sisterMAG47 – Giovanna Garzoni: Vase with flowers – EN

sist e rMAG 4 7

the painting

Garzoni

G I O V A N N A G A R Z O N I , V A S E O F F L O W E R S W I T H T W O S H E L L S , 1 6 4 2 , watercolor, The Uffizi Gallery of Florence, now in the Museum of Still Life (Natura Morta)

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D e a r s i s t e r m ag r eaders, There must be something in the spring air that makes us yearn for sun, colours, and flowers as March and April roll around every year. Just as nature awakens to new blossoms, so too do our senses, thoughts, dreams and plans.

matching painting that reflects our mood was not so easy. We landed on a primary symbol of spring: a lush bouquet of blossoming flowers. And not just anyone's! Giovanna Garzoni's »Vase of flowers with two shells« is already three and a half centuries old – and yet it looks like an arrangement from 2019.

This year we had so many plans for our first spring issue. We didn't just want to stage and shoot our Easter »Table of the Month«, but to organize a real Easter party with friends. On the first warm sunny Sunday of the year we decorated eggs in Sorbian style (if you want to know more about the Sorbs and their special relationship to Easter, read a very personal account of our colleague, Sophia), embroidered napkins, painted backgrounds, and had breakfast together.

If you're in the mood for your own Easter party, you'll find all the tips, tricks, and templates within the extensive sisterMAG 47 Easter Special. To find a

Which details in and around the painting inspired us for this issue? First of all, there is the era of its creation, Baroque – an epoch of splendour, movement, and capriciousness.

Julia Laukert gives us a brief overview in her introductory article. In her tutorial, Elodie Love offers a guide on how to create flower still lives with modern means.

Of course, we were also captivated by all of the flowers and blossoms in Garzoni's paintings. Barbara Eichhammer's history of the

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bouquet shows us where this culturally versatile symbol comes from, and Marlen Gruner deciphers the meaning of individual flowers. Floral desserts such as panna cotta and semifreddo have been conjured up by Carole Poirot.

We have dedicated an entire interview section to the phenomenon of botanical illustrators, whose work you'll find everywhere from Instagram to Alpro product packaging. Three personalities from all over the world tell us more about their work, inspiration, and techniques.

With the first rays of sunshine, our skin finally glows again. We get to the bottom of the J-Beauty tradition and philosophy together with our partner, Shiseido, exploring Japanese beauty ideals and inviting four influencers to show you skin care routines for every occasion.

If you are still looking for suitable footwear for spring, you can look forward to new models and innovations from our partner, ara. Together with blogger Simone we discover northern Germany in the latest shoe styles – there is something for every taste.

Our latest issue is once again packed with an abundance of beauty! Be sure to check out our social media channels between issues, where we tell you more background stories, post additional photos, and keep you up to date on everything happening behind the scenes at sisterMAG. Wishing you a wonderful April,

Toni & the sisterMAG Team

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TABLE OF CONTENT S I S T E R M A G # 4 7

03 08 10

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EDITORIAL TABLE OF CONTENT COVERMODEL PORTRAIT IMPRINT

– FL O W E R & BO UQ UE T –

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FLOWER BOUQUET A little cultural history of the flower bouquet

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SAY IT WITH FLOWERS The psychological effect of spring blossoms

36 76 84 PAGE 16 – FLOWER BOUQUET

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PAGE 204 – FASHION

LOOKING AT JAPAN with Shiseido NATURE'S MELODIES Birdsong and the sound of the sea HEADSPACE Meditation in your everyday life HOW TO DRAW BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS Interview with Botanical Illustrators

– BA RO Q UE & A RT –

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THE YEAR 1642 When Giovanna Garzoni painted the »Vase of flowers with two shells«

122 132 146 154 168 176 PAGE 214 –EASTER FEATURE

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BAROQUE IN ITALY In the glow of this magnificent world of Art 3 ITALIAN DESSERTS Light & Floral SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT Approaches to Art in Venice and Florence during the High Renaissance FLOWERS STILL LIVES Painting with light B.A.R.O.C.K. Interview with curator and artist Margret Eicher TULIP MANIA Would you trade your house for a tulip TRUE LOVE WAITS Abstinent until marriage – modern chastity movements

PAGE 132 – 3 ITALIAN DESSERTS

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EVERYDAY LIFE OF A MODERN ARTIST »Desk To Success« with Bernadette Schweihoff

– E A ST E R –

204 214 246 254

SISTERMAG PATTERNS Welcome to our newest project THE BIG EASTER FEATURE Tradition, easter party, recipes & DIY EASTER RECIPES Three delicious recipes by food stylist Olimpia Davies EXPLORING NORTHERN GERMANY Our journey with ara

CONTRIBUTORS S I S T E R M A G # 4 7

Text Barbara Eichhammer

the-little-wedding-corner.de Jasmin Fatschild

my-berlin-fashion.com Marlen Gruner

marlengruner.com Alex Kords

kords.net Julia Laukert Christian N채thler

@iamvolta Elisabeth Stursberg

@lizziemariees sisterMAG Team

photo & Video Amanda Dahms

@amandadahms H체rriyet Bulan

botanic-art.de

FOOD Olimpia Davies

@olimpia_davies Carole Poirot

@carole.poirot

Tobias Koch

tobiaskoch.net Claus Kuhlmann

boheifilm.de Elodie Love

@madame_love Jaclyn Locke

jaclynlocke.com Sarah-Louise Marks

@the_adventuresofus Andre Neske

boheifilm.de Joran Ost

illustration Izabela Arsovska -Braukmann

izabe.la Milkisukno

@milkisukno Viktorija Semjonova

@viktorijaillustration

boheifilm.de Christopher Phelps

proof Amie McCracken

the-adventuresofus.com Cris Santos

amiemccracken.com

cristophersantos.com

Ira H채ussler

sisterMAG Team

Alex Kords

kords.net Christian Naethler

@iamvolta Michael Neubauer sisterMAG Team

translation Alex Kords

kords.net Ira H채ussler Christian Naethler

@iamvolta sisterMAG Team

Styling Evi Neubauer

pinterest.com/evin HĂźrriyet Bulan

botanic-art.de sisterMAG Team

Hair & Makeup Claudia Astorino

@astorinomakeup Katharina Handel

@katharina_handel Patricia Heck

patriciaheck.de Tina Fischbach

@tinafischbach_makeupartist

MODEL Simone Adams

@frau_mone Petra Dieners

@lieblingsstil Amandine Hach

@lesberlinettes

Vicky Klieber

@thegoldenbun Dorota Retterath

@nowshine Amiena Zylla

@yoga_pilates_amiena

THE COVER PHOTOS Jaclyn Locke

MODEL Amiena Zylla

OUTFIT PART NE R O F THE ISSUE You can recognize our partner features through the logo at the top of the page.

We thank our partners ara & Shiseido very cordially, because without them this issue would not be possible!

Evi Neubauer

HAIR & MAKE-UP Tina Fischbach

O U R

PORTRAIT

C O V E R

M O D E L

S I S T E R M A G

# 4 7

AMIENA ZYLLA @ Y O G A _ P I L AT E S _ A M I E N A

Our cover model Amiena was born in Cape Town and comes from a family of artists with South African, Indian-Arabian and German roots. As an offspring of a so-called »mixed marriage« and a student of a »school for white people«, growing up wasn’t always easy for her. Because of the system-critical art of her father that repeatedly outraged the South African government, the family moved to Munich in 1986.

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A M I E N A S W E R K S TA T T . D E

»AMIENAS

WERKSTATT«

(»Amiena’s workshop«) in Munich.

It’s her particular focus to give the people who come to her a feeling of freedom of the yoga mat and spend quality time with them. In her classes that are specialised on yoga, Pilates, fasciae and barre workout, you can experience her At an early age, Amiena discovered

playful teaching style on your own

dance and physical activity for

body. You can also use Amiena’s

herself. At the age of twelve, her

instruction videos on her YOUTUBE

wish of attending a ballet school was

CHANNEL

fulfilled. In the subsequent years,

or on the road. When Amiena is

she underwent trainings as a dancer,

not teaching people interested in

a dance, sports and movement

sports, she works as a model, writes

pedagogue and a yoga and Pilates

guidebooks, appears in several TV

instructor in Germany, Cape Town,

shows and magazines as an expert

the USA and India. These days, she

and is a happy mom and family

teaches in her two studios named

woman.

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to practise at home

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DOWNLOADS AMARETTO PANNA COTTA

ROSE SEMIFREDDO & PISTACHIO

JELLY RASPBERRY

EASTER CAKE

DEVILLED EGGS

BAKED EGGS IN AVOCADO

BLINI

PRINTABLE FOR YOUR EASTER PARTY

STRIPED DRESS PATTERN 47-1

DIY NAPKIN EMBROIDERY

VIDEOS ARA

SHISEIDO

DIY NAPKIN EMBROIDERY

exclusive in our next Newsletter

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S T AY I N T O U C H !

FOLLOW US!

Follow along with our stories and daily news from the sisterMAG office easily on Instagram! You can find magazine content, many behind-the-scenes and snapshots of our contributors. And of course, giveaways, invitations and other exclusive activities can be found on @SISTER_MAG.

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T U L I P

M A N I A

flower bouquet

A L IT T L E CULT URA L H IST O RY O F T H E

rs we flo

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Text: BARBARA EICHHAMMER

He nr i Mat isse

There are always flowers for those who want to see them.

In ancient Egypt, they used to ease the passage of the dead to the afterlife, the Baroque age celebrated them as transient gift and during the ÂťTULIP MANIAÂŤ , they turned into the most popular commodity of the world: flowers. In our little 17

cultural history, we will show you how it came about that we give floral bouquets as presents and decorate our homes with them. The history of flower bouquets also allows us to draw exciting conclusions as to the mentalities of each epoch.

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Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt When archaeologist HOWARD CARTER discovered the Egyptian mummy of TUTANKHAMUN in 1922, he also found bouquets of blue lotus flowers and nightshade berries on the coffins. Carter is said to have been downright touched by the floral bouquets, which testified to thousand-year-old burial traditions. Fresh-cut flowers were popular funerary objects in ancient Egypt.

Antiquity and medieval times

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Thus, the oldest evidence of the cultural use of posies was found in Egyptian depictions from the year of 1540 BC .

They show burials with floral arrangements made from red poppies, yellow mandrake and blue corn flowers. The Egyptians also used sprays for spiritual purpose: They should banish evil spirits, in order to ease the passage of the dead to the afterlife.

During ANCIENT TIMES , floral bouquets were popular decorations and gifts; for the first time not only for the dead but also for the living.

The ancient Greeks gave their women flowers to appreciate their beauty. On special occasions, they adorned their 18

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hair with flower crowns. In ancient Rome, for instance, floral arrangements signified a lavish luxury: Whole rooms were decorated by the Romans with rose petals or saffron blossoms. The DEMISE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE in 550 A.D. put an end to such an opulent flower culture. The early Christians, however, distrusted flowers, for they saw them as evidence of the decline of heathen cultures. In the wake of Christianisation, the flower bouquet lost its importance in Europe. Solely Benedictines and Cistercian monasteries tried to preserve the ancient knowledge of flowers in their cloister gardens. In 800 A.D., Emperor CHARLEMAGNE gradually changed the medieval discourse on flowers. During his campaigns against the Moors in Spain, he had the opportunity to explore the impressive Arabic gardens, in which flowers were seen as a symbol of the Divine. Charlemagne was so impressed that he demanded

FLOWERS

a certain amount of medical healing plants and ornamental flowers in his castle gardens.

While the art of flower binding, IKEBANA , had been practiced in Japan since the 6th century A.D., it should still take more than 600 years in Europe to rediscover the floral bouquet as art form.

Renaissance

The flower bouquet celebrated its comeback in Europe during the EARLY MODERN AGE . The Renaissance revived countless ideas of ancient times. Thus, it was during the 15th and 16th centuries that also the ancient custom of giving a

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Renaissance

Antiquity and medieval times

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FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE

(1553). Through the end of the Byzantine Empire, more and more bulbous plants like tulips, daffodils and hyacinths were imported from Turkey to Europe.

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Baroque age

During the 17th century, flowers attained a new aesthetic significance: The floral bouquet was stylised as an art form of the ephemeral. The epoch was essentially shaped by the terrors of the THIRTY YEARS’ WAR (1618 – 1648).

For almost three decades, the fear of death dominated everyday life.

Antithetical motives defined contemporary discourses: VANITAS SYMBOLS emphasized the transience of being and reminded humans of their mortality, which was in stark contrast to the baroque

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Baroque age

floral bouquet as a present was rediscovered – even if it was purely for practical reasons.

The heavily scented blossoms were intended to cover strong body odours.

Not romantic, but true: This is also how the tradition of the BRIDAL BOUQUET came into existence during the Renaissance.

Mostly, brides wore posies consisting of fresh, aromatic herbs such as rosemary and myrrh. They should conceal body odours, banish evil spirits and the strong scent of incense in church. The first real flower gardens in Germany developed after the

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idea of »CARPE DIEM« . Fresh flowers symbolised beauty and decay at the same time. Cut flowers were considered to be the emblem of vitality and the sign for the fleetingness of time. After all, flowers are always already doomed to wilt. Thus, withered bouquets and freshly blooming sprays developed into one of the most important aesthetic principles in baroque still lifes.

Tulip mania How much floral arrangements coined not only social, but also economic life during the 17TH CENTURY can be seen regarding the Dutch »TULIP

FLOWERS

MANIA« :

Tulips had been such an integral part of aristocratic gardens since their introduction in Europe in 1560, that the new commodity turned into a desired collectible and object of speculation.

Between 1632 and 1637, there was a veritable tulip hysteria in the Netherlands: The bulbous plant was traded at the tulip stock market at staggering prices.

Temporarily, the market value of one sole tulip bulb was at 800 guilders, the fivefold of the average yearly salary. A »Semper Augustus« tulip bulb is said to have cost 10,000 guilders – until the market crashed in 1637.

The tulip mania was the first SPECULATION BUBBLE in economic history and shows how much flowers triggered the collective passions of the baroque people.

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Tulip mania

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The language of flowers

The language of flowers During the 18th century, it was a complex imagery of flowers that became »EN VOGUE« among the aristocracy of the time. Flowers were suddenly used as nonverbal medium of communication. Such a »LANGUAGE

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FLOWERS«

was first documented by Lady Mary Montagu in her »LETTERS FROM THE ORIENT« (1718). During her travels to Constantinople, she encountered the hidden meanings of Ottoman blossoms, which conceptualised flowers as SEMIOTIC SIGNS : Iris signified loyalty, red roses meant love and corn flowers indicated hope. Even insults and accusations could be expressed nonverbally with the SISTER-MAG.COM

help of flowers. Such hidden floral codes triggered a hype amongst European aristocrats, which also enabled noble women, despite restrictive circumstances in the 18th century, to communicate their social wishes and conflicts in an adequate way. The first florists thus did not create their bouquets for visual taste but rather created bouquets according to the hidden messages they should send.

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19th century

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It was during the 19th century that the middle classes finally appropriated the floral bouquet to their own lifestyle: At the heyday of clipper ships – fast freight sailing ships – in the middle of the 19th century, more and more exotic flowers came to Europe. Merchants imported azalea and rhododendron from China, as well as gladiolas and freesias from South Africa. In the wake of industrialisation, it was also easier to manufacture inexpensive vases in factories.

Thus, the floral bouquet found its way into the bourgeois home: While cut flowers had been a privilege of the nobility, the middle classes now began to decorate their homes with flower sprays. By appropriating the customs of nobility, the middle classes wanted to demonstrate a high-class lifestyle and noble

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respectability. In this time, the bouquet developed into an independent and consciously designed form. It was no longer just a present, but also an object of interior decoration.

Until today Flowers and how we use them always tell us something about the sociocultural

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Until today

19th century

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such as industrialisation brought them into our homes at reasonable prices.

Meanwhile, we can have them flown in or order them online.

But bouquets have still not lost their fascination in the 21st century.

Until today

circumstances of their time: As transcultural commodity, they sketch the fateful ways of colonialism. They show how technical innovations in sea and air travel changed our consumer world and how social developments

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The creation of a small flower is the work of millenia.

William Blake (1757 - 1827)

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Text | Marlen Gruner

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T H E

P S YC H O L O G I C A L E F F E C T S P R I N G B L O S S O M S

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Say it with flowers!

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Say it Flowers with

Herbaceous plants, colourful flowers – they impact our well-being each in their own way. By their shape, their colour, their scent. Spring blossoms are particularly exciting because they have a very special power after the dreariness of winter.

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The grey of winter has cleared, spring is in the air. With it comes a variety of flowers, bringing a benevolent effect on our well-being and leaving behind traces of bliss. How wonderful!

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A question of colour Spring blossoms and all their nuances have an incredible effect on our mood. Colours, for example, do good for the soul after the grey days of winter. They stimulate your eyes and impact your well-being in many different ways.

Red

Orange

The warmth of red conveys a feeling of love and passion. No wonder that couples like to give each other flowers of this colour.

Pink, on the other hand, also contains a red component and can ignite feelings of attraction. It is foremost a symbol of youth and beauty. These colours awaken the fire in us and our spirits.

This colour radiates energy, optimism, and joie de vivre, triggering warmth and pleasantness. Just think of Buddhists like the Dalai Lama, known for his orange clothes – the nuance expresses the highest level of human enlightenment in Buddhism.

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Yellow

White

This is probably the spring colour par excellence, as it most resembles the season’s sun.

No other shade exudes joy and warmth like yellow. It triggers feelings of freshness and power, especially in spring, and also stands for fertility.

White has largely discarded its reputation as an angelic colour, and therefore its connection with death. It is still considered a sign of immortality, but symbolizes purity, innocence and light. And there are more and more of them in spring. It is also extremely elegant, in keeping with the currently hip all-white furnishing style. Whoever gives white flowers as a gift also gives a touch of harmony and peace.

White & Yellow The mixture of both has a special meaning in colour psychology, symbolizing freshness and joy in equal measure. The mix triggers feelings of hope as well as brightness, nature and pure happiness in us.

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Blue & Purple

Tulips and Daffodils

There are also nuances in the cool colour range. Blue, for example, stands for inspiration and creativity, and also stimulates both. The colour refreshes while at the same time having a cooling and relaxing effect. And, like purple, it symbolizes loyalty.

The creme de la creme of spring bloomers. They arouse a feeling of affection and well-being. In orange they look fascinating and a little exotic, in pink tenderly sweet, and in bright yellow they evoke the burgeoning sunshine of the new season. These flowers symbolize freshness and liveliness.

The answer lies in the nature of the flower The type of flower is also decisive when it comes to how it impacts your mood. One study, conducted by tollwasblumenmachen.de , found that looking at one's favourite flower increases happiness by 200 per cent.

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Ranunculus, Peonies, Lilac, Chamomilee Ranunculus and peonies, on the other hand, are another type of spring flower full of effects. Their floral splendour is attractive and alluring. The lilac is just as strong in colour and form, with its scent alone giving off a hint of spring.

Hyacinths, on the other hand, have a soothing, relaxing, and moodenhancing effect. Chamomile is a little more delicate but no less effective, as it radiates a feeling of hope and comfort.

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It’s blooming green!

The effect of flowers in different locations All spring bloomers have one thing in common: the colour green. It seems to want to shout "nature" the loudest, and therefore also seems the most natural. It radiates liveliness and has a balancing effect – like a walk through nature. This is anchored in our genes; after all, our ancestors spent most of their time outdoors, while today we often work indoors during daylight hours. In this regard, plants provide harmony. They invite a little piece of nature into the house. These can be within your own four walls, where the plants have a relaxing effect after a hard day's work, or outside as a screen from neighbours and the street. Or, of course, at the office.

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Flowers and plants – at work British researchers led by Dr. Marlon Nieuwenhuis from the School of Psychology at Cardiff University found that plants have a positive effect on body, mind and soul. For example, two green plants within an employee's view are said to increase productivity by 15 per cent . [1] This benefits one's physical, cognitive and emotional condition. While the colour serves a harmonizing effect, the plant ensures that pollutants are filtered out of the air, that it remains moist and that oxygen is generated. Previous studies have shown that office plants can reduce psychological stress and increase attention. [2]

[1]

https://bit.ly/2CrzMkc

[2]

https://bit.ly/2Fphj9K

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ÂťThe type of flower is also decisive when it comes to how it impacts your mood. One study found that looking at one's favourite flower increases happiness by 200 per cent. ÂŤ

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Flowers and plants – in the waiting room

Flowers and plants – while shopping

Green has the same balancing effect in the doctor's waiting room. Here plants can be used as eye-catchers or room dividers.

In contrast to the sterile white of many medical facilities, plants can reduce anxiety ahead of a doctor's visit. As symbols of nature, spring bloomers and other seasonal plants bring a touch of fresh colour with them, which has relaxing and calming effects. A botanical touch can turn even a waiting room into a pleasant place.

Plants also play an important role while shopping, where fresh, natural greenery and springlike or seasonal flowers create a cheerful atmosphere. Ultimately, this translates into a boost in one's buying mood as greenery creates a feel-good factor and promotes customer loyalty. In restaurants, plants and flowers round off a concept tailored to the food on offer. In hotels, they radiate luxury and exoticism. In moving away from everyday life, the holiday vibe is enhanced by exotic plants that you may not find at home. Depending on the place, flower or plant and colour, different effects unfold again and again.

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C U L T U R E ,

B E A U T Y

R I T U A L E

&

J - B E A U T Y

Looking at Japan

A N IN T RO DUCT IO N T O J -BE A UT Y

PROMO

Text: ELISABETH STURSBERG

Photos: THE ADVENTURES OF US

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J - B E A U T Y R I T U A L S C U L T U R E

J - B E A U T Y

B E A U T Y R I T U A L S

C U L T U R E

Taking care of one’s appearance is particularly meaningful in Japan. And while clothes and personal style are essential, after all the streets of Japan are populated by remarkably well dressed people, skincare is known to be at the core – understandably so, given that there is arguably nothing more personal than what we use on our face.

B E A U T Y

J - B EA U T Y

AN INTRODUCTION TO AND THE SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT OF JAPANESE VIEWS ON BEAUTY

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Cleansing, Exfoliation, Toner, Serum, Moisturizer and Sunscreen to name just the most important ones.

The understanding of how crucial especially the latter SISTER-MAG.COM

S K I N E Y E

A N T I - A G E

S E R U M

J - BE A U T Y

T R E A T M E N T

S T R E N G H T E N

S O F T E N E R

E Y E S

S T R E N G H T E N

C L E A N I N G

THE JAPANESE BEAUTY ROUTINE, ALSO REFERRED TO AS J-BEAUTY IN AN ANALOGY TO THE SIMILARLY HYPED K-BEAUTY FROM NEIGHBOURING SOUTH KOREA, IS COMPOSED OF VARIOUS STEPS. THESE CAN ALSO BE FOUND IN THE SHISEIDO PHILOSOPHY AND PRODUCT RANGES:

is for keeping the skin young has gradually disseminated into European beauty routines as well, finally, one could say. But Japan and East Asia in general

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have clearly been pioneers. In an act of self-protection and unlike in Europe, being tanned is precisely not considered a beauty ideal. The different attitude towards sunlight goes way back and can be interpreted as the manifestation of a belief rooted deeply in traditional Japanese culture: Absence

of light is not negative per se.

The famous novelist Tanizaki Jun’ichiro, who lived from 1886 to 1965, beautifully summarised this in his essay “PRAISE OF SHADOWS” which was first published in 1933 and is still popular today:

Ta n i z a k i J u n ’ i c h i r o

“A n d s o i t h a s c o m e t o b e t h at t h e b e a u t y o f a J a p a n e s e r o o m d e p e n d s o n a va r i at i o n o f s h a d o w s , h e av y s h a d o w s a g a i n s t l i g h t shadows – it has nothing else.”

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PROMO

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ARCHITECTURE?

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Although Jun’ichiro acknowledges that a lighter room would undeniably be more convenient just as much for the Japanese, he observes that they have come to love the darker atmosphere, having adjusted even the design of objects accordingly. The taste for interior design is guided

by SIMPLICITY and NEUTRAL

COLOURS , with darker, subtle

shades being preferred. The light is at times seen almost as something offensive, and shining, brilliant white colours are perceived as evasive and not suited for the human perception.

Consequently, textured surfaces are preferred because the light can play on them:

Ta n i z a k i J u n ’ i c h i r o

“Light is used not for reading or writing or sewing but for dispelling the shadows in the farthest corners, and this runs against the basic idea of the Japanese room.”

Even though these observations are to be taken with a grain of salt – after all they stem from an entirely different era – a lot of it is still true. We can see this clearly in the work of contemporary Japanese architects such as the Osaka-born architectural

star TADAO ANDŌ who puts special emphasis on issues of sustainability and has summarised the guiding paradigm of his approach to architecture in the following statement which has gained an almost proverbial status: “we borrow from nature the

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PROMO

space upon which we build”.

How architecture interacts with its surroundings is just as significant. The ideal of modesty is perfectly represented both in traditional and contemporary Japanese architecture.

Take for example Tadao Ando’s Chichu Art Museum on Naoshima Island: Instead of dominating its surroundings, the museum literally disappears into the

ground in an attempt to not take away anything from the mountainous scenery.

The material, smooth concrete, is modest, as are the space requirements. The architecture resulting from this is intended to set the scene for what is already there.

“we borrow from n at u r e t h e s p a c e upon which we build.”

C H I C H U

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A R T

M U S E U M

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A MATTER OF PERFECTION?

Mou nt Fu ji

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B E A U T Y

O F

I M P E R F E C T I O N

Ta k i n g a l l t h i s i n t o c o n s i d e r at i o n , it comes to no s u r p r i s e t h at i n Japan perfection h a s t r a d i t i o n a l ly been considered as s o m e w h at e x c l u s i v e .

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A R C H I T E C T U R E

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There is the delightful tradition of gluing broken teapots with gold so that the cracks remain visible and the piece attains a unique identity. As far as we can generalise here, this differs greatly from the “Western” understanding in which cracks are something inherently faulty and should be made invisible through reparation or else the object would have lost most of its worth. Instead, the cracks are highlighted and symbolise something crucial: the individuality of an object and its unique history, which are the determinants of its perfection. In Japan, looking for the »BEAUTY OF IMPERFECTION« is seen as an act of generosity and perfection in some contexts can come with a distinctly negative meaning – certainly a surprise for the European observer. But for which contexts is this the case, and for which is it not?

Several questions arise: When thinking of “perfect”, is it synonymous w i t h “ b e a u t i f u l” ? I s flawless the same as perfect? And, going one step further, one might ask whether the “perfect” can even exist?

Perhaps the easiest context that allows for a legitimate use of the word would be the culinary, since the consumption and enjoyment of food is so strongly connected to personal taste that it has to be entirely subjective. Only, can something be considered as “perfect” already if it is perfect in the eyes of just one person?

Or do several, or all, have to agree on that it is indeed perfect, given its absolute nature? Are there differences in the understanding of perfect regarding different purposes?

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T R A D I T I O N

In Europe (as well as in other parts of the world) there is the popular assertion that “nobody is perfect”, which can be applied to pretty much any context and is supposed to relieve some of the stress surrounding perfectionist behaviour and the pressure resulting from comparison.

Similarly, there is what Nietzsche described as »DER REIZ DER UNVOLLKOMMENHEIT« , the charm of the imperfect. It becomes evident that there is no general answer, since everything related to the human body itself is being examined by use of a different scale.

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It seems as if here, the concept of “perfection” is very much alive and different from the generosity applied to evaluating the appearance and identity of objects: What concerns them directly, from makeup to exterior and looks to personal improvement and even to indicators regarding work performance, people seem to be much stricter with themselves than they are with objects around them. Regarding one’s looks, perfect in the eyes of many equals flawless. And while the ideas about beauty standards may vary, the desire of achieving perfection in the framework of these standards is rather similar in all parts of the world. It has also proven to be timeless. Of course: Beauty standards may have been changing over time. But it seems unlikely that the global pursuit for perfection in complexion will vanish anytime soon.

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While reminding ourselves that perfect skin is neither a matter of skin colour nor of age, and that beauty ideals are just that: ideals, not targets that determine if we are worthy or not – they can still offer a great deal of inspiration.

When it comes to our skin, we damn well better follow the

rules our grandmothers have been repeating like mantras: Prevention is better than damage control.

T r e at i n g y o u r s k i n i s t r e at i n g y o u r s e l f. B a l a n c e i s k e y. T r u s t y o u r skin. And, most i m p o r ta n t ly : Are there real downsides to smiling more often?

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EXPERIENCES WITH

J-Beauty

My name is Jasmin, I’m a travel and lifestyle blogger and write for my blog my-berlin-fashion.com , that’s been existing since 2010. Thanks to my trip around the world, I discovered my love for Japan and address this destination in all of my subject areas.

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“Skincare is the keyword here”

H OW D I D YO U E X P E R I E N C E T H E L A N D S C A P E A N D T H E P E O P L E ?

Japan is incredibly diverse. On the one hand, you experience absolute modernity, or maybe even the future, in cities like Tokyo or Osaka, and on the other hand, you can go to the temples that are only a few steps away and witness culture and tradition that’s been in Japanese history for centuries and still lasts and is appreciated. Japanese people are unbelievably friendly and helpful which is one of the reasons why, in my opinion, Japan is the most beautiful country in the world.

W H AT I S E S P E C I A L LY E XC I T I N G A B O UT JA PA N E S E C U LTU R E ?

The profundity. Since I teach myself Japanese and already

speak, write and read the language, I became more aware of some things. The Japanese language is full of beauty. Take, for example, the word »HANABI« (花火) which means »fireworks«. The word consists of the characters for flower and fire and, thus, is translated »fire flower«. It’s just one of the many examples.

But next to the language, it’s the attitude towards life and the understanding of gratitude in Japanese culture that I like so much.

H O W D I D Y O U P E R C E I V E J A P A N E S E B E A U T Y R I T U A L S A N D J - B E A U T Y ?

In general, Japanese people put a lot of emphasis on purity and cleanliness. The word for »beautiful«, »kirei«, actually means »clean«. During their beauty routine, Japanese people also pay a lot of attention to purity and care. Unlike in America, for example, it’s a very clean look in Japan. Skincare is the keyword here.

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W I T H

S H I S E I D O

Skin Care Routines

BE A UT Y

PROMO

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Photos: JACLYN LOCKE Videos: CLAUS KUHLMANN Production: FRANZI WINTERLING LAURA FRENZEL

&

Illustrations: IZABELA ARSOVSKA

J A P A N E S E

H E R I T A G E

ets me S T A T E - O F T H E - A R T S S C I E N C E SHISEIDO is founded

EUDERMINE , the first

in TOKYO , Japan, as the FIRST JAPANESE PHARMACY in a Western fashion. Since then, combining beauty regimens and knowledge from both cultures has been one of the key approaches of the brand.

Shiseido skincare product is launched. It combines nature with scientific knowledge to protect women’s skin from make-up products which at the time consisted of lead.

1 8 9 7

1 8 7 2

A BR I EF I N SI GH T I NT O T H E HI STO RY O F SH ISE IDO

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first research and development center as a symbol for the ongoing quest to include the latest research and technological advances into their products. Today, Shiseido own 8 such institutes worldwide.

CBRC* establish the N.I.C.E THEORY . It ist he first to prove a connection between the nervous system, imune system, cutaneous science and the endocrine system and enables a completely new approach to ANTI-AGE technology.

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2 0 1 9

1 9 9 3

SHISEIDO scientists and

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Until today, Shiseido is both a pioneer in science and research as well as a brand deeply rooted in its JAPANESE HERITAGE bringing both experiences to women all around the world.

*CBRC = Harvard Cutaneous Biology Research Center

1 9 1 6

SHISEIDO opens their

B E A U T Y For the following beauty routines, we have met with FOUR INSPIRING WOMEN and spoke to them about their personal paths of life that they are on and which beauty essentials and routines they are aiming to incorporate into their daily rituals. Inspired by J-BEAUTY , they are sharing the highlights of their skincare routines – whether it is morning or night, while they are travelling or taking time for themselves.

R O U T I N E S

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R

ing n or M O U T I N WI T H P ET R A - LI EB LI NGSST IL

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E

As a mother and wife as well as fashion and lifestyle blogger, Petra needs to approach every day juggling different tasks and expectations. Even more important to take some time for oneself in the morning, with a cup of coffee or tea in bed as well as a skincare routine that refreshes the skin and protects it for the day ahead.

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stC eLpE 1A

N S E

Small amount of cleanser is held under water and massaged over face in circular motions, rinsed off under water.

S T R E

2 p e st N G T H E N

ULTIMUNE CONCENTRATE

is applied to balm of hand and massaged into skin.

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Illustrations IZABELA ARSOVSKA

R E G E

3 p e st N E R I E

R E N

WRINKLE SMOOTHING DAY CREAM SPF 25 auf dem

Gesicht auftragen und sanft in die Haut einmassieren.

stNepE 4C K NECK COUNTOUR TREATMENT is applied to

neck and gently massaged into the skin.

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R O

TUraveT lI

WI T H V I CK Y - T HE GO LDE N BUN

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N E

We shot Vicky right before she left for the airport – en route to her next journey. The theme of her routine could therefore not be more fitting: how to keep your skin moisturized all day when encountering shifts in temperatures, dry air on an airplane or a stronger than average air condition.

WAT CH T HE V I D EO HE RE

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S O

stC eLpE 1A

2 p e st F T E N

Softener is applied to cotton pad and gently wiped over cleansed face.

N S E

CLARIFYING CLEANSING FOAM is foamed in hand,

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Illustrations IZABELA ARSOVSKA

3 p e st S T R E N G

T H E N

ULTIMUNE CONCENTRATE

is applied to balm of hand and massaged into skin.

M

4 p e st O I S T U

R I Z E

WRINKLE SMOOTHING DAY CREAM is applied to face

and gently massaged into skin.

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me ti e M O U T I N M I T AM AND I N E - LES B ERL IN E T T E S

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E

Is there anything better than closing the bathroom door behind you and taking an hour or more just for yourself?

Amandine leads us through her little me time routine, from applying a sheet mask and moisturizing her skin to relaxing in a bubble bath with a good read.

Whether it’s a Sunday afternoon or a regular weekday night – these moments can feel like a little getaway all together.

WATCH T H E VIDE O H E RE

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PROMO

stepM 1A

S K

PURE RETINOL INTENSIVE REVITALIZING FACE MASK

is taken out of packaging and sheet put on face

S T R

2 p e st E N G T H

ULTIMUNE CONCENTRATE

is applied to balm of hand and massaged into skin

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Illustrations IZABELA ARSOVSKA

E N

M

3 p e st O I S T U R

I Z E

WRINKLE SMOOTHING DAY CREAM SPF 25 is

applied over face and gently massaged into the skin.

stLepI P4 S

FULL CORRECTION LIP TREATMENT is applied onto

lips. Do you feel ready for a bubble bath now?

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R O

NU ight T I WI T H D O R O TA - NO W SH IN E

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N E

After a day full of work, it is important to take some time to wind down and that is what blogger Dorota shows us with her night routine.

After shutting down her laptop for the day and reading a few pages with a cup of tea, she starts taking off her makeup and moisturizing her face and in particular eye are to give her skin the time it needs to recover overnight.

WAT CH T H E VIDE O H E RE

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stepR 1E

M O V E M A K E U P

Product is shaken, applied on cotton pad and gently pressed onto eyes and lips, followed by

BENEFIANCE CLEANSING FOAM .

2 p e st S T R E N G T H ULTIMUNE CONCENTRATE

is applied to balm of hand and massaged into skin.

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Illustrations IZABELA ARSOVSKA

E N

M O I

3 p e st S T U R I

Z E

WRINKLE SMOOTHING CREAM ENRICHED

massaged gently into the skin.

stEepY 4E S INTENSIVE EYE CONTOUR CREAM is gently tapped

around eye area and onto the lid.

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INTERVIEW WITH

PROMO

Nathalie Broussard S C I E N T I F I C

C O M M U N I C A T I O N D I R E C T O R S H I S E I D O

F O R E M E A

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We were honoured to interview the Scientific Communication Director at Shiseido EMEA Nathalie Broussard. sisterMAG founder leads the conversation with her, which you can also listen to as a podcast.

D E A R N AT H A L I E , WO U L D YO U I N T R O D U C E YO U R S E L F : W H O A R E YO U A N D W H AT D O YO U D O ?

I always use to introduce myself as a caring scientist who learns from other people’s experiences and loves to transmit what I have learnt. I’m very curious and open-minded, this is probably due to my foreign and multicultural origin. I’m French but I was born and I grew up in Morocco until my 18 years old. Since my childhood I have been very interested by science and was always trying to find explanation to all that surrounded me. I used to do a lot of sport like classical dance - one of my old passion as my second wish of career was to become a ballet dancer - and I also stirred my creativity through painting. Today, I’m based in Paris and I manage the Scientific Communication for Shiseido EMEA. 71

W H AT M A K E S I T S P E C I A L TO WO R K F O R S H I S E I D O ?

When I joined Shiseido 1 year and a half ago, I discovered how it was the ideal mix of beauty, luxury, art and groundbreaking technologies. Before, I didn’t realize how powerful the research and the scientific knowledge level of Shiseido was. And I thought to myself “HOW CAN A COSMETIC COMPANY HAVE SUCH A SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE NOT

AND

COMMUNICATE

DOES ON

IT MORE WIDELY!? ”. Our SISTERMAG 47 | 04 / 2019

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I N S H A N TO

scientific advances do not only address cosmetic field but also support dermatological field by bringing to light unknown biological mechanisms. What is magical in Shiseido is that the expertise is not limited to skincare but also concerns make-up and fragrance.

When working at Shiseido you should embrace the special spirit and values of trust and respect towards employees and consumers.

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W H I C H WAY I S I S E I D O ’ S A P P R OA C H D M I S S I O N D I F F E R E N T CO M P E T I TO R S ?

Shiseido is a complete expert brand with a strong expertise in all fields: fundamental research on skin biology and olfaction, an outstanding applied research, consumer expectation awareness, formulation knowhow, cosmetic ingredients sourcing and packaging excellence. These expertise make Shiseido a pioneer with the creation of unprecedented products or technologies such as: the first biotechnological hyaluronic acid, the first compact sunscreen, Wet Force technology, Aromacology benefit, and more recently the first cosmetic products integrating neuroscience‌And, Shiseido is definitely different, as since its creation more than 145 years ago, it has been providing a holistic approach of beauty which aims for global well-being.

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W H AT I S S P E C I F I C “JA PA N E S E ” A B O UT S H I S E I D O ’ S P H I LO S O P H Y ? H OW I S I T R E L AT E D TO T H E I D E A O F T I M E L E S S B E AUT Y ?

Shiseido has a strong duality between East and West, but as an authentic Japanese brand, our codes can be found everywhere, in the attention to detail and quality in our product development, in our Japanese sensibility towards package design, and our unique appreciation of sensorial experience illustrated in our textures and aromas. Whereas in the West skincare starts with repair, in Japan skin health and beauty starts with prevention. The core philosophy of SHISEIDO’S J-BEAUTY is to build the skin’s power on a day to day basis, ready to defend against age, environment and lifestyle stresses, rather than only trying to fix what has already been damaged.

W H I C H P R O D U C T A R E YO U M O ST P R O U D O F ?

W H AT I S S O S P E C I A L A B O UT I T ?

Ultimune is definitely my favorite product that carries all our DNA. It combines all in one: preventive Japanese philosophy, innovation supremacy and sensorial experiences. This product is the first cosmetic skincare targeting the skin inner defensive power, it’s a concentrate of science and sensoriality to future-proof the skin. My skin and also my mind are addicted to it and if one day I forget it, I feel bad like if I was missing something important.

I N W H I C H WAY H AV E CO N S U M E R S D I F F E R E N T D E M A N D S O N T H E I R A N T I - A G I N G B E AUT Y P R O D U C TS TO DAY CO M PA R E D TO 10 Y E A R S A G O ?

Today, women change their mindset to ageing. They shift from a negative thinking to embrace the good things that every change in their life brings. Meaning that they try to consider

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PROMO

My credo to achieve the perfect balance is:

that their current age is their favorite age. The recent trend of a beautiful and youthful skin is now more about a healthy skin and this perfectly matches to our philosophy. Beyond anti-ageing they expect to age well. In their beauty routine they consider as much skincare products as their lifestyle which should provide balanced mind and body.

YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW WITH NATHALIE BROUSSARD AS PODCAST IN OUR SISTERMAG RADIO

So I try to be 100% available and to be focussed whether I’m at home for my family or whether at work.

Be proud: Finding a meaning to my job. This helps me to love what I do and to be proud of what I achieve. This helps me to resist tricky moments or when I’m traveling very often.

Escape: My way to escape is mainly through sport and exercising. Every week I dedicate one or two lunch times to go running or cycling. When I’m back to the office I feel full of energy.

iTunes Soundcloud Spotify

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“Everything in its own time”

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“Be proud: Finding a meaning to my job.

T h i s h e l p s m e t o l o v e w h at I d o a n d t o b e p r o u d o f w h at I a c h i e v e . T h i s h e l p s me to resist during tricky moments or w h e n I ’ m t r av e l i n g v e r y o f t e n . ”

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H O W

N A T U R E ’ S

M E L O D I E S

C O N T R I B U T E

T O

O U R

W E L L - B E I N G

Birdsong and the sound of the sea

N AT URE’S ME L O DIE S

VASE

OF

FLOWERS

&

Birdsongs Birds chirping in the morning, the sound of the sea from a shell, splashing water in the shower, a playlist of whale songs – all these moments have one thing in common: they contain sounds of nature. And they all positively impact our well-being.

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Text: MARLEN GRUNER

The best thing about the sound of nature is that it’s free – while walking with your partner, family, or friends, on your way to work or to the supermarket... anytime you're outdoors, really.

So if you spend a lot of time in nature, you can also benefit from the effect of its melodies.

And this is exactly where our evolutionary origin lies: after all, our ancestors spent most of their time outdoors. Thus a connection to nature and its sounds is anchored in our genes. This is evident when consuming such auditory stimuli.

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Artificial vs. natural

Natural sounds stimulate the brain differently than artificial sounds. While water splashing, birdsong, and the like are perceived as rather pleasant and thus contribute to inner relaxation and stress reduction, artificial sounds often have a disharmonious effect, creating a hectic atmosphere that can distract

your attention . A study by Stockholm University confirms that natural sounds can relieve psychological stress and have a RELAXING effect. And what's more, relaxing sounds can even stimulate creativity and the ability to concentrate while promoting the strength and energy to solve problems.

Mindfulness vs.

Experts therefore recommend listening to the natural soundscape while running instead of being distracted with music through headphones.

The chirping of birds, as well as your own breath, can have

a relaxing effect. Mindfulness is the keyword here – to concentrate on oneself and to eliminate external, energyconsuming disturbances. But Kurt Fristrup, a scientist at the United States National

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Park Service, sees nature's soundscape as threatened to a certain extent. On the one hand, we use headphones and block out potentially relaxing ambient sounds. On the other hand, our surrounding is becoming louder and louder. Over several years, the researcher investigated American national parks and found that their noise levels increased significantly due to engine noise and air traffic. In the next 20 to 30 years it could even DOUBLE OR TRIPLE .

This means that it will become increasingly more difficult to relax in nature – even when we make a conscious effort to do so.

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Birdsong Until then, we'll listen to birdsong. According to Julian Treasure of THE SOUND AGENCY, the sound of birds triggers physical relaxation and cognitive stimulation. »People find the twittering of birds relaxing and calming.

Over thousands of years, they have learned that when birds sing, they are safe. When birds stop singing, people need to worry. The chirping of birds is therefore nature's alarm clock.

The chorus at dawn signals the beginning of the day and stimulates us cognitively« explains Treasure.

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VASE

»People find the twittering of birds relaxing and calming.

Over thousands of years, they have learned that when birds sing, they are safe. When birds stop singing, people need to worry. The chirping of birds is therefore nature's alarm clock. The chorus at dawn signals the beginning of the day and stimulates us cognitively«

OF

FLOWERS

Natural audio like this works so well because it consists of many random sounds without a repetitive rhythm or pattern to focus on. »It doesn't stay in your head and annoy you, but it doesn't let you fall asleep or get bored either,« says Russell Jones of the creative agency Condiment Junkie. By the way, it doesn't always have to be birdsong but can also include sounds from other animals. »Such sounds are incredibly awakening and have the power to take us immediately to another place,« explains CHERYL TIPP, sound curator of the British Library.

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Sound of the sea The sound of the sea also awakens positive memories, such as of past holidays.

This unmistakable sound, internalized during your vacation, is linked to a sense of well-being that can be triggered by merely hearing it again. And this despite the fact that the

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noise of the ocean is at least as loud as the noise of cars in traffic or the buzz of voices in a mall. The same applies to the sound of rain and water splashing, which, according to researcher Myriam Thoma from the University of Zurich, is considered Âťlife-givingÂŤ and thus calming. This stimulusresponse pattern also works with other natural sounds such as wind and thunder.

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Live vs.

Natural sounds not only produce positive effects »live«, but also when played as a recording.

According to Julian Treasure, they can be heard in the office via headphones, for example, to help suppress distracting noises and conversations.

This filter aids in relaxation and concentration. So it is completely fine to listen to »replica« sounds as they also fulfill their intended purpose – even if birdsong only takes place in your head. Of course, a walk in the forest does not just stimulate your hearing. Think of the other senses – smell, sight, taste and touch – and

how they benefit from the views of harmonizing green, the scent of wood, the indulgence of wild strawberries and the sensation of soft moss.Now to answer what you've surely been wondering this whole time: where does the sound of the sea come from when you put a shell to your ear? This happens when ambient noises penetrate the shell as sound waves and are thrown back and forth between the walls inside, causing the air in the shell to vibrate. Some ambient sounds are amplified, others are softened. This sounds like a calming ocean noise.

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Meditation in your

easy as can be with the »Headspace« app

H E A D S PA C E

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Meditation is the more and more chosen and rather trendy way of dealing with a stressful lifestyle. But what’s behind this hype? How does meditation even work and what happens in our bodies during meditation?

Since »HEADSPACE«

,

the biggest app for mindfulness and meditation worldwide, has just been launched in Germany, we asked Miriam Junge these questions. Junge, who has a Master's in Psychology, is the face and ambassador for mindfulness and mental health of »Headspace« in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and has been recommending this app to her clients for years.

Miriam, what is the goal of meditation?

The goal of meditation is not really not having any thoughts at all and being completely »clean«, but rather to concentrate on the moment and to not give your thoughts, whether ones about the past or the future, too much weight. Meditation and MINDFULNESS, which can be viewed similarly, are about being in the here and now.

FREE DOWNLOAD HERE

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What happens to our bodies when we meditate?

Meditation affects the brain. It reduces tension as well as our heart rate and pulse and we start to provide our brain with a lot more oxygen through active breathing. We become more conscious in general and about what happens in our bodies.

Meditation also sharpens certain memory contents – it increases our ability to concentrate.

How does »Headspace« help me to meditate? »Headspace« helps with different topics for which there are different exercises. Topics such as focus, concentration, happiness, serenity, content, sport, food, children – but also topics that play a role in my job as a coach and therapist such as frustration, anger, sadness, anxiety, loneliness and stress – stress is a big topic. The exercises guide you through meditation step by step. Although you notice distractions, you let them pass like clouds in the sky. Your SISTER-MAG.COM

concentration goes back to your breathing, because it is the one thing that keeps you alive right now.

This is what makes the app so great, especially with the different methods such as the body scan, which is also used in psychotherapy. Short videos explain everything to you in detail. So »Headspace« does not only offer guided meditation but inspires and accompanies you throughout the day. You for instance receive small push messages during the day such as »Why don’t you try to breathe consciously twice for one minute« or »Be sure drink enough«. You develop an inner voice that lets you treat yourself with more love. That is what »Headspace« has done for me.

What about meditation is it that makes us more healthy? »You are more healthy if you can distance yourself from stressful situations. Stress is a big risk factor for illnesses.

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Many of whom I introduce to the concept of mindfulness tell me after the first session that they feel more stressed or anxious than before. That may well be, but the app did not cause this.

You simply felt what was going on on the inside, so you should start dealing with that. Maybe this is exactly what you have to address or work on.

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»irritability« reduces your personal irritability by 27%. And even one »Headspace« session can improve your ability to focus and reduce the time your thoughts wander each day. That is something I find extremely interesting. Just because it brings you back to breathing.

I recommend everyone to try it for themselves – go for it.

How long and how often should I meditate with »Headspace« to feel a positive effect?

Together with the NHS, National Health Service, »Headspace« has conducted an extensive study that has produced exciting results: Eight weeks of using »Headspace« daily will result in a 46% decrease in depression and a 31% decrease in anxiety.

Whether you do a one-minute exercise or a 15-minute session. If you do the »focus« exercise daily for 4 weeks, the study found that you will be 14% more focused. According to the study, 10 days of doing the Headspace exercise regarding 87

Do you want to try »Headspace«? You can download the free test version from the app store. A clear recommendation by sisterMAG!

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I N T E R V I E W

W I T H

B OTA N I C A L

I L L U S T R ATO R S

botanical Illustrations

H O W T O DRAW

Interviewwith

Olga Chuykova ,

Photo: CRIS SANTOS

VASE

Irene

OF

Laschi &

FLOWERS

Maggie

Enterrios

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Interview Photos: CRIS SANTOS

GARZONI's

works have an undoubtedly huge amount of influence over botanical art and a great source of inspiration.

I love her botanical paintings for their details and rich colour palette. I love how she depicted the subjects from different points of view to bring attention to every imperfection and how that allows us to contemplate the beauty of everything from fading flowers, drying leaves, to common birds and bugs.

In my works I strive to uncover the magic, beauty and mystery seen in the natural world all around us. Subtle, hidden and often unnoticed details can be observed when subjects such as leaves and flowers begin to wilt and then are replaced by fresh new growth, starting the cycle over again.

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Olga

Chuykova

website

w w w. o l g a c h u y k o va . c o m

instagram behance

@chuykova be.net / olgachuykova

Tell us a little bit about yourself – who are you, what do you do and where do you live? Where do you come from?

I’m OLGA CHUYKOVA, and I’m a contemporary botanical artist. I do watercolour illustrations as well as watercolour workshops in Berlin, Russia and around Europe.

I’ve lived and worked in Berlin, Germany since 2015. Graduated from the Volgograd University of Fine arts in Russia with a degree in Graphic Design.

I’m a member of both the AMERICAN SOCIETY OF BOTANICAL ARTISTS and BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND.

I’ve been an artist since I was seven years old and have never imagined doing something else. At different 91

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times I’ve used sculpture, oil painting, acrylic or pastels to create artworks. My main subject was always nature, but I like to try and experiment with other subjects such as still lifes, portraiture and abstract art.

How did you get started with botanical illustrations?

The exact moment is hard to determine. I did not practice watercolour for a long time, but I always had it in the back of my mind. I was too unsure about using it for anything.

Around six years ago I bought this beautiful sunflower from the florist and felt so inspired with the form and colour of it SISTER-MAG.COM

Around six years ago I bought this beautiful sunflower from the florist and felt so inspired with the form and colour of it and knew watercolour would be the best medium to depict it.

and knew watercolour would be the best medium to depict it. That’s how I came back to watercolour after a long break. That sunflower was my first attempt to get into the botanical art world.

What is your biggest challenge in your work?

Definitely time. There is never enough time to finish all the commercial work and start new experiments. I’ll never know if my new interest will be successful, so the solution is to leave the idea until next time and 92

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What would you designate as the biggest difference between modern work and Renaissance artwork and illustrations?

I believe the significant difference is the meaning behind the painting: Nowadays we see a beautiful rose, a white lily, an orchid all are delicate and charming flowers. However, flowers were part of a rich visual symbolism which played a prominent role in early art. Roses, for example, are symbolic of true love, courtly love and eternal love. Orchids represent jealousy, suspicion and deceit.

work on a current submission which sometimes can be really frustrating.

Do you strive for accuracy or artistic expression in your illustrations?

I try to achieve a balance of both, but if there is a choice I’d prefer accuracy.

There is even a book dedicated to floral symbolism: THE GARDEN OF THE RENAISSANCE - highly recommended!

How do you earn money? Is botanical illustration your source of income?

My source of income is illustration. I do botanical illustration for commercial use and for private collections, auctions and exhibitions. I also do all sorts of other illustrations with watercolour, ink, acrylics or pencil drawings.

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Which materials and tools do you work with?

I only use professional supplies, but my curiosity always leads me to something new. My collection of watercolours has all sorts of brands from classic »Winsor and Newton« to the relatively new brand »Daniel Smith«. Although I do have favourite brands like »Winsor and Newton« for their amazing brushes and »Fabriano« for excellent paper.

Why do you live in Berlin?

Do you see it as a creative stimulation or are there pragmatic reasons?

It started as a pragmatic choice, but now I’m in love with the city

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and I have my life here. However, I love to travel and maybe one day I’ll find another home.

Do you work with real flowers to draw? Where do you get them?

I do work both using real flowers and pictures. Sometimes all I have is my memories and a few sketches. I love to buy flowers from weekend markets or tiny shops with an interesting selection of plants. In summer and spring I prefer going to a botanical garden and taking pictures, lots of pictures! I also do sketches and drawings of interesting plants in addition to photos it’s a great foundation for new work.

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I love to buy flowers from weekend markets or tiny shops with an interesting selection of plants.

You teach many workshops – what do you do with your students? What do they learn?

I love teaching workshops - to share my knowledge and to meet enthusiasts, just like me, is always so exciting. My workshops are for two types of students: those who have no or very little experience and those who feel confident with watercolour. With the first group we always start with the basics: how to choose supplies, different paper and how to organise the work space.

We do a lot of fun exercises to see how watercolour can be different. We study the composition and colour, finishing the course with one well-done botanical illustration.

With the experienced group we study complex colours, forms and textures of plants. We work with specimens and face all the difficulties related to it, like fading, changing colour or shape, buds opening, leaves withering. So we learn to make sketches and how to use them afterwards.

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Irene

Laschi @irenelaschi

facebook

/irenelaschi

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Interview

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Illustrations for packaging Client: Bramley & Gage Agency/ Photo credit: Green Chameleon

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How did you get started with botanical illustrations?

Actually by chance!

I’ve always known I didn’t want to draw fantasy or fictional subjects I’ve never been too interested in storytelling, while I’ve always loved encyclopedias and descriptive, super detailed illustrations.

Tell us a little bit about yourself – who are you, what do you do and where do you live?

I’m IRENE LASCHI, a freelance illustrator. I was born in Siena, I made scientific studies and I have a degree in Prehistoric Archaeology too.

I’ve always loved drawing, and when I was a teenager I spent all my free time doing it, but it was only after my degree that I realized I wanted to do it as a job.

I’m living in Florence now - I moved to this city ten years ago to work as an illustrator: I worked in an illustration studio for a couple of years, and then I started working as a freelancer.

I started with historical illustrations: as an archaeologist I’ve always loved historical reconstructions, and I’ve always thought that illustration is the best media to communicate difficult contents to a wide and nonspecialized audience, both in books and museums.

The studio I worked for was specialized in historical reconstructions, but not only, and my first important commission was a series of botanical illustrations for packaging… and that’s how I started drawing botanicals, and I fell in love with flowers and fruits!

I put my portfolio online and I was contacted by my first clients, who asked for botanical subjects, and I’ve never stopped drawing these subjects since.

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Would you describe yourself as a typical modern botanical illustrator? Or what is your commercial work like?

I love to describe myself as a commercial illustrator specialized in botanical subjects.

I like to put the stress on the word “illustrator”.

I’m not an artist or a painter, even if I use mainly traditional media to create my drawings.

My job is closer to that of graphic designers rather than to artists: what should be enjoyed by the audience is not the unicum I draw on paper, but the copies (on packaging, on websites, etc.)

- and I should be aware of that when planning the illustrations.

Illustration is part of visual communication and has its own rules. »Commercial«, because my illustrations are used mainly in advertising and packaging: composition, colour palette and all the other main features of the illustration should be planned while thinking about that.

Il Giardino Dei Sapori Client: Fruttagel Agency: Menabò SISTER-MAG.COM

They are scientific illustrations but their aim is not (or not only) communicating scientific content.

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Illustrations for the windows of Printemps Client: Printemps, Boulevard Haussmann Paris Photo credit: Marco Lodovichi

My illustrations have a modern style, made of a vivid colour palette and a realistic yet graphic effect - suitable for commercial aim.

What is your biggest challenge in your work?

For sure, carefully.

planning

everything

But after ten years drawing botanical subjects, one of the main challenges is to never repeat a performance, especially with the same subjects.

At the very beginning, the main challenge was delivering everything at the highest quality and on time - I never studied at art schools, and I learned how to draw botanicals while doing the commissioned jobs (when you have to pay the rent and the bills, you learn really quickly!).

Growing tired of them is something I’m not worried about: I love botanicals too much, and, furthermore, each time the client is different, and my way of approaching the subject is different too - specific for that client only.

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Stillleben Skizzen

But after ten years drawing botanical subjects, one of the main challenges is to never repeat a performance, especially with the same subjects.

How do you achieve accuracy in the illustrations?

Even before planning the illustration, as soon as I know the subjects, I start studying and understanding them - the final illustration is a sort of summary of the previous analysis.

Still-life sketching, photos, web and book research, and looking at old masters too, are fundamental steps: there’s no shortcut to achieving a good result.

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Composition and colour palette too are something that should be planned at the beginning: if they don’t work, the illustration doesn’t work.

I’m quicker in drawing than ten years ago, but I never skip any of these steps.

What would you designate as the biggest difference between modern work and Renaissance artworks and illustrations?

In general, there are these main differences: the use of different technologies, a different market

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and, as a consequence, different timing.

Furthermore, drawing was the only way to document the new discoveries and the world around in general until the end of the 19th century.

Thinking about botanical subjects only and about my job in particular, there are few differences but also some similarities between my work and the old masters - Renaissance artists but not only.

JACOPO LIGOZZI and GIOVANNA GARZONI, for example, are more

artists than illustrators (they work for specific clients, the Medici and others, and create unique pieces).

But the research and the scientific studies behind these drawings are the same as what a contemporary commercial illustrator like me does, just that the aim was different.

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- even if the result is different, my vision of naturalistic subjects is really close to hers.

Last but not least, both the old masters and I are the first of all artisans with a craft, and we have clients asking us for specific services and paying for them sometimes it’s difficult to think about art and illustration as paid services in the social network era.

I went to »BOTTEGA« (an Italian word both for the artist’s studio and his workshop) to learn a craft, learning the know-how from people who have been making this a job for years (and not through textbooks or schools), while making it - just like the old masters did.

In GIOVANNA GARZONI artwork, all the botanicals are realistic but there’s no hyperrealism, and scientific intent goes along with a personal and vivid colour palette

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My »teachers« went to bottega too, and their teachers too, and so on: I like to think of it as a sort of direct line to the Renaissance.

Usually botanical artists use only watercolour or coloured pencils: but as I’ve already said, I’m a commercial illustrator and not a botanical artist.

Have you ever wandered into other fields other than botanical illustrations?

Which materials and tools do you work with?

Mainly airbrush, acrylic inks and coloured pencils - but also watercolours, acrylic paint and gouache.

I use these traditional media whenever possible, but actually I use Photoshop as well (especially for editorial illustrations).

Airbrush was my first love - I bought my first one when I was 15, and I never stopped using it, first in my free time, then for my job.

As I said at the beginning, I started with historical illustration and archaeological drawing.

Now 90% of my illustrations have botanical subjects, but I also draw naturalistic subjects in general (like animals or science book infographics and illustrations), as well as food illustrations and portraits.

I love challenges, and different subjects are always a great opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, to learn new things and to be a better illustrator.

What role does digital play in your work?

I like to think about Photoshop (one of the few softwares I use) as a medium - nothing more, nothing less than the brush and the inks I use on paper.

Illustrations for collaterals of CFS 2013 Client: Arthritis Research UK Agency/ Photo credit: Rilke SISTER-MAG.COM

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Illustrations for packaging Client: Bramley & Gage Agency/ Photo credit: Green Chameleon

When creating digital artwork, the steps I make are the same: Photoshop layers are like different layers of paint, or different sheets of tracing paper (I started quite a long time ago, when sketches were made on tracing paper), and a brush is just a brush.

Photoshop won’t solve the problems I could find if I don’t know how to solve them.

Of course, digital makes a lot of things faster and easier (like adjustments and corrections), and to me it’s fundamental both for the initial planning and for postproduction.

Florence and Tuscany are world-renowned for their famous lighting – does that play a role in your work at all?

Yes, I always carry with me »my« colour palette.

I grew up in Siena’s countryside, surrounded both by nature and medieval art. But if I should describe my hometown, I’d talk about light: no other place has its pink and orange sunset, and it’s always amazing seeing this warm light on the city’s medieval buildings, made of pink bricks and pale, warm colours.

Shadows are always violet and blue, no black and grey at all.

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In any case, this warm and vivid palette with no dark shadows is always recurring in my illustrations.

View from the studio

Florence has the same warm light, but this time I won’t talk about pink and orange, but about yellow and ochre.

Have you always lived in Italy?

Yes, except for a couple of months I lived in Crete when I was studying archaeology.

How does Florence, as a city, influence your work? Does the world of the Medici and this rich history play a role in your daily or work life?

In Tuscany, we grow up surrounded by art masterpieces and medieval or Renaissance architecture: we always have beauty and art before our eyes, and they’re part of our everyday life (and often, sadly, all these things are taken for granted).

Of course I love to travel, see new places and cultures, admire different architecture and lighting, but sometimes it is enough to walk across my cities and look at them with different eyes.

When I was a little child I spent hours in front of the medieval paintings of AMBROGIO

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Il Giardino Dei Sapori Client: Fruttagel Agency: Menabò

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Learning from old masters is something we should never be tired of we’re just dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants.

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LORENZETTI, SIMONE MARTINI and

their colour palette and their love for detail influenced me a lot.

DUCCIO

DI

BUONINSEGNA;

And what about Florence: UFFIZI, GALLERIE DELL’ACCADEMIA but also smaller museums and art collections, and churches too, are places I visit any time I can - each time I notice a different detail, I learn something new, I get inspiration for my illustrations.

MEDICI’s art collections are something

every illustrator (or artist) should see and study.

One of my favourite painters in Medici’s collections is JACOPO LIGOZZI: his botanical and naturalistic drawings on vellum are a milestone for botanical illustration. GIOVANNA GARZONI too learned from his drawings (they never met), and that’s clear in her approach.

Learning from old masters is something we should never be tired of - we’re just dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants.

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Maggie

Enterrios

website instagram behance

littlepatterns.com @littlepatterns be.net/littlepatterns

Tell us a little bit about yourself – who are you, what do you do and where do you live? Where do you come from?

I’m a professional illustrator and I create designs primarily for product packaging and for editorial purposes. I started my design company three years ago after beginning my career in the technology industry. I wanted to build my own brand and to create work with a purpose, and I knew that I could turn my passion into a marketable skill with enough hard work and focus.

I truly believe that my upbringing contributed to the work I do now. I was born in Bad Soden (to American parents) and lived in Frankfurt during early childhood. I attended German kindergarten where — unlike in the

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states — an emphasis was placed on arts and crafts lessons, nature and exploring the outside world. I learned an appreciation for art as a tool for self-expression at such a young age and it has never left me.

In terms of where I live, I’m what you might call a digital nomad. I travel full-time and my business is conducted primarily online or with video conference calls. Last year I traveled through the United States and Canada. Next up, I’m headed to Australia for a while. It’s wonderful to have a career that doesn’t limit my ability to travel.

How did you get started with botanical illustrations?

I would say that the addition of botanicals into my work happened gradually. I began as an abstract illustrator, combining pattern elements with intricate organic linework to create dense compositions. About ten years ago I created a set of illustration

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experiments and that was the first time that more literal forms began to appear in my work. I had created shapes that were flowerlike: with a center and repeating »petal« shapes around the edges.

My work grew from there, and soon I began looking at the world around me for inspiration. I began including more realistic plants in my compositions and found there was a market for that style of work. The beauty of nature never goes out of style.

Do you have a favourite plant? Do you own a lot of plants?

I love chrysanthemums and in general I enjoy round flowers that have a great deal of density, lots of petals and texture. On the other end of the spectrum I enjoy the odd shape of calla lilies. They feel to me like the single twirl of a paintbrush, like they are wisps crafted out of thin air.

I don’t own many plants, mostly because I’m travelling so much

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that my schedule doesn’t allow for it. When I am in one place for a while, I believe in having fresh flowers around me at all times. I enjoy arranging bouquets, and I typically enjoy all-white flowers with bursts of green leaves.

Many of your botanical illustrations are in black and white – why do you choose to leave out colours, even though plants and nature are usually the most colourful of things?

Just for that reason: when we see flowers we adore them for the burst of colour or the smell, but we don’t appreciate the way they are built. Flowers are full of gorgeous texture and intricacies that I enjoy highlighting. Stripping away their colour makes the viewer appreciate their unique characteristics.

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What has been your favourite client project, or the one you’re most proud of?

Last year I worked with BEEKMAN 1802 on a packaging line of soaps, lotions and lip balm called ARCADIA. I am thrilled when commercial clients embrace artwork in their business. It means they recognize the value of design and craftsmanship and trust an artist to tell the story of their product visually. For the Arcadia project, I was given all of the scent notes and a description of what the brand wanted to evoke, and I was able to bring that to life through illustration. A project like this engages your senses before you even smell or open the jar.

The artwork invites your mind to imagine: you see black and white illustrations, but when you open the jar and smell, that’s when you »sense« the colour.

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Arcadia Illustration for Beekman 1802

Would you describe yourself as a typical modern botanical illustrator? Or what is your work like?

I struggle to call myself a botanical illustrator because — while I do draw nature — it isn’t often true to the subject matter. I use nature as the starting point that allows my creativity to wander.

Has your style changed since you’ve started working?

Would you share one of your earliest works? What do you think when you look at it today?

When I look back at my old work, I can see a clear path to where I

When we see flowers we adore them for the burst of colour or the smell, but we don’t appreciate the way they are built.

am now. There was always a clear emphasis on line, form and detail.

My work probably fits best into the »Arts and Crafts« movement from the early 1900s. In a world full of clean, minimal design, I take great joy in creating some artistic chaos. When I look at old work, I am often thrilled at the pure creativity I had at a younger age before I had the influence of my clients (and a paycheck!). So much of my work now can be dictated by market trends, where my early work was pure expression.

Sometimes I look back at old work to gain inspiration for the work I do now. It’s worthwhile to take a hint from my younger self to be more exploratory and free.

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Dandelion Chocolate Illustration

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Which materials and tools (digital or craft tools) do you work with?

What is your biggest challenge in your work?

Time! My work is characterized by an immense amount of detail, and that detail takes days or weeks.

An average piece takes 30 hours to produce, and I typically have 5-10 clients at a time. Producing that much work (in addition to performing the everyday tasks required to run a business) can be overwhelming. As a creative person, it’s difficult for me to switch gears from one project to another, as I do my best work when I am in a deep state of focus. However, if I only spent my time drawing, I would have a lot of clients frustrated, waiting to hear from me. I have had to learn to be both an artist and entrepreneur, to slip in and out of that deep focus with more ease and agility and be more flexible altogether.

Most of my work these days is done digitally on my iPad Pro with the app PROCREATE. When I’m not working digitally, my tools are simple: paper and pen. The goal is for all of my work, digital or analog, to feel as though it is crafted by the same artist’s hand.

For that reason, I also keep my digital process rather simple. I don’t use special effects brushes or anything I could not replicate with traditional craft tools.

What advice would you give a younger Maggie?

I would urge her to stay true to her vision. I spent many years struggling because my work didn’t look like anyone else’s, and I thought that was a bad thing. I still hadn’t learned the lesson that to be unique is to be beautiful.

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To be unique is to be beautiful.

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W H E N G I O VA N N A G A R Z O N I PA I N T E D T H E » VA S E O F F L O W E R S W I T H T W O S H E L L S «

The Year 1642

The Year

1642

What was happening during the years in which our main artwork for this issue, Garzoni’s »Vase of flowers with two shells« was created (the exact dating is unknown)? What was in the news; what was occupying people’s minds; and which developments determined daily life, or not?

In our series »The Year X« we want to take a closer look at certain years and fill the numbers with life. All the different areas of life play a role here: Politics and history, arts, meteorology, the public sphere. We reconstruct the historical context of the artwork to paint the bigger picture.

In this issue: The year 1642.

Te xt: E l i s a b e th S t u r sbe r g SISTER-MAG.COM

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People i It was the year 1642: The painter Giovanna Garzoni returned home from Paris to Italy where she would be living in Florence for the coming years. She was poised for a period of success, both artistically and professionally. Italy, however, had just lost one of its most brilliant minds. On January 8th, the philosopher, mathematician, physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei had passed away in his house nearby Florence where he had been placed under house arrest; instead of being burned, at least, even though he had already abjured the Copernican system against his belief and better knowledge.

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history & politics I

Politically and even culturally, the cradle of the Renaissance was gradually losing influence.

The Grand Dukes of the Medici still determined the fate of Florence, but the baroque generation had apparently not inherited the ingenuous business sense of their ancestors. It was summer, August 14th, and in Palazzo Pitti there were celebrations for the birth of the successor for the throne: Cosimo III. As ruler, he would be directing his focus less on the arts or the economy, but on the clergy, and with regard to powerconscious descendants, the dynasty would overall not be so lucky in the 17th century.

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history & politics Ii

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Since 1618, the European continent was being ravaged by a ferocious war, and it was not yet foreseeable that it would last for thirty full years. Further north, in England, there was also war, and in Ireland a rebellion: Irish Catholics were fighting against protestant settlers from England and Scotland. In short, it was the unfolding of a conflict that would shape politics and everyday life on the island for centuries to come.

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Nature Unlike the man-made catastrophe in Europe, the Far East was haunted by a natural disaster. A devastating flood in China had taken the lives of more than 300,000 people.

It was likely that most Europeans were not aware of this, given that newspapers were only just evolving and the exchange between China and European countries was still limited. French rulers and high-level church officials were presumably among the first to hear about the catastrophe through the letters of French Jesuits. The missionaries had arrived only recently in China, but with their reports they would shape the European image of the ÂťMiddle KingdomÂŤ well into the 18th century.

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society & public Sphere Since the end of the Renaissance, the mentality had been changing.

The wars weighed heavily on peoples’ shoulders and in many cases, they absorbed all attention and strengths.

Ironically, absolutism was one of the winners of this, but it was a discord that permeated all areas of life.

The lavish grandeur of baroque palaces and extravagant lifestyle

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of the nobility was too often in contrast to poverty, suffering, and scarcity. A deepened religiosity was increasingly in conflict with new truths unveiled by the rapidly evolving natural sciences – who are people supposed to believe?

This opposition on many levels was also reflected in paintings, particularly well in the widely popular still lifes.

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performing arts Jean-Baptiste Poquelin was a French specialist in law. But then he met the actress Madeleine Béjart who endorsed him in his passion for the theatre. It was most likely that at the time, he did not yet have any idea of the tremendous success awaiting him that would send him as high up as to Versailles where he would present his plays to the Sun King. The name under which he would achieve all this was: Molière.

people ii Paris, December 4th, Cardinal Richelieu — wealthy, accomplished, and widely respected as an advisor to Louis XIII — had just passed away.

Richelieu

Armand-Jean du Plessis, Premier Duc de Richelieu, had not only been a political heavy weight, he had also found time to support the arts. Just a year before his death, the theatre in the Cardinals’ Palace (today: Palais Royale) with its impressively modern, grand stage had been inaugurated – thanks to Richelieu, who had initiated the construction of the palace in the first place.

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T H E

New World Stormy times in Europe, but a streak of excitement for adventurers in the Southern Hemisphere. A group around the Dutch seafarer Abel Tasman had set out to not only explore more of Australia; they also dreamt of finding the legendary »southern continent«. Despite the principal hopelessness of this mission, the expedition could only be called successful, for two rather significant reasons,

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or discoveries: First, an island off the coast of Australia – which is today’s Tasmania. Then something unexpected happens: On December 13th, a mere few days after leaving Australia, Tasman spotted another landmass which turned out to not belong to Antarctica. Rather, once arrived, he became the first European ever to set foot on the Southern Island of New Zealand!

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Isaac Newton Science & People III In England, as a half-orphan, a Christmas child was born and in his later life, he would have a decisive impact on the evolution of physics and maths: Isaac Newton. His work was based on Copernicus and Galilei who had just revolutionised astronomy, and thus the entire view of the world.

Newton conducted research, for instance, on acceleration and gravity. The results were the

basics of classical mechanics that are still valid today. In 1669, Newton became professor for mathematics in Cambridge, but while he was tremendously accomplished and respected in expert circles, the general public did not yet have a clue just how influential his works about the theory of light, gravitation or infinitesimal calculus would be‌

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baroque

IN T H E GL O W O F T H IS MAGN IFICE N T W O RL D O F A R T

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The Baroque style period encompasses a global empire of art: sacral and profane splendour, curved facades, dramatic chiaroscuro painting, theatrical sculptures, and opulent ceiling frescos.

Baroque stands for generosity, self-confidence, and courage.

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The cradle of this epoch stands in Rome during the age of the papacy, around 1600. The Catholic church was the main catalyst for the development of this new style, a merging of all arts that created an impressive unity between architecture, sculpture, and painting.

Translated from Italian, the word »barocco« literally means »crooked« or »irregular«.

Although baroque stands for strong movement among architectural and decorative components, it is anything but capricious. There is a strict foundation to its language.

Rome spurred the development of a basic structure around various Baroque styles, which transcended boundaries and grew to a global movement.

Text: JULIA LAUKERT SISTER-MAG.COM

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From Italy, the BAROQUE STYLE spread to other European countries around the middle of the 17th century. The style eventually faded in the middle of the 18th century. It is divided into Early, High, and Late Baroque. The last phase is also known as ROCOCO .

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Architecture

By Tango7174 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://bit.ly/2TKNpk1

Baroque is the great age of churches. The first baroque building is Il Gesù, the mother Jesuit church in Rome. Started in 1568, Il Gesù's blueprint and construction combine the most important elements of the Baroque style. The two-storey façade sets the building in motion on the street.

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This is continued in rhythmic room design inside the church.

Sweeping wall lines, imposing columns and pillars, diverse wall and room divisions, a strong relief effect, the organic fusion of elements, and blasted gables are all typical of Baroque architecture, both inside and outside. Baroque interiors can be recognized by elaborate decorations made of precious materials such as gold, silver, or marble

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The nave in churches of this style is shorter and wider than in Romanesque or Gothic buildings. In Baroque church architecture, the master builders experimented with LIGHT and a previously unknown interplay between decor and architecture that led to a uniform scenography.

Critics later accuse this FESTIVE

ARCHITECTURE

of being irrational and intoxicating. But Baroque

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architecture is neither arbitrary nor unrestrainedly spontaneous. It expresses the idea of a system of order that encompasses all manifestations of life. It appears as a reflection of a worldview that is inherent in lust and religious ecstasy.

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sculpture Baroque architecture forms the framework for a magnificent body of art: SCULPTURES and PAINTINGS are composed into the architectural concept for which they are created. Thus, during the Baroque period, sculpture had the task of directing architectural accents in the design of church buildings or squares (e.g. Piazza Navone or St. Peter's Square in Rome). A baroque sculpture needs a SISTER-MAG.COM

connection to its location in order to reveal its pathos.

As part of the Baroque oeuvre, the sculpture is often interwoven with painting or allows the massive, moving architecture to flow into itself.

On the exterior, it populates nooks, gates, balconies, railings, or the top of gables.

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Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598 - 1680) was a sculptor who defined this era. His virtuoso works in Rome, such as the groups of statues in Villa Borghese, the furnishings in Saint Peter's, or the Fountain of the Four Rivers, made Bernini the epitome of Baroque sculpture in Rome and beyond.

Stylistically, Baroque sculptures are defined by free, emotive, and often very animated forms of expression that can border on the ecstatic.

The often larger-than-life figures seem to indulge in moments of excitement,

religious devotion, or lust and pain. Tension and mood, the expansive sweep of gestures, robes whipped by a storm, and the effects of LIGHT and SHADOW are masterful tricks employed by their sculptors.

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Fresco painting Upon entering a baroque church, the viewer's gaze is inevitably drawn by the architectural and sculptural design towards a painted dome – where the view opens to the »SKY«. The baroque painters, who created masterpieces at dizzying heights, used a thin lime coating with a coloured glow to create explosions of SISTER-MAG.COM

colour on the ceiling, which to this day outshine the gravity of the architecture.The ceiling frescoes in Catholic churches showcase Baroque splendour, which has grown into a »THEATRUM SACRUM« , a sacred theatre. Fresco painting gained unparalleled significance which has never been seen again. Ceilings, domes, and walls are covered

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with salvific or mythological imagery. The content of these pictures is conceived down to the last detail, with the clergy working out entire programmes for the paintings.

The darling of Baroque language is allegory: PEOPLE APPEAR AS CONCEPTS, SUCH AS VIRTUES AND VICES .

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Characteristic of Baroque painting is the use of strong light effects, strong colour, illusionism, and movement, as well as transitions from built to painted space. Individual expressions of different genres within the Baroque manner appear like a ceremonial act of the arts.

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Carole Poirot

3 Italian Desserts

L IGH T & FL O RA L

Recipe & Photos

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Panna Cotta Amaretto

W I T H G R I LLED N E C TA R I N ES T I M E S

S E RV E S

C O O K

4

1 0

M I N

C H I L L 5

H O U R S

B I N G R E D I E N T S

P R E P 1 0

M I N

G R I L L 1 0

M I N

Step 1 Put the gelatine leaves into cold water for 5 minutes or until soft.

Step 2

2 5 0 m l d o u b l e ( h e a vy ) c r e a m 250ml full-fat milk

Pour the cream, milk and amaretto into a saucepan and add the sugar.

4 g e l a t i n e l e a v e s 3 0 g c a s t e r s u g a r 5 0 m l A m a r e t t o 3 - 4 n e c t a r i n e s

Step 3 Warm the mix up over a medium heat until it simmers. Remove the mix from the heat.

1 t b s p c a s t e r s u g a r

Step 4 Take the gelatine leaves out of the water and squeeze any excess water out.

Step 5 Add the leaves to the warm mix and stir in until completely dissolved.

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Step 6 Pour the mix into four panna cotta moulds (dariole moulds) and leave to cool before putting them into the fridge.

Step 7 Refrigerate for 5 hours or until completely set.

Step 8 To unmould the panna cottas dip the mould into hot water for 3 seconds, then turn out onto the plates.

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Step 9 To grill the nectarines cut them into halves and remove the stone.

Step 10 Place them cut side up onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with the sugar.

Step 11

Recipe

DOWNLOAD

Put the nectarines under a medium to high heat grill and grill for around 5 minutes until soft and the sugar has caramelised. Add the caramelised nectarines to the plates and serve.

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Rose Semifreddo & Pistachio T I M E S S E RV E S

P R E P

6 - 8

1 0

F R E E Z E

M I N

O V E R

N I G H T

B I N G R E D I E N T S

Step 1

3 5 0 m l d o u b l e ( h e a vy ) c r e a m 2 t s p r o s e w a t e r 3 e g g s , s e p a r a t e d 5 g e d i b l e r o s e p e t a l s , p l u s m o r e f o r d e c o r a t i n g 1 0 0 g p i s t a c h i o s 7 0 g c a s t e r s u g a r

Make sure the tin (loaf tin) is cold by freezing it whilst preparing the recipe.

Step 2 Put the pistachios into a plastic bag or a tea towel and bash them with a rolling pin until you have rough pieces.

Step 3 Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy.

Step 4 Whisk the double (heavy) cream with the rose water until you have soft peaks.

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Step 5 In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks.

Step 6 Now fold the cream into the egg yolks .

Step 7 Add half of the egg whites and gently fold in.

Step 8 Add the second half of the egg whites and gently fold in.

Step 9 Now add the pistachios and rose petals and carefully mix in.

Step 10 Transfer the mix to the cold tin.

Step 11 Freeze over night.

Recipe

DOWNLOAD

Step 12 To serve remove the whole semifreddo loaf from the tin and cut into slices.

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Raspberry Jelly

W I T H M A R S A L A Z A BAG LI O N E M O U S S E Jelly

S E RV E S

C O O K

4 - 6

3 0

M I N

T I M E S C H I L L O V E R N I G H T

Mousse

C O O K 1 5

M I N

F I N I S H 1 0

M I N

B I N G R E D I E N T S

7 0 0 g r a s p b e r r i e s , p l u s m o r e f o r d e c o r a t i n g

Step 1 Put the raspberries into a large saucepan with 200ml of water and the sugar.

Step 2

6 0 g c a s t e r s u g a r 5 g e l a t i n e l e a v e s 4 e g g s

Bring the raspberries to a simmer and then cook on a low to medium heat for around 8 minutes until soft.

5 0 g c a s t e r s u g a r Step 3

5 0 m l m a r s a l a w i n e

Give the raspberries a good stir to break them up. Put the gelatine leaves into cold water and leave to soften.

Step 4 Now pour the raspberries through a fine sieve into a measuring jug.

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Recipe

DOWNLOAD Step 5 You should have about 600ml of liquid, but if not, top it up with a little water.

Step 6 Put the fluid back into the saucepan to heat it back up to just about simmering.

Step 7 Take the saucepan off the heat. - Take the gelatine out of the water and squeeze any excess water out.

Step 8 Add the gelatine to the raspberry liquid and stir in until completely dissolved.

Step 9 Pour the liquid into a pudding mould and leave to cool. Once cooled, put the mould into the fridge to set over night.

Step 10 To unmould, dip the mould into hot water for 4-5 seconds, then turn out onto a serving plate.

Step 11 Make the zabaglione mousse just before serving.

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Step 12 Separate the eggs. Put the egg yolks and the sugar into a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. - Make sure the bowl DOES NOT touch the water.

Step 13 Whisk the yolks and sugar with an electric whisk until the mix is pale, fluffy and around 3 times the original size.

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Step 14

Step 16

Slowly pour in the marsala whilst continuing to whisk until the mix is thickened. Set the mix aside.

Now gently fold half of the egg whites into the yolk mix until combined.

Step 17

Step 15 In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until you have stiff peaks.

Add the second half of the egg whites and fold in.

Step 18 Serve straight away with the raspberry jelly.

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D U R I N G

T H E

H I G H

R E N A I S S A N C E

Same same but different

AP PROACH E S T O A RT IN VE N ICE A N D FL O RE N CE

I TA LY

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APPROACHES TO ART IN VENICE AND FLORENCE DURING THE HIGH RENAISSANCE

SAME SAME BUT

and FLORENCE are essential to the emergence of the Renaissance. Almost 260 kilometres apart, the two cities not only shaped trade in Italy, but also art. In Florence, banking was introduced by the MEDICI , the most influential dynasty of all time. Geographically, Venice is ideally located for trade between Western Europe and the eastern Mediterranean.

VENICE

Florenz

different

Text JULIA LAUKERT, M.A.

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DISEGNO V S. COLORITO The Renaissance period (late 14th century to late 16th century) saw commercial businesses develop as much as artists. Architects, painters and sculptors gained – not least through their sponsors – self-confidence and a development of their individual and unmistakable style. In medieval tradition, their work was considered among the most undervalued crafts.

But during the Renaissance it was highly valued. While artists operated anonymously in the Middle Ages, they now boasted their signatures.

With increased emphasis on education, interest in fine art grew, as did demand for the artists. Art writers and theoreticians such as GIORGIO VASARI (1511 - 1574) wrote style descriptions, opinions, and biographies.

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While artists on the mainland obtained their paints from pharmacists, Venice already had paint dealers. Virtuoso colour compositions and the splendour of colour dominate the style of Venetian paintings. Compared to his colleagues in Florence or Rome, the Venetian painter TITIAN (1488/90 - 1576) worked not only with strong colours, but also in a freer manner without preliminary sketches. Titian enlivened his canvases with dynamic »painting sketches«, especially in his later works. This invited critical reception with regards to art theory emerging from Florence at that time: Vasari accused Titian of lacking »disegno«, of intellectual ability. In the Renaissance, discussion about the value of drawing (»disegno« in Italian) and painting (»colorito«, for colourfulness in Italian) led to different opinions among artists

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Florence  Cathedral of Florence Arnolfo di Cambio and Filippo Brunelleschi, 1296–1436, Florence

Self-Portrait  Titian, 1562, Oil on canvas, 37,8 x 29,5 inch

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Florence  Leonardo da Vinci, Self-Portrait, around 1512, Sanguine, Biblioteca Reale, Turin

DISEGNO

and theoreticians. For example, the idea was that drawing was the actual design that was translated into a painting, which revealed the »skill« of an artist. A »disegno« is the original artistic idea that underlies every work of art. In this sense, architecture, sculpture, and painting are inferior to it. For the Venetians, however, it was colour that was the essence of

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painting, since only colour had the power enliven a work. According to these two observations, the dynamic Venetian colour paintings contrasted with the artistic Florentine ideals of drawing, perspective, and proportion.

Titian's style is passionate, dynamic, and set with fast brush strokes. Like many of his fellow contemporary painters, he was

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Venice Il Guercino  Allegory of the Disegno and the painting, around 1640; Getty Center

COLORITO

 Titian, The crown of thorns Christ, 1540 - 42, Oil on wood, 119,3 x 71,3 inch, Musée Louvre, Paris

certainly a master of drawing.

His priorities, however, were elsewhere. Despite his setback with Vasari, Titian influenced painting in Venice for almost 70 years, reflecting the colour that his city offered him. As Titian's successor, JACOPO TINTORETTO (1518 - 1594) skillfully combined drawing and the dynamics of applying paint.

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VENICE C O M P L E T E LY D I F F E R E N T In contrast to Rome or Florence, Venice, a commercial city full of artists, was less affected by the church. People of different religions and origins came together here. In the architecture that is still largely present today, one can observe the Ottoman influences on the lagoon city.

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Elsewhere, popes, emperors, or kings ruled. In Venice the Doges – the highest holders and representatives of executive power, from 697 to 1797 – were controlled by several authorities in order to prevent a monopoly of power and to guarantee a balanced separation of political influence in the republic.

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 Jacopo Tintoretto, Miracle of St. Markus 1548, Accademia, Venice

Venice Paolo Veronese  The Wedding at Cana, 1563, Oil on canvas, 266,5 x 391,3 inch, Musée Louvre, Paris

Venice's independence enabled the artists to develop a particular self-confidence during the 16th century. The Venetians were able to determine the composition of a picture through light. They perfected the reflection of light, placed figures in beautiful sceneries, and became role

models for their successors in the Baroque period. Artists from other countries travelled to Venice to exchange ideas and admire the impressive works of the Venetian masters with their moving brushstrokes, bright colours, majestic scenes, and striking contrasts.

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P A I N T I N G

W I T H

L I G H T

flower still lives

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e f i l ll ti S A

A Still Life - or »nature morte« in French is a painting that features inanimate objects.

Flowers are a beloved subject for still life paintings and a lot of modern photographers are trying to reproduce the mood of the Dutch masters from the 16th Century and their chiaroscuro. This is no wonder as some people describe the art of photography as painting with light.

BAS M EEU WS AN D K EV I N B EST FO R E X A MPL E A RE AMONG ST T H E M O ST AM O U S ST I LL L IFE PH O T O GRA PH E RS T H AT R EI NT ER P R ET ED T H E ART O F VA N ITA S A vanitas according to Wikipedia is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death. Bestknown are vanitas still lives a common genre in Netherlandish art of the 16th and 17th centuries.

I F YO U AR E I NT ER EST ED I N MO DE RN ST IL L LI F ES, YO U CAN CHECK MY PIN T E RE ST BOA RD Text & Fotos: ELODIE LOVE MADAME LOVE SISTER-MAG.COM

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For the Still Life in sisterMAG 47 I went on a stroll through Paris to some of my favourite flower shops.

I found some of the flowers at a beautiful shop called FLOWER in Rue des Saint Père and the rest at UNE FLEUR EN LIBERTE , in Rue Saint Sauveur, a shop run by a delightful German lady called EDITH BESENFELDER .

I mostly used seasonal flowers, as it is the beginning of spring and the flower-shops are bursting with beautiful species. It is very different to what the floral painters in the 16th and 17th centuries used to do. For example, in Giovanni Garzoni’s painting you can see anemones, tulips and daffodils even if they don’t grow at the same time.

1.

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To complete the bouquet, my friend Julie Pomme gave me some snowdrops and narcissus that are cultivated in a field in Paris.

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HELLEBORE

FRITILLARIA PERSICA

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NARCISSUS

SNOWDROPS

LILAC

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DELPHINIUM

CARNATION

TULIP

IRIS

FRITILLARIA MELEAGRIS

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The medicis vase is a very classical one that originates back to the 1st century and was used in Athens as a garden ornament.

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This one is made out of iron and can be also used in the garden. It is hollow in the middle, so in order to use it you have to place a glass or a smaller vase and use a flower frog (also called Kenzan in Japan).

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Modern vase from Soestrene Grene

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We always imagine that the artists back then made a bouquet, looked at it and then painted it, but this is probably not what happened.

The created artworks are usually composed of flowers that could never have been together in a bouquet. The paintings were dreams in the mind of the painter and an idealized vision of the nature.

I tried to use as many different flowers as I was able to while staying in a purple, bluish colour palette, as one of the purposes of floral and botanical paintings in the 16th and 17th century was to show the diversity of species present in nature.

To complete my bouquet, I went on the hunt for a BUTTERFLY to make it a proper Still Life. In floral Still Life you very often see butterflies, insects or snails or like in Garzoni’s painting, sea shells.

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This looks beautiful on a photo but it is not very easy to realise at home as the vase is very heavy and the glass inside very small so the flowers run out of water very quickly.

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Soestrene Grene The second vase is a very modern pink one I found at Soestrene Grene. It has a more modern take and I wanted to show that it is possible to make a still life in the style of the 16th century but giving it a modern twist.

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I went to a beautiful Parisian taxidermist called DESIGN ET NATURE on Rue d’Aboukir. I learned a lot about the animals in the shop. They all died from natural death and come from animal parks in Europe.

In addition to the BUTTERFLY , I put some other elements to the composition that add elements of storytelling such as the Dutch masters used to do. I used a pomegranate but it also could have been a lemon, figs, pears or quinces. Those fruits and other food ingredients were usually present in Still Life paintings.

I made bouquets in two different vases. The MEDICIS VASE or medici vase is a very classic one that originates back to the 1st century and was used in Athens as a garden ornament. This one is made out of iron and can also be used in gardens. It is hollow in the middle, so in order to use it you have to place a glass or a smaller vase in it and use a flower frog (also called Kenzan in Japan).

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Please also have a look in Elodies original article on

STILL LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

in sisterMAG 6 and her interview with one of the most famous still life photographers KEVIN BEST.

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I N T E R V E N T I O N S

N T E R V I T H C U R N D A R T G R E T E

E W A T O R I S T I C H E R

A R T I S T I C

B.A.R.O.C.K.

A N IN T E RVIE W

I W I A M A R

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Luzia Simons, Stockage 168, 2017, 27,6 x 19,7 inch, Lightjet Print diasec © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2019

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I N T E R V I E W :

C AR OL IN K RAL AP P

A H O F » B I N T H O L C A

E A D T H E . A . R .

T E R V E W U B R I C S T L E

O F T H E O P E N I N G E X H I B I T I O N O . C . K . – A R T I S T I C E N T I O N S I N N D E R K A M M E R H T A N D C A P U T H «

On April 27, as part of the popular Gallery Weekend in Berlin, the exhibition »B.A.R.O.C.K. - Artistic Interventions in the Wunderkammer Olbricht and Caputh Castle« will open in the me Collectors Room at Wunderkammer Olbricht. A few days later, on May 4, the main part of the show opens in the early Baroque Caputh Castle on the Havel river. It is the only remaining castle from the time of Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg. We spoke with curator and artist M A R G R E T E I C H E R in advance of the project to provide some interesting background information on the Baroque period.

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Myriam Thyes, AFTER TIEPOLO, 2013, HD video for large ceiling projection, 9:40, colour, with friendly support Stiftung Preussische Schlösser und Gärten.

Photo: Daniel Lindner.

Dear Margret, thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us. Would you like to introduce yourself?

My name is Margret Eicher, and I am an artist who works with images from different contexts to create digital tapestries. I configure these images into a new whole

Rebecca Stevenson, Medusa, 2018, 21,6 x 9,8 x 9,8 inch, polyester, resin, wax © The artist, photo: Marianne Wie

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and have them woven in a Flemish weaving mill. I am inspired by the tapestries of the 16th and 17th centuries, which are characterized by a central image and a border.

This arrangement is important to me because it was a medium of power in the Baroque period. Tapestries were used to negotiate what was politically, ideologically and religiously significant. From the point of view of communication, they were also exchanged between ruling houses, travelled from residence to residence and were hung on facades when rulers moved in. I find this fluid approach comparable to today's media. A tapestry is actually a »giant screen«. This fascinated me so much that I have been using this form for many years.

I would like to talk to you about the upcoming exhibition, »B.A.R.O.C.K. – Artistic Interventions in the Wunderkammer Olbricht and Caputh Castle«. What are the main themes of this exhibition and what artistic works can visitors expect?

The project is a two-part show, which will take place on the premises of Caputh Castle, about 35 kilometres outside Berlin, as well as in the me Collectors Room at Wunderkammer Olbricht in Berlin-Mitte. In Caputh, we will show large-format works, and I myself will be exhibiting several tapestries there. Luzia Simons will exhibit large-

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Ma rgret E i c her

A ta p e s t r y i s a c t u a l ly a » g i a n t s c r e e n « .

T h i s f a s c i n at e d m e s o m u c h t h at I h av e been using this form for many years.

similar works, but with smaller pieces to adapt to the space.

This is made possible through the mediation of well-known curator Mark Gisbourne, who is also involved in this project. The exhibition space is located in the middle of the city and functions as a »window to Caputh«, so to speak. Through video we will invite art lovers to the exhibition project and motivate them to visit Caputh.

format photographic works, her fantastic tulip still lifes, some of which will be arranged between other renowned still lifes. Myriam Thyes will project her videos onto ceilings to create a moving painting. She will also reveal a 13-part series of so-called »hunters« with Roman emperors in Caputh Castle. Rebecca Stevenson will exhibit three large-format animal sculptures in the Sommerspeisesaal (summer dining hall): a wild boar, hare, and deer. These are animals that would have been served at a courtly banquet, incorporating the Baroque theme and a motif of transience. In the Wunderkammer of the Olbricht Foundation we will present

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Both exhibitions function on the basis of intervention and not as a work-by-work exhibition. We will dive into the castle's inventory and the Wunderkammer to try to bring to life the historical works and ambience through our confrontations.

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M A R G R E T E I C H E R N A C H D E R J A G D , ( A F T E R T H E H U N T ) , 2 0 0 8 , digital montage/Jacquard, 153,5 x 177,2 inch.

What is the meaning of the term »vanitas« as it relates to the exhibition? »Vanitas« is the concept of transience, which plays an important role in the Baroque period. Characteristic of the era is, on the one hand, a strong belief in eternity and life after death and, on the other hand, awareness of the transience of life on earth and a fear of death.

This contrast is exaggerated incredibly in order to express strong feelings that result from

the futility of pleasure and the certainty of death. This polarity also plays an important role in our works and can be observed through various motifs. The Wunderkammer of the Olbricht Foundation and its collections are strongly concerned with symbols of transience, with skeletons and skulls. The collector, Thomas Olbricht, is a doctor by profession and the view of transcendence is certainly obvious in medicine.

Both collections move strongly in this direction, taking the theme of transience into account.

Naturally, we will explore this.

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– 16 –

Picture collage from: Willem Frederik van Royen: Menagerie Friedrichs III. , 1697, GK I 6243. © SPSG, photo: Jörg P. Anders and Rebecca Stevenson, Rapture, 2018, polyester, resin, wax, 17,7 x 19,7 x 19,7 inch.

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FLOWERS B.A.R.O.C.K MARGRET EICHER LUZIA SIMONS MYRIAM THYES REBECCA STEVENSON

edition cantz

MARGRET EICHER LUZIA SIMONS MYRIAM THYES REBECCA STEVENSON

edition cantz

How exactly did this constellation of female artists come about?

Catalogue of the exhibition ÂťB.A.R.O.C.K.ÂŤ with essays by Samuel Wittwer, Mark Gisbourne and Julia Rust

I've known M Y R I A M T H Y E S the longest. We met 15 years ago in the course of our exhibitions. I met R E B E C CA S T E V E N S O N about four years ago during a joint project in Italy. Until now I've only known LU Z I A S I M O N S through her work and not personally. I reached out to her and thus this group of four emerged. There are no separate sections; the aim is to foster interdependencies between the artists across the rooms.

Can you say something about the art education program?

The exhibition will be accompanied by a magnificent, large-format artist book, which focusses on the sensual experience of Baroque art.

At the same time it offers fantastic written content on Baroque themes, as well as the present. Oh, and it's very affordable. There will also be text material in the exhibition.

We offer very intensive guided tours at Caputh Castle; the staff having been specially trained for this purpose. Normally the castle can only be visited with a guided tour because it is fully furnished, but in the context of this exhibition it will also be possible to visit the castle independently.

A special feature of the Caputh Castle, incidentally, is that it was strongly influenced by the second wife of the Great Elector, Frederick William. It was her personal country estate, and as a woman who was unusually independent for her time, she furnished the property splendidly. In reference to her, I had no hesitation in inviting only women

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Text: Christian Näthler

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a tulip?

W O UL D YO U T RA DE YO UR H O USE FO R

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How »TULIP MANIA« during the Dutch Golden Age signalled the first major financial bubble

What do Bitcoin, the dotcom darlings of the 90s, and Dutch tulips have in common? If you guessed rabid price speculation leading to financial ruin, you’re right. When crowds rush into a market they don’t understand – whether

it be cryptocurrency, software, or bulbous plants – the result is often the same: a crash. The first event triggering this phenomenon arose during the Dutch Golden Age when a nation went into a frenzy for flowers.

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By all modern accounts, selling your house to buy a tulip would be a categorically terrible decision. But there was a time in history when that wasn’t necessarily true. To understand how or why such irrationality came to be, we have to rewind almost four centuries, to the Dutch Golden Age. he 17TH CENTURY ushered in an era of economic prosperity for the Netherlands, then known as the DUTCH REPUBLIC . The young confederacy innovated trade with the Far East, bringing vast quantities of spices, silk, tea, grain, rice, soybean, and sugarcane to Europe. This was largely achieved through the government-propagated Dutch East India Company, which was like the Amazon of the Early Modern period. The world’s first multinational corporation, the company offered citizens an opportunity to contribute to and share in its wealth by offering shares of stock. Thus, the first official s t o c k

T

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exchange was born. The capital generated by these economic activities saw the Bank of Amsterdam emerge as the first modern central bank, with the authority to control – and increase – the state’s money supply. Times were good for the Dutch. Furthermore, the republic imported essential goods from resource-rich European countries so that when crop harvests decimated in neighbouring countries, like they did in France and England, they would be forced to buy marked up essentials from the Dutch. Times got better for the Dutch, even as they got worse for others.

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s is wont for the nouveauriche, the Dutch developed a penchant for the ostentatious.

Social status was not just a product of inheritance, but of purchase. The upwardly mobile civilization ate well, read well, and put nice things on their walls. It’s no coincidence that some of the most masterful art in the world originated from the Low Countries. And in such abundance. This was an opulent populace, and the De Jongs next door better recognize, damn it.

Oh, and they also bought tulips.

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abundant capital and new cosmopolitanism«. They were also new and shiny, imported from the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century and publicized for the first time – in a book by botanist CAROLUS CLUSIUS – just a decade before the founding of the Dutch East India Company.

And it was up to a freer-thanever market, now complete with investor speculation and complex financial agreements, to determine how much they were worth.

As author ANNE GOLDGAR writes in her book »Tulipmania: Money, Honor, and Knowledge in the Dutch Golden Age«, »As luxury objects, tulips fit well into a culture of both

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Tulip (Tulipa) Family Liliaceae

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As tulip bulbs grew in PRESTIGE , their value skyrocketed. By the mid-1630s, a generation into the Golden Age, tulips were the nation’s hottest commodity, with only gin, herring and cheese as more valuable exports. Supply of tulip bulbs couldn’t keep up with demand. The price of a single bulb skyrocketed, from the equivalent of a root vegetable at the beginning of the century to being worth as much as an entire estate towards the end of 1637. Skilled tradesmen would have to work more than ten years to earn enough money to buy a single bulb. It was tulip mania in the Dutch Republic.

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But was demand really that fanatical? Quite the opposite.

This new free market introduced what is today known as a »futures contract«, where one party agrees to buy something for a fixed price at a fixed time without having to know each other or any goods exchanging hands. In the fall, buyers would secure the right to buy bulbs for a predetermined price the next spring. These contracts changed hands up to ten times a day with each exchange driving up the price of bulbs a little higher.

By 1936, demand had dipped. That meant buyers locked into futures contracts from the fall were forced to pay more for bulbs in the spring than they were actually worth.

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Here’s where things get political. Many of the buyers were local mayors who were left scrambling to recoup their losses. Or they would have been, if it weren’t for some slick legal maneuvering. The indebted burgomasters that enacted legislation that would turn their futures contracts into option contracts. That gave them the opportunity to buy bulbs if their price was higher than the price they had originally locked in. If it was lower, they could simply buy out the contract for a small compensation to the seller. This left sellers in a hole since they stocked up on bulbs with the assumption that their inventory would fetch a guaranteed price, as was agreed upon through the futures contracts. Instead, softening the contracts created a win-win for buyers while sellers were forced to cut their losses. Sellers – planters and market vendors – therefore inflated the price of bulbs up to 20 times their actual value. The hope was that buyers would

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honour their contract, which was now an option and not an obligation. But the buyers didn’t buy it. They knew the inflated price didn’t reflect the market value, leaving vendors in possession of a toxic investment.

Famously, a bulb auction in Haarlem – an epicentre of the mania – drew not a single soul.

The price plummeted almost immediately, offering the first glimpse of what happens when people sell things they don't actually own to people who cannot afford them.

Nearly half a millennium later, it appears as though we haven’t learned our lesson.

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Some were left holding contracts to purchase tulips at prices now ten times greater than those on the open market, while others found themselves in possession of bulbs now worth a fraction of the price they had paid.

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Text: ALEXANDER KORDS

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Illustrations: MILKISUKNO

M O D E R N

C H A S T I T Y

M O V E M E N T S

Abstinent until marriage

»T RUE L OVE WA IT S«

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Wahre Liebe Wartet (»TRUE LOVE WAITS«) – that was the name of a movement that, some years ago, wanted to convince German teenagers to waive sex before marriage. In the United States, however, chastity movements are still very popular.

What do Giovanna Garzoni, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus have in common? No, the answer we are looking for is not the most obvious one: that they all are or were recognised female artists of their time. In fact, the three women followed a belief that seems outdated: being abstinent before marriage. It may be doubted if Spears and Cyrus actually executed this plan. Garzoni, however, was even called Chaste Giovanna because she lived her life in celibacy. It’s not clear if she ever got married. It’s possible that she entered into a short marriage with the painter Tiberio Tinelli that either failed because of her vow of chastity or because Tinelli was suspected by his fatherin-law of being a sorcerer.

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&

STDs PREGNANT TEENS The concept of waiving sex before marriage might be strange from a European point of view. In the USA, however, it’s relatively popular. The reason for that is the widespread Christian faith in the country. Especially conservative groups believe that it’s their duty to keep their young members safe for premarital intercourse.

In their eyes, the risk of getting an STD is too big; moreover, the USA are one of the countries with the highest number of pregnant teenagers in the world. There even are several organisations

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whose only purpose is to postulate celibacy before marriage. The first one was conceptualised by the Baptist priest Jimmy Hester in 1987.

His church assigned him to create a chastity program. He literally did this on a napkin – and started one of the biggest church movements of our time. Under the name True Love Waits, the church started handing out commitment cards in 1993; in the first year alone, more than 100,000 young people signed them.

Ten years later, the number of signed cards had increased to three million.

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True LOVE WAITS In other countries, True Love Waits spread as well. At the end of the 1990s, the German business student Michael Müller founded the movement Wahre Liebe Wartet (»TRUE LOVE WAITS« ). It had quite a major media presence because several members expressed their beliefs in interviews. Also, the organisation published a brochure in which the »DR. WINTER TEAM« – as a counter-idea to the sex tips of Dr. Sommer in the youth magazine »Bravo« – gave advice about

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» No card but a ring is the symbol of some other chastity movements.«

A ring ON THE FINGER

living celibately. Compared to the millions of supporters in the US, the German movement remained relatively small with its 10,000 signed commitment cards. From 2011 on, the homepage of Wahre Liebe Wartet¹ wasn’t updated anymore, in 2018, the content was replaced by three dots.

Maybe it’s because Michael Müller got married since…

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No card but a ring is the symbol of some other chastity movements. One of them is called Silver Ring Thing and was founded in 1995. The members don’t wear the ring as piece of jewellery but as a constant reminder of their vow. In the USA, purity balls are organised where young women pledge that they would be celibate until marriage.

After that, they get their ring or a bracelet. In some cases, the piece is formed like a heart and the father of the teenager gets a key that he hands over to the future husband of his daughter on their wedding day. In 2007, the case of the 16-year-old schoolgirl LYDIA PLAYFOOT from the English town of 188

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Horsham attracted worldwide attention. She attended a school that prohibited its students from wearing jewellery. However, Playfoot refused to take off her purity ring. She then sued the school because, in her opinion, it restricted her human rights.

After all, Muslim schoolgirls

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were allowed to wear a hijab.

The court, however, agreed with the school because the ring is no integral part of Christian faith. Playfoot’s father Phil who was the chairman of the British branch of Silver Ring Thing, had to carry the legal costs of 12,000 British pounds.

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In the USA, purity balls are organised w h e r e y o u n g w o m e n p l e d g e t h at t h e y w o u l d b e c e l i b at e u n t i l m a r r i a g e .

Hands off, JUSTIN! Generally, it can be doubted that being part of a chastity movement prevents young people from having sex before marriage. In 2004, scientists from the universities of Yale and Columbia conducted a study with 12,000 teenagers from twelve to 18 years old who signed a commitment card of TRUE LOVE WAITS .

The overwhelming number of 88 percent of them had premarital sex within six years after their vow. Also, the participants of the study got married at a younger age

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than the average American.

And when Britney Spears proclaimed in 1999 that she would be celibate until marriage, she was dating Justin Timberlake. It’s rather unlikely that they kept their hands off each other

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W I T H

B E R N A D E T T E

S C H W E I H O F F

desk to success

A N IN T E RVIE W

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Interview & Text Photos

Carolin Kralapp Cris Santos

Everyday life of a modern artist In our »Desk to Success« series we introduce you to exciting personalities and their work. For this issue we had a conversation with artist Bernadette Schweihoff. What does an artist's life look like and what qualities are necessary to survive in the art business? The trained hat maker showed us her workspace in Berlin and told us about her experiences. Bernadette has a degree in art pedagogy, was part of the painting and drawing class of the Art Students League in New York and has been studying illustration since 2017.

Dear Bernadette, thank you very much for allowing us to be guests in your home and studio.

Would you like to introduce yourself? I am Bernadette, 34 years old, an artist and have been living in Berlin for about five years. I call myself an artist because I do many different things: drawings, illustrations, and paintings, as well as masks and photography. I don’t like to limit myself and choose a medium depending on the project.

I'm also studying illustration at the BTK here in Berlin, on a scholarship in my fourth semester.

I'm very creative and always doing – doing is very important to me.

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What is characteristic of your art and how did you find your own style? The animal, or the animal form as I call it. I was looking for forms while painting. It started with one foot and ended with this animal. I purposely avoid giving it a name and don't want to determine what kind of animal it is because it is always evolving, and you have to give the viewer the opportunity to create their own interpretation. This figure runs through all my work, whether it's a drawing, a photograph, a painting,or a silhouette. Of course, I also do other things on commission, but in my own projects this animal form appears regularly.

My illustration studies include courses like »Character Design« and »Editorial Illustration«, where I started to develop a character out of these forms. For example, my animal form got eyes and a nose. I tried out what this nose looks like from the side, and also when the figure rotates. This first animal form is a beginning. There will certainly be other characters as well.

What is particularly important in your workspace and what should never be missing? Paper, my sketchbook and newspaper are essential! There must be something I can draw on. At least one pen or brush and ink should also be handy. Something with which I can scribble and capture and record ideas. I don't just have one workplace, rather, I work in different places. I draw on the subway,

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»I purposely avoid giving it a name and don't want to determine what kind of animal it is because it is always evolving, and you have to give the viewer the opportunity to create their own interpretation.«

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in nature and even in my bathroom. Basically, I work everywhere, but when I have a fixed place, it is important that it is quiet and I feel comfortable.

It has to be a place where I can come to rest. If I don't feel comfortable, I can't produce ideas or draw and think freely. Of course, it should also be bright.

What does a typical day look like for you? Let's assume it's a day in my studio. I usually get up early, go to the kitchen and make myself a ginseng drink with turmeric. I often go to my desk first to see what I created yesterday or, if I had ideas overnight, I quickly record them. Usually I sit at my desk all day and work. Most of the time I eat at my place because I feel like I might otherwise interrupt my creative rhythm. When I need a break, I jump on my trampoline or go for a walk. In the evening I continue to draw in bed or read a book.

In your opinion, what's necessary to survive as an artist today? Art is at its base a matter of taste.

So, you have to learn to just do what you want to do and don't stop. Not stopping should actually be your main priority. It's all about perseverance.

You should do it because you really want it. It must be a natural urge, and not to become famous and successful. The most important thing is not to be distracted from this path – »This is me and I'm happy as an artist«. You have setbacks and

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are rejected from time to time, but there are also many promising developments. I think if you take that into account, you can also become successful.

Of course, it always depends on how you define »success« for yourself. For me, success means that I can do what I want to do: my art. I've done so many other things, but art is always what satisfies me.

What do you wish for your future? Where do you see yourself in five or maybe even ten years?

I imagine my future to be as diverse as my work.

I definitely want to continue my art so that I can observe how I develop. I would also like to do illustrations for magazines and book covers. I could imagine giving workshops or working as a lecturer because I enjoy collaborating. I feel like improvement accelerates when you are able to share your work with others. This also gives you new ideas and avoids stagnation. I am a person who has a lot of ideas, and I would be very happy if these ideas could help others. That's why a position as an art director might be a good fit. But social projects are also important to me, and I would like to continue with them. One example is »Art Against Cold«, where artists create postcards that homeless people can sell on the street. As an artist, it's important to be socially involved and reach people who aren't already in your particular circle. But my biggest wish is to continue my art and to make a living from it.

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ÂťFor me, success means that I can do what I want to do: my art. I've done so many other things, but art is always what satisfies me.ÂŤ Do you have any exhibitions planned? Is it possible to admire your art somewhere in the near future? I've actually had an exhibition every year. Last year I decided against it for the first time.

This had to do with the fact that I started studying again and had the feeling that I wanted to work on something for a while and develop myself before I showed anything else. Berlin is a big city, and I want to be sure when I exhibit something that I am fully behind the work.

However, a new exhibition is still on the back of my mind and will surely come next year. Maybe at the end of 2019. You can follow updates on my homepage. website instagram

bernadetteschweihoff.de @bernadette.schweihoff @the_animal_studio

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sisterMAG Patterns – a pattern shop for digital ladies

Even back in the f irst issue of sisterMAG, we featured DIY-projects and sewing patterns. Exclusively designed by Evi (she's the sisterMAG mum), we have now accumulated an archive of over 100 patterns for dresses, blazers, pants, coats and more. Up until now, we only made these patterns in the size of the model - which is how they were developed, custom made for every shoot!

Welcome newest #sistermagpatterns

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For a couple of months now, we've been putting a lot of time and energy into our newest project: sisterMAG patterns - an online shop for all of our patterns - graded by size and optimised for all of you sewing lovers! As a little treat, we're publishing the f irst pattern with different sizes as a part of this issue. The other two patterns f rom the sisterMAG 47 line will be up on sistermagpatterns.com f rom June 1st 2019. If you sign up for our newsletter, you'll get 10% off your f irst purchase!

Sign up for the newsletter

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10% off the price of your first pattern

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sisterMAG Patterns – a pattern shop for digital ladies

Download pattern 47-1

Stripes Pattern 47-1

An airy spring dress with stripes that change from vertical to horizontal stripes at the bottom. Beautiful darts and small flaps on the shoulders make this dress even more special.

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Free Download: Sizes. 36-42 + tutorial

sisterMAG Patterns starts on June 1st 2019

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sisterMAG Patterns – der Schnittmustershop fßr digitale Ladies

Stripes Pattern 47-1 Details

Shoulder Flaps The special thing about this dress is the pulled-down should with a pleat in the front.

Skirt pocket It has to be practical! Deep pockets make space for tissues, mobile phones and ke ys! Special feature: put in the pocket stripes horizontally.

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Ab 01. Juni 2019 startet sistermagpatterns.com

Materials & accessories on t t u b de . stal e y f r p c e o x ia kn Fa u v m m 11 0,89€ /

H ig h H ee l Pu m ps fr om Ta ta Ita lia , 39 ,9 5€ vi a za la nd o

te p e z n n o e k lin toff s y p a i i v r t r S mete r e p € 29,00

.de

Stripy cotton 9,80€ per meter via etsy.com from SonniMami

Ribbon Uni 14 1,29€ per meter via stoffe.de

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sisterMAG Patterns – a pattern shop for digital ladies

Striped Pattern 47-2

A combination of an airy top and a pleated skirt with a batik flower, handembroidered! We're already looking forward to uploading this pattern for you this June on sistermagpatterns.com! Just sign up for the ne wsletter and get 10% off your first purchase!

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Sign up for the ne wsletter

sisterMAG Patterns starts on June 1st 2019

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sisterMAG Patterns – a pattern shop for digital ladies An elegant shift dress that is made even more interesting by the detailed buttons.

A beautiful dress for business meetings or afternoon tea at the cafĂŠ!

Sign up for the ne wsletter and be the first to know when this pattern is online in all sizes on sistermagpatterns. com - you'll also get 10% off your first purchase!

Sign up for the ne wslet ter

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sisterMAG Patterns starts on June 1st 2019

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easter from all angles For sisterMAG 47, we explore Easter from all angles. That is why we asked friends, contributors and readers how they celebrate and whether there are certain traditions that they still cherish. On the following pages, we are therefore excited to offer you lots of easter inspiration and customs from all around the world!

Olga Chuykova

BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATOR LIVING IN BERLIN

When I was a kid, my mom would buy hips of eggs for me to paint on. I loved that and always was so proud when my mom shared those pretty eggs with friends or put them in the middle of the dining table. Today I don't really do it, maybe sometimes just for fun like this one ;)

Alice Williamson ILLUSTRATOR & FORMER BALLERINA FROM GREAT BRITAIN

Always a slightly hap-hazard chocolate easter egg hunt and run around the garden, every one is involved .... no rules ... just collect as many eggs as you can find; sharing of eggs upon collation optional! ;)

Ashley Ludäscher

FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER FROM CALIFORNIA

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Growing up we would go to an Easter Egg hunt, where we would search for plastic eggs filled with candy :) Now we usually make a big brunch with family and friends.

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TO G O H P D R AN B LO G G E RIS, A P M O P H E R F R R E AT B R I TA I N NG LIVING I

al c o l “ a t no y l l a e r I t ’s al n o s r e p y m t u b ” n o i t t tradi e g o t S Y A LW A s i n o i t i r trad e t s a E s ’ er h t o m d n a r t my g a h t n a h t r e h t O . t u o e plat ry e v e s n u B oss r C t o H s i it y r e v – t s a f ak e r b r o f r e t Eas British!

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Loris Rizzo

FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER FROM SICILY LIVING IN BERLIN

In my life there are two main traditions for Easter: The first is a modern one: in all of Italy, the tradition is to give, mostly to children, big chocolate eggs with the surprise inside. It is a kind of Kinder Überraschung but much bigger. They are of different brands and sizes and surprises. The second one is a traditional Sicilian Easter thing: it belongs more to my parents generation, but, thanks to my grandmother and now my aunt, I kept receiving something called "cuddura ccu l'ova" or "aceddu ccu l’ova", as long as a I was living in Sicily.

Cuddura = donut, ccu l'ova = with the eggs, aceddu = bird.

It looks like a bread or a donut or a homemade dough in bird shape. It is made of a harder sweet bread, a kind of biscuit and has one or two or more whole eggs (with the shells) in or better on it. It can be decorated with small sugar sprinkles. And of course, for very religious people, like my mother, the holy mass is an obligation.

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r e k c ü R a n i t s i r Ch

G E R IN , A N A M T C E J O S E N IO R P R IN B E R L IN

@midnightcouture via Ins ta gr am

ster a E r o f k l a w / e k i h We always do a t s u m y l i m a f e h t and ever yone of oem p s ' e h t e o G m o r f s recite five line . « g n a g r e i z a p s r e t s »O

BLO GGE R LIV ING IN BER LIN

Firs t thin g to eat in the mo rnin g on Eas ter Sun day : an app le!

Matt Danko

CREATIVE MONSTER FROM CANADA LIVING IN BERLIN

My family’s Easter tradition is to go for an afternoon hike through the forest on Good Friday with everyone. We bring marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate to make s’mores, and roast sausages over a campfire.

Beth Walrond ILLUSTRATOR LIVING IN BERLIN

Sadly I can’t show a picture, but my dad used to make us an Easter egg hunt, and all of the clues would rhyme.

So we would wake up really excited, find notes on our bedroom door and then follow the clues around the house.

We were always so distracted by the great clues that we never noticed all the eggs were hidden in super obvious places, like the bath under a blanket *haha*. I used to think my dad was such a genius and a pretty great poet.

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Cristopher Santos

PHOTOGRAPHER FROM CANADA LIVING IN BERLIN

With some of these plastic eggs hidden around the house and outside with more candy and chocolate inside:

Also some Cadbury mini eggs:

Alex Kords

Then eating only half a bite of this because it's too sweet for me but everyone else seems to love them:

AUTHOR & PROOFREADER LIVING IN HUNGARY

In Hungary, it is customary for the men/boys to come home to the women/girls on Easter Monday and spray them with perfume.

The boys recite a poem, at the end of which they'll ask whether they are allowed to "water" the girl (» Szabad-e locsolni«). Then each of the guys gets a coloured egg.

Then eating this exact white chocolate easter bunny which was my favourite, but it was so big as a child I would eat it for like a month:

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a b l A ’ l l a D a t r e b Ro I TA LY N I R E H AP

OTO G H P D O O F

R

a e v a h y l l a u s u e pl o A e p . y a y d l n a o t I M In ter s a E n o o « t a t p i a r n t g a y p a d m » a »sca s i y l l a r e lit « nic a c t i a p n a g a e p b m y a l l a u »sc t c a n a c t ti t. u n b a w « y u r t o y n u r o e v e r e the c h w . . . s l l hi , y l s i n i m a a t f n d u n o a ds n e i r in the m f h t i w ite n u e r o t s i The idea . r e h t e g o t and eat

Simone Hawlisch

PHOTOGRAPHER FROM HANNOVER LIVING IN BERLIN

Jenni Fuchs

BLOGGER ORIGINALLY FROM GERMANY, LIVING IN EDINBURGH

I spent part of my childhood growing up in Scotland, and I remember egg rolling being popular.

We would go to the local park and have a race rolling hard boiled eggs down a hill! We are now raising our two boys in Scotland and I look for ward to introducing them to egg rolling.

As children we blew out eggs, which means putting two holes in either end and blowing out the Olimpia Davies egg yolk and egg white.

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER FROM POLAND LIVING IN ENGLAND That was always such a feat of strength as I My polish tradition is that we have a competition remember it. Afterwards called »who wake up first, stays dry« :-). The we either coloured person who wakes up first on a Easter Monday them or painted them runs to the bathroom to fill up a cup with cold with little pictures. water and wakes up the rest of the family by And of course we used splashing on them the water from the cup. to search for Easter While doing this is also saying »Smiguseggs as children – our dyngus«, this person stays dry for the rest parents would hide of the day but usually gets wet anyway. them in the garden.

Your English tradition is that on Easter Sunday we have egg hunt in our garden. The night before I hid chocolate eggs in deferent places in the garden, the next day our daughter is hunting it, when she finds all of the eggs she receives a Easter present, and this is usual some small toy.

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Emily Westbrooks BLOGGER & AUTHOR FROM AMERICA LIVING IN DUBLIN

Regina G. My mom always made a wonderful braided Easter „Hefezopf“ (Yeast Bread) :D and colored eggs were put in the middle. I always liked the process of dyeing eggs, especially the ones with onion peel bound in a piece of tights with a leaf tucked in between and after wards rubbed with a piece of bacon to make them shine.

We like to get cascarones and let the kids crack them!

Our oldest, Maya, who's 3, is of Mexican heritage, so we love the Mexican/border town tradition. They're just dyed, hollowed eggs filled with confetti and make a giant mess, but they're great fun with small children! Luckily, I'm going back to Houston for a week before Easter because I'm not sure I could get them here! In southern Texas you can get them from little stands by the side of the road in the lead up to Easter.

Saskia / Oh Hedwig

PHOTOGRAPHER, LIVING IN BERLIN

In our house we painted eggs and coloured them.

One day before Easter Sunday there is a big Easter Fire.

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T E X T Sophia Werner

While the sisterMAG team was preparing for the Easter issue, we exchanged stories and traditions of our own. In our midst we found Sophia, who herself is of Sorbian origin and therefore not only told us about Easter at home but also taught us how to make the famous Easter eggs with wax decorations. On the following pages we want to share this knowledge with you. Let's start with a personal view on Sorbian Easter celebrations

by Sophia, whose Sorbian name is Sophia Wornarjec by the way ;) For many of my friends from outside of Lusatia (an area in North-East Germany), Easter is a completely normal bank holiday – maybe with a little more chocolate and spring mood than a usual weekend. To me, Easter is the most important holiday right after Christmas. How could this be

different for a Sorb who grew up with decorative eggs made from beeswax, adorned horses and singing Easter riders? If you’re still (very) confused about Sorbian Easter eggs, Easter riders and „Sorbs“ in general, here’s the gist:

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EASTER PROCESSIONS A procession on horseback is a tradition in Sorbian culture at Easter.

Photos: alamy

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We Sorbs are a westSlavic people that have settled in the area of Lusatia which is located in Southern Brandenburg and the Eastern part of Saxony.

We are also one of the four officially acknowledged minorities in Germany. The Upper Sorbs live in Saxony and the Lower Sorbs, also called Wends, live in Brandenburg. If you’ve travelled these regions before, the bilingual street signs might have even given you the impression that you’ve already crossed the border to the Czech Republic or Poland. We might not have our own state, but the Sorbs already populated this fairly large area between the Baltic Sea and the

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Erzgebirge in Saxony during the migration of the 6th century. The Sorbs that are left over in Lusatia today are the ancestors of westSlavic people that have managed to keep their traditions, language and culture alive until today. It is hard to say how many Sorbs there are. Estimations mostly count around 60.000 that actively feel they are a part of this minority and 20.000 Sorbs that still speak the language. I am one of those – along with all of my memories of the traditions that make up the celebration of the year: Easter.

40 days before Easter, on Ash Wednesday, Lent starts for all catholic Sorbs. Even as a little girl, I would abstain from eating sweets.

In lieu thereof, Easter was the time of arts and crafts. One of the most famous Sorbian traditions is the decorating of Easter eggs. While we also used paint and brushes like everyone else, the true Sorbian way is to decorate eggs with beeswax and feathers. For our Easter party, the sisterMAG team was inspired to take on this challenge and created

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this DIY! For me, the real countdown to the last couple of days before Easter Sunday starts on Maundy Thursday (the last Thursday before Easter). It is our tradition that kids get a so called Maundy Thursday present from their godparents – usually a small, braided pastry called Ostersemmel (Easter bun) or Sorbian decorated eggs along with some pocket money.

The Friday before Easter is usually the day when the first horses arrive – after all, not all Sorbs live in the countryside and have their own horses. So for Easter, horses from all over Germany and even the neighbouring countries in the East are brought to Lusatia. This is also the time when celebrations begin on the streets and in the courtyards. Around 1.500 horses are usually needed for the next couple of days. From this day on, the Easter riders and their little helpers (including me) spend their time priming and polishing their horses: brushing the fur, washing mane and tails so they can be braided, cleaning hooves and

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cleansing the tack. People who are allergic to horses and hay usually aren’t a fan of Sorbian Easter traditions… but the spectacle is still always worth watching!

Easter Sunday starts at 5.45 in the morning! At the stables, everyone is greeted by a friendly „Zohnowane jutry“ (Blessed Easter) as the last flowers and embroidered ribbons are braided into the horses’ manes. In our village, the so called Easter riders assemble at 8am on the church square – all looking suitably festive in their traditional outfits of riding boots, frock and top hat. The priest then hands them the church’s flag, cruxifix and a statue of the Risen One. He blesses them by saying „Njes´ce poselstwo zrowastanjeneho Chrystusa do susodneje wosady!“ – „Ride into the next village and spread the message, Jesus Christ has risen!“ With this Sorbian tradition in mind, one procession rides into the next village and the other way round. They sing and pray in Sorbian, Latin and sometimes even German to

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spread the message of Easter.

In the afternoon, when they have arrived at their destination, the Easter riders are invited into the houses of the villagers where they are fed with sandwiches and cake. In the meantime, the younger people like me, took care of the horses to earn some extra cash for the Easter party in the evening. Ever since I was little – and this really hasn’t changed – the goal was to see as many processions as possible and collect the most gossip for school on the next day. The boys were allowed to join the riders from the age of 14 so I always had plenty of friends who rode in the procession. Therefore, my Sunday was mostly spent figuring out the new schedules for this year’s procession so I could plan when I had to be where. At the end of the day, it was my goal to take the most pictures of my Easterriding friends on their horses.

Oh, and of course we had a little Easter egg hunt in between – but that was less important than all of the beautiful processions.

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O n t h e n ex t p a g e s , Sophia will tell us h ow t o m a k e t h e Easter eggs with wa x d e c o ra t i o n s t h a t a re s o t y p i c a l o f S o r b i a n E a st e r c e l e b ra t i o n s . J u st keep going to our E a s t e r Pa rt y ; ) !

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SORBIAN EASTER EGGS Sophia’s aunt used to decorate around 300 easter eggs every year with a traditional wax pattern and sold them on markets in Lausitz or Bautzen.

For our Easter Party, we took some of them for inspiration.

However, it is NOT Sophia’s aunt who you can see above.

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Marie Darme Theresa Baier

D E C O R AT I O N PHOTOS

THE TEAM & FRIENDS

When the first trees and flowers bloom and the days are getting longer, spring and Easter cannot be far away. Easter can be the perfect opportunity for a cozy celebration with friends and family – that's exactly what we thought! Thus we spontaneously organised a small Easter party. On a beautiful spring Sunday morning, we met in our studio for coffee, cake and fresh fruit and exchanged our personal Easter experiences. Of course we also included classic Easter traditions such as egg colouring and painting. On the next pages you'll find a lot of inspiration for Easter DIYs and party ideas to become creative yourself. We look for ward to seeing all your ideas using the hashtag #sisterMAGEasterParty SISTER-MAG.COM

Cristopher Santos & HĂźrriyet Bulan

ILLUSTRATIONS

F OR S I ST E R M AG 4 7

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&

Viktorija Semjonova

You can look forward to: Recipes for a delicious Easter cake, exclusive printables for menu cards and invitations, backdrop ideas and of course a lot of Easter inspiration!

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BRUNCH WITH FRIENDS sisterMAG founder Toni baked a cake for our cozy gettogether and we invited sisterMAG girls and their friends

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ENVELOPES in Light

Pink from brief-huellen.de

PL ACE CARDS with the

Subscribe to our r e t t e l s w e n and download for free

rabbit – Download for our newsletter subscribers

A successful party starts with the invitation. Together with illustrator Viktorija from @andsmilestudio we developed some beautiful templates for you. You can easily download these as a newsletter subscriber of sisterMAG. The package includes various invitation designs (both for Easter but also as a general invitation card for your birthday or drinks with friends) and other illustrations and files for printing at home. Table cards with our cute little rabbit as well as an Easter egg menu card which you can fill yourself with your delicious Easter menu.

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THE FIRST STEP

Easter is the perfect opportunity to dress the table in bright and friendly colours. We use our rustic wooden table, where the team usually eats lunch, and decide against a tablecloth. We decide that the plates and bowls from »ah Keramikstudio« look even more beautiful!

For our table decoration it is really important to use different heights throughout the elements.

That way our guests are not hidden behind huge flower arrangements, but we also create height with a three-tier server at the end of the table. We found our marble server at the store "BUTLER'S", but you can buy these in almost every interior shop and in many online shops as well.

A real investment piece as it can be redesigned again and again.

MARBLE THREE-TIER SERVER Our model comes with heavy (!) marble plates and a golden frame from BUTLERS, 99€

OUTFIT FOR EASTER Thea and Toni wear the striped dresses from our sisterMAG 47 fashion collection (see pages 212)

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Ƿ Ƿ Embroidery thread in Green and Apricot (flower colours) Ƿ Ƿ small embroidery hoop Ƿ Ƿ napkins (best cotton or very tightly woven linen) Ƿ Ƿ Scissors & embroidery needle 1. Place the embroidery pattern under the fabric and draw

on the fabric with a thin pencil. If you have a textile marker at home, you can also reverse the pattern and iron it on the fabric.

2. Using a small embroidery hoop, put the fabric inside

and secure.

3. Divide embroidery yarn to three threads, thread a

needle and make a knot at the end of the yarn.

4. Embroider stalk with the stem stitch.

5. Embroider the two leaves with the Fishbone Stitch,

starting at the widest part of the leaf and working towards the tip.

6. For the petals change the thread colour and embroider

the petals with a French knot stitch on the marked points.

7. Remove embroidery hoop and voila – the embroidered

napkin is ready! Embroider the desired motif on two opposite ends of the napkin.

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This cake was adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Pistachio Rose Semolina Cake

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CAKE

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

Ƿ Ƿ 70g unsalted room temperature butter, cubed, plus more for greasing pan

2. Grease bottom and sides of a 9-inch

Ƿ Ƿ 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom Ƿ Ƿ 250 g shelled unsalted pistachios Ƿ Ƿ 120 g spelt flour Ƿ Ƿ 110 g semolina Ƿ Ƿ 5 g baking powder Ƿ Ƿ 1 pinch himalayan salt Ƿ Ƿ 340 g granulated sugar Ƿ Ƿ 4 large eggs lightly beaten Ƿ Ƿ 1 tsp lemon zest Ƿ Ƿ 1 tbsp lemon juice Ƿ Ƿ 1/2 tsp vanilla extract FOR THE GL AZE

Ƿ Ƿ 120 g powdered sugar Ƿ Ƿ 2 tbsp lemon juice Ƿ Ƿ pinch of cardamom

springform pan/or round cake pan with butter.

Line bottom and sides with parchment paper.

Set aside.

3. Place 120 g pistachios and ground cardamom

in a high-speed blender/food processor and pulse until finely ground. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add ground spelt flour, semolina, baking powder and salt. Mix together and set aside.

4. Using an electric mixer, thoroughly cream

butter and sugar until fluffy, in another bowl.

Slowly add eggs 1 at a time and continue to mix until smooth and fully incorporated.

5. Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into

the butter mixture, being careful not to over mix. Fold in lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Scrape batter into greased pan and level with spatula.

6. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden

skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean but oily. Let rest for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

7. Drizzle cake thickly with glaze to achieve a

white top. Chop remaining pistachios and sprinkle all over cake along with dried cherries or cranberries

8. FOR THE GLAZE add the lemon juice and

cardamom to the powdered sugar and mix well.

9. Drizzle thickly on cake when cooled.

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In the second part of our Easter party all participants are welcomed to become active. We decorate eggs with Sorbian wax patterns (see next page for instructions) or paint them with little designs. We have put together inspirations and ideas on this Pinterest-Board . Your imagination has no limit when it comes to this – whether it is abstract patterns or a rose design as we found in an old magazine from 1984.

PINSPIRATION EASTER EGGS

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One of the most famous Sorbian Easter traditions is the decorating of eggs with different patterns and ornaments of beeswax. The sisterMAG-Team gave it a go and is now ready to lead you through a step-by-step DIY of decorating your own Easter egg at home.

1. Clean off the pink code

on your eggs using kitchen paper towels and a vinegar solution.

YOU ’ L L N E E D Ƿ Ƿ Colourful beeswaxs Ƿ Ƿ A glass filled with sand Ƿ Ƿ Old spoons Ƿ Ƿ Tealights Ƿ Ƿ Thick rubber bands Ƿ Ƿ Round rubber seals Ƿ Ƿ Pencil Ƿ Ƿ Feathers of geese or pigeons

2. Carefully drill a hole into

Ƿ Ƿ Needles with small and big heads

the top of your egg.

3. Use an empty syringe

or a small pump to extract the egg white and yolk from the shell without breaking it. Once it’s empty, put the egg back in its carton so it can drip off and dry.

TIP: Don’t push too much air into the egg at once or it will break.

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4. Use a thin pencil to draw

5. Bend an old spoon to 90

your pattern on the egg. You can find inspirations HERE. Use different lines like circles, half-circles or straight lines.

Thick rubber bands and rubber seals from a bottle can be used as guides. (e.g. PATTERNS

BY JAJO.DE)

degrees and push the handle into a glass of old sand. Place your tealight underneath the spoon and melt a small piece of coloured beeswax in it. Use one spoon per colour.

6. When the wax has melted,

use a test-egg to get started.

Shapes have to be done quickly because the wax dries fast. If your feather is still sticking to the egg, the wax is too cold. Now you can make patterns of circles, triangles and parallelograms using the cut-up feathers and needle heads.

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1. Feathers of geese and

pigeons work best.

2. Remove all feathers on

the right and left side despite the ones right at the top.

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3. Then cut the top into the

desired size of a triangle or parallelogram.

4. Dip the tip into liquid

wax and then re-cut it more precisely to get a straight edge.

5. Or just buy ready-made

feathers and pens needles HERE.

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EASTER RECIPES – SISTERMAG NO.47

For the upcoming Easter, there should be no lack of inspiration in the April issue!

Food stylist Olimpia Davies has conjured three delicious recipes with eggs up on the table which you can recreate in just a few easy steps for your own festive Easter table.

es p i c e R

Photos & Recipes Olimpia Davies @OLIMPIA_DAVI ES

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ed ll i v e D

eggs

INGREDIENTS 6 L A R G E E G G S , HARD BOILED AND PEELED 2 T B S P M AY O N N A I S E 1 T B S P G R E E K Y O G U R T

STEP 1

1 T S P D I J O N M U S TA R D ¼ T S P S W E E T PA P R I K A S A LT A N D P E P P E R , T O TA S T E

Slice eggs in half lengthwise.

Remove yolks and place those in a mixing bowl, add mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, paprika.

STEP 2

F O R D E C O R AT I O N R A D I S H T H Y M E

Use a blender to mix until smooth.

Fill each egg white half with equal amounts of yolk mixture.

STEP 3 Garnish each egg with a radish and spring of thyme. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.

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NO . 4 7 / EASTER RECIPES

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o d a c o v A Baked eggs in

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 180 C .

INGREDIENTS

2 AV O C A D O S , H A LV E D A N D STO N E D

STEP 2 Lightly oil a baking sheet.

4 F R E E R A N G E E G G S

STEP 3

S E A S A LT A N D F R E S H LY G R O U N D B L A C K P E P P E R , TO TA S T E

Using a spoon, scoop out two tablespoons of avocado flesh, or more as needed, creating a small well in the centre of each avocado.

1 T B S P C H O P P E D FRESH CHIVES

STEP 4 Gently crack 1 egg and slide it into the well, keeping the yolk intact.

STEP 5 Repeat with remaining eggs.

Season with salt and pepper.

STEP 6 Place into the oven and bake until the egg whites have set but the yolks are still runny, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chives, serve immediately.

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i in l B

w i t h q ua i l eggs and smoked salmon

INGREDIENTS

STEP 1 In a bowl whisk the eggs until frothy.

2 E G G S 5 0 G B U C K W H E AT F L O U R 1 2 5 G P L A I N F L O U R 2 T S P B A K I N G P O W D E R

STEP 2 Stir in the flour, baking powder, yoghurt and milk. Beat well to make a smooth batter.

7 5 G G R E E K Y O G H U R T 2 5 0 M L W H O L E M I L K P I N C H O F S E A S A LT S P R AY O I L F O R F R Y I N G

FO R TH E TO P P I N G G R E E K Y O G H U R T

STEP 3 Spray frying pan with an oil and heat until the pan is hot. Pour teaspoons of batter into the pan and cook over medium heat. When bubbles appear on the surface of the blini and the base is golden turn the blini over and cook the other side.

STEP 4

Q U A I L E G G S S M O K E D S A L M O N D I L L S I C H U A N P E P P E R

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Transfer cooked blini to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve blinis topped each one with 1 tsp of yoghurt, ½ of quail egg, salmon and dill, season with Sichuan pepper.

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NO . 4 7 / EASTER RECIPES

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W I T H

S I M O N E

Exploring Northern Germany

O UR JO URN E Y W IT H A RA

PROMO

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SP R I NG

I S

NE A R !

To g e t h e r w i t h our partner ara, we are starting the year off right with new shoe innovations and lots of colour s.

BLOGGER SIMONE joined us in presenting the hottest ara models of 2019 – featuring everything from comfortable sneakers and elegant ballet flats to airy sandals!

Making a choice won’t be easy: WHICH ONE IS YOUR NEW FAV O U R I T E ?

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E XP L O R I NG H A MBURG AND BA LTI C SE A WI TH SI MO NE

T H E

PROMO

P roje c t coordinator

Videog rapher

SOPHIE SIEKMANN

CLAUS KUHLMANN

Mod e l

Hair & Make U p PATRICIA HECK

SIMONE ADAMS

P hot og rapher TOBIAS KOCH

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We a r i n g t h e new ara Fusion4 s n e a ke r s we s p e n t our fir st day at the Tierpark Hagenbeck and the second day strolling around the beautiful port of Hamburg with the new ara Flex2Go S n e a ke r s o n o u r feet.

Afterwards, we moved closer to the sea as the ocean winds messed up our hair on a walk through TravemĂźnde with the new ara ReBalance sneakers. Day four was very relaxed as we soaked up the first rays of sun on the wide, sandy beaches with summery ara sandals and the new ara HighSoft models.

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ara ReBalance

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T H E U LT IM AT E T E ST H OW GO O D AR E TH E

AT T H E T I E R PA R K H AG E N B E C K NE W A R A FUSIO N4 SNEA K ER S?

PROMO

It’s been a while since blogger SIMONE , who lives in Frankfurt with two daughters, her husband and French bulldog Ulani, went to the zoo so she was very excited to take the new ara sneakers to the Tierpark Hagenbeck.

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Being a fashion blogger, Simone is not only interested in the comfort of the new ara Fusion4, but also wants to know if she can combine it with several outfits.

The new and colourful models immediately inspire several unique combinations!

A day at the zoo is the perfect test track for a pair of sneaker s: you spend hours on your feet, walking past all the different enclosures and rarely get a chance to sit down.

» I l o v e s t r o n g c o l o u r s , e s p e c i a l ly i n s p r i n g ! T h e n e w ara Fusion4 can be worn with so many outfits. Red, p i n k , b l u e , w h i t e – e v e r y o n e w i l l f i n d a f av o u r i t e . « 259

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PROMO

TI P

For our shooting, we were allowed to spend an exciting day at the HAMBURGER TIERPARK HAGENBECK .

The Tierpark is perfectly suited for a trip with the entire family.

Both kids and adults will be fascinated by the selection of animals! A special shout out goes to the tropical aquarium that was opened in 2007 and shows off over 14.300 animals in their unique diversity.

After only four hours at the Tierpark Hagenbeck, Simone has fed elephants, cuddled alpacas and watched the lions relax. How is she feeling?

Ih r Fa zi t

» I s t i l l f e e l g r e at a n d m y f e e t a r e n ’ t t i r e d at a l l . T h e F u s i o n 4 s n e a k e r s b y a r a a r e w e l l padded enough to absorb my steps and make m e f e e l l i k e I c a n c o m f o r ta b ly w a l k a l l d ay l o n g . « SISTER-MAG.COM 260

Get the Fusion4 sneakers by ara here

We have another highlight coming up for Simone: a visit to the tropical aquarium!

Standing behind huge glass windows, you can watch the tropical and underwater worlds of the Tierpark go by

as you wave to polar bears and seals. At the end of the day, Simone has worn multiple different ara sneakers and really enjoyed her day at the Tierpark. Her final words:

He r fi na l wo rd s

» I c a n a b s o l u t e ly r e c o m m e n d t h e T i e r p a r k Hagenbeck, there is a lot to see for both kids and a d u lt s ! W e a r i n g t h e c o m f o r ta b l e a r a F u s i o n 4 , I w a s w e l l e q u i p p e d f o r t h e d ay. G r e at s n e a k e r s f o r spring and summer 2019!«

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I N N OVAT I O N

B Y

A RA

W at c h S i m o n e ’ s v i d e o h e r e

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AR A

F L E X 2 GO

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A N

On day two, we went back to the big city after spending so much time with nature – the perfect opportunity for Simone to discover the new ara Flex2Go sneaker s while walking through the port of Hamburg!

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»I used to visit Hamburg quite often on business trips and I love being back and seeing all the changes.«

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TH E A R A L O C AT I O N T I P

Simone chose to wear her ara Flex2Go sneakers with a knee-length dress and knitted cardigan to enjoy a long walk on her trip to the city: The FlexLine that is integrated into the walking sole gives the front of the foot more flexibility while supporting the stability of the sole. As the sole remains extremely flexible, rolling off the foot becomes much easier, increasing comfort and decreasing tiredness.

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The Hafencity in Hamburg is rightfully one of the most impressive parts of Hamburg! As the German name suggests, it is right by the harbour and offers a unique view! A special draw is the new Elbphilharmonie that was opened in 2017 and attracts many thousands of visitors every day.

Amazing for spring is the harbour’s birthday in May – a culinary and visual feast that will surely remain in your mind for a long time.

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PROMO

Simo n e

» W at c h i n g t h e s u n s e t at t h e h a r b o u r was a beautiful experience and I feel s o c o m f o r ta b l e i n m y n e w a r a F l e x 2 G o sneakers!«

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Click here to get right to the ara online shop

ara Flex2go

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PROMO

» T h e o c e a n a i r i m m e d i at e ly puts me in a good mood! «

AR A RE BAL A NCE – A SNE A K E R AS CO MF O RTAB L E A S A RUNNI NG

SH O E

On day 3 we tur n our backs on the city and make our way towards the Baltic Sea.

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HIER Simones Video ansehen

ara ReBalance

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T H E ARAL O C AT I O N T I P

Up in Northern Germany, situated in the bay of Lübeck by the Baltic Sea, you can find the beautiful town of Travemünde where we spent a day lounging in the sun. We had a sip of bubbly sitting in beach chairs and strolled along the beautiful promenade – Travemünde has many things to offer.

Our tip: visit the open air cinema during the summer months and watch a movie right by the beach!

Simone used this opportunity to test the new ar a ReBalance sneaker s – she wore the bronze sneaker s with a palette of blue and white and a captain’s hat.

Passing big ships and small fishing boats, Simone takes a short break in a beach chair to enjoy the sun. »I’ve been walking around all day long and even though I’ve been wearing the sneakers for the very first time today I don’t feel any pressure on my feet – I’m completely relaxed!«

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PROMO

e c an al B e R ara SISTER-MAG.COM

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Click here to see all WA S Z E I C H N E T D I E ara sneakers ARA REBALANCE I N N O VAT I O N A U S ?

The ara ReBalance sole with PU-technology from running shoes makes for a highly comfortable shoe that absorbs any shock. The soft sole enables elasticity, making the shoes very comfortable. The foot is extremely supported while rolling off.

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PROMO

FLE XI B LE

W at c h S i m o n e ’ s v i d e o h e r e

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ara HighSoft

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AR A H IGH SOF T – SU P E R SO F T A ND

SUP E R

The last day of our small ara-trip took us to the promenade of Travemünde and its long sandy beach so Simone could properly greet spring and its stiff breeze.

Click here to get right to the ara HighSoft models

4

TH E A R A L O C AT I O N T I P

The new ara HighSoft models shine in bright colours like red and pink and leave us wanting breezy outfits to match – Simone wore the new ara shoes both with casual pants and feminine dresses. ara offers a wide range of HighSoft ballerinas, pumps and slippers – and Simone has already found a firm favourite:

» T h e p i n k b a l l e r i n a s p e r f e c t ly m at c h m y s h i r t ! A n d t h e y ’ r e s o s o f t. «

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White sandy beaches as far as the eye can see – what more could you want? The promenade in Travemünde serves up incredible views alongside ocean air, pretty hotels and delicious fish rolls. The perfect setting for long walks or a cosy day in a beach chair and a great recommendation if you’re in need of a little break!

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PROMO

THE NEW ARA I N N O VAT I O N H I G H S O F T I S S O M E T H I N G T R U LY SPECIAL The fundamental idea behind the HighSoft was to take the comfort and feeling of wearing sneakers and replicate this experience into our pumps and ballet range or line. The combination of super smooth soft-leather, a supple and a padded inner sole and a highly flexible outer sole result in the indescribably comfortable walking experience of the HighSoft.

H I G H LY FLEXIBLE OUTER SOLE

ara HighSoft Click here to get right to the ara HighSoft models

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Click here to get to the ara online shop

Towards the afternoon, we went to the seaside and took a break in one of the beach chairs. At this point, even Simone took off her new favourite shoes to feel the soft, warm sand beneath her toes.

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After four days in Northern Germany with the newest shoe-innovations, our first big aratrip of 2019 came to an end. But this is only the beginning: as per usual, you can look forward to more exciting trips, inspiring influencers and shoes, shoes and even more shoes!

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PARTNER

2019

MAR

s i st e rMAG i s pu bl i s h e d eve r y m o n t h !

READ NOW 

ALEX Vermarktung

MARKETING & ADMIN

W H AT H A P P E N E D SO FAR »A YEAR OF ART« – That's what

we called 2019 for our sisterMAG issues. In January, it started with an impressionist painting by the French painter GUSTAVE CAILLEBOTTE followed by a colorful and abstract screenprint by Abel Martín. In March, the famous »THINKER« of the sculptor Auguste Rodin was the inspiration for the magazine.

TONI Marketing & Finance

CAROLIN Content Distribution

How will it continue this year? With many great artworks by Klimt, Botticelli and Vermeer. We can't wait to hear your thoughts!

MEDEA Administration

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OPERATIONS

THEA Chief Editor & Design

LAURA Content Management

FRANZISKA Content Management

KREATION

SOPHIE Content Management

CHRISTINA Content Management

THERESA Content Management

SOPHIA

EVI Fashion

MARIE Design & Kreation

SONGIE Design

LALE

Content Management

Video & Design

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IMPRINT

SISTERMAG – JOURNAL FOR THE DIGITAL LADY www.sister-mag.com

Chief Editor Operations

Theresa Neubauer Theresa Baier, Laura Frenzel, Carolin Kralapp, Medea Moir, Christina Rücker, Sophie Siekmann, Sophia Werner, Franziska Winterling

Fashion

Eva-Maria Neubauer (Fashion Dir.)

Design

Theresa Neubauer (Art Dir.), Marie Darme, Lale Tütüncübaşı, Ilaria Trombí, Songie Yoon

Contributing Editors (Text)

Barbara Eichhammer, Jasmin Fatschild, Marlen Gruner, Alex Kords, Julia Laukert, Christian Näthler, Elisabeth Stursberg, sisterMAG Team

Contributing Editors (Photo & Video)

Amanda Dahms, Tobias Koch, Claus Kuhlmann, Jaclyn Locke, Elodie Love Sarah-Louise Marks, Andre Neske, Joran Ost, Christopher Phelps, Cris Santos, sisterMAG

Translation Proof

Alex Kords, Ira Häussler, Amie McCracken, Christian Näthler, sisterMAG Alex Kords, Ira Häussler, Christian Naethler, Amie McCracken, Michael Neubauer, sisterMAG Team

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