is the ultimate green material. were made of good things like arsenic, which — fun fact! — some women in the 19th century used to drink in a vain (pun intended) attempt to look like the fair maidens of the Caucasus. Or — second fun fact — you could visit an ‘‘enameler’’ on lower Broadway who encased your face and neck with a lead-based coating; but bear in mind that if the enamel was applied with slightly too heavy a hand, the merest movement would cause hideous spooky cracks. How delightfully times have changed! This morning, I doused myself with gluten-free vegan shower gel (odd when you think about it, since I didn’t plan to eat it); rolled on a deodorant made, at least partially, from chamomile and rice (though I didn’t intend to consume this either); and attempted to eradicate my under-eye circles with a soy/rice peptide (a third meal?). I lightened my coffee (yes, caffeine — I don’t want to hear it) with organic low-fat ‘‘happy’’ milk, which the bottle claims comes from a cheerful cow who has a name. Want to know how much I care about a cow’s name? On the other hand, I do like to know the names of the people who once wore my jewelry. Of all the ways of keeping green, of embarking on the road that will make a responsible, socially aware person out of the gross, wasteful slob you fear you remain deep inside, wearing old jewelry is perhaps the most seductive path. I am actually thrilled to look inside a cameo ring and find it inscribed ‘‘For Darling Desdemona, Christmas 1887.’’ I even have a soft spot for the semirevolting subgroup of antique bibelots known as mourning jewelry, a Victorian conceit that employs human hair — the ultimate green material — woven in clever ways, and that is invariably decorated with the name and death date of the luckless soul commemorated. (Added bonus: If you fling a hair brooch into the trash by mistake, it will decompose delightfully in the nearest fetid landfill, unlike those big plastic and resin necklaces they’re selling all over town with four-figure price tags.) So go ahead! Learn the name of that bovine whose teats were squeezed particularly for your delectation, coat your face with enamel, stick an 18th-century diamond tiara on your head, and sally forth confident in the knowledge that no aspect of our glorious planet was harmed in the process of making you so gorgeous. n
JUNGLE FEVER You can hear the tom-toms wearing Oscar de la renta earrings, QR913. go to oscardelarenta.com. louis vuitton brooch and necklace. go to louisvuitton.com. kenzo by antonio marras dress, about QR6,097. go to kenzo.com. Alberta ferretti sweater, QR2,537. Lip color: chanel rouge coco in rose dentelle, QR117.
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EARTH MOTHER forever fertile in lanvin bracelet, QR3,422, and necklace, QR7,209. Subversive jewelry by justin giunta bracelet, QR2,847. Alexis bittar cuff, QR1,989. versus dress, QR4,713. GREEN GIANT opposite: corn, anyone? Just cavalli earrings. go to robertocavalli.com. subversive jewelry by justin giunta necklace, QR4,380. on MOdel’s right hanD: verdura ring, QR82,125. irit design ring, QR8,030. Pamela love Cuff, QR675. Go to Barneys.com. on model’s LEFT HAND: delfina delettrez ring, QR5000. go to openingceremony. us. irit design ring, QR12,775. christopher kane for Johnstons of Elgin top, QR3,559. go to maxfieldla .com. lacrasia gloves. flowers supplied by cindy and george mudford at english country flowers. FASHION ASSISTANTs: Elizabeth fraser-Bell and Jonathan paul hamilt. hair by martin cullen at streeters london. makeup by peter philips for chanel. manicure by michina koide at art department. set design by gary card at clm. model: tati.
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vine ripened Photograph by
Adrian Gaut
Sebastian Errazuriz, the Chileanborn designer and artist, became famous for his Bilbao shelf, in which a real tree branch was attached to a wall to create an organic display unit. In his latest design, the Metamorphosis shelf, Errazuriz really goes out on a limb. The inspiration for the limited-edition Baltic birch plywood shelf (which is hand-carved by the Italian company Horm) came from his grandmother’s ivy-covered garden. ‘‘The dark branches that crawled along the walls were so thick that I would use them as natural shelves for my garden toys,’’ Errazuriz said. Given the QR273,750 price tag, however, your spade and trowel had better be by Fabergé. ANDREAS KO KKIN O
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a beautiful mine
after the horrors of the ’90s, when bling was equated with blood, de beers brings new meaning to diamond clarity. by
joshua levine photographs by David Chancellor
T
he only thing clear about diamonds may be the translucent stones themselves. Everything else is murky and vaguely sinister: where they come from, who dug them up and under what conditions, and, more particularly, if they reek of evil. A diamond isn’t like fur, which can’t do much to hide its origins. But there is a lurking suspicion that, like the gold of the Nibelungs, no good can come from this bright rock. It doesn’t help that the one word that rushes unbidden to stand next to diamond is blood. Diamonds are guilty until proven innocent. That is why Robert Keith and Kether Parker, the men behind Hoorsenbuhs, the Los Angeles-based jewelry line, and I are flying over the northern Kalahari Desert on our way to De Beers’s huge Orapa diamond mine in Botswana along with several executives of the company. We are looking for the good diamond, which is to say a diamond unstained by the haunting images of civil wars in places like Angola, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Rival militias, their ranks filled with children, tore one another to pieces. The carnage was often paid for by diamonds dug from the local hills and rivers by so-called artisanal miners with hand tools. These ‘‘blood diamonds’’ amounted to a very small portion of the overall trade, but they seeped into the All that glitters A worker sorting gems at the Diamond Trading Company Botswana in Gaborone, Botswana. 93
tiny yellow dump truck hauling blue-green kimberlite turns into an enormous dump truck as it nears the surface, its wheels about two adults high. Parker speaks for all three of us and boys everywhere when he says, ‘‘That is so cool!’’ Up top, the dull kimberlite will be crushed to liberate the diamonds within — on average 100 tons of kimberlite ore yield some 60 carats of rough stones. general pool and implicated all diamonds by association. What did So, the short answer to the often-asked question ‘‘Did you pick up any your diamond earrings do in the war, Mommy? souvenirs?’’ is no. Nothing sparkles anywhere. Moreover, mine officials When De Beers sold 80 percent of the world’s diamonds, which tell us that if we should happen to spot a telltale twinkle in the rocks, it did for most of its 123-year history, it paid scant attention to ‘‘Just smile at it and wave.’’ The government is a 50-50 partner with public opinion. If you remembered its generic tag line ‘‘A diamond is De Beers in all its Botswana ventures, which amounts to mining and forever’’ — and who didn’t? — De Beers was happy. It would reap sorting operations so far. (Botswana also owns 15 percent of De Beers the benefit. Today DeBeers has only 35 to 40 percent of the world’s as a whole.) If you get caught with a rough diamond, you’re looking diamond market, so it cares a lot more what people think. Particularly at a maximum of 15 years in jail. Botswana doesn’t like having its pocket people like the Olsen twins, Quentin Tarantino and Rihanna, all of whom wear Hoorsenbuhs designs. ‘‘The image of the diamond business picked; diamonds constitute 55 to 60 percent of the government’s revenue. (‘‘That’s what we’re trying to do in California, but with is a lot more negative than positive, which is what I’m doing here,’’ says Parker, who as the brand liaison (Keith is the founder and designer) marijuana,’’ Keith tells our hosts, who aren’t quite sure how to respond.) The city of Kimberley also gave its name to the Kimberley Process, needs to be able to reassure his customers that Hoorsenbuhs diamonds a voluntary protocol whose 49 current members — representing 75 do not come from hell. In California this is particularly important — countries — have agreed to certify that the diamonds they trade do not people want to know which chicken laid the egg whose yolks did not go into their egg-white omelet. ‘‘Dude, all I need is one customer with come from ‘‘conflict zones.’’ Since 2003, the K.P. has gone a long way toward ensuring that your engagement ring has not financed Africa’s a mental picture of a kid with an AK-47 and it’s all over.’’ genocidal civil wars on its way to your finger. This is hardly the end of From the air, the mine looks like a moth hole in the world’s biggest camel hair coat, but as the plane lands, you see just how big it really is. the line, however. For one thing, the Kimberley Process is only as strong as the political will of its members. Zimbabwe has proved just how At the surface, the hole covers around 400 acres. Intersecting ramps weak that will can be. For the past two years, Zimbabwe government wind down to a bottom 656 feet below, and they will still be digging forces have literally been hacking their way through the Marange fields, until 2026. Botswana won its independence from Britain in 1966, and diamonds were discovered a year later. The country has four mines; it is forcing miners there to yield their treasure to Robert Mugabe’s ZANUto gem diamonds what Cuba is to cigars. Orapa began operating in 1971, PF party. Yet Zimbabwe remains a K.P. member, if a controversial one. ‘‘We need a K.P. that takes into account all human rights abuses, not and De Beers has been chipping away at its massive kimberlite pipe ever just those committed by rebel soldiers,’’ says Elly Harrowell of Global since; kimberlite is the volcanic rock where you find diamonds. (The Witness, a watchdog group that helped establish the Kimberley Process. name comes from the South African city of Kimberley, where the discovery of an 83.5-carat diamond in 1871 spurred a trillion marriages.) ‘‘The consumer doesn’t care what uniform the abuser is wearing.’’ The K.P.’s second weakness is its exclusive focus on conflict Parker, Keith and I peer over the side of the pit and watch as a 94
David Chancellor (2). Still Lifes: Jens Mortensen.
Hidden treasures From left: Robert Keith and Kether Parker of the L.A. jewelry line Hoorsenbuhs at the African Children’s Feeding Scheme in Soweto, South Africa; Hoorsenbuhs earrings and ring; the Orapa mine in Botswana.
social and environmental integrity at every step of its journey.’’ Every one is inscribed with a microscopic icon and number. (‘‘Where did they find the tiny guys to do that?’’ Keith asks.) Since a good diamond looks exactly like a bad diamond, the only real way to certify its virtue is to track it back to its source, which is what the Forevermark ID is designed to do. Bravo, Harrowell says; now how about applying those high standards across the industry as a whole?
T
he day after visiting Orapa, we fly back south to Gaborone, Botswana’s capital city, which is an unappealing mix of scattered one-story concrete boxes. But here and there a few unlikely office buildings stick up out of the bush. There’s a mini-boom in progress. Downstream diamond jobs that used to employ workers abroad are being reeled back so locals can be trained to do them. One of the bigger new buildings belongs to DTC Botswana (it stands for Diamond Trading Company), which has only been around since 2006 but now sorts and values close to 34 million carats a year, and it has the capacity to sort and value 45 million. Upstairs, rows of workers face plate-glass windows to examine stones in natural light. They sort them by size, color, shape and quality. Uncut diamonds are heaped in little piles by the window, inviting you to scoop them up and let them run through your fingers like Laurence Olivier in ‘‘Marathon Man.’’ ‘‘This is just totally gnarly!’’ Parker says. Across the street, some of the stones will be cut and polished at a plant opened up by Steinmetz Diamonds, an international company. De Beers ‘‘influenced’’ Steinmetz to open up shop in Gaborone nearly four years ago, as one official diplomatically put it. We enter one of Steinmetz’s ‘‘safe rooms,’’ where a local worker is cutting a diamond with a copper blade. The blade must be coated in diamond dust to make it hard enough to cut the stone. Next door, polishers learn a basic eight-cut, practicing so there’s no more than a 0.9 percent difference from one angle to another on every facet. It takes eight months to train a halfway decent polisher and up to five years before Steinmetz says it fully enjoys the benefits of his training. There’s a Ping-Pong table outside the polishing room where everyone flocks at lunch break. There’s also a factory soccer team that plays after work. ‘‘We’re trying to be very committed to social activites,’’ says Kfir Teichman, the managing director of Steinmetz’s Botswana operation. ‘‘When you fill your employees’ time, you keep them from drinking, which is a problem here.’’ You get the feeling that it’s undoubtedly a helpful thing that the bigger world is coming to Gaborone. After dinner, Parker and Keith head down to our hotel’s casino. A couple of local thugs sidle up. There are threats, and things start to turn nasty. Suddenly Keith pulls out a small cardboard figure. It’s Flat Stanley, a children’s book character turned global school project, the idea being to photograph him in interesting places and report on his travels in class. Keith has been chronicling Flat Stanley’s Diamond Adventure throughout the journey for his son. He now thrusts Flat Stanley into his antagonist’s hands and barks, ‘‘Hold this! It’s for my son’s school, dude!’’ Unsure what to make of this gambit, that’s exactly what he does. And then he smiles. Keith takes his picture. ‘‘I want to be the ethical diamond guy in L.A.,’’ Keith says the next day. ‘‘I can smoke the other jewelers with this!’’ In fact, during the night he actually dreamt up a new ring design using ethical diamonds. ‘‘I’m going to pimp this baby out as soon as I get back to L.A. I’ll call it’’ — he lets his eyes go dreamy — ‘‘African Sky!’’ Pause. ‘‘Kidding.’’ n
‘I want to be the ethical diamond guy in L.A.,’ says Robert Keith, the chief designer of Hoorsenbuhs. diamonds, ignoring other sins of which diamonds stand accused, like low standards of pay, education and health care. There are an estimated 120,000 artisanal miners in Sierra Leone, 150,000 in Angola and nearly one million in Congo. They may no longer bankroll child armies, but they live and work in apalling hardship. Wages average a dollar a day, the work is dangerous, and disease is rampant. ‘‘The Kimberley Process didn’t do anything to change the conditions of artisanal miners,’’ says Dorothée Gizenga, executive director of the Diamond Development Initiative. De Beers does not employ artisanal miners, and it gets only a fraction of its production from alluvial diamonds — the surface deposits that artisanal miners scour with their sieves and shovels. But as with conflict diamonds, the taint of artisanal mining conditions is hard to avoid. ‘‘Once the scrutiny started, there’s nothing stopping how deep it goes,’’ Gizenga says. ‘‘It’s changed the way everyone treats their employees.’’ At Orapa and the nearby Letlhakane mines, for instance, De Beers houses more than 2,800 mine workers and their families. It provides medical care and schooling — we even meet a supervisor at the mine who studied in England on the company’s dime. Orapa has a 100-bed hospital. H.I.V.-AIDS remains a problem, but testing is extensive, and antiretroviral drugs are provided at company expense. Though De Beers has stepped into this ethical void, and Harrowell gives it high marks, she notes it can do better. ‘‘They came around relatively quickly,’’ Harrowell says. ‘‘De Beers realized it would have to change, and it did. But it should be taking more of a leadership role to raise standards throughout the industry.’’ This year, De Beers brought its new Forevermark brand to the United States. The brand not only denotes De Beers’s best-quality stones but also assures that each stone has ‘‘met rigorous standards of business,
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timely
Courtney Applebaum
Homegirl
Courtney Applebaum, 24, studied social theory at the New School — which is, in crucial ways, ideal training for an interior decorator. Her relationships with clients can be intensely personal, and it shows in the spaces she creates. ‘‘I don’t want people to walk into a space and say, ‘Courtney did this,’ ’’ she says. ‘‘I just want it to be beautiful, and for the people who live there to be comfortable.’’ The Los Angeles native already has half a dozen projects under her belt and at least that many in the works, some very high profile. But while her taste can be daring, she is the picture of discretion. The only names you’ll hear her drop are those of Prouvé and Nakashima. 96
P H O T O G R A P H B Y cameron krone . fashion editor : andreas kokkino .
Stella m c Cartney blouse, QR3,400. At STella m c cartney new york. Elizabeth and james pants, her own. Robert lee morris cuffs, price on request. at Robert lee morris gallery. fashion assistant: Elliot soriano. hair by seiji at the wall group. makeup by karan franjola at marek and associates. Manicure by Kiyo Okada at Garren NY for Chanel.
B Y a l i x bro w n e
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