The Word - The Heritage Issue by The Word Magazine

volume 02 — issue 06

Neighbourhood Life + Global Style

Do not throw on the public domain.

Belgium Big Consoles Lifestyle Techno Techno Techno Fashion Mason’s Apprentice Design Studio Job Are Older Than Jesus Culture Boy Guards + The Bling Special

W W W. E S S E N T I E L . B E M AT H I A S S C H O E N A E R T S P H O T O G R A P H E D B Y M I C H E L D E W I N D T

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EDITOR’S LETTER

The Word Magazine Is Nicholas Lewis Benoît Berben Editor-in-chief Hettie Judah Design Face to Face + pleaseletmedesign Photography/Illustration Benoît Banisse Jean Biche Ulrike Biets Pierre-Philippe Duchâtelet Sarah Eechaut Vincent Fournier Sarah Michielsen Opération Panda Yassin Serghini Guy Van Laere Writers Alex Deforce Rozan Jongstra Hettie Judah Nicholas Lewis Yves van Kerkhove Randa Wazen Thank Yous Veerle Frissen Melisande McBurnie Irena Petkovic Virginie Van de Casteele

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THE FIRSTS

‘US’ is a word that gets used a great deal in The Word offices – as in “I think you’ll like her – she’s very ‘us’ ”. We’ve never sat down and defi ned what US really signifies, but I guess it’s understood that we’re talking about someone with a creative, interestingly skewed vision, a risk taker, an arguer, someone on the move, hungry for experiences. The baseline for US, however, is something that we sometimes refer to as a new internationalism: not the international vision that comes from being a business traveller, rather it's a worldview that seems to come hand in hand with an interesting, mixed up heritage. Asking The Word team to think about heritage, then, was always going to produce a fair few surprises. Thinking about heritage tourism, we ended up looking at the way the music industry simultaneously cannibalises its own influences, then attempts to resurrect crumbly old cult bands and push them back onto the touring circuit. And we took a daytrip down to Charleroi, and looked into the bleak roots of the city’s even bleaker present. Heritage can be as much of a burden as it is a blessing – particularly if you grow up in the shadow of the family business. We talked with a group of entrepreneurs about how they balanced the weight of expectation against their desire to strike out on their own, and asked whether having a background in the business really gives you a head start? Much as some of us may want to forget about our roots, the one part of our heritage we can never escape is the physical manifestation of it that stares back at us from the mirror every morning. After years spent trying to chart the diaspora back along our own faces, it’s been interesting to get an insight into the various international ancestors that lent features to some other very distinctive faces around us. There’s nothing like a baptism by fire – my first issue as editor in chief is also the first issue where we’ve experimented with taking the magazine monthly. My rookie errors have all been committed precisely when the rest of the team has been slamming hard up against our tightest ever deadlines. Not ideal – sorry guys! I’ve probably had to lean on Nicholas through the transition period rather more than he expected, but I’m hoping that this month has set the form for us working as a really good team in the future. As I said to him when we fi rst talked about me taking over as editor – I’m not interested in a dictatorship. The Word is definitely ‘us’.

Hettie Judah

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THE HERITAGE ISSUE

THE CONTENTS

01. The Firsts The Cover Ad Ad Editor's Letter Ad The Contents Ad The Contributors Ad The Diary The Diary Ad The Diary The Diary Ad The Diary Ad

04. Fashion The Heritage Issue Essentiel Swatch Volume 2 – N° o6 Filippa K You're looking at it Burberry It's a Word's world Bell & Ross Post-its Belgium Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen Belgium + United Kingdom France + Holland ING Concert picks & other things to do Cameleon

p01 p02 p04 p06 p07 p08 p09 p10 p11 p12 p13 p15 p16 p18 p19 p20 p21

02. Belgium The Heritage Papers The Heritage Papers The Heritage Papers The Heritage Papers The Heritage Papers Ad The Guide Ad

Becoming us

p56

05. The Bling Special Ad The Cover The Way The Flash The Encounter The Special Showst… Ad

Kenzo Parfums The Bling Special Adorning men Watchmen Show me the gold All mine when she shines The Word Magazine

p66 p67 p68 p72 p74 p76 p79

A matter of life and death

p80

Shelf life The lost art Tivoli gardens Far east

p84 p86 p88 p92

Stockists Advertisers The Morning After Issue Ristorante Bocconi Rado

p95 p96 p98 p99 p100

06. Design The History

07. Culture Title page The mix to drop Rewind, play, revive Old school kicks Serious baggage + Impressive specs De Greef My guide to superstition Hoet Design Store

p22 p23 p24 p25 p26 p27 p28 p29

03. Lifestyle The Business The Institution The Local The Face Off The Trace The Word On The Other Word On The Trip The Showstoppers Ad

The Fashion Word

Business genetics p30 Drop a coin in the slot p34 How Belgium beat the dancefloor… p36 My other car's a Golf p38 2000 years of modern p40 Heritage in my face p42 Console nation p44 What is left of industry p48 Back in the day p52 Delvaux p55

The Shelf The Pencil The Talent The Voyage

08. The Lasts The Stockists The Round Up What's Next Ad Ad

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-$6 %1 &1 -"$ %.1 ,$- %1.,

THE ORIGINS ISSUE

THE CONTRIBUTORS

It’s a Word’s world

Kris De Smedt Photographer ¤

Getting the right photographer for this issue was always going to be a tall order: we needed someone who was simultaneously sensitive to architecture, men’s fashion, and could create a story with a narrative that fitted with our heritage theme. We approached Kris and he just took the idea and ran with it, creating an exceptionally beautiful menswear story against the backdrop of a 1930s Masonic temple. Kris works with Stephanie Van Maele as the Septantesept photographic production team. www.septantesept.com — Pages n° 56, 57, 58, 59, 60,

Sebastiaan Van Doninck Illustrator ¤

We met Sebastiaan at a book publisher’s party, and when he told us that he used to illustrate children’s books but his imagination had become too dark, something went ‘click’ for us, and we knew this would be the start of a beautiful relationship. He’s inspired by music, dusty old museums and the movies of Tim Burton – which means he fits right in. This issue, we invited him to do a Guide to Superstitions. www.sebastiaanvandoninck.be — Pages n° 28

61, 62, 63, 64, 65

Pierre- Yves Marquer Stylist ¤

The 1930s feel of our fashion story required a stylist who appreciated rich textures and complex combinations of print and textile. Pierre-Yves got off the Thalys from Paris with a wicked sense of humour and armfuls of beautiful pieces, including vintage accessories from his own collection, and borrowed from friends in the know. We were so inspired by the Cazal frames he brought that we ended up writing them up in the Papers section. He, in turn, was so inspired by Brussels that he’s thinking of buying a loft here. — Pages n° 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65

Rozan Jongstra Writer ¤

Rozan’s currently juggling three jobs, but we like to think that her heart is really with us here at The Word. She’s happy to rise to a challenge and we’re always interested to see what she’ll make of our project proposals. Rozan has a love/ hate relationship with writing: she hates boring copywriting, loves expanding her mind as a journalist. This is one writer that defi nitely likes being taken outside of her comfort zone; just how we like them! — Pages n° 30, 31, 32, 33

A tribute watch to the US Airborne paratroopers in memory of D-Day

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THE BLOOD ISSUE

THE DIARY

THE FIRSTS

Boot camp

McCorkle’s work sits between that of a craftsman and a nutty professor. His minute attention to detail, combined with his ability to see subject matters where others would merely see everyday life, makes for compelling viewing. Consider March, his 10 minute movie on the Knickerbocker Greys, America’s oldest after school activity for New York’s Manhattan elite. In it, the artist takes the necessary distance to reveal an unobstructed account of one of the country’s oldest routines – namely, the disciplining of Park Avenue’s rich and famous. Contrasting the stiffness of the video, McCorkle also presents Seven Woods, a collection of seven gold-plated wooden canes.

Adrian Ghenie À Until 16th January 2010 ☞ Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp

Corey McCorkle À Until 9th January 2010 ☞ Stella Lohaus Gallery, Antwerp

www.timvanlaeregallery.com

www.stellalohausgallery.com

02.

Gloom and doom

04. ¤

02.

Glass candy

American photographer Debbie Fleming Caffery’s lens always seems to be gazing rather than full-frontal facing, more of a sneak peek than a close-up look. With something of a feminist streak to her work, Fleming Caffery’s photographs are gentle yet evocative, indirect yet explicit. Before anything else though, despite somber settings and gloomy situations, she always manages to capture a luminosity which would otherwise have been lost. With this exhibition at Brussels’ Box Gallery, entitled Timeless South, the artist presents a body of work close to her heart: the South is where she hails from, and what she knows best.

Glass never ceases to amaze, such are the myriads of possibilities it provides. And this is exactly the premise of Artonivo’s exhibition: to celebrate the intrinsic versatility of this most supple of wares, contextualising it within other practices, namely ceramics and textile design. Drawing on the works of experts in the field – from Finnish professor Oiva Toikka’s Birds collection to Italian artist Giorgio Vigna’s schizophrenic creations – the showcase attempts to inject some youthful exuberance into an art form otherwise relegated to artisans’ workshops and grandma cabinets. Added to the mix are works by Belgian ceramist Crien Van Looy and textile designer Ria Bosman.

Debbie Fleming Caffery – Un Sud Intemporel À Until 9th January 2010 ☞ Box Galerie, Brussels

Infinity – The Sky Within Reach À From 5th December 2009 to 17 th January 2010 ☞ Gallery Artonivo, Bruges

www.boxgalerie.be

www.artonivo.be

01.

03. ¤

You get a sense, when looking at Adrian Ghenie’s work, of an artist split between two worlds: the past or the present, the old or the new, the explicit or the abstract. Indeed, the painter approaches his subject with all the nostalgia of old masters, depicting what appear to be contemporary situations in a decidedly uncontemporary fashion. Some might say you’d be forgiven for thinking that Rembrandt’s darker side came back to life and decided to make a career out of it. The resulting body of work is somber and subdued, sometimes even unsettling – consider, for example, the canvas showing Hitler, backed by his German Shepherds, watching over what seems to be a woman fast asleep.

Old and new

03.

01. ¤

Belgium ( 01 → 09 )

04.

The next few weeks’ agenda fillers

THE RACE ISSUE

05.

THE DIARY

05.

Reflective violence

Isabelle Lévénez acknowledges that her work might at times have something of a violent streak running through it, although she attributes this not to an inner violence, but rather to the current global state of affairs, one she manages to translate through her body of work. You therefore fi nd an extremely somber approach (drip-dropping brush strokes and vivid, near-murderous colours) combined with a compelling contemporary narrative (animal masks being the most recent example). Although fi rst impressions might be unsettling, a closer look will reveal a world of deep-rooted meaning and unashamed brashness.

©Aeroplastic Contemporary

06.

08.

Oakland-based artist Tracey Snelling immortalises places, key moments and turning points in popular American culture through her downsized sculptures counting tales of a Hollywood of the past set in a Hollywood of the now. Meant as a soft critique of America’s fascination for the big, bright and brash, her miniaturised renditions of everything from liquor stores and sex shops to beachfront skyscrapers and the ubiquitous highway motel offer vivid and impeccably produced small bouts of Californian reality. This is the artist’s second exhibition in Brussels and one which we can only urge you to catch. Tracey Snelling – Greta Garbo slept here À Until 19th December 2009 ☞ Taché-Lévy Gallery, Brussels

www.aeroplastics.net

www.tache-levy.com

Layer cake

Manor Grunwald observes, decides, creates and then destroys. Taking as a starting point the people, cultures and realities that surround him, the former graffiti artist builds upon his observations, layer-upon-layer, using textures, mazes, patterns and a wide palette of colours to confuse and conquer, interest and intrigue. On an eternal quest to redefine the meaning of the canvas as we know it, Grunwald’s approach is one of trial and error (he is an autodidact artist), which some might consider “laisser-aller” although let this not misguide you. His is a well-calculated, intuitive and, in the end, refreshing body of work. Manor Grunwald À Until 30 th January 2010 ☞ Galerie Fortlaan 17, Ghent

www.fortlaan17.com © Mekhitar Garabedian

L.A miniaturised

Isabelle Lévénez - Masques À Until 23rd December 2009 ☞ Aeroplastics, Brussels

06. ¤

07.

07. ¤

08. ¤

Tongue ‘n cheek

Mekhitar Garabedian takes his role as the court’s clown seriously. The Syrian-born, Ghent-based artist dabbles in everything from photography to written words and drawing, constructing a narrative which places memory, history and identity at the centre of it. The DIY nature of his oeuvre – magic pen on paper, pencil on paper – as well as its unavoidable self-referential meaning lends it a rather appealing fragility and intimacy. His personal insight is formidable – take, for example, his simple sentence “Life is great, without it you’d be dead” – as is his attention to detail and his obvious sense of humour. Essential viewing. Mekhitar Garabedian À From 6th December 2009 to 24th January 2010 ☞ Hoet Bekaert Gallery, Ghent

www.iets.be

Brussels. Palais des Beaux-Arts

AMIS DE PARIS Monday 21st of December 2009. 20:00 F. Mendelssohn. Overture The Fair Melusine R. Schumann. Introduction and allegro appassionata for piano and orchestra F. Mendelssohn. Concerto for piano n° 2 R. Schumann. Symphony n° 2 Frank Braley. piano Paul Meyer. conductor reservation & tickets www.symfonieorkest.be

Met steun van de Vlaamse gemeenschap

THE FAMILY ISSUE

THE DIARY

United Kingdom ( 10 ¤ 15 ) Animal instinct

British photographer Nick Brandt doesn’t do wildlife photography. He photographs animals, the animals of East Africa more particularly. Credited with having brought the subject of wildlife photography into the realms of fi ne art photography, Brandt doesn’t simply document animals in their habitat, but rather seeks to capture that single, most dramatic moment, getting sometimes dangerously close to the chosen animals in order to contextualise them within their environment. This gives a postcard-like impression of the continent, one which places animals in all their full-blown glory.

09.

10. ¤

10.

Nick Brandt À Until 13th February 2010 ☞ Young Gallery, Brussels

Eva Hesse - Studiowork À From 11th December 2009 to 7 th March 2010 ☞ Camden Arts Centre, London

www.younggalleryphoto.com

www.camdenartscentre.org

In Betweeners ¤ Designr. rdv from 11th to 13th December 2009 @ The White Hotel, Brussels

11.

– In its fourth year, the Designr. rdv unites 50 fashion, product, jewellery and accessory designers for a weekend-long sleepover at The White Hotel. Each designer is given a room to present, promote and sell their wares around this year’s overriding theme: Spicy Imperial. Amongst the international cast of talent, we particularly look forward to Michael Guerisse’s leather-clad creations and Les Filles a Papa’s unashamedly spoilt-brat essence. www.designr-rdv.be 11. ¤ Matthew Crasner, Clyde Knowland and Jihef until 20th December 2009 @ Chausée de Wavre 220 Wavresteenweg, 1050 Brussels

Split personalities

SaLon Gallery ¤ invites Ben Young for his London debut solo exhibition. Describing himself as a selftaught artist despite his Masters in Fine Art from St Martin’s, Young introduces us to his artistic alter ego Contemporary Man, a character which inhabits a world of experimentation, where “the real” world’s rejects become his playing field, his points of reference. Layered, fast-paced and chaotic, his paintings reveal the many influences derived from Young’s vagabond nature (his youth was spent travelling through India, Australia and the States) and, ultimately, proves a refreshingly-pleasing body of work. Contemporary Man À Until 10 th January 2010 ☞ SaLon Gallery, London

www.salongallery.co.uk © Ben Young

– Part of a wider artistic regeneration project, this trio of painters and installation artists with roots in Brussels’ street art scene occupy a disused retail space in the neighbourhood south of Porte de Namur / Naamsepoort, showcasing their latest works.

The Test Run

At fi rst glance you’d be forgiven for thinking you were looking at someone’s trash. In many ways this is what Eva Hesse was questioning. Born in 1936, she managed to redefi ne what was at the time considered a very “male” discipline, bringing to it a feminine touch. Reflecting on the internal, her work always remained human. Using materials such as wire, latex, metals, cloth and wax, she constructed sculptures to resemble something reminiscent of everyday objects, things one would perhaps normally discard. An exhibition that will defi nitely leave the viewer with more questions as to the meaning of art.

09. ¤

THE NEXT FEW WEEKS' AGENDA FILLERS

Damien Hirst – Nothing Matters À Until 30 th January 2010 ☞ White Cube, London

www.whitecube.com

Street sale

Walking through ¤ Amsterdam’s red light district can be unsettling enough, but imagine encountering it within the pristine surroundings of The National Gallery. Using everyday objects to construct their shocking duplications, Ed and Nancy Kienholz’s full-scale reproduction of a red light street questions art as we know it, breaking down the barriers between art and the “real” world. Monumental and opinionated, The Hoerengracht (which translates into Whore’s Canal) confi rms the couple’s reputation for their politically virulent artistic vision, one which influenced everyone from Tracey Emin to Mike Kelley. Kienholz – The Hoerengracht À Until 21st February 2010 ☞ National Gallery, London

www.nationalgallery.org.uk 13. ¤

OK computer

London’s V&A once again stays ahead of the pack with its exhibition on the follies of digital and interactive art. Curated together with digital arts organisation onedotzero, the showcase is sectioned in three parts. Code as a Raw Material presents works which use codes as raw material in the same way a painter might use oil, or water-based paint. Interactivity showcases pieces which are shaped by interacting with the viewer (a human-size eyeball which blinks one second after the viewer blinks, for example). And The Network explores works which exploit the digital trail left behind by everyday communications. Decode: Digital Design Sensations À From 8 th December 2009 to 11 th April 2010 ☞ Victoria & Albert Museum, London

www.vam.ac.uk

15.

12.

14.

13.

The artist who needs no introduction, Damien Hirst has made a living – a very comfortable living – out of his multitalented practice, expressing himself through installations, sculptures, paintings and drawings to construct a distinct narrative of love, life, death, loyalty and betrayal. With human nature at the core of his work, he exploits its many uncertainties, divulging an uncanny and visceral dialogue between art, science and popular culture. Steeped in historical references yet always to be taken with a pinch of salt, this exhibition at White Cube promises to reveal yet another facet of the man’s vision.

Bean counting

Tatsuo Miyajima’s ¤ work inhabits the sometimes grey area between physical art and science. Creating installations using LED digital counting devices, the Japanese artist explores everyday traumas through the combination of geometric patterns and organic shapes, revealing poetic and soft works which are, before anything else, always pleasing to the eye. The exhibition presents several series, of which one – Pile Up Life – observes the human devastation left behind by natural disasters. Meant as a requiem for lives lost to nature, the œuvre is a collection of towers made of natural stones encrusted with LED lights. Tatsuo Miyajima À Until 16th January 2010 ☞ Lisson Gallery, London

www.lissongallery.com

14.

Homecoming

15.

12. ¤

THE FIRSTS

THE IDENTITY ISSUE

THE DIARY

France

( 16 ¤17 )

Holland ( 18 ¤ 19 )

16.

Plastic world

It’s hard to overstate the significance of Playmobil’s effect on playing patterns the world over. Indeed, the 7.5cm figurine, created by German Hans Beck back in 1974 as a counterweight to the ensuing oil crisis, innovatively allowed toddlers to bend their play pals to their every demand (it was the first time that toys could be shaped and adapted). For this retrospective documenting the toy’s many evolutions, Les Arts Décoratifs roll out the red carpet to cowboys and Indians, pirates and Vikings, space heroes and football players, contextualising them within sets specifically created for the exhibition.

16.

18. ¤

Portrait specialist Elizabeth Peyton has painted anyone and everyone that matters in today’s high society, from David Hockney to Prince Harry and Marc Jacobs. Her distinctive brush stroke, characterised by timid dashes of paint and a certain distance kept from her subject, is eloquent yet simple, often painting her subjects in lights they normally would never be seen in. Although some have accused Peyton of blatant celebrity-seeking, the poetry and nonchalance prevalent in her works as well as her ability to capture a fragility not usually associated with her many subjects makes her the perfect heir to Andy Warhol.

Il était une fois Playmobil À From 10 th December 2009 to 9 th May 2010 ☞ Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris

Court painter

17.

Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton À Until 21st March 2010 ☞ Bonnefanten, Maastricht

18.

www.bonnefanten.nl

www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr 19. 17.

Leave me alone

The act of retrieving oneself from reality, to escape and curl-up is the premise of this exhibition at Paris’ Palais de Tokyo. Drawing on the works of many artists – Gardar Eide Einarsson’s penciled robotportrait of Theodore Kaczynski, America’s most elusive terrorist, art collective Dora Winter’s reproductive installations, Paul Laffoley’s paintings (the fi rst time the well-known American recluse’s work is shown in Europe) to name but a few – the exhibition celebrates desolation and lonesomeness. Despite the dark nature of the exhibition’s theme, the fragility and beauty of the works on shows is impressive.

www.palaisdetokyo.com

19.

Chasing Napoleon À Until 17 th January 2010 ☞ Palais de Tokyo, Paris

Blood in blood out

Canadian photog¤ rapher Edward Burtynsky is well-known for his damning visual verdicts on the industrialised world’s many shortcomings – from mining in China to ship breaking in Bangladesh – culminating in the mesmerising documentary Manufactured Landscapes. He has also, for over 10 years now, focused his lens on the rise (and rise) of the world’s dependence on black gold, taking his many fans on a voyage to Azerbaijan’s oil field through to Detroit’s decaying automotive factories and Los Angeles’ sprawling highway network. Engaging, thought-provoking and visually-arresting, this is one exhibition we strongly urge you to catch. Edward Burtynsky – Oil À Until 28 th February 2010 ☞ Huis Marseille, Amsterdam

www.huismarseille.nl

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THE FINGER PRINT ISSUE

Concert picks & other things to do ¤ J to the C & Nag on 5th December 2009 @ Kavka, Antwerpen

— MC and producer Nag celebrates the release of his latest LP with a get together of sorts, with on-point affiliate and funk-revelation-of-the-year J to the C enlisted to hype ‘em up before the lights go out. www.kavka.be ¤ A Mountain of One on 10th December 2009 @ Vooruit, Ghent

— Dreamy, dark and captivating, A Mountain of One’s debut album’s blend of alt-rock echoes that of Pink Floyd and Depeche Mode, with a hint of Deep Purple. www.vooruit.be ¤ Mr. Oizo on 11th December 2009 @ Het Depot, Leuven

— Although some might consider Mr. Oizo’s productions overly chaotic and complex, the Ed Bangers flag-waving Frenchman still manages to pack a punch when it comes down to getting the dance floor pumped up. www.hetdepot.be

THE DIARY

¤ High Needs Low on 12th December 2009 @ Congres Station

— In its third edition, High Needs Low distinguishes itself by bringing a regimental approach to throwing parties, led by the steadfast artistic vision of inceptor Soumaya Dancemachine (also one of the parties’ DJs). Known for its creative pulling power, this edition boasts first-time Belgian appearances by the likes of Lawrence of Dial Records fame, a heady mix of projections, light works and photography as well as a participative stenography (read party-goers-generated fun). ¤ Da BlueFunk District presents Slum Village on 13th December 2009 @ Le Tavernier, Brussels

— Whilst the death of their ringleader might make other bands call it quits, Slum Village haven’t let their game slip, ensuring Dilla’s legacy lives on. Don’t miss this opportunity to catch the Detroit duo heat up and tear up the intimate settings of Le Tavernier. www.le-tavernier.be ¤ Wax Tailor on 17th December 2009 @ Botanique, Brussels

— Rarely does a French rapper command such authority amongst his US counterpart, although happy hip-hopper Wax Tailor holds it down as easily in Bedstuy as he does in Les Halles. www.botanique.be

¤ PouDude (Poupi Whoopy 4 release party) on 19th December 2009 @ Scheld'apen, Antwerp

— Celebrating the release of the fi rst ever male edition of the country's best underground pin-up book, the Poupi Whoopy naughties put on a night of performances (Jean-Biche, Creamy Caro), playlists (Naughty Nathan) and projections. www.poupiwhoopy.com ¤ Dr Lektroluv (+ Le Le, Fredo & Thang, Jules X & Nondejul) on 19th December 2009 @ Petrol, Antwerpen

— It doesn’t get any trashier, dirtier and raunchier than Dr Lektroluv, the green-masked father of electroclash with sets that never fail to pack a serious dose of whupass. www.petrolclub.be ¤ The Temper Trap on 19th December 2009 @ Botanique, Brussels

— A mixture of rock with some tween love. Makes us think of worlds spinning and confetti falling from the sky, with the almighty love embrace at the end. www.botanique.be ¤ The Joy Formidable on 19th December 2009

@ Botanique, Brussels — Punchy vocals, speedy guitar riffs with good “woos" in the background and even some male/female duets. Imagine Blondie surfi ng on speed. www.botanique.be

What We’re Giving Away Two pairs of tickets to the following concerts: th ¤ Mr. Oizo on 11 December 2009 at Het Depot, Leuven th ¤ Da BlueFunk District presents Slum Village on 13 December 2009 @ Le Tavernier, Brussels th ¤ Dr Lektroluv on 19 December 2009 @ Petrol, Antwerpen What you need to do. Send an email to wewrite@thewordmagazine.be, specifying which concert you wish to go to in the subject line. The first readers to do so will each win a pair of tickets to the concert of their choice. Conditions. Only one pair of tickets permitted per reader. Tickets not for resale. Until tickets last. Applies to Belgium only. Normal conditions apply.

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THE BLUE EYES ISSUE

THE HERITAGE PAPERS

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t keep a diary, instead we track our life back through high points of passion and emotion; the music that provided the backdrop to a great night, epic football matches, the sunglasses we wore on the best holiday ever, getting to see a band we never thought would play again, or those special encounters that suddenly make the improbable possible. Writers Alex Deforce, Hettie Judah, Nicholas Lewis, Randa Wazen

BELGIUM

The series “is meant to give an insight into [fans]’ favourite band”. So, for example, you discover Hot Chip’s smooth mixing abilities and eclectic tastes – ranging from Marek Bois to Joe Jackson – or that The Raptures head nod it to Ghostface Killah’s Daytona 500 – essential intelligence when you’re a fl agwaving, t-shirt-wearing, fly-posting devotee. “They (the fans) feel they need to have the mix in their collection,” says Juan, partly because the label encourages the artist to “use it (the series) as a platform to do something they wouldn’t normally do on their artist album” but really, because most mixes contain an exclusive track - be it a demo, a collaboration or an unreleased remix - adding collecting clout to the compilations’ desirability. Launched in 1995 by !K7 Records’ Stefan Struver, DJ Kicks was a playground initially reserved for DJs, but the label decided, about three years ago, to “move towards producers and artists who don’t DJ so often.” While the first ever mix saw Belgian CJ Bolland setting the tone, the imprint’s latest release comes from Canadian prodigy producers Chromeo (reviewed on www.thewordmagazine.be ). The selection of which artists get to mix the series seems to be more personal than anything, the result of informal discussions Juan has with

artists. Once an agreement is reached, mixes tend to reach the stands four or five months later, although some take much longer – “I’ve been speaking to Burial (about his mix) for 18 months now” he says, with a hint of frustration. It’s evidence of DJ Kicks’ cachet that so many bands approach the label with requests to have a go, but not all artists the label approached want to come on board (Portishead and Danger Mouse both apparently declined). Others answer the brief with surprising professionalism, as was apparently the case with Booka Shade. The series’ most successful run came from Austrians Kruder & Dorfmeister; Juan attributes the success of the mix - which reputedly sold almost around a million copies - to “timing and name recognition”. Top of Juan’s wish list are Aphex Twin, Kraftwerk and Boards of Canada. All three have apparently all said no too, but he remains undeterred. On future releases, !K7 Records’s pickand-mix man is “very excited” about Flying Lotus and The Juan MacLean’s upcoming series, saying of Lotus’ Kicks compilation “it’s more than just a mix”. No shit. (NL)

THE MIX TO DROP

The mix to drop Art school dropouts and bourgeois bad boys listen to 2Many DJs’ infamous mashed-up mixes. Pill-poppers eternally trying to recapture their chemical coming-of-age religiously collect FabricLive. Nerdy crate-diggers get off on the epic Blue Notes collections whilst Parisian boho hipsters rack-up Kitsuné Maison digital downloads. Even tweenagers have the deathlessly naffery Now That’s What I Call Music! to bop along to. High priests of the music world, industry insiders and even musicians themselves, however, all swear by one series, and one series only: the now classic DJ Kicks series which has attracted some of the game’s biggest producers, musicians and DJs, from The Glimmers, Thievery Corporation and Tiga to Stereo MCs, Rockers Hifi and a Massive Attack’s Daddy G. !K7 Records, the German label behind the series, has made it its raison d’être to work with “up-and-comers about to break” according to Juan Vandervoort, the A&R who has headed the project for the last five years.

www.dj-kicks.com

THE RED HAIR ISSUE

THE HERITAGE PAPERS

Rewind, play, revive History has proven that the music industry’s perpetual cultural recycling knows no limits or expiry date; contemporary styles of music are deeply infused with references and nods to those that preceded them. You can hear it, defi ne it and there sure is no point denying it. Modern artists rightfully make it their duty to pay verbal tribute to those who influenced them, namedropping every single obscure band they might have drawn inspiration from. But great as such homage is for enriching one’s iTunes library with hidden gems, they are a frustrating gift – there’s no chance of seeing these bands live or waiting for a new material; sharing obscure music references with fans is rarely more than an offering of dead entities to the masses. Yet sometimes, such tributes from the currently successful actually manage to bring these musical ghosts back from the underworld. Beck never made a secret of his massive regard for Os Mutantes, and has admitted that hearing the Brazilian band for the fi rst

time was a revelatory moment for him. He even named a track of his Mutations album Tropicalia; an obvious wink to the Tropicalist movement the band was part of. Os Mutantes only released four albums between 1968 and 1972, yet have seen their legacy perpetuated by various hipster devotees including Devendra Banhart, Sean Lennon, the Flaming Lips, David Byrne and even Nirvana. Kurt Cobain was such an admirer of the group that when his band played in Brazil in 1993, he sent a fan letter to Arnaldo Baptista, the Mutantes' keyboard player and bassist begging him to perform with them, an offer he declined at the time. However Os Mutantes fi nally hit the road again in 2006, 34 years after their last concert. What used to be one of the best-kept secrets of psychedelic rock then delivered the highly anticipated album Haih or Amortecedor in September. Garage rock owes a great deal to The Sonics. Even though the Tacoma based band never had a Billboard 100 single, they left a profound mark on three generations of punkers and screamers, from The Cramps to The Stooges and more recently The Hives and The White Stripes. Nearly 40 years after splitting up, three of the five original members reunited and toured Europe for the fi rst time.

The Horrors, the UK’s attention grabbing ‘it’ band who admitted that The Sonics were a major influence on their sound, supported them during their London shows, putting four decades of rock heritage in perspective. Hardcore enthusiasts – Flea and John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers among them – got nostalgic when Initial Records released a compilation of Black Flag covers in 2002. A year later the iconic punks – who disbanded in 1986 - played three reunion shows to packed audiences. Countless other not so under-the-radar bands have made fl amboyant comebacks recently, including The Sex Pistols, The Who, The Police, Pearl Jam, The New York Dolls, Guns ‘n Roses and Faith No More. As successful and heart warming as it may be, reviving cult bands is tricky. Returning decades after having left on a high note is of course risking ruining the legend. Certain acts age like fi ne wine, others turn sour like vinegar. But in any event, the original will always have that more authentic – if perhaps not more appealing – fl avour than their heirs. (RW)

BELGIUM

for visitors; the building has been closed off for over a decade amid fears that the roof and stands might collapse. Showers and dressing rooms gather dust, and the terraces are dark beneath the severely decayed concrete roof. “Would you believe that I've seen Bob Dylan play here? Right here, in our stadium,” an enthusiastic football fan exclaimed, back at the bar. It’s true; in June 1984 Dylan chose the thencharming venue for his Brussels concert during a European tour alongside Carlos Santana. Crossing has seen many legendary derbies; loyal supporters still remember the day Anderlecht beat Schaerbeek with a devastating 6-1, and how the scoreboard didn't have a number six. The club put up a five with a one next to it. When the footballing force of Crossing Molenbeek and Royal Cercle du Sportif Schaerbeek merged, the club stood its ground in the fi rst division for four years in the early 70s as Royal Crossing Club de Schaerbeek. The club was so renowned for the passion of its supporters that national television RTBF chose to broadcast its fi rst live colour football match from Crossing. Filled to the brim, some 15.000 supporters watched Schaerbeek crush Standard Liège with a devastating 3-1 victory. Until this day the legend stands that the local

team was unbeatable on its own turf. The team’s strength at home was equalled by their weakness on unfamiliar grounds; Schaerbeek has only ever won one away match. After four glamorous years in fi rst division, the tide changed. In 1973 the club was relegated to second division. There was one more legendary moment before the glory days faded for good. A packed stadium watched the team battle Standard Liège a fi nal time for the title. After a nerve-breaking 90 minutes, the team was defeated with a close 0-1. After that, Crossing’s home team slid year after year, ending up in the Provincial league, where the team fused with Elewijt in 1983 and continued under the name of Royal Crossing Elewijt. FC Kosova currently count over 400 members and RC Schaerbeek over 600; with the latest rumours suggesting that the state has fi nally committed to start refurbishment in 2010, it seems the future of football is at last assured in the 1030 commune. Some folks even have their fi ngers crossed that one day they’ll get to watch another rock concert in the shadow of the Josaphat trees. (AD)

OLD SCHOOL KICKS

Old school kicks There’s still a sign that reads ‘Crossing’ at the 23 bus stop on the north side of Schaerbeek's Parc Josaphat, but until recently, rumours had it that this might soon be the only reminder of a glorious part of Brussels' sporting heritage. Schaerbeek’s once majestic Crossing Stadium, for years crumbling and disused, seemed destined to rot into the ground as the debate about what to do with it stretched across years. Entering the Crossing stadium, the pessimistic rumours were soon forgotten as home side FV Kosova beat Kappelle-Op-Den-Bos to a 2-0 victory, moving up to fi fth place in the 2nd Provincial league. Kosova shares Crossing with RC Schaerbeek, a 3rd Provincial league team. The atmosphere in the supporters’ bar below the dilapidated stadium had the warmth of a family reunion, with long-lost sons stepping in one after the other, refreshing beer awaiting them on arrival. The contrast to this familial warmth couldn't have been bigger when we snuck into the abandoned stadium above. It’s forbidden territory

THE EVOLUTION ISSUE

THE HERITAGE PAPERS

“I made him suffer in the beginning,” says Ralph Baggaley (pictured left), giving Maarten De Ceulaer (pictured right) a playful punch in the arm. “He was one of those students who think the world is their oyster, but we get along well now; it’s like a marriage.” It’s a marriage that comes with a pretty serious trousseau – or rather a very large pile of leather-clad suitcases, designed by Maarten and meticulously hand stitched by Ralph at his atelier in Rhode Saint Genèse. The fi rst edition of Pile of Suitcases was indeed Maarten’s graduation project from Antwerp Academy, and he admits that he may have underestimated the technical problems that came with his design. “Everyone else I spoke to said that the piece was so big that it was impossible to make it in a perfect way, I had no idea it would be so difficult,” he recalls. “Then someone at the tannery in Anderlecht saw the project and said that if anyone could make it, it was this guy Ralph.” To Ralph, it was the right challenge at the right time. His career in leatherwork began

Serious baggage

with handbags in Amsterdam in 1972 after he ‘dropped out’ of his job as an electrical technician in the US. “I like leatherwork, it’s in the American psyche,” he explains. From Amsterdam he moved to a commune in Ghent where he kept up with the leatherwork in between stints milking the cows. After three decades of bags, he moved onto furniture, and

seems pleased as punch by the recognition his skills are now getting through this collaboration. “Maarten is schmoozing around while I’m slaving here – but he’s very fair: most people who had an artisan like me at their disposal would be very secretive.” (HJ)

and 80s have a very particular look – people really know you’re wearing them.” Aida and her sister Selima sell unworn vintage frames alongside their own handmade spectacle collection from their stores in Paris’ Marais district and New York’s Soho. As the only specialist vintage optician in Paris, it has become the destination for fashion industry insiders in search of something different, albeit at a

price; the tag of €250 for non-designer vintage frames zooms to € 800 for the most desirable stock. “Many fashion shops do vintage now, but we’ve been doing this for 20 years,” says Aida. “What you see here is all the fruit of our passion and research.” (HJ)

www.maartendeceulaer.com

Stylist Pierre-Yves Marquer arrived off the train from Paris for our fashion story this month with a very special delivery – three pairs of way out-there vintage glasses lent by his friend Aida Abdelouhab of Selima Optique. The picture featuring the vintage Cazal sunglasses ended up being one of our favourite images of the shoot – the frames are wild, almost scientific-looking, but with a curious allure. Cazal’s idiosyncratic frames are seriously durable, manufactured according to exacting technical specifications and painted by hand. In production since 1975 Carl Zalloni’s designs hit the big time during the 1980s when the attention-grabbing styling and solid construction made them favourites on the US Hip Hop scene. If you’ve ever seen a Run DMC clip, you’ve likely seen a pair of Cazal shades. Cazal recently re-issued some of its classic frames, but for fetishists, nothing beats the real stuff from back in the day. “For collectors, Cazal is a brand apart,” explains Aida. “They are beautiful, they have a history, they are very rare, and the ones from the 1970s

Impressive specs

www.selimaoptique.com www.cazal-eyewear.com

Rue au Beurre 24-26 I 1000 BRUXELLES I TĂŠl : +32 2 511 95 98 I Fax : +32 2 511 47 48 I www.degreef1848.be I info@degreef1848.be

THE SPERM ISSUE

THE BUSINESS

Business genetics — When your livelihood also happens to be your passion, it’s inevitable you take part of it home with you. You discuss it over dinner with your partner, over drinks with your friends, over Christmas with your family. It’s often at the kitchen table that a spark is first passed on to the next generation. The Word spoke with five successful entrepreneurs about how their parents’, grandparents’ and even great grandparents’ experience shaped their business nous. Writer Rozan Jongstra Photography Ulrike Biets (except when stated otherwise)

01.

“It was a natural process,” says Esfandiar Eghtessadi, creator of the clothing brand Essentiel. “My mother took me everywhere along with her; it was in the factories, the shops, the ateliers that I fell in love with fashion.” With a mother like Nicole Cadine, one can only imagine. Looking back on his childhood, he sees it as having been an in-depth training for his career, calling it a hands-on opportunity to develop skills such as creativity, vision and clarity of mind. “Growing up in those surroundings allowed

me to pick up specific knowledge and expertise. It defi nitely helped me in the sense that I was somewhat prepared for the challenges I later took on.” He does caution that while growing up in the business may offer a certain head start, you won’t get far without talent or a knack for the job. For Esfandiar, this talent was design; he sees his attention to detail and his ability to tell a story through clothing as a key strength, linking the storytelling to his Iranian heritage. Ten years after its launch, Essentiel’s own story is a triumphant one.

BUSINESS GENETICS

What started out as a line of t-shirts quickly grew into an entire clothing collection complete with accessories. “My love for style in general as opposed to one particular style also stems from my background, and I think Essentiel reflects that. As a designer, who you are shines through in what you do.”

" As a designer, who you are shines through in what you do." Esfandiar and Inge Eghtessadi

02.

Staying true to who you are was also important to Paul Haelterman, Carlsberg Importers’ Managing Director. After spending four years at Coca Cola and seeing how restructuring clashed with his ethical stance, he decided to step into the family business in 1994 where he felt he could not only make a difference in the company’s future, but would also have a hand in his own. As another youngster who grew up amidst business talk, people and deals, in retrospect his choice of career seems obvious. “I inherited my entrepreneurial zeal and my propensity for risk-taking directly from my father. Joining the company my grandfather started would allow me to put these to use as well as pursue my dream, which was to launch new products.” His dream became reality in 2002 with the launch of Tao. Envisioning an alternative to classic soft, sports and energy drinks, he came up with a well-being drink, made with natural ingredients. Not only that but he got to work with the people he chose – according to Haelterman, another clear advantage of a family fi rm. A background in business offered him two other important factors that aren’t easy to come by: consistency and stability. “My job is to be a kind of guardian to the brand. I take fi nance, marketing and IT for my account, whereas my brother handles logistics and the commercial aspects – we complement each other perfectly.” Complementary skills from within a family also converge at Café Costume, where the two-piece suit is given a tailored twist. Clients can customise their suit by selecting the cut, fabric, lining and buttons that tickle their fancy. The concept was dreamed-up by Bruno Van Gils whose family have owned the Van Gils menswear brand for three generations. While his main responsibilities include creative input and brand positioning, his

03.

LIFESTYLE

THE EGG ISSUE

THE BUSINESS

nieces Saskia and Angélique take care of the commercial and fi nancial aspects. “We make a good team. The hard thing about a family enterprise is keeping your business and private life separate – let’s say you can forget about that. But at the end of the day, it’s worth it. We’re a small yet very organic company,” Bruno says. He feels that the company’s fluid structure also allows them to adapt to change easily, preferring to see it as an opportunity rather than a necessary evil. “We’re sensitive to changes in both the industry and in customer demands. If necessary, we’ll adjust our services just as well as our seams.”

" We make a good team. The hard thing about a family enterprise is keeping your business and private life separate. " Bruno Van Gils

Bruno attributes his taste for innovation and passion for the job to his grandfather, who even at 83 can still be found in the factory. As for the advantages of growing up in the business, he is unequivocal: “Yes, you have a certain knowledge and credibility to back you up and yes, you always have someone to turn to for advice, but my career was never handed to me on a platter. To be able to do my own thing, I’ve defi nitely had to fight.” Wanting to throw off the yoke and create his own identity, he spent his adolescence rebelling against both the legendary family and brand he had been born into. “I wanted to do something different and to show people that I had ideas of my own. We created Café Costume for a totally different generation than Van Gils – a generation we can identify with and understand.” Steven Van Roy, fourth generation and current owner of VR Embroideries, agrees that it takes more than background alone to set up and maintain a thriving business. VRE was founded in 1876 by François Van Roy as a company producing work clothes, and after introducing the weaving mill and a collection of men’s shirts, ladies’ blouses were added to the repertoire in 1965. When Steven and Els Van Roy took over in 1999, they decided that in addition to the embroidery department and contract work, they wanted to develop a separate women’s collection. They teamed up

04.

with the designers Katrien Strijbol and Vicky Vinck, creating Just In Case; a high-fashion brand that showcased the company’s expertise in embroidery and lacework. “This collection was something completely different for VRE. Apart from production, we had to start from scratch - we rebuilt the entire structure. The commercial side, for example, is like day and night. It’s been hard work to get where we are today,” Van Roy explains. “My parents never tried to convince me to take over the company.

If anything, they tried to warn me about the difficulties the industry could pose.” But he knew what he wanted and after graduating as a stylist, he stepped into the family business. As for the success of Just In Case, he credits the design and fit. “It’s a well thought through and worked out collection.” Arnaud Wittmann’s parents also cautioned him about the difficulties inherent in the family business. Wittmann is one half of Brusselsbased jeweller De Greef, a family company

BUSINESS GENETICS

LIFESTYLE

stemming back to 1848, which he runs together with his brother Jacques. He remembers how his father tried to juggle the pressures of the jewellery shop with family life. Though he tried to keep work and home separate, jewels and watches were always a big part of Arnaud’s childhood, whether helping out in the shop as a teen or during family visits to other jewellers on holiday. “I had a strong love for creation and design, but it was some time before I realised I wanted to take part in the business,” he admits. “My brother and I worked together with our father for almost 10 years. It wasn’t always easy, as he found handing over responsibility rather difficult, but we learned a great deal from him. He taught us to be independent in our choice of brands and banks, for example.” Wittmann also learned the importance of customer service, seeing how the attention his father paid to customers even after a sale would inspire loyalty.

" My brother and I worked together with our father for almost 10 years. It wasn’t always easy, as he found handing over responsibility rather difficult. " Arnaud Wittmann

Sometimes, however, opinions on the creative approach did clash. His father comes from a Protestant background which inspired a certain modesty in his collections, whereas Arnaud wanted to include some bolder pieces. “We sell dreams,” he explains, “which meant we needed to combine that modesty with an element of fantasy.” The passing of their father meant the end of an era for De Greef, but it also gave Arnaud the possibility to express his creative side. The result was De Greef Creation in 2000, a collection designed by Wittmann himself. “It’s a big and bold collection, which was right for the time.” But times are changing in the land of silver and gold too, and the crisis has also affected people’s taste in jewellery. “The new keyword is subtlety. It’s quite challenging to have to adapt your creations, but it’s a question of trying. It’s about taking a step back, fi nding the right balance, yet keeping your identity.

05.

I’d like to have a new minimalist collection out by June 2010.” So does the future look bright and sparkling or is he a little worried? “I don’t think so,” he laughs, “As long as there are women, there’ll be jewellery.” www.essentiel.be www.taodrinks.com www.cafecostume.com www.justincase.be www.degreef1848.be

Previous pages 01. Essentiel's Esfandiar and Inge Eghtessadi 02. Tao's founder Paul Haelterman 03. Café Costume's Bruno Van Gils These pages 04. De Greef's Jacques and Arnaud Wittmann 05. Just in Case's Steven Van Roy

THE PREDECESSOR ISSUE

THE INSTITUTION

Drop a coin in the slot The home-away-from-home vibe, vintage jukebox, exquisite blues and memorabilia make the Booze ‘n’ Blues one of the finest places to inflict damage on the liver while delighting one’s ears. But more fascinating still is Eddy, the man at the helm of this underrated institution

Writer Randa Wazen

The gloomy raw brick façade is not very welcoming. The thick, dark, wooden door, usually closed, isn’t either. Not much gives it away, apart from a small sign that reads “Booze ‘n’ Blues”. Yet the brave few that dare to venture beyond are immediately rewarded with the intimate atmosphere, cosy, dimmed lighting and sound of classic blues music fi lling the air. And there’s the man. Eddy (pictured above), a thin, tall, lanky dude who is cool as a cucumber and mysteriously quiet, slowly gliding back and forth behind the milelong bar to serve his clients, chain-smoking rolled cigarettes in the process. He’s no stranger to the business, having worked in bars for the past 30 years, and even used to run the mythical Blues Corner. That small venue right off the Grand Place was a true reference, hosting concerts every night of the 14 years it stayed open, attracting blues fanatics from the four corners of the globe.

" … even though Eddy didn’t know what ‘booze’ meant, he was instantly compelled by the way it sounded. "

After he was forced to shut it down, Eddy took a three-year break. When he spotted the “for sale” sign at Rue des Riches Claires 20 Rijke Klarenstraat, he knew he had to go for it. This old corner building was actually part of the church right across the street and dates back to the 16th century. “It used to be the cloister of the ‘black sisters’ who were so

called because of their outfits”, he explains. A friend from New York suggested the name, and even though Eddy didn’t know what ‘booze’ meant, he was instantly compelled by the way it sounded. Located only a dozen meters away from the very lively Place SaintGery, Eddy reminds us that while the area is home to the buzziest bars in town today, it was pretty dead back then. “I was alone here. Only the Bizon and the Java were around.” Lost souls, expats, music lovers and regulars form the core of the eclectic clientele. But the most interesting brew of folks can be found in the early hours of the morning, once all the nearby joints have closed their doors and kicked out the last men standing. Those keen on pursuing their nocturnal recreation further find refuge in the Booze ‘n’ Blues, which almost serves as a Noah’s Ark for downtown’s inebriated night owls, for the house policy is that there is no closing time. A man of the night,

Eddy stays up for as long as the clients do, which is undoubtedly one of the secrets of the place’s success. “People know that this is often the last place open and that I’m not going to throw them out. That’s why they feel so much at home. There is no pressure here”. The bar opens around four or five pm and the party can go on until seven or eight am, depending on the crowds and the mood. Don’t expect too much action on Sundays or Mondays though, as those are the quieter nights. Blame it on the booze or on the blues, there is defi nitely something in the air that makes this place very special. Despite the premises’ scruffy style and mix and match appearance, few details were left to fate; everything has its own logic and reason for being here. The common link is rather simple: these are all things that Eddy loves. Whether it’s the music memorabilia, artwork, or old objects. Posters of Frank Zappa animate the ceiling, Eddy’s favourite concert stubs are pinned to the wall, alongside photos depicting people whose names start with a B – Jacques Brel, George Brassens and Buddy Guy – funny drawings made by regulars are framed. There is also an omnipresent lizard theme going on, either obvious – the reptile miniatures behind the counter – or more discreet – the tone on tone paintings all over the place. “It all started with this lizard brooch I always wore on my jacket. I wanted some around here. Friends and customers brought over little lizards that I put behind the bar. Suddenly I got flooded with them. There’s an army of lizards stashed upstairs.” Even the colour and texture of the walls was carefully studied. One wouldn’t expect Eddy to pay such attention to details given his beyond-nonchalant demeanour. The truth is that his philosophy is pretty much that of a deeply committed artist taking care of their masterpiece. It’s a philosophy that pays off, since people who set foot in the bar inevitably come back. If not for Eddy’s impeccable taste in music and wide selection of artisanal Belgian beers, then maybe for the “submarine” – a shot of schnapps in a glass of beer - the house’s speciality. Or the restrooms, whose gritty state could make Booze ‘n’ Blues the direct heir of the CBGBs. Or perhaps maybe for “The Fakir”, an ancient fortunetelling machine that goes back to the 50s, displayed on the counter. “People believe in it,” Eddy assures us, straight faced. “They do. Sometimes I’ll even have a group knocking

DROP A COIN IN THE SLOT

LIFESTYLE

on the window if the place is closed, begging to come in because they want to fi nd out how the rest of their evening will unfold.” The true heart and soul of the Booze ‘n’ Blues however lies in its jukebox, a stunning 1958 Rock-Ola, which Eddy refers to as “his Cadillac”. His impressive collection counts six priceless vintage machines, but this baby is his pride and joy. Hearing him rave about it makes it even more astonishing that he entrusts it to drunken fellows who have a go at it all night long. Packed with blues classics and old hits, its power goes beyond the tunes it boasts. It serves as a fairly effective social lubricant, bringing the crowds together as soon as the needle hits the vinyl. Folks will have a chat about the songs and holler in unison during epic sing-alongs. The discs available were all carefully picked by Eddy, who rarely modifies the selection, allowing regulars to come back confident that they’ll fi nd their favourite Otis Redding, John Lee Hooker, Gary Moore, Nancy Sinatra, Jimmy Rogers or Luther Tucker tracks. Which means he’s been hearing the same songs over and over again, every single day of the week for the past eleven years. Could he ever get fed up with it? “Never. How could you possibly get fed up of such timeless songs?” he asks back. Granted.

know exactly what will tickle their fancy.” It seems to work, since not even the most radical music snob could ever possibly complain about his choices. Not surprisingly, customers are always asking who’s playing, and Eddy usually obliges, generously passing along this priceless heritage to absolute strangers. Although he cheekily admits that he’ll sometimes deny them an answer, just for the fun of it, or because he’s tired of relentlessly being quizzed. His dedication to setting the right soundtrack to the night goes as far as operating as a full on DJ while serving. Whenever someone selects a track from the jukebox, he manually turns down the volume of the HI-FI set and always does it spot on. When asked how he manages to get the timing right he mischievously replies “I hear the coin drop.” Pretty impressive, considering he works alone. Part choice, part necessity, he admits he isn’t short of offers but knows very well that only he can pilot his ship. “I left for a one week holiday recently, and when I came back it was a disaster. People were complaining. It just wasn’t the same.” More than just an owner, Eddy is the Booze ‘n’ Blues. He officially lives in the apartment located right above the bar, but that’s just his second home; he spends his entire life downstairs. “Sometimes when there’s nothing on TV, I just come down and listen to some tracks by myself. It’s like my living room.” One naturally couldn’t help but feel worried when he unveils his ideas for a new project : a lounge bar. It almost sounds sacrilegious, but he justifies this choice by the “need for a challenge, something different.” However, rest assured, it will all be done “à la Eddy”. Minus the blues, maybe, but with the same attention to detail and skills when it comes to setting the right tone. He also plans on teaming up with renowned designer and architect Antoine Pinto – the mastermind behind the sumptuous Belga Queen and Midi Station restaurants. An improbable duo that sounds promising, even if it might mean the death of our favourite watering hole.

" When someone comes in, all I need is a glance at that person or group to know exactly what will tickle their fancy. "

Religiously picky about music, he only enjoys certain types of blues and hates it when the French mess with a genre that “was born in America and should stay there.” But we’ve got to hand it to him: the man knows his stuff. His years spent at the Blues Corner have allowed him to forge an astounding knowledge of the repertoire and he’ll only play the best in his bar. More impressive is his ability to read people. “When someone comes in, all I need is a glance at that person or group to

Rue des Riches Claires 20 Rijke-Klarenstraat, 1000 Brussels

THE ADAM & EVE ISSUE

THE LOCAL

How Belgium beat the dancefloor down — From Popcorn to New Beat, Belgium has serious (and not so serious) electronic heritage Writer Alex Deforce

The Slowdown

For at least a decade and a half, Belgium held an international reputation for stripping dance music from its soul, letting machines reign in the discotheques and for adding an abstract tongue-in-cheek humour to the dancefloors. From Paul Oakenfold to Marilyn Manson, the influence is still felt to this day.

Driven by a couple of dedicated DJs who'd play obscure vinyl gems they'd scored on stateside travels. It was Popcorn that paved the way for future electronic genres. Most clearly by slowing the dancefloor down. The key figure in this mini-movement was Freddy Cousaert, the same promoter who resurrected Marvin Gaye’s career and who flew over Muhammed Ali after the boxing champ scored a Popcorn hit with Stand By Me. Back in Ostend, Cousaert would play records in his club ‘The Groove’. Already a retro movement in its days, Popcorn is still out there thanks to the enthusiasm of jive-dancing enthusiasts. Decelerating the dancing audience by pitching records down would push dancers’ skills to impossible heights with their slow bop moves. Classes are still taught in Popcorn Jive.

contest in the Hague. With the song ‘Eurovision’ their sole aim was to finish last in the competition. But they failed miserably; Portugal voted 12 points and bumped the group up to 17th place out of 19. With it, however, Belgium was the first country to send a fully electronic band to the contest, making a clear mockery of the playback style of the 'live performances’. Bring in the machines

The early 80s saw Brussels evolve into the epicenter of the electronic music scene. With Telex on one side of the spectrum, another band was rising swiftly to stardom. When Billboard Encyclopaedia listed Front 242 in its list of ‘500 Best Producers in Rock History’, it came as no surprise to the fans. If Telex were dedicated to their reputation as jokers right from the start, Front 242 was equally serious about its military image, to the point that rock journalists spread rumours about nazi sympathies, much against the political convictions of the band members.

01.

The roots, however, go way back to a small movement of soul and funk aficionados, going mental over what was then known as ‘Popcorn’ music, named for Club Popcorn, a small bar between Ghent and Antwerp that played soul music on Sunday afternoons. From the late 1960s to the mid 70s, while English dancers were getting their groove on to Northern Soul, Belgians did the exact same thing, but crowned the tunes Popcorn instead; a hotch-potch of soul, doo-wop, modern jazz, ska and latin.

Joke around, seriously

The year is 1978 and while international politics are boiling up, Brussels is slowly but surely discovering the realm of electronic sounds. Synthesizer devotee Dan Lacksman teamed up with jazz veteran Marc Moulin and designer Eric Moens to form the group that’s often referred to as Belgium's answer to Kraftwerk: Telex. Aside from its visionary use of synthesizers and rhythm boxes, it's mostly the trio’s irreverent humour that sets them apart. Infectious and effective on the dancefloor, Telex poked fun at the serious, politically turned-on rock music of the time. Of their debut album Twist à Saint-Tropez came the single Moskow Diskow, a train-driven disco anthem with percolating beats and icecold vocals that became an immediate international hit. The lyrics displayed a trademark mix of belgicismes: 'Au café usually so mild / Tonight’s sound is really wild / All the boys look super chic / All their songs are fantastic / Moskow Diskow / Moskow Diskow’. Though seriously conceptualised right from the start - the members wouldn’t show their faces in public - the group wouldn’t chicken out when facing a challenge that could have made them lose all credibility: the 1980 Eurovision Song

02.

Closely related to the avant-garde ideas of the ‘musique concrete’ school, it is often stated that Front 242 put the noise in music, and music into noise. With the machines at the forefront of their music, their sound was particularly aggressive and minimal. With the release of their second album, the group coined the term ‘Electronic Body Music’, and, in 1984 hit the States for a 10-gig live tour that blew the socks off the American audiences.

HOW BELGIUM BEAT THE DANCEFLOOR DOWN

LIFESTYLE

New Beat lasted for a mere three or four years, after which the joke still stood, with tasteless spoofs and pastiches still trying to hit the charts. So the movement did what it had to do: move on. New Beat fans quickly discovered 'a sped-up version' of their favourite music: house. R &S records

With people in discotheques responding to sounds more than melodies, as NME’s Graham Sherman explained to a Flemish television crew in 1992, the Belgian sound can be described as a hard, hypnotic, electronic feel. UK DJs and promoters at the time began chasing Belgian producers to get their share of that hardcore sound. Much in contrast to the sounds coming out of other European countries at the time, Belgium almost neglected the soulful origins of dance music and quickly represented a raw, repetitive 4-on-the-floor sound that would soon spread all over the world. 03.

05.

" Until this day it seems unclear where the strange habit of vandalising graves came from. "

New Beat

Pitched down music, a style and image you can hardly take seriously and the reign of hard machine rhythms? Belgium had it all going on when New Beat saw the light of day halfway through the 80s. Twenty years after its birth, discussions still light up over the fi rst DJ that accidentally started playing records at a slowed-down pace. Looking back at it, it is an impossible task trying to catch the new Beat Vibe. Fact is, New Beat paved the way for house and techno. Its vanguard discotheque - Boccaccio - felt ‘… like a dislocated version of life in slow-motion. Twoand-a-half thousand dancers swinging at robotic half speed to a soundtrack of deconstructed, underground Eurobeat.’ (i-D magazine) In 1989 it was said that people were hunting for the - so far - obscure New Beat releases from London to Detroit. Flemish DJs were asked to play in London clubs and English bands labelled their records ‘Mixed in Belgium’ to spark the interest of DJs. It wasn't all about music though, at the height of the New Beat craze, in came the New Beat fashion extravaganza. New-Beatsters would arrive for club nights in outrageous outfits, most notable was the use of the yellow smiling face, a logo taken from the rave scene. More infamous though, was the grandma- or graveyard-badge, printed on t-shirts, and often worn as a full-fledged fashion accessory, literally coming straight from the graveyard. Until this day it seems unclear where the strange habit of vandalising graves came from. But together with the use of images of King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola, this stands as the most unique and most Belgian of fashion statements.

Electicism/stoemp

04.

The label that showed the way for many now-classic tunes was R&S Records - short for Renaat & Sabine, the founding couple behind it. With its headquarters in Ghent, R&S was the leading label during Belgium’s early techno heydays and quickly gathered a global cult following. Out of their ‘Techno Island’ headquarters came internationally acclaimed club classics such as Jaydee’s Plastic Dreams as well as the fi rst releases of a thenunknown Aphex Twin, who got his fi rst major exposure on the seminal label. R&S still exists and is still releasing records from its back catalogue as well as new artists that celebrate the sounds of the past, such as Brussels’ Mugwump. Though now under the wings of Sony, label founder Renaat still pulls the strings, closely monitoring everything that comes out under the Ferrari-style logo of the imprint.

Though originally a UK phenomenon, the world hadn’t gone crazy over the mash-up phenomenon since ‘The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel’, when 2 Many DJs hit the charts with their mix album ‘As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt.2’. By taking the vocals of one well-known hit and blending with the instrumental of another, they managed to open up the ears of many listeners, who were until that time locked in clearly defi ned genres. The R n’ B princess amongst your friends had never really paid attention to a 10cc record until she heard Destiny's Child laid over Dreadlock Holiday, and it all made sense, didn’t it? It was 2002 and the Flying Dewaele Brothers had fl ipped the DJ'ing game, leaving plenty of Soulwax fans confused. Call it the art of Belgian stoemp, as you may find the ingredients all over, but it never tastes as good as it does back home. Do you remember the time? 01. Acid Angels at Vaudeville (1992) 02 Bois de Boulogne at The Villa (1990) 03. Mad Club (1996) 04. Cherry Moon (1992) 05. Chemical Club Konzept at Lamborghieni (1996)

THE KARMIC ISSUE

THE FACE-OFF

My other car’s a Golf — The one on the left’s been our trusted little helper since launching the magazine. Banged up, barely road-worthy yet still ever so faithful. The one on the right’s its modernday version. Since first rolling out of its factory back in 1974, over 25 million varying versions of Volkswagen’s Golf have hit the road, culminating in this latest edition, the Golf 6 Blue Motion. Photography Sarah Michieslen.

MY OTHER CAR’S A GOLF

LIFESTYLE

Golf 2, stylist’s own. Golf 6 Blue Motion, from € 21,730 ( www.vw.be )

THE LINEAGE ISSUE

THE TRACE

2000 years of modern — “Society is superficial, and art will reflect that,” say Studio Job, who wonder whether the dark, bloodthirsty and psychologically twisted works in old museum collections are more than the viewer of today can handle. Writer Hettie Judah Photography Vincent Fournier

While previewing the opening of Damien Hirst’s No Love Lost, a group of snotty British art pundits discussed the setting in which art’s great entrepreneurial showman was about to hang his canvases. The general consensus was that the Wallace’s collection was composed of outstanding works on canvas, and an embarrassingly naff collection of Sèvres porcelain. It was agreed that, whatever the merit or otherwise of his canvases, Hirst had done a great deed in pulling a new, large audience in through the doors of a rather traditional museum. Walking around the slandered Sèvres and not-once-mentioned collection of extraordinary furniture pieces at the Wallace during Hirst’s opening, I wondered what Studio Job would have made of it all. Well before the Hirst show had been announced, I’d already asked Job and Nynke to talk about museums for our Heritage issue. Almost every conversation I’ve had with the pair in the past winds up on the subject of great museums and art collections; Grünes Gewölbe in Dresden, the Vatican museum in Rome; and about the twisted imagery that crept around the margins of their exhibits. The well-behaved visiting public are generally too busy looking at neatly labelled canvases to notice the naked goat-legged women painted onto the window shutters or the freaky animals chasing each other around the inlayed tabletops. “We don’t visit museums every day; now we are more into cathedrals, but there was a period where we went around all the

important public and private collections in Europe and North America,” explains Job. “What Nynke and I get inspired by is the total weirdness and craziness of the pieces; the artists had extreme ideas which are much more expressive than today – it’s like they were all on opium. Industry made us poor in that way – democratic function and the mass reproduction of applied arts made pieces simple and dry.”

Amidst the confusion about the distinction between design and art that dogs Studio Job’s output, the pair’s understanding of the historically blurred roles of craftsman and artist seems immensely significant. “In the 16th century, artists were much more applied artists than they are now; it was normal for a sculptor to work on other people’s work for bread,” explains Job. “I think that we have lost rather than gained; people are conservative

2000 YEARS OF MODERN

THE FIRSTS

the producers of these works were creating in the context of mass production; we understand where they are coming from. I saw one of Studio Job’s Perished cabinets – a wooden piece inlayed with hundreds of the images of animal skeletons – displayed alongside this sleek vintage furniture at a recent design fair, and it looked risky and outrageous; ornamental, dark and political. The contemporary design market is so cut off from its heritage that it seems to have lost any sense that Perished is part of a long tradition of highly communicative, decorative and even narrative works (in which, of course Sèvres porcelain has an important position). Job is not sure that it is such a bad thing that people don’t realise where they’re coming from; “Ignorance is better in some cases,” he suggests. “It’s maybe better not to know how much human culture is endlessly repeating. For some people I think it’s better to be ignorant than shocked.” Far from feeling at the modern end-point of a long history of designers and makers, immersion in the works of the past has given Job and Nynke a more soupy, circular view of time and creation. “People make such a clear line between what is now, what’s future and what’s past,” says Job, casually. “For me the last 2000 years of our creative culture is still very actual, compared to the length of time the earth has been spinning. To Nynke and me the future and past feel very fictive; apart from the present all the rest can be made up. It’s stupid to talk of ancient and modern art; I don’t think in these kind of terms.” They cite Jean Fouquet’s almost psychedelic 15th century Madonna, hung in the fi ne art museum of Antwerp, by way of example. “It looks like it was done this year on a computer program with silicone tits and fluorescent colours,” enthuses Job. “We are fascinated because it is so contemporary.” But when I launch a knee-jerk complaint about young designers’ lack of historical knowledge, Job begs to differ. “Designers are not brain surgeons – we’re just carpenters who put ourselves on a pedestal. Yes, it’s a pity that some don’t have the baggage and knowledge, and it will show in the work, but I don’t know if we should be sad about it.”

today, and insist on making ghettos between professions.” Accordingly, the pair read contemporary work in the way that they would the output of 500 years ago; their admiration for Jeff Koons is rooted in the perfection of his production quality. Hirst they admire for his honest and earthy response to art as a business, rather than as obscure and mystical practice. Industrial production of furniture may have damaged our regard for the applied arts,

in part because it has robbed us of our vocabulary. History of art focuses on the ‘fi ne’ arts, and contemporary reactions to them; very few people now know how to respond to porcelain, glass, metal or cabinetwork. It is notable that the commercial appetite for top-end furniture pieces has swung heartily towards works produced concurrently with the industrial era – 20th century furniture is often more highly prized than earlier works. Like the purchasers,

Studio Job’s new exhibition space opens on 19 th of December at Begijnenvest 8, 2000 Antwerp With thanks to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp

THE LEGACY ISSUE

THE WORD ON

Heritage in my face â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Your face tells a story that goes back generations ; the result of a family that stayed in one place for centuries, or great grandparents that travelled the world to fall in love ; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the one part of your heritage you can never lose. Photography Ulrike Biets

Soumaya Abouda born in 1983, lives in Brussels DJ & graphic designer

Her dad comes from the south of Tunisia, her mother from the North. He has dark skin, she is rather pale. Soumaya is a perfect mix of both, a full blood Tunisian, but she also calls herself a brusseleir. When she looks out of her window, she sees the hospital where she was born 26 years ago. But, when you ask people to describe Soumaya, they talk about her roots only after they mentioned her big glasses. She started to wear them from the age of six, and through the years they have become a part of her face. There is no Soumaya without the glasses.

Lina Germo born in 1985, lives in Gent photography student

Lina's mum is Japanese and lives in Osaka, her dad is from Aalst and lives in Belgium, they have a long distance marriage. Lina has her mum's eyes and the rest she inherited from her Belgian family. Sometimes people don't even notice she has Japanese roots, but she is proud to be a mix, she has tattoos all over her body that refer to the oriental blood that runs through her veins.

HERITAGE IN MY FACE

LIFESTYLE

Björk Óskarsdóttir born in 1986, lives in Brussels violinist

Valeria Siniouchkina born in 1977, lives in Brussels fashion designer

Björk is originally from Akureyri, a small town in the north of Iceland. She comes from a very pure bloodline, her parents, grandparents and great-great-grandparents are all Icelandic. Her dad´s family were fi shermen for centuries (in Siglufjörður) and her mum´s family were all farmers (in Fnjóskárdalur). She moved to the capital Reykjavík when she was 18 to study music. Last year, at age 22, she came to Belgium to complete her studies.

Valeria was conceived in Kazan, born in Switzerland, raised in Canada and Moscow and now she lives in Belgium. But her heritage is Russian; her father is from Omsk (close to Kazakhstan) and her mother comes from Artem (close to the Japanese Sea). Valeria also has some Polish and Ukrainian blood in her background, but feels Russian above all; she even named her brand after her roots.

Rodrigo Fuentealba Palavicino born in 1972, lives in Ghent musician

Toon Aerts born in 1977, lives in Brussels director and photographer

Rodrigo was born in Chile, but because his parents were left wing activists, the whole family had to flee in 1975 and ended up in Belgium. Rodrigo has the same personality as his mum – who has Italian roots - but he sure inherited the Indigena looks from his dad.

Toon got his hair colour, skin and freckles from his dad, who got it from his dad, who got it from his mother. And so on. He is convinced that by 2050 redheads will be extinct. People all over the world travel from one country to another, make babies with each other, which will fi nally result in one type of human, which he describes as a white Spaniard.

THE BROWN EYES ISSUE

THE OTHER WORD ON

Console nation These are difficult days for the recording industry. CDs and legal downloads are now seen as an unprofitable prop for more lucrative live shows. Accessible software means that artists can record and mix material themselves at home (a development that music labels with an eye on dwindling profits have not been slow to take advantage of). Every few weeks news reaches us of another legendary studio being closed down in London or… Photography Guy Van Laere Writer Hettie Judah

01.

Brussels has a special recording heritage of its own and its studios have catered to hosts of artists from overseas who still take advantage of the lower studio rates and expert sound engineering. The latter is hardly surprising; as we pointed out earlier in this issue, if there’s one territory in music that Belgium can really lay claim to, it’s electronics. Dan Lacksman of Telex, one of the stars of our article on Belgian techno, actually owns Syn Sound, one of the studios portrayed on these pages.

“The studio business in the whole world is not as it used to be, that's a fact,” agrees Christophe Tonglet of Caraibes Studio, blaming not only home recording and lower budgets but also a rash of bogus sound engineers that come into the industry having only worked with home software and who are so bad that they put artists off the whole studio experience. “Those guys are ruining the business!” fumes Christophe. “We are true professionals, we know our job! We are not just knob

twisters! We know how to record and mix music, we have electronic skills, we know how to run a business, we know some music theory, we know how to operate those big consoles, we know what a microphone is and how and when to use them. The job of sound engineer is disappearing because nobody is trained correctly anymore. That's really sad, and it's not helping the situation.”

CONSOLE NATION

LIFESTYLE

02.

" No need for a room and good microphones: a cracked recording program and plug-ins are easy to find on the web. Ask daddy for a couple of Chinese mikes and you can say you have your home studio. With some creativity (I mean: just do what people are waiting for; something easy they're already used to) and with the help of an efficient distributor, you can get a good return (mostly for the production company). " Michael W Huon Studio Odeon /Studio Dada

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THE CURLY HAIR ISSUE

04.

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THE OTHER WORD ON

05.

CONSOLE NATION

LIFESTYLE

07.

" Good studios usually have high-end equipment that today is mainly required for mastering, to fix anything that’s odd about a recording. (It's wrong, but it's the way things are going). " Michael W Huon Studio Odeon /Studio Dada

Previous pages 01. Jet Studio 02+03. Synsound Studio 04+05. Studio Dada These pages 06. Studio Molière 07+08. Studio Caraïbes 08.

THE DNA ISSUE

THE TRIP

What is left of industry — Last year, the Dutch elected Charleroi the most ugly city in the Benelux. Since the coal industry disappeared and the city lost its attraction, it has become anonymous and grubby. Charleroi still wears many scars from the smokestack industry; slag heaps, silent witnesses of the former industrial grandeur, surround the city centre. On Friday afternoons, the smoke from the Cockerill Sambre steel plant still enters the suburbs, making everything reek of carbon, just like in the old days.

01.

Photography Sarah Eechaut Writer Yves Van Kerkhove

02.

The urban infrastructure is chaotic, with flyover roads and the deserted metro stations from the unfi nished underground transport line. The fl ashy fast food shops’ neon signs and fluorescent whorehouse lighting, graffiti-sprayed walls and colourful playgrounds gloss over the grey cityscape. But the brightness is as superficial as the 20 square meter photograph of a kite-flying kid that covers the horror house of Dutroux in the city’s satellite town of Marcinelle.

The vast coal basin of the Pays Noir once attracted thousands of Italian, Turkish and even Flemish miners. The fi rst generation of guest workers are still living in their houses built on the coal debris. It is in these neighbourhoods that people continue their coughing life as if the clocks stopped ticking 30 years ago, when the last mines closed down. Their children and grandchildren opened a small electronics shop, or – best-case scenario – left the city to get a proper education.

WHAT IS LEFT OF INDUSTRY

LIFESTYLE

03.

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01. 02. 03. 04.

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Young graffi ti artists try to colour the grim neighbourhood The cleaning lady arrives at her job in the lawyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offi ce Garbage man in action Typical Charleroi street images; a bizarre mixture of small electronics shops and night shops, used cars and vacant street lots Bar des Anges, a whorehouse guarded by a feisty German Shepherd

THE CUSTOMS ISSUE

THE TRIP

06.

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06. 07.

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Arrow to the 'social hotel', a home for the homeless People returning from the bus stop, heading home. You can read the sadness in their faces An innocent, joyful picture covers Dutrouxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s atrocious cellar cage house Colourful playground in the grim neighbourhood "Have a break, have a Kitkat" An old woman is waiting for the bus, ready for the weekly grocery shopping trip downtown A fi rst generation guest worker goes for a walk on an exceptionally sunny morning

WHAT IS LEFT OF INDUSTRY

LIFESTYLE

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THE TRADITIONS ISSUE

THE SHOWSTOPPERS

Back in the day — Nothing gives you that almighty mnemonic kick like hanging out in your grandparents house – it’s that odd way that nothing seems to have changed, from the oldschool cigarette brand, to the cologne in the bathroom, the smell of the cracked leather filofax or worn texture of an ink pen held by the same hand for decades. Nothing to make you feel like a kid again, like getting back in touch with your roots. Photography Benoît Bannisse Art Direction and Styling Face to Face

01. Cut throat Remember Sharon Stone’s ice pick in Basic Instinct? Well, were the cult movie to get a modern remake, she’d most probably be wielding one of these bad boys. Created by master-illusionists ATYPYK, Paper Knife is one-half of a pair of scissors and comes in a slick, black platted steel. We suspect you’ll now fi nd it less daunting to open those end-of-the-month bills or, worse yet, that dreaded termination contract – not that we’d wish either of these on you. ATYPYK Paper Knife (€ 30) Available amongst others from Bozarshop Rue Ravenstein 15 Ravensteinstraat 1000 Brussels www.atypyk.com

BACK IN THE DAY

LIFESTYLE

02. Can you sync it ? Remember the time when all you needed to do to back up your data was take your Filofax to the corner shop and photocopy the little bugger? No? Well believe us, young folks, it was mighty less stressful than worrying you’d accidentally drop your new iPhone down the toilet before remembering to sync it. Ignore the self-important über-twat associations of the 80s – these babies have been around for 90 years, and look ripe for a comeback. www.fi lofax.be

03. Madam, if I may… The oldest cologne still in production provides a weirdly satisfying déjà vu; you recall all the products that are trying to smell like this (handwipes, for example) and realise that they’re wrong. It’s like tasting fake chocolate next to actual chocolate; one is comforting and nice (in a gentleman’s handkerchief kind of way), the other’s not. Next time you offer a damsel in distress something with which to wipe her eyes, make damn sure it smells like this. www.roger-gallet.com

04. Sole survivor High-pitched screams of “Patriiiiiiiick” have suddenly been invading Word HQ although, let us reassure you, this isn’t due to our fondness for Frenchman Patrick Bruel’s cheesy love ballads, but rather to Patrick Heritage’s updated collection of kicks. The French-born brand, recently taken over by a Belgian company, has heritage spelt all over it and is gaining cult status amongst sneakerpimps keen for a differentiating factor.

PATRICK HERITAGE Marathon shoe (€ 79,90)

www.patrickheritage.com

THE RACE ISSUE

05. Grrr, cough, cough Cigarettes actually were sexy once, and not just because the Lucky Strike logo secretly has the word LUST written in the four left letters. These days Tigra’s naughty little come-and-smoke me face is largely concealed by less alluring health warnings. Up to 20 years ago, you not only got to see the pout ; on some editions they showed the full catsuit. Rumour has it that Tigra was based on a famous Antwerp showgirl – now that’s what we call a smoking heritage.

06. One for the will Some parents give their heirs a crumbling castle. Some give their descendants unpaid taxes or years of debt to settle. The luckier ones (depending on how you look at it) will be left with a sizeable fund to dispose of at their own discretion. The more thoughtful and stylish ones out there will, however, opt for St Dupont’s timeless writing instruments, a collectable similar in status to an Audemars Piguet watch or an oversized Fabergé egg. www.st-dupont.com

See Stockists page for full product information

THE SHOWSTOPPERS

delvaux.com Newspaper Bag, Men’s “1829” Collection, Designed by Bruno Pieters – Cabas, Vegetable tanned calf – 250 examples

THE RITUAL ISSUE

— No one comes to the Lodge* anymore, but the symbols still have a quiet power. We gaze in through the Hexagram grate and watch the induction, 1930s style. Photography Kris De Smedt Art direction & Styling Pierre-Yves Marquer

*Designed in 1934 by mason/architects Fernand Bodson and Louis Van Hooveld, the Lodge on Rue de l’Ermitage was used by the Masonic order Le Droit Humain until 1976. Since the mid 1980s, the building has housed Brussels’ archives of modern architecture.

THE FASHION WORD

The Square and Compasses: Jumper Burberry Prorsum, Coat U-NI-TY, Trousers COS, Hat Lanvin

Entered Apprentice: Coat Burberry Prorsum, Jumper Lanvin, Shirt New Man, Hat Lacoste, Belt Yohji Yamamoto,

Trousers Hermes, Bag N.D.C., Boots Yves Saint Laurent

All Seeing Eye: Jumper And Tie Hermes, Shirt Ralph Lauren, Trousers Yves Saint Laurent

Grooming Dior Homme Dermo System

The Hexagram: Jacket Yves Saint Laurent, Shirt Lacoste Red, Bow Tie Filippa K, Belt Essentiel, Jeans Leviâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

The Antechamber: Suitcase Hermes, Cap Lanvin, Shirt Bill Tornade, Tie Ralph Lauren, Jacket Gucci, Coat COS,

Gloves Maison Fabre, Trousers Uniqlo, Shoes Repetto

The Frame: Sunglasses (Vintage) Cazal From Selima Optique, Jacket U-NI-TY,

Shirt Christophe Lemaire, Grooming Dior Homme Dermo System

Three Knocks: Jacket U-NI-TY, Shirt Christophe Lemaire, Scarf Hermes, Braces Diesel,

Gloves Filippa K, Trousers Dries Van Noten

Pythagorasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Triangle: Cardigan Bill Tornade, Shirt Ralph Lauren, Trousers Wooyoungmi, Scarf (Vintage) Bjorn Borg White

Photographer Kris De Smedt/77 www.cestchicagency.be Stylist Pierre-Yves Marquer www.cestchicagency.be Stylist's assistant Sybille Langh Model Benoni Loos www.imm.be Hair Brigitte Petit www.cestchicagency.be using Redken Grooming Brigitte Petit www.cestchicagency.be using Dior Homme Dermo System With thanks to La Loge, Brusselsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; archives of modern architecture www.aam.be

WHAT DO I KNOW ABOUT DIAMONDS? I'M A BOXING PROMOTER.

BLING

I WAS A HAPPY BOXING PROMOTER UNTIL A WEEK AGO, AND THEN: WHAT DO I KNOW ABOUT DIAMONDS? DON'T THEY COME FROM ANTWERP? — TURKISH, SNATCH (GUY RITCHIE, 2000)

SPECIAL

THE GREEN EYES ISSUE

THE WAY

Adorning men — Jewellery and flamboyant accessories provide a stylistic link between every counterculture movement of the last 150 years, be they romantics, bohemians, b-boys, punks or hippies. Just what is it about adorned men that so offends the mainstream?

Writer Hettie Judah

01.

About six or seven years ago, the British media gorged itself in disgust over the appearance of a new social subgroup – the Chav. It’s often said that after punk, no movement will ever have the same potential to offend again, yet the judgement on Chavs was unequivocal disapproval. Like the punks, Chavs were appropriating the wardrobe of the ruling classes (in this case expensive designer clothing, rather than traditional formalwear), but unlike the punks, there was no rebel ethos behind this; it was almost purely an exercise in shopping. Most men in Northern Europe seem to dress for invisibility. For work there’s the suit (grey), and for the rest of the time there’s jeans, sneakers and cheap sports-casual wear with maybe a slogan t-shirt thrown into the mix. I remember seeing photos of Chav boys in the newspapers, dressed top to toe in loud Burberry checks, covered in gold and proud as punch. They didn’t look offensive ; they looked like they’d made an effort, they wanted to look good, but most of all, they refused to be invisible. I remember thinking at the time ; if the guys in this photo were Japanese we’d be revelling in their magpie pride and plastering them all over the glossy magazines. Just

like the Japanese kids fetishised by Western glossies, these boys were spending everything on their image. The problem was, they were doing it too close to home.

" I do remember wondering why people were staring at me on the bus. "

“I always quite liked chavdom,” agrees British milliner Stephen Jones. “I found it quite interesting; but thank God Burberry is a nice check!” Just as Louis XIV dictated the dress at court, suggests Stephen, so the British ruling classes enjoy dictating the notion of appropriate clothing to keep people in their place. “Since Beau Brummel said that true elegance was restrained, there has always been the standard ideal in menswear, and the romantic ideal was the fl ip side of that,” he explains. “So much was about propriety

and fitting in and majority social standards. I remember being told about a man – I think it was Gladstone – who wore a bowler hat to Parliament and it was seen as so outrageous that he got thrown out.” Good taste is still a limited club; there seems little coincidence in the most recent rise of discretion and anonymity as by-words for sophistication was concurrent with the rise of the Chavs. The snobs and the swaggerers were both responding to the same boom-time glut. The snobs were using their cut of the good times to spend on discreetly labelled grey cashmere v-necks, obscure Japanese blazers and selvage denim. Stephen arrived at Saint Martin’s College in London in 1976, the year of punk, and recalls that “it was the only way to be, it was about self expression, up the establishment, and an electrifying new individuality.” His favourite outfits of the time included three piece suits worn with stilettos, vinyl trousers topped off with a tweed jacket and something he recalls as a kind of bubble made of netting. “I do remember wondering why people were staring at me on the bus.” For Stephen, rebellion was a personal imperative, and it automatically translated

ADORNING MEN

THE BLING SPECIAL

itself in the form of dress. “From an early age, clothing for me was always a method of expression,” he recalls. “Dressing up seemed to be the natural thing to do – normally it provoked complete horror, especially from my housemaster at boarding school.”

" I was always amused to dress like my father, but now I’m the same age as my father. "

“I always dressed more formally than other people – to wear a t-shirt and jeans seemed an easy option – it’s more interesting for a 21 year old to dress like a 60 year old. I was always amused to dress like my father, but now I’m the same age as my father. I can get away with more now that I’m 52 – people don’t shout things in the street as much. I think people stopped shouting when I got to about 30. I just carried on the way I was, irrespective of anything – it’s not fashion, it’s selfexpression. That’s the way I want to look, and if other people don’t like it then too bad.” In British English, if a man is described as decorated it means that he has received a medal. The word ‘colours’, in referring to men’s dress, likewise has military implications. To wear metal adornments or bright clothing thus was something that you earned the right to via bravery or good service. Colours and decorations worn by those who had not, would seem, by extension, be rather subversive to the notion of national pride protected by military might. “The beginning of the 20th century was a bit of a quiet time (in men’s fashion), because conformity was so important,” explains Cally Blackman, author of One Hundred Years of Menswear. “Maybe it was something to do with the war – if you were a middle class family man you conformed to what that was meant to be.” Looking at the austere collar-less wartime suits pictured in Cally’s book as appropriate dress for times of cloth rationing, the spivvy styled wide lapels that rebel against them look guaranteed to cause offence. The slick clothing and jewellery associated with the term Spiv, still suggests a rotter, someone not quite kosher. It’s rather of a piece with the style we now associate with East European gangsters; big suit and lots of gold ; it suggests a man unafraid to show he plays outside the rules of society.

02.

“It was in the 6Os when hippies started wearing beads that jewellery was really part of a major counterculture movement,” Cally explains. “It went against the notion of what men were supposed to be looking like in mainstream society – it was probably a great shock at the time to see men wearing jewellery.” We are so used to the bling these days, that

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Stephen Jones P Diddy

THE FRECKLES ISSUE

THE WAY

03.

" The slick clothing and jewellery associated with the term Spiv, still suggests a rotter, someone not quite kosher "

the notion of it being dangerously subversive for a man to decorate himself with jewellery is hard to comprehend, but as Cally reminds me ; “with the gay scene, until relatively recently, you were open to being prosecuted, which added much seriousness to being very flamboyant.” The rebellion inherent in mens’ jewellery comes from the way it demands to catch your eye – its knack for making most visible those parts of society that the moral majority would prefer not to have to acknowledge, be they gay, peacenik, cockney rebel or young affluent men of all stripes from the wrong side of the track. Stephen points out that dress is also the easiest thing to change about your circumstance, and cites hip hop culture as the ultimate case in point ; “those guys often come

from damaged dysfunctional background : the one thing they can change is their appearance, it’s why these guys look so incredible – the ultimate dandy of today is the black guy in the ghetto of Atlanta, shining, and looking the dog’s bollocks.” Glittering against your surroundings lifts you above the grot – perhaps another reason that jewellery is considered infra dignatum. The landed gentry tend to dress terribly, but then they have less grot to rise above. As the bling of hip hop culture hits the mainstream, Cally sees links to earlier periods of social inversion. “It’s today’s version of conspicuous consumption,” she explains. “As it was with Second Empire, late 19th century fashion. When you see P Diddy wearing diamond

ADORNING MEN

THE BLING SPECIAL

earrings that’s what it’s all about. It’s a deliberate turn around from the inconspicuous consumption that you see in the customers of, for example, Margaret Howell – unless you’re a real fashionista you wouldn’t notice you were wearing a £ 600 jacket – it’s a strange paradox.”

" The ultimate dandy of today is the black guy in the ghetto of Atlanta, shining, and looking the dogs bollocks. "

Cally’s most recent book is intended to counter the idea that menswear is terribly dull, but of course the roots of all this social play go back much further than 100 years. In the 18th century, menswear was much more showy and extravagant, and it’s hard not to see the creeping sobriety of the early/mid 19th century as having strong links to the industrial revolution. To be a middle class man became a terribly serious affair – your life was outside home, and your role was to provide for your family. Part of your status came from having a wife who did not work ; fashion and ornamentation became the woman’s realm and thus rather silly. An adorned man was not a good, sombre, middle class capitalist ; he was distracted by frivolity. It seems rather too delicious that one could couple a feminist agenda to the promotion of more decorative dress for men – suggesting a utopian future of equal pay and ever more beautiful boys – but there’s certainly a heavy mesh of symbolism connected to bling. Cally suggests that anything goes these days, but, well, she lives in Brixton : it’s still perfectly easy to get beaten up or shouted at in the street for excessive fl amboyance elsewhere, and deliberately extrovert dress is usually read as an explicit challenge to the mainstream. While, as Cally points out, the last century has seen waves of successive gorgeous subcultures in menswear, there’s still a long way to go before the decision of whether or not to wear a piece of jewellery could be taken as lightly by a man as by a woman.

03. 04.

Hippy N.E.R.D’s Pharrel Williams and Tomoaki “Nigo” Nagao of BAPE

04.

Photos 02, 03 and 04 all from One Hundred Years of Menswear by Cally Blackman (2009) – Laurence King

THE TALENTED ISSUE

THE FLASH

Watchmen — Alright, we got gold watches, silver watches, diamond watches, leather watches, fat watches, skinny watches. We even got your daddy’s watches and your mama’s watches. Whatever your wrist-wear of choice, our trenched-up street hawker’s got ‘em all… Photography Operation Panda

For her (from left to right, top to bottom) BELL & ROSS White Ceramic Phantom (€ 1,900), Vintage Watch, RAYMOND WEIL Freelancer Chronograph (€ 6,990), Vintage Watch, THOMAS SABO Classic (€ 229), Vintage Watch

WATCHMEN

THE BLING SPECIAL

For him (from left to right, top to bottom) Vintage Watch, LONGINES Admiral (€ 1,910), Vintage Watch, RADO Green Ceramica Chrono (€ 2,175), SWATCH Black Right Track (€ 285), Vintage Watch, RAYMOND WEIL Freelancer Chronograph (€ 9,300), Vintage Watch, HERMES Automatic Arceau Chronograph (€ 3,665)

THE "YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR…" ISSUE

Show me the gold Photography Ulrike Biets

THE ENCOUNTER

THE GREATEST

THE BLING SPECIAL

THE MOTHER ISSUE

THE SPECIAL SHOWSTOPPERS

All mine when she shines — Hey Ulrike – Thanks for sending over the pix. More T + A / less pale, wintery skin than I was anticipating, but it’s always interesting to see how someone else interprets an idea. I think we can work the more upfront style two ways. We can tell the girls that this is a cunning way to get the boys to look at really nice sparkly things by draping them over a pretty body. And we can tell the boys that this is research – a ready-made excuse for looking at naked ladies. Basically it’s like a Christmas catalogue, just with more nipples. Photography Ulrike Biets

I totally love these shoes – so sexy. They were the first thing I noticed when I saw Veronique’s new collection. I actually haven’t met anyone who doesn’t swoon for them – I even met someone who got married in a pair. I like the way the geometrical shape of the heel off-sets the glitter. And there’s something just plain rude about that slit up the back. Veronique Branquinho shoes (€ 390) From – Hatshoe, Brussels

ALL MINE WHEN SHE SHINES

That’s kind of a creepy photograph – looks a little like she’s dead, but I quite like it. This brooch is very delicate, which kind of takes it away from being too gothic and for me sets it alongside all those art deco insect brooches. But still, it does make you want to buy six and have them all gathered around a food stain on your sweater or something. Fly badge by Calourette (€ 60) From Mapp, Brussels www.thisismapp.com

I totally, totally love this one – it’s a prototype that Isabelle is going to start producing around the time the magazine comes out. I do like the pills and guns next to each other in the picture; they’re both kind of fragile but with a hard edge. The capsule actually opens up and you can put some of your lover’s hair inside, which is pretty intense, in this day and age. I say I totally love it, but I did choke a little when Isabelle explained that it was inspired by the Carla Bruni lyric Tu es ma came. I think we’re all going to try and forget that we knew that, no? L’ Amalgame necklace by Isabelle Lenfant (€ 445) From The Collector’s Gallery, Brussels www.collectors-gallery.com

I don’t know what it is about these – they are really simple, but they look very symbolic somehow – the extra loop of metal is almost like a force-field around your wrist and hand, as though you have planets in orbit around you, or you were drawn by a child who got a bit scribbly around your outlines. There’s something super satisfying in the way that bracelet clips open though – it’s weirdly industrial, like a piece of climbing equipment. I love that the model is wearing really baggy silk knickers, by the way – very sweet! Maison Martin Margiela Defi lé ring (€145) Defi lé bracelet (€ 315) www.maisonmartinmargiela.com

THE BLING SPECIAL

THE FATHER ISSUE

It’s really hard to pile all these showy, very feminine references into a garment, and still have it come out looking fresh and even subtle. There are pearls and the shiny surfaces and the little ruffles, yet it feels degraded and easy. It’s extraordinary that you can put this much bling on a top and still come out with something that feels relaxed and easy enough to dance about in half naked in a lift like this. It’s kind of sexy the way all the applique’d stuff weighs it down, so that the loose baggy shape drapes over the curves of her body. Top Phillip Lim (€ 335) From Icon, Brussels www.icon-shop.be

Is it wrong that I really like how the shape of the pendant and the pink of the coral both make references to her nipple? But I think that’s cute, rather than creepy, no? It was actually Wouters & Hendrix’s coral pieces that created the reference for this whole shoot – I love the pale pink against the pale silver. If you’re going to buy someone jewellery, your going to think about seeing it against their skin, rather than on a piece of clothing – that’s what makes jewellery a hot present: only the person who gives it gets to see it being worn naked. Is it the only thing that you can wear and still be naked? What about spectacles? Or the shoes from the fi rst photo? Necklace with medallion and coral rose (€ 212,5) Wouters & Hendrix, Antwerp www.wouters-hendrix.com

THE SPECIAL SHOWSTOPPERS

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Small Wonders Office Shenanigans Stuff on our Radar Daily Dribbles Everything we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, and wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, run with in the magazine goes on The Word Blog.

#E WARNED

THE SISTER ISSUE

THE HISTORY

A matter of life and death â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Throughout human history, military advances have pushed civilian technology. Weapons manufacture has traditionally been an enormously important industry in the UK and the territory now known as Belgium. Military supplies and armaments are still one of the few things that actually get manufactured in any significant quantity in Western Europe. Writer Hettie Judah

01.

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

Passions spark early; today’s product designers spent years drawing technical pictures of cool mechanics and machines, building Lego aeroplanes, taking apart domestic appliances and poring over pictures that showed how things work. Cars were always pretty inspiring, so were planes and space rockets, but as any little boy will tell you, the really neat kit always seems to be military. Last year, when I was researching our feature on violent imagery in design, it became clear that a lot of designers have an uneasy relationship with the world of weapons and armoured vehicles. As adults they seem a little queasy in their fascination; acknowledging the seductive nature of the well designed thing, and the draw of the latent power within it, but feeling compelled to vocally distance themselves from the cold, hard function. An art school education doesn’t necessarily make for an easy relationship with military technology. Yet for industrial designers, the technical rigours necessary for military supplies set a gold standard rarely demanded in the design of commercial products. They must, to the nth degree, be functional, reliable, durable, comprehensible, standardised, repairable, suitable for mass production, and forward thinking enough to remain standard kit for 50 years. As Michael White, points out in his popular history “The Fruits of War: How Military Confl ict Accelerates Technology”, West Europeans are currently more cut off from the world of weapons and the military than at any point in human history. In the US, civilian gun ownership is standard; over here it is not. War and the kit that comes with it seem the stuff for foreign soil; ok in Afghanistan and Iraq, but we’d prefer not to see it or think about it too much back here. Yet for previous generations, advances in civilian and military technology marched in lock step, from numeracy, through road building to metal casting to production-line assembly. An enormous number of the technical advances that shaped the way we lived in the latter half of the 20th Century were accelerated by research connected to WWII, from manufacturing techniques to the development of computing. Of course there is still a certain symbiosis. That cute little TomTom stuck to your dashboard uses the GPS developed by the US Department of Defence, made available for civilian use during the 1980s. It’s the most evident example of Dual Use Technology: developments arising from military research that are released for commercial civilian application (another example would be the sonar technology used in mammograms). But while materials and technical developments generated by military research have pushed

DESIGN

02.

civilian applications throughout civilisation, it is interesting to see how the influence pushes now both directions.

" … for previous generations, advances in civilian and military technology marched in lock step, from numeracy, through road building to metal casting to production-line assembly."

I visited BAE Systems’ design and development facility in Leicester, England as the company launched proposals for a new generation of armoured vehicles (the FRES SV) to the British Ministry of Defence (MOD). The FRES SV is a modified off-the-shelf design. It uses the chassis of an existing vehicle - the CV90 – that has been developed and modified by BAE Systems’ facility in Sweden since 1985. The company is using the base vehicles’ proven reliability as a selling point to the MOD; the 20 years of tweaking that it

has passed through should mean that BAE’s future client should only have to splash out on very specific modifications. Part of the standard kit on board is an electronic interface system, allowing the crew to see where they are and share pertinent information with other vehicles in the squadron. Different functions will be available to different users, but the physical design and means of interaction will remain the same; a rugged screen surrounded by buttons (touch screen is out, because of the vibrations of the vehicle moving over rugged terrain). Rather than create a new system for the interface, BAE used existing technology developed by the gaming industry and based the system on Microsoft’s Windows. “The military world once led this, but they don’t anymore,” explained BAE’s spokesman, Mike Sweeney. “So why take the risk of using a bespoke system when this one is already understood by 95% of the people who will use it?” One of the support vehicles, the Terrier, is used to clear mine fields and can be operated remotely – which is done using a ruggedized Playstation controller (the engineers joke that they paint it green so that it looks a little more serious). They are conscious

01. 02.

3D visualisation dome, BAE Systems, Leicester FRES SV Scout, working prototype

THE BROTHER ISSUE

THE HISTORY

03.

" We seem to have gone from a society guided by the serious to a society guided by the frivolous within a generation. "

that the vehicles will be operated by members of the “the iPod generation” and those that will come beyond it. While one can only applaud the designers’ impulse to keep things as intuitive as possible, there’s something a little unsettling in the fact that the field in interactive technology is now lead by computer games and leisure rather than the military. We seem to have gone from a society guided by the serious to a society guided by the frivolous within a generation. Walking around the facility, the gaming connections are hard to avoid – from simulators to visualisation suites – I’m not so sure how right Michael White was in saying that we’re now a society cut off from military culture. We may feel very separate from it, but it’s evident that gaming technology is the contemporary version of previous generations ‘sword fighting’ with sticks or making guns out of Meccano – the difference is that we play as adults too, which is why gaming has become the vernacular of combat. It seems modern warfare really has been brought to you courtesy of XBox. Play, or make-believe, is of course a key part of the development program. BAE uses a 3D visualisation dome for potential end users

(ie people with experience driving armoured vehicles in the field) to make a virtual tour of the FRES SV and comment on imperatives such as sight lines and escape routes. The dome is essentially 8 screens arrange in a ring, showing images from 16 projectors that pass through polarised fi lters. Standing in the dome wearing polarised glasses, the designers can present their CAD information “in a format others can understand”. Their clients can check out the storage space, or work out whether a 1.96m man in full body armour could get through the hatches. It’s interesting to compare the trends pushing changes in design in civilian and military products. Like civilian product designers, the team behind the FRES SV series has had to deal with changes in the market and shifting human needs. They also have to learn from their previous mistakes. As with any other vehicle design, the team has to take into account the physical change in those driving it – the likelihood that the men will be much larger and heavier than those provided for by the 1960s-designed Scimitar it will be replacing. They also need to accommodate possible female operatives, which

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

DESIGN

means providing for a height range with more than a 30cm variant. Their market, for the FRES SV in particular, is likely to be operating in Afghanistan, where landmines have been a persistent problem. If seats are secured to the floor, the movement of the base of the vehicle as it goes over a mine is enough to break the passengers’ ankles. The new generation of vehicles have cushioning in

" The movement of the base of the vehicle as it goes over a mine is enough to break the passengers’ ankles. "

the floor, and seats attached to the side. The mine protection is claimed to be comparable to a battle-tank, despite being much lighter. Previous generations of armoured vehicles had specific problems with their gun turrets – lack of stability meant that the vehicle could only fi re the gun when stationary, putting the unit at risk. The limited space within vehicles also limited the size and thus power of the gun they could carry. BAE were playing up the developments in vehicle stability (the FRES SV can fi re on the move), and what they refer to as a ‘revolutionary’ compact gun design the MTIP-2 - that, (if I understood the jargon correctly), is loaded from the side rather than the back, allowing the vehicles to “pack more of a punch”. With all the hard-sell going on for the FRES SV family, it’s quite a shock to realise that only around1200 are likely to be produced for the MOD if BAE win their bid. The scout, repair, recovery and protected mobility vehicles that made up Recce Bock 1 – the fi rst tranche of the order, which was anticipated to be around £2 billion – represented 600 actual vehicles, the fi rst of which would be ready for use in 2015. The vehicles’ have a mature start point in the production process (only the customised top section for each vehicle would be produced by BAE in the UK), but production capacity is still only around 100 a year. It is bizarre how closely all this fits within the guidelines that commentators knock around when discussing sustainable design practice; products developed in close consultation with end users, manufactured in limited series and intended for enduring use. My initial interest in the field had been driven

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by a desire to learn about new materials and technologies; instead the ‘lesson’ I picked up from my fi rst tranche of research was rather an old fashioned one about semi-artisanal production and diligent research. From one of Western Europe’s oldest industries, I suppose, that should hardly come as a surprise. This report represents the fi rst part in an ongoing research project into military and weapons design.

03. 04. 05.

Inside BAE' s Systems Integration Facility CAD image of the visualisation dome CAD image of a Bulldog vehicle

THE MONGREL ISSUE

THE SHELF

Shelf life

Bibliographic (2009) by Jason Godfrey Laurence King

— This month’s pick of photography primers has a certain whiff of celebration to it. Be it an immortalisation of the continent’s foremost design practices, a walk along memory lane back to the days of Kangol hats and fat caps, a recognition of a city’s collective dress code or a solemnisation of the century’s greatest design books, we pay our dues. Photography Yassin Serghini Art Direction Mélisande McBurnie Writer Nicholas Lewis

Studio Culture (2009) by Tony Brook and Adrian Shaughnessy Unit Editions

The cult-like aura surrounding certain design studios is such that you’re sometimes left with the same feeling of creative intimidation as when you’re about to enter an art gallery. A world which more often than not is insular and introverted, opens up to the general public – not through open days but through this magnificently produced book. Spanning offices from Trieste to Tokyo and Barcelona to Brisbane, Studio Culture gives you an insight into the thinking of some of the greatest graphic design minds of the last couple of decades through informal discussions with studio heads and a thorough presentation of their work. Spin, A Practice for Everyday Life and Experimental Jetset are all present, as is Coast, the only Belgian office to be represented. Antwerp Street Style (2009) by Jens Mollenvanger Ludion

Metrosexuals, new romantics, glitzy gangsters, nu-age ravers and fashion freethinkers are all put to the fore in this jam-packed round up of Antwerp’s decorated masses. Infamous for its propensity for radical experimentation, a certain collective aesthetic has shaped the city’s fashion consciousness, immortalised by a certain laisser-faire, just-throw-on-whatever-youfeel-like approach to dressing up. At times repetitive but always inspiring, the book distinguishes itself from your run-of-the-mill style bibles by not taking itself too seriously.

Billed as a compilation of the century’s seminal design books, Bibliographic documents the evolution of graphic design throughout the last 100 years. Drawing on on graphic design manuals, symbol sourcebooks, instructional titles and trademark design anthologies, it draws on the legendary (Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Josef Muller-Brockmann) and the contemporary (Stefan Sagmeister and Peter Saville), giving typeface addicts and graphic design nerds the closest they’ll ever get to porn on paper. Born in the Streets (2009) Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain

Oil (2009) by Edward Burtynsky Steidl/Corcoran

Edward Burtynsky’s meticulous approach to documenting the world’s over-dependence on the black stuff makes for compelling viewing. Cunningly categorised in four poignant sections – extraction, Detroit, transportation and the end of oil – the book reads like a damning verdict on the oil lobby; Burtynsky’s very own political protest in favour of a more equitable use of energy sources. Securing access to some of the most ungodly sites on the planet – a cemetery of disused fighter planes, a pit with a bunch of Bangladeshi youths bare-footed in recycled oil – Burtynsky confi rms his knack for research, taking his lens to places you aren’t supposed to see. American Power (2009) by Mitch Epstein Steidl

The different notions of power – economical, electrical and political – are the basis of Epstein’s surreal voyage to the heart of America’s love affair with horsepower. Capturing the ubiquitous presence of everything from nuclear facilities and oil refi neries to truckstops and pipelines, Epstein’s customary eerie aesthetic and thought-provoking narrative treats the topic at hand with a humanity which helps to contextualise his work. Consider the Californian golfers set against a backdrop of wind turbines or, more worrying yet, a football game taking place under the towering presence of a coal power plant. This book will only further fuel the debate on daily power plays in American life.

Short of flying over to New York for a walk through its concrete galleries, Born in the Street – the accompanying catalogue to the exhibition of the same name at Paris’ Fondation Cartier – provides a timeline in vandalism, delving into New York City’s spray can heritage to reveal a world of throw-ups, train panels and tags. With in-depth personal accounts by the likes of P.H.A.S.E 2 and Lady Pink and poignant photography of a New York of the bygone era, the tome fi rmly cements graffiti’s place in contemporary culture. A quick fl ick through its pages will even make you feel part of the crew, like you actually were sitting on that writer’s bench together with Jay One and Seen. This Book is Elektronic (2009) Ludion

This book takes us back, waaay back. A celebration of Belgium’s undeniable contribution to global club culture, it celebrates the many clubs, club nights and labels dedicated to the genre. An encyclopedia, or ‘elektropedia’ as its inceptor Red Bull likes to call it, This Book is Elektronic gives a chance to those who took their fi rst steps on a dancefloor to Telex’s Moskow Diskow to delve back into the era. The period’s flyers (with entry price still in Belgian Francs and artwork that’d make Marc Moulin proud), photographs of leading clubs (Zillion, Cherry Moon and Fuse to name those closest to our hearts) as well as a 10 track compilation are all there.

SHELF LIFE

CULTURE

造 From top to bottom

This Book is Elektronic (Ludion), Oil (Steidl/Corcoran), Bibliographic (Laurence King), American Power (Steidl), Studio Culture (Unit Editions), Born in the Street (Fondation Cartier), Antwerp Street Style (Ludion)

THE MAPLESS ISSUE

THE PENCIL

The lost art Progress always comes at a price. As we become more culturally sophisticated and mature, how many of those special arts – honed over years of practice – drop by the wayside, slip out of the collective consciousness, never to be revived? We felt it was time for an assessment of our collective heritage: those skills we perfected in earlier years, but now seem to have lost. Never washing our hair because it ‘washed itself’. Spitting in the street. Wiping the crockery off on a towel rather than cleaning it. Stealing ashtrays at parties. Sleeping straight on the mattress (who needs sheets?). Having a smoke and a beer before going in to work at our temp job on a construction site. Driving the car while off our tits on drugs. And of course, spraying deodorant on the outside of our t-shirts. Illustration Jean Biche

THE LOST ART

CULTURE

THE STATELESS ISSUE

Portraits photographiques et uniformes Photography Charles Fréger

“This particular guard study is an answer to my Empire series about the Royal and Republican guards (of Europe),” explains Charles . “If you did not know who they were, you would almost not see the difference.” All aged between nine and 16, the Tivoli Boys Guard was founded in 1844. Several brigades parade through Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens, the world’s oldest amusement park, guarding the monuments and providing musical diversion. Their uniform is virtually identical to that worn by the Queen’s Life Guards. Over the last 10 years, Charles Fréger has dedicated himself to the portrayal of youth movements, uniformed groups, social orders and guardsmen. His Empire series has just been published as a book by Kerher / Thames & Hudson.

THE TALENT

TIVOLI GARDENS

CULTURE

THE BOUNDARY ISSUE

THE TALENT

TIVOLI GARDENS

CULTURE

THE ARISTOCRATIC ISSUE

THE VOYAGE

Far east Photography Emilie Pischedda

Earlier this year Projet Diligence was invited to participate in the 10th Shiryaevo Biennale, 100 miles east of Moscow on the banks of the Volga. Emilie, Valentin and their daughter Nina responded to the Biennale’s theme America: between Europe & Asia: with a gallery installation rooted in a performative series of photographs. Inspired by the aesthetics of American cinema, the photos juxtapose the archetypal posturing of the American outlaw hero with the

mysterious presence of the little girl dressed in a traditional Slavic fur hat and embroidered tunic. The pair are joined in the rubble of an isolated building by an exotic menagerie of creatures more usually associated with the Americas than the banks of the Volga. Projet Diligence is a peripatetic arts practice whose work balances – and often combines – site-specific projects, performance, photography and monumental sculpture.

FAR EAST

CULTURE

THE EARTH ISSUE

THE VOYAGE

www.projetdiligence.net

THE LASTS

The Stockists A

Atypyk www.atypyk.com

Essentiel Antwerp Schuttershofstraat 26 2000 Antwerp +32 (0) 3 213 15 10 www.essentiel.be

J K L

Raymond Weil +32 (0) 478 42 15 98 www.raymond-weil.com

B F

Balthazar Avenue Louise 294 Louizalaan 1050 Brussels + 32 (0) 2 647 77 37 www.balthazarstore.com Bell & Ross +32 (0) 2 268 79 53 www.bellross.com Bill Tornade www.billtornade.com Bozar Shop Rue Ravensteinstraat 15 1000 Brussels + 32 (0) 2 514 15 05 www.bozarshop.com Burberry Prorsum www.burberry.com

Filippa K Rue A. Dansaertstraat 42 1000 Brussels Steenhouwersvest 61 – 65 2000 Antwerp www.fi lippa-k.com

Lacoste Galerie Porte Louise 228 1050 Brussels +32 (0) 2 478 18 40( www.lacoste.com Lanvin www.lanvin.com

Filofax www.fi lofax.be

Laurence King www.laurenceking.com

Filigranes Avenue des Arts 39 Kunstlaan 1000 Brussels + 32 (0) 2 511 90 15 www.fi ligranes.be

Levi's www.levistrauss.com

Christophe Lemaire www.christophelemaire.com COS www.cosstores.com D

Delvaux +32 (0) 2 738 00 40 www.delvaux.be Diesel +32 (0) 2 347 28 85 www.diesel.com Dior +33 (0) 1 40 73 73 73 www.dior.com

Roger Gallet www.roger-gallet.com S

Selima Optique + 33 (0) 1 48 04 38 55 Rue Vieille du Temple 46 75004 Paris St Dupont www.st-dupont.com

Longines +32 (0) 2 520 14 73 www.longines.com

Studio Job www.studiojob.nl

Ludion www.ludion.be

Steidl www.stedlville.com

Gant +32 (0) 2 538 17 10 www.gant.com

Chauncey www.chauncey.be

Repetto www.repetto.fr

Gucci Boulevard de Waterloo 49 Waterloosteenweg 1000 Brussels + 32 (0) 2 511 11 82 www.gucci.com H

Hermès +32 (0) 2 511 20 62 www.hermes.com

Maison Fabre +33 (0) 1 42 60 75 88 Maison Martin Margiela www.maison martinmargiela.com N

New Man www.newman.fr O

Houben Brussels Place du Nouveau Marché aux Grains 6 Nieuwe Graanmarkt 1000 Brussels +32 (0)2 502 32 05 Houben Antwerp Steenhouwersvest 46 2000 Antwerp +32 (0) 3 225 00 32

Own Place du Jardin aux Fleurs 5 Bloemenhofplein 1000 Brussels + 32 (0) 2 217 95 71 www.own.be

Swatch www.swatch.com T

Thomas Sabo + 32 (0) 50 62 75 95 www.thomassabo.com U

Uniqlo www.uniqlo.com/fr Unit Editions www.uniteditions.com U-NI-TY www.u-ni-ty.com V

Volkswagen www.vw.be P W

Dries van Noten www.driesvannoten.be E

Emporio Armani +32 (0) 2 551 04 04 www.emporioarmani.com Essentiel Brussels Avenue Louise 66 Louizalaan 1050 Brussels +32 (0) 2 513 18 91

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Patrick Heritage www.patrickheritage.com Ralph Lauren Boulevard de Waterloo 52 Waterloolaan 1000 Brussels + 32 (0) 2 511 82 08 www.ralphlauren.com

Wooyoungmi www.wooyoungmi.com X Y

Yves Saint Laurent www.ysl.com

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THE HUMAN ISSUE

THE ROUND UP

pages 04 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 05 M AT H I A S S C H O E N A E R T S P H O T O G R A P H E D B Y M I C H E L D E W I

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WOLUWE

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page 100 CERAMICA CHRONOGRAPH

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THE MORNING AFTER ISSUE

WHAT'S NEXT

Dining in style

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