YUPPIE
01 April 2011
CURRENT AFFAIRS ART & CULTURE FASHION LEISURE
Motives of a ‘Big Society’ How sceptical should we be of PM Cameron’s ‘Big Society’? Billy Taylor decides.
Games & Gentrification The changing landscapes of East London for the 2012 Olympics.
FASHION
|
HOUSE
&
HOME
Orders: 0844 557 3590 FAX: 0208 888 7402 www.plumo.com The Chocolate Factory,Unit C004 5 Clarendon Road,London,N22 6XJ
04
Letter from YUPPIE
Building A Brand (New Magazine) The month of April is frequently associated with spring, an exhilarating season of new life, growth, and regeneration. It is fitting then that it marks the launch of YUPPIE Media Group (YMG). Aware there are those with the opinion that it’s not the best year to introduce a new magazine to the market, YUPPIE set out to develop not just a title, but also a brand. A brand aimed to establish a community, express an attitude, and embody a lifestyle. As such, the magazine you are holding now – Issue 1 – represents our best effort to deliver that model to you in print. Be sure to visit us online also at yuppiemag.com. With headquarters in London, YUPPIE was created to fill a gap in the magazine sector for content that is acutely entertaining as well as intelligently satisfying. Ultimately, our goal is to redefine what it means to be a young, urban professional by providing writing on cutting-edge topics with a unique perspective, to an ambitious and educated generation, poised to set the societal standards of tomorrow. You will find, for the most part, YUPPIE’s editorial emphasis divided into four sections: Current Affairs, Arts & Culture, Fashion, and Leisure. We see it as our role to bring you writing on a range of germane topics, covering both high and low culture, that will have an impact on your life. In this issue we focus on a crusade to value what truly matters, by examining social awareness concerns within London. We have a piece on David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’, as the reality of the coalition government’s austerity budget is being appreciated; and a piece on the changing landscapes of East London as it is made ready to host the 2012 Olympics. In Arts & Culture we get a glimpse of the dark side of ballet and we examine the family dynamic within one of the most powerful dynasties in modern art and luxury goods. Our team, drawn from the MA Publishing programme at the London College of Communication, is committed to polishing the concept into a brand you will love and will not wish to live without. Without further ado, it is with much excitement that we welcome you now into the world of YUPPIE. YMG
05 03
YUPPIE
{CONTENTS} {Feature}
16
/ Games and Gentrification
The 2012 Olympics promise a lasting legacy, but at what cost? A look at the changing landscape of East London.
{Current Affairs}
30
/ The Unfortunate Price for the Perfect Pirouette
The film Black Swan tells a bleak tale. But what is the reality for dancers today? We take you behind the scenes.
{Arts & Culture}
10 .... Cheat Sheet
24 .... Pinault: Behind the Name
12 .... Motives of a ‘BIG SOCIETY’
28 .... REVIEW: Jamie Woon
With the latest buzz from our staff contributors you will be up to speed on what you need to know.
As the UK coalition government gets to grips with the economy, we explore the big idea of the Big Society. Is it the answer to the nation’s problems?
The fascinating story of a father and son team who wield enormous influence in fashion and the arts.
A prodigious talent who should achieve breakthrough success this year.
Showroom 01.4020.4240 | Sho p 05 .5 6 0 2 .5 8 3 9 | allu d e - c ash m ere. co m
07 03
YUPPIE
{CONTENTS}
42
/Keeping a London Eye on Fashion
Our highlights of London Fashion Week, which did not fail to excite and inspire, include exclusive access to Burberry.
56
/ To be Jolly at The Folly
After reading our restaurant review, you will be rushing to make a reservation.
{Fashion} 34 .... Spring Awakening
At last the delicate spring sunshine is here to cheer us. Our photo feature will get you in the mood.
46 .... Deus ex Machina
An alluring and mysterious picture spread from Brazilian photographer, Carolina Mizrahi.
{Leisure} 54 .... The Children’s Hour
Keira Knightley stars in a London revival of a play of immense dramatic power. Find out whether you should be booking tickets.
57 .... English Beauty
A new exhibition at the V&A is essential viewing for all aspiring style gurus.
58 .... Yuppie Street style
A reminder that in London, high fashion is not confined to the catwalks.
VISIT
YUPPIE
ONLINE AT WWW.YUPPIEMAG.COM
Contributors Carolina Mizrahi Daniel Burgess Denis Davydov Devora Neikova Florence Massey Polis Loizou Suhani Maheshwari Printed By London College of Communication Elephant & Castle London SE1 6SB Tel: +44 (0)2075146569 Special Thanks Desmond O’Rourke, David Penfold, Simon Das, Keith Martin, Tony Yard, Scott House, Jim McBride, David Morris, Frode Nordbø Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved. No part of this publiction may be reproduced in whole or part without permission from the publisher. The views expressed in the magazine are those of the contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine.
03 09
YUPPIE
{MASTHEAD}
Billy Taylor Editor-in-Chief billy@yuppiemag.com
Carolyn Jones Creative Director carolyn@yuppiemag.com
Paula Merlo Features Editor paula@yuppiemag.com
Petr Zolotarev Financial Controller petr@yuppiemag.com
Kingsley Man Web Developer kingsley@yuppiemag.com
Antonia Anastasiadi Web Coordinator antonia@yuppiemag.com
Tim Redmond Managing Editor tim@yuppiemag.com
Yvette Chiu Art Director yvette@yuppiemag.com
Matilde Dos Santos Marketing Director matilde@yuppiemag.com
{Current Affairs}
10
CHEAT The Pound in your Pocket
11
12
The Second Lord of the Treasury, better known to you and me as Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Right Honourable George Osbourne, heir to a wallpaper fortune and to the Baronetcies of Ballentaylor and Ballylemon, will clutch the famous battered red case once more and smile for the cameras before heading to the Palace of Westminster on March 23rd to present his budget to the nation. Why do we get an uncomfortable feeling just thinking about it?
4
Tolerance
After 15 years as the Creative Director of Dior, John Galliano has been dismissed from the job for his anti-Semitic remarks directed at a Jewish couple in a Parisian bar. Police have not charged Galliano, who has now left Europe for rehab in Arizona, USA. Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci has now replaced Galliano at Dior.
© April Greiman and Jayme Odgers
13
From Berkshire to
Buckingham It is almost impossible to forget that Kate Middleton and Prince William will exchange their vows on April 29th at Westminster Abbey. And it’s not just because of the junk memorabilia we keep being offered by traders at Piccadilly Circus. The big day for the happy couple will be marked with an extra Bank Holiday for all of us.
15
Zero
Image courtesy of Claire Murray
Art Attack
From September 2011 to January 2012, the V&A features an exhibition entitled Postmodernism: Style & Subversion 1970-1990. For those who have no idea what this means, it is the movement from the 70s to the 90s that attacked modernism. The exhibit will include pieces from Karl Lagerfeld, Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol. Oh, and obviously the video of that postmodernist anthem, New Order’s Bizarre Love Triangle from 1986 will be shown in the final room. Don’t pretend you don’t know the lyrics.
Architectural Digest
The Guangzhou Opera House has just opened in China. It is the work of London-based Iraqi architect, Zaha Hadid, who in 2004 became the first female to win the prestigious Pritzker Prize, the equivalent of an Oscar for architects. This innovative asymmetric building, made of triangles of granite and glass, was originally set to be built in Cardiff, but the project fell foul of some local politicians. Next year the 1,800 seater auditorium will be the venue for Chinese versions of musicals such as and Mamma Mia! and Cats. Image courtesy of low.lighting
www.yuppiemag.com
11
{Current Affairs}
SHEET 6
iPad 2
Don’t be caught using last year’s model. The eagerly awaited new super-slim iPad2 was launched by Steve Jobs this week and will hit the shops on 11th March Stateside and 25th March in UK. You know you won’t be able to resist it. The must-have accessory of 2011. Available in black and now white also. You may need both!
17
Channel4 Take a big breath! Channel 4 continues to promote public art with its series of installations. These decorate the 50-foot high metal Big4 logo outside its headquarters in London’s Horseferry Road. This time they held a competition for students or recent graduates of art and design. The winner was Hannah Gourlay who studied fashion at Kingston University. She uses fabrics to soften the outlines and the whole structure “breathes” slowly in and out, glowing gently at night. The aim is to soothe the passer-by. Congratulations Hannah! Check out her website. www.hannahgourlay.co.uk
Image courtesy of jacobh95
19
" I c e c r e a m i s e x q u i s ite . What a pity it isn’t illegal...”
…the French philosopher Voltaire once said. Well, for one ice cream parlour, that just might be the case. Vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian or omnivore - whatever your eating habits may be, if you’ve heard about this already, then you must have been slightly intrigued if not utterly disgusted. The latest product of Icecreamists in Covent Garden, ‘Baby Gaga’, is a £14 per serving ice cream made of none other than Mother Nature’s very finest: human breast milk. Yes, you heard right. Need a little sprinkle? Just add shot of Calpol or Bonjela. Why not? Here at YUPPIE, we say go big or go home. The ice cream made headlines across the world and sparked mixed responses amongst the general public. Nevertheless, it sold out in just a matter of hours and was soon after taken off the market by council officials to carry out health and safety checks.
18
The Fight For EQUALITY
Equalities minister, Lynne Featherstone, has announced the Coalition government is considering how marriage laws in England and Wales can address the differences between civil marriage and civil partnerships. Specifically, they will consider lifting the prohibition on civil partnerships being conducted in religious venues allowing marriagestyle ceremonies for gay couples. Despite the fact rule changes would not be mandatory, the move has met with strong opposition from some church officials and Christian groups. The Archbishop of Southwark, the Most Rev Peter Smith, released a statement declaring opposition in the “strongest terms”, and noted that marriage is “a lifelong commitment of a man and a woman”, and that “no authority – civil or religious – has the power to modify the fundamental nature of marriage”.
12
MOTIVES OF A ‘BIG SOCIETY’ Is David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ an earnest policy initiative or a camouflaged euphemism for Conservative ideology? Should we be sceptical? Words by Billy Taylor
Image courtesy of Sam Burnett
www.yuppiemag.com
{Current Affairs}
On the 23rd of February 2011, an angry mob of protestors surrounded Lambeth town hall in Brixton, south London. Faced with budget cuts of up to £79 million over the next three years, after its government grant was reduced, members of Lambeth council were escorted out of the council chamber when protestors stormed the public meeting chanting: “No ifs, no buts, no public service cuts!” Relocated under police guard for a closed session, the councillors forged ahead, rubber-stamping plans to cut money from council services over the next three years, while nearly 300 people stood in protest outside. As police attempted to control the situation, Lambeth SOS (the community group responsible for the demonstration) took to the chamber for a “people’s council” sharing the views of various speakers. Diverse in background, the message was unified: refuse to make the coalition-imposed cuts! Unfortunately, the events at Lambeth town hall are not isolated: demonstrators ranging from trade unionists to community service volunteers have organized nationwide protests as councils prepare to deliver painful 2011/12 financial plans to their communities. Local authorities across the country have been trying to find ways to save billions as part of the coalition government’s plan to cut the deficit. The unpopular task of prioritizing programmes and shaving budgets in order to implement draconian cuts to local government grants – up to 25% in some areas – is an uncomfortable process for policy makers and stakeholders alike. In many circumstances, the new budgets signal the end of council services such as community centres, libraries, and certain types of care provision for the elderly and disabled. As a seismic shift in the number and quality of services provided by local councils continues, albeit different from council to council, one cannot help but wonder what the future might look like for town halls across the country. Last September, Suffolk county council announced an approach that would cut its budget by 30%. The Conservativecontrolled council approved a proposal to transform the current system of government into a “virtual” council that would outsource nearly all public services to social enterprises, volunteers, and private companies while providing, in effect, no services directly. In a statement it boasted how “in the future, the council will focus more on commissioning services and supporting other organizations, including the voluntary sector, private sector and community groups, to deliver services.” Understandably, the press release avoided any uncomfortable explanation of what will happen to the 27,000 people employed by the local authority. Outsourcing per se, is not new for local councils. In the past, they have found success subcontracting services such as rubbish collection and the recycling of waste while maintaining quality of service and creating private sector jobs. The difference now with Suffolk council is the scale and speed of their intended transition, with plans to be fully divested of public services within four years.
13
In defence of the decision, Council leader Jeremy Pembroke said: “the coalition requires lesser government and a bigger society, and Suffolk county council has responded to this change.” Critics and supporters of the plan agree, Suffolk’s “virtual” council is not only about navigating around imposed cuts but also about rushing to encompass the principles of Mr Cameron’s Big Society. Which raises the question: with drastic coalition-imposed public sector cuts, local authorities’ elimination or outsourcing of vital services, and nation-wide clashes between anti-cuts protestors and police what is the Big Society all about? In a recent speech to social entrepreneurs, Prime Minister David Cameron noted his “mission in politics is to foster social and economic recovery, and social recovery is what the Big Society is all about.” In fact, Mr Cameron has been campaigning for a Big Society with the kind of fervour that sparks suspicion. The initiative was a central theme in the Conservative general election campaign when Mr Cameron launched the Conservative manifesto with the commitment to replace big government with Big Society. He described it as being about three things: Giving power to the people; opening up the delivery of public services; and encouraging more volunteering. The idea goes that if millions of people can be inspired and start becoming active in their local communities, the country will be able to deal with debts, mend a broken society, and restore faith in the political system. “We stand for a society”, Mr Cameron said of the Tories, “that is the right idea for a better future for our country and it runs through everything in our manifesto and in our campaign.” Ironically, this was delivered from the same party once led by Margaret Thatcher, who in 1987 declared in an interview that there was “no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families.” Attempting to mitigate the contradiction, the catchphrase “there is such a thing as society: it’s just not the same thing as the state” was quickly coined; but it became clear that Mr Cameron was attempting to move Conservatives closer to the centre – creating distance from Mrs Thatcher’s individualism – by branding a progressive conservatism. A similar tactic was used successfully nearly a decade ago by George W Bush during his “compassionate conservatism” 2000 presidential campaign. Both campaigns promised a renewed spirit for the country by encouraging communities to take more responsibility for citizens through more control of their own services. Even after the election, as Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg emerged in dark suits and pastel ties to announce the details of the coalition government (The Coalition: Our programme for government), it was clear – Mr Cameron’s Big Society was here to stay. Prominently introduced in the foreword of the document, a five year plan for government, the two men described a “more radical and comprehensive” programme that fused core principles of each party to create “a
{Current Affairs}
14
Big Society matched by big citizens.” Still though, no master plan or blueprint for the Big Society was provided - because none exists. Government officials say the idea is for decisions to be made locally, and for people to choose for themselves what actions need to be taken not for the government to get in the way by dictating what needs to be done. A few months after the Conservative-led coalition government was established, George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced plans for £81bn in government spending cuts. The goal, to eliminate the majority of the budget deficit over the next five years, signalled a new era of public sector austerity. As the coalition’s plans for spending cuts kicked in, it became clear local councils would be hit the hardest with plans to cut central funding to local authorities by 28% over four years. With nearly all services up for review and possible privatisation – with the exception of MI5 and the judiciary – the question of the provision of services by local governments became one of survival. Even Tory peer, Baroness Eaton, Chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA) which represents town halls in England and Wales, has said: “These cuts will hurt. We know this means there will be fewer libraries, more potholes going unrepaired, parks shutting earlier and youth clubs closing.” Although, even as the public grows more and more anxious regarding the largest cuts to local council budgets in modern times, Prime Minister Cameron keeps pushing the importance of personal responsibility, community volunteers, and a ‘Bigger Society’. Critics argue that the Big Society is merely a sleight of hand played by the PM to distract the public by dignifying and disguising a Conservative ideology through the rhetoric of a revival in civic society. And as local councils deliver 2011/12 budgets that are catastrophic to public sector services, it is easy to entertain the argument. In Richard Simcox’s opinion, “the Big Society is a scam.” National press officer for the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), the UK’s largest civil service trade union, he thinks “there’s nothing big about it. It springs from an ambition of the old Tory right to shrink the state and hand more of our public services to private interests.” Representing over 300,000 members, many jeopardised by Mr Cameron’s
spending cuts, PCS has taken the position that alternatives exist: “The government should be creating jobs, not cutting them, and investing in our public services to help the economy to grow.” Spending cuts are never popular, whereas advocating stronger communities often is, so the Big Society might be explained simply as a standard political practice used as a crutch by an unpopular government. However, spending cuts of the scale and speed laid out by the coalition government would not be possible without a strategy for shifting responsibility away from the state. So is Mr Cameron’s Big Society a political sound bite of no substance for the sake of pubic opinion, or a camouflaged vehicle delivering a harsh dose of Thatcherism? Both, critics say, but what it’s not, they suggest, is an initiative about shared responsibility, community partnership, and individual involvement – instead it’s the eradication of the post-war welfare system. “What Mr Cameron doesn’t seem to realize is that because he’s cutting too far and too fast he is undermining the very idea he claims to champion,” Labour leader, Ed Miliband told the BBC. And he added, “if he claims to support the Big Society then he should be worried about the closure of local libraries, the threat to children’s centres, the closure of Citizens Advice Bureau services, because all of those things are a crucial part of the Big Society and if he carries on as he is they are going to shut down and he is going to undermine the very idea he claims is his mission in politics.” Less than two weeks before the events at Lambeth town hall, Mr Cameron was speaking on the need for a volunteering renaissance as he re-launched his Big Society idea and attempted to garner public support. Rightfully so, considering the he had spent months promoting volunteers, charity organizations, and community groups as the necessary future for the delivery of public services – only to encounter a very public backlash when his spending cuts provided a devastating blow to many of the very organizations he was promoting. “The idea is excellent but the implementation has not been thought through,” said Dame Elisabeth Hoodless, Executive Director of Community Service Volunteers (CSV). Dame Elizabeth, who is retiring after 36 years at CSV, Britain’s largest volunteering organization, told the BBC in a TV interview in February that there are inherent problems
“The ‘Big Society’ is a scam. There’s nothing big about it, it springs from an ambition of the old Tory right to shrink the state and hand more of our public services over to private interests” – Richard Simcox www.yuppiemag.com
{Current Affairs}
between what Cameron says about his Big Society policy and what is actually happening. She said, “the huge cuts to local authorities’ spending are meaning that many of the [community volunteer] programmes involved, hundreds of thousands of volunteers in libraries and schools and child protection, are having their support cut at the very time the Prime Minister wants to see more citizens involved.” She went on to explain that volunteer organizations can only exist with skilled leadership, but due to such drastic funding cuts, invaluable people and projects are being lost. “Today, people are getting their redundancy notices, last week they were getting their redundancy notices, some projects have closed down already because funding is gone. How long, Oh Lord, will we wait?” The problems with the Big Society initiative are not with its underlying principles – they have more to do with the timing and presentation. The narrative that Mr Cameron has established is one based on the contrasted aspects of, and alternatives to, government spending. However, being pressured to volunteer just doesn’t feel like an acceptable alternative for the end of local services, including those essential for the most vulnerable citizens. It feels more like clever diversionary tactics. The Prime Minister speaks of representing a progressive conservatism and the Big Society provides an ideal instrument to demonstrate that he comes to rejuvenate, not to destroy. However, with many charities and community groups going bankrupt, leaving the voluntary sector in no position to manage even a portion of the demand being created, one cannot help but suspect Big Society of being the wolf of Tory ideology dressed in sheep’s clothing. To explain Big Society as the decentralisation of a centralised administration, through the introduction of competition into public services, is understandable and almost convincing; but to describe the policy as a campaign to inspire individuals, community groups, and local charities to get involved in the delivery of public services for the good of the society, while actively cutting essential funding to enable such activity, is a much harder sell. Does this article suggest that Mr Cameron’s crusade for a ‘Bigger Society’ would be better received in a less challenging economic atmosphere? Yes, in part, it does. It is a noble approach
15
Image courtesy of Prime Minister’s Office
and holds inherent potential, but without separating it from the coalition-imposed spending cuts, the British public will remain sceptical. And rightly so, as a Big Society can never successfully operate while local council cuts promote opposition to its progress by crippling a voluntary sector that remains largely dependent on state funding. Regardless, as local councils approve budgets for the 2011/12 fiscal year, sparking protests and civil unrest across the country, Mr Cameron’s dream of individuals working together to solve their problems is realised – just not in the way he had hoped.
“Today, people are getting their redundancy notices, last week they were getting their redundancy notices, some projects have closed down already because funding is gone. How long, Oh Lord, will we wait?” - Dame Elisabeth Hoodless
16
G ames & entrification
The 2012 Olympics promise urban development and a lasting legacy for an area of London best known for abandoned factories and high unemployment. However, in the midst of massive infrastructural transformation, local East London residents question who will benefit more from such a massive public investment: the local community, or private developers? Will the lasting outcome deliver, as promised, an urban renaissance for one of the most economically deprived neighbourhoods in London – or will it subject a vulnerable and ethnically diverse community to exploitation and displacement? Billy Taylor investigates the impact of the 2012 Olympics on East London.
www.yuppiemag.com
{Feature}
I
was working in Washington, DC when Prime Minister Tony Blair declared it “a momentous day” for Britain, but I remember watching the news footage of crowds of Londoners gathered in Trafalgar Square. It was July 2005 and they had assembled for an Olympic ‘decision day’ event. The announcement would end an 18-month race, one of the most fiercely contested in years, to become the host city for the 2012 Olympics. After bids from Moscow, New York and Madrid were eliminated it was a two-way fight between Paris and London. Of these two capitals with a
long history of rivalry, Paris had been the favourite throughout much of the process. The crowds watched on large screens streaming live from Singapore as Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), announced that London would stage the 2012 games, triggering an eruption of flag-waving and cheering. Responding to the news, Mr Blair said to reporters: “We have got a great chance now to develop sport in our country and to have a fantastic Olympic Games and then to leave a legacy for the future.” This “legacy”, a promise of social,
17
economic and environmental regeneration, was the central theme of the British Olympic Association’s bid. Heralded as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity to help regenerate one of the UK’s most economically challenged areas, many believe it was the catalyst that helped London beat Paris. The bid called for a new Olympic park based around the deprived area of the Lower Lea Valley, in London’s East End. This area, roughly three miles from Central London, encompasses parts of the boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham and Waltham Forest. In the government’s
“ ” We have got a great chance now to develop sport in our country and to have a fantastic Olympic Games and then to leave a legacy for the future. Prime Minister Tony Blair
legacy plan, Our Promise for 2012: How the UK will benefit from the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, published after the bid’s success, it listed “transforming the heart of East London” as one of its five legacy commitments. Today, with just over 500 days until the big event, there is no question there will be a permanent change to the landscape of East London. The question is what kind of change. I think any good politician would tell you the goal, in such a situation, would be to help the most economically disadvantaged groups living in the areas in which the Games are scheduled to
take place. The problem is that if history is any indication, lasting improvements have not often been delivered to local residents. Fools Gold, a report from the New Economics Foundation (NEF) warns that frequently regeneration leads to gentrification. The London-based think tank explains: “assets of the local communities get transferred out of the local area, because local people who don’t own local homes or business are priced out of the area. High land values, fragmented ownership patterns and poor engagement of the community in planning decisions and local stewardship all go
together to undermine the development of sustainable communities. Local retail services and local enterprises struggle to survive in the face of rising commercial rents and competition from larger companies.” In the end, the argument goes, the poorest residents in the area end up paying the highest costs in terms of disruption and displacement. Until recently, I confess, I had rarely ventured into the Lower Lea Valley. As an American expatriate living in West London the East felt a little too far and a little too foreign to comfortably visit without an itinerary. I had been
18
{Current Affairs}
Image courtesy of London 2012
to a handful of bars and restaurants in the more fashionable East London neighbourhoods, but generally remained ignorant of the communities being affected by the 2012 Olympics. For that reason, I decided to spend some time getting a first hand look at the changes taking place by visiting the heart of the transformation, and home to the future Olympic Park and Olympic Village: Stratford. Serving as a key point of arrival for visitors in 2012, I was surprised by how large and modern the multilevel station felt as I stepped off the train. Walking out of the station the metamorphosis of the 500-acre Olympic Park was immediately www.yuppiemag.com
noticeable from almost every angle. When finished it will include the main 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held as well as the athletics events, and the Aquatics Centre, which will include two 50m swimming pools and a diving pool. As I walked around the perimeter of the construction site, I couldn’t help but wonder how much it all must cost. The Olympics budget, to be largely funded by the UK taxpayer and National Lottery ticket buyers, has tripled in the last several years. By summer 2007, the Olympic budget had exploded from just £3 billion to £9.3 billion – described
{Current Affairs}
11
An aerial view of the Velodrome in the VeloPark with the Basketball Arena, Olympic Village and Olympic Stadium in view.
12
The 2010 Olympic Stadium.
13
Olympic Stadium under construction in Stratford.
14
East London street art found near Olympic Village.
19
13
11
by Labour MP Don Touhig as “the most catastrophic piece of financial mismanagement in the history of the world.” After Britain entered into a recession a couple years ago, sceptics began to question whether the country could afford to spend so much on a twoweek sporting event. Olympic Minister, Tessa Jowell, responded positively, saying the Games were nothing less than “economic gold at a time of economic need.” But NEF disagrees. “Rather than a harmonious development and the preservation of human dignity,” the organization notes, “we face a scenario of a massive public sector investment, mainly
12
14
from UK and London taxpayers, resulting chiefly in corporate benefit, gentrification and the potential displacement of the most disadvantaged local residents, as the Government and Olympic bodies scramble to recover the debts created by the Games.” This is not only alarming, but also a potentially serious problem. The idea that the Games will leave behind a substantial legacy of regeneration for the people who live nearby is not just an enlightened addition to the plan, as a bestcase-scenario; it was central to London’s original bid. It is a recurring problem around the world. Go to any former Olympic site
and you see many of the same things: massive buildings that remain as rarely utilized white elephants, a loss of urban history, and stories of displacement. In 2004, the Greek capital, Athens, hosted the Olympics. Since then, it has become an example of the destruction the Games can wreak on a community, city, and country. Years after the Games ended, as many as 21 out of the 22 venues remained abandoned. The Athens Olympics cost a record £9.4bn to stage. This was way over the original budget, due to security costs which rocketed after the September 11th terrorist attacks in New York. Greece was left groaning
{Current Affairs}
20
12
11 Photography Suhani Maheshwari
under a huge debt. In the months after the Games, the shortfall amounted to £43,000 for each Greek household. Maintenance of the sites alone has cost as much as £500m. “We didn’t find a plan for the post-Olympics development of the venues,” Fani Palli-Petralia, a New Democracy politician, said of the situation. “When a city gets the Games, it should make a business plan for big changes and then decide what the country needs for the day after the Olympics. This did not happen.” Venues that were built to meet the requirements of sports federations (most of which get one chance every four years to market their events to a global audience) have proved useless to Athenians. Poor urban areas have been left in the shadow of the “white elephant” buildings, with no sign of the “urban renewal” that Olympic organizers, including London’s planners, are so quick to promise. There are reasons for such patterns of failed regeneration. The infrastructure needed for a two-week event, attracting hundreds of thousands of people, is totally different from that needed to support a permanent resident community. Sports www.yuppiemag.com
13 14 11
Underneath the arches…
12
Local Asian designer wear shop “NAYA”.
13
Graffiti art in East London.
14
Crowds walking through East London street market.
15
Street vendor.
15
21
{Current Affairs}
16 18
16
One of several fresh fruit vendors found in Bethnal Green.
17
Sales associate inside family-owned East London shop.
18
Woman carrying groceries from the market in Stratford.
17 Photography Yvette Chiu
buildings, closed up and dark except when they attract sudden floods of people, are usually quite unsuitable for city life. Host cities, working on fixed deadlines and pressure to perform, demand huge budgets that are not available for the same area after the Games. The Olympics are usually held in places that were underused and the reasons for that underuse tend to persist. Walking through Stratford market, a bustling area lined with small shops and ethnic restaurants, I couldn’t help but notice the juxtaposition of the local
community with the newly constructed modern apartment complexes. Many people, including the Hackney-based writer Iain Sinclair, have protested against the Olympic project’s indifference to cultural ecologies that already exist in the area and its destruction or displacement of them. In an article for the London Review of Books called The Olympics Scam, he poetically described the new sanitized developments – replacing the existing infrastructure – as “mirthlessly playful, Ikea storage boxes gimmicked
out of swipe-cards and toothpicks.” It is his opinion that much of the Lower Lea Valley is being devastated by a “feverish beat-the-clock impatience unseen in London since the beginnings of the railway age. Every civic decency, every sentimental attachment, is swept aside for the primary strategic objective, the big bang of the starter’s pistol.” Most will agree that regeneration of an area is crucial in tackling poverty and unemployment. Genuine regeneration, though, must benefit local residents.
22
The danger with projects as big as the 2012 Olympics is that the value created by the public investment neither benefits the general public, nor the most disadvantaged people of the local community, but instead private commercial organizations and existing asset holders. Iain Sinclair believes this dilemma lies at the crux of the problem: “The scam of scams was always the Olympics: Berlin in 1936 to Beijing in
www.yuppiemag.com
{Current Affairs}
2008. Engines of regeneration. Orgies of lachrymose nationalism. War by other means. Warrior-athletes watched, from behind dark glasses, by men in suits and uniforms. The pharmaceutical frontline. Rogue Californian chemists running their eye-popping, vein-clustered, vest-stripping robots against degendered state laboratory freaks. Bearded ladies and teenage girls who never have periods. Medals returned by disgraced drug cheats to be passed on
to others who weren’t caught, that time. The Millennium Dome fiasco was a low-rent rehearsal. The holy grail for blue-sky thinkers was the sporttranscends-politics Olympiad, the five-hooped golden handcuffs, the smoke rings behind which deals could be done for casinos and malls: with corporate sponsorship, flag-waving and infinitely elastic budgets (any challenge an act of naysaying treason).�
{Current Affairs}
As I walked down Stratford’s High Street I found myself conflicted. On the one hand, once complete, the canals and waterways of the River Lea will be cleaned and widened. The park will be planted with trees and flowers, and world-class sports facilities will be converted for the use of the local community. Homes and businesses will be created and a range of transportation services will be improved. Compared to the abandoned buildings
and leftovers of the old industrial wasteland these are improvements that will go a long way. But on the other hand, the massive public works project could prove to be a bottomless money-pit, attracting few businesses and residents, while creating social and economic polarization –or worse- the disruption and displacement of an existing community without the benefits of lasting, equitable regeneration. I don’t have the
23
right answer, perhaps only time will tell; but two weeks ago, on a Sunday afternoon, I met three friends (all from different parts of London) to have brunch in a stylish modern restaurant inventively converted from an old clothing factory in the heart of East London. Were we part of the solution or part of the problem? You decide.
24
Pinault: Behind The Name
W
ith a family fortune estimated in the billions, a luxury goods empire which includes Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, and selected by the City of Venice to undertake the transformation of Punta della Dogana into a mecca for contemporary art, this father and son dynasty is one you should know. Florence Massey makes the introductions. Richard Branson, Simon Cowell and Lord Alan Sugar are household names. Self-made millionaires running their own empires, with businesses spanning music, IT, airlines, and much more. Whether we love them or loathe them, they exert a fascination over us, and we devour details of their lives, with their mixture of grandeur, wealth and professional accomplishments. However, the names of a much more intriguing and equally successful dynasty are missing from that list: François and François-Henri Pinault. Founded by François Snr, and now run by François-Henri, PPR is a French multinational holding company specializing in luxury brands and is no doubt responsible for the family’s position on the Forbes Billionaires List. Currently, the Pinault name is receiving attention for the transformation of the Punta della Dogana in Venice. Add to this a passion for art that runs so deep they hold one of the greatest private collections in the world, a rivalry with Bernard Arnault, owner of luxury group LVMH, and throw in François Jnr’s marriage to Hollywood
www.yuppiemag.com
{Arts & Culture}
actress Salma Hayek and it begins to become clear that there is more to this father and son duo than money. Born François Pinault Jnr, he changed his name to FrançoisHenri in an effort to eliminate confusion between his work and that of his father. A father who just happens to have one of the greatest rags-to-riches stories in the world, and the brains behind global luxury brand company, PPR. This company controls Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci among other fashion houses, and has been built up by François Pinault Snr into a force to be reckoned with since he founded it in 1963. It now boasts over 90,000 employees and has interests in 120 countries. In a staggering leap of faith that shocked many, François handed the reins to his son eight years ago in order to focus on his art collection. As they sat and chatted over dinner at Paris bistro, Ami Louis, he produced three interlocking gold rings that his jeweller friend Joel Rosenthal had crafted especially for the occasion. Engraved on the first was the date 1963, when Pinault first created the company. On the second was 2003, marking when FrançoisHenri was to take charge. On the third was a question mark. Attached to the rings was the key to Pinault’s office at Artémis, the family’s private company, located in an elegant townhouse just off Avenue Montaigne. This passing of the mantle could be seen as a somewhat romantic gesture based on blood rather than business acumen, but this is not the case. François-Henri worked hard for the honour and the responsibility. Despite an unquestionably privileged start in life, he proved his worth, and duly impressed
25
the board of directors and advisors before succeeding his father. By working his way up through the company from a salesman in the timber department to controlling both PPR and Artémis, he completed what amounted to a thirteen-year apprenticeship in order to qualify for the roles he holds today. Certain he was ready for such a prominent role, his father stepped down from his post and made way for his son whilst still himself healthy and dynamic. A rare move in business. As the father recalls, “I put it on his plate and said, ‘On Monday you’re taking over.’” François-Henri was stunned. “He first thought it was a joke,” says Pinault Snr. It wasn’t. A comparison with his older, and richer, compatriot Bernard Arnault gives an insight into his ability. Arnault heads luxury goods conglomerate LVMH and on the brink of the recent world economic slump predicted that the luxury sector would not have to change its business model. This proved wrong and LVMH suffered significant losses. In contrast, François-Henri showed an innate understanding of his customers and was able to make the necessary changes to keep PPR afloat during hard times. François-Henri, was praised for his forward thinking ahead of the downturn in 2008. One notable admirer of his subsequent rigorous enforcement of ‘wartime budgets’ throughout all of PPR’s divisions was his own father: “He has a lot of sangfroid,” he told Fortune Magazine, lauding his son’s ability to take charge and make quick decisions. “I’m impressed - but don’t tell him that. We’re not a family that gives compliments easily.” The company is now recovering after the recession, and
26
{Arts & Culture}
reported a full year’s sales increase of 7.5% for 2010, mainly propelled by strong Gucci sales. In their annual statement he reasserted that “the operating and financial performance of the Group as a whole and of each of its businesses was outstanding in 2010. Cost-control efforts launched during the height of the economic crisis, and the sales offensive implemented successfully in 2010 to drive profitable revenue growth, enabled the group to take full advantage of the upturn”. Those close to Pinault insist that he has gained markedly in selfconfidence and stature with this crisis, and is well on his way to stepping out from under his father’s shadow. Taking a major new direction for the company, one of the first things that François-Henri has implemented is a new, greener policy across every sub-sector. This at the same time as sustainable fashion’s It Girl, Stella McCartney is also making us look at how we save, and waste, energy. W magazine reported that “it seems likely to define the legacy of FrançoisHenri…who has quietly put social and environmental issues at the top of his agenda as chairman,” something that his father did not. His became the first CAC 40-listed company to institute a Corporate Social Responsibility Department with a director who reports directly to the CEO and who is a member of its executive board. PPR’s code of business practice makes a powerful statement about the social commitment and eco-responsibility of the group. This covers everything from recruitment diversity and fair-trade sourcing to reducing carbon dioxide emissions and building greener stores.
www.yuppiemag.com
Images courtesy of Palazzo Grassi
Even La Redoute, and the company’s other widely distributed magazines are printed on recycled and eco-friendly paper. The interests of the dynamic father and son, who own both the Chateau Latour Vineyard and Christie’s auction house, are not confined to the luxury business sector. They have a shared interest in and passion for, arts and culture. One of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Venice is key to the extension and diversification of the Pinault empire. Among the slow canals and picturesque gondolas lie the Punto della Dogana and the Palazzo Grassi, two iconic buildings where François-Henri Pinault’s father has chosen to make his mark in the art world. The Palazzo Grassi houses temporary exhibitions. The Punto della Dogana, one of the most important buildings in the city, situated at the junction of the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal, houses the permanent exhibition of works from the François Pinault Collection. The residents and
officials of Venice chose Pinault Snr to breathe new life into the old port building granting him a 33-year lease in 2007 for a new centre for contemporary art. In the same year Art Review magazine named him the most influential person in the art world for the second consecutive year. Renovated and redesigned by respected architect, Tadao Ando, the new Punta della Dogana opened on the 6th of June 2009. Pinault Snr, referred to as ‘one of the most aggressive collectors in Europe’ owns over 2,500 pieces of modern art, including pieces by Urs Fischer, Rudolph Stigel, Anselm Reyle, Richard Prince, Laura Owens and David Hammons. When probed on his interest in modern and contemporary art, he explained that it “helps me understand a little better what is happening in the world and what will happen in the future”. The collection was originally conceived for Paris, but Venice was finally chosen because of bureaucratic difficulties in
{Arts & Culture}
{ He wants “the public to further develop a passion for the art of today”
}
France. By bringing a collection of modern, and sometimes controversial, art into the city Pinault is breathing new life into a city famed for its antique canals and classical history. He has given the old port building of the Punta Della Dogana a bright future. Cultural historian Jan Morris comments that “a sense of historical continuity haunts all the streets and buildings of Venice,” with the “sea splendour that keeps her” one of the keys to its appeal. As one of the first buildings you see when you come into Venice along the Grand Canal, it was essential to retain its ancient allure and that is exactly what Tadao Ando has achieved. Gone are any previous residues of restoration, with partitions, passageways and other additions eliminated to create a cavernous interior that is divided into rectangular rooms. New features of the restoration include skylights, high windows with vistas of the Grand Canal and Ando’s signature detail of polished concrete. Seamlessly blending innovation with history, the restoration presents perfect display spaces. “The dialogue - that is collision and friction - between the old and the new”, Ando states, “is the driving force in creating a city’s future”. The enthusiastic collaboration of father and son is changing the face of modern art, with François-Henri quoted as saying all he wants out of Dogana is “for the public to further develop a passion for the art of today.” Whilst the father and son duo have had their professional life fully documented on the pages of Forbes and Fortune, their private life remains surprisingly private. For example, with little attention, François-Henri began a relationship with Salma Hayek in 2006 after he met her at
27
a gala in the Palazzo Grassi hosted by his father. The two kept a low profile while they dated for three years – no small task dating a Hollywood celebrity. Their engagement, and announcement of her pregnancy in 2007, came as a surprise for many and an even bigger shock when it was broken off just a year later with hectic work schedules and long distances to blame. Eventually, the fairy tale ending was achieved on Valentine’s Day 2009 in Paris, when they were married in a private ceremony. He was once quoted as saying “she’s unique, magical, definitely the most colourful person I’ve ever met. I feel so tied to her, but at the same time we are completely different. I discover something new about her every day.” Their second wedding, held in Venice, was anything but private and the guest list read like a Who’s Who of Hollywood and fashion, including Penelope Cruz, Lily Cole, Stella McCartney, Anna Wintour and Gael Garcia Bernal. Without even knowing of the Pinault family, the chances are you have lusted after an item of clothing from one of their brands, craved after one of their exclusive fragrances, or admired artwork with connections to either father or son. Further, François-Henri’s handson and personal approach to business has won him admiration from his peers and his consistent reinvigoration of PPR has meant that the company was able to grow during one of the toughest decades in financial history. An intelligent, charismatic and driven individual, it seems clear that he will lead the company to further triumphs and be remembered for rather more than reality TV shows and flashy marketing, unlike Branson, Sugar and Cowell.
28
Jamie Woon Words by Daniel Burgess
www.yuppiemag.com
Image courtesy of Toast Press
{Arts & Culture}
28
Traditional songwriters with a taste for the electronic in Britain seem to be carving out a spot for themselves in the marketplace.
year-old Jamie Woon is no stranger to the London music scene. An alumnus of the BRIT School, which has become known for bolstering the careers of chart-toppers as varied as Amy Winehouse and Adele, he has spent the last few years cultivating an eclectic sound that has attracted attention from fans of pop, indie, R&B, and dubstep alike. Now with his debut album Mirrorwriting coming out this April, Woon is prepared to put the world under the spell of his sparse, electronic music. While polishing his live show, Woon became confident and focused creating chilled-out beatboxing grooves over vocal harmonies armed only with his velvety voice and a microphone fed through a loop machine. This method, despite its limitations, laid the groundwork for Wayfaring Stranger, his first EP and independent release. The title track is a well-known American spiritual, but Woon’s interpretation started turning heads in the dubstep community when artist and producer Burial remixed the minimalist track with an uptempo breakbeat. Woon included both this version and another remix of Wayfaring Stranger by Stitch on the 2007 EP. With the blessing of electronic music’s notoriously shadowy artist, Woon seems to be running with the larger sounds from Burial’s reworking. Night Air, the first single out from Mirrorwriting, previews what looks like a more intricate and mature Jamie Woon to be unveiled on the album. Produced by Burial, an echoing palette of synthesizers, horns, and jilted 2-step garage beats support Woon’s soulful melodies in place of yesteryear’s acoustic guitar and looped percussion. The video, directed by
29
Lorenzo Fonda, represents the mood of the track perfectly. It features Woon exploring a winter forest shaded in blue, a world of eternal night presided over by, that’s right, bulbous praying mantises. Yet for all its contemplative darkness and ambient decay, it would be wrong to think of the track as simply another atmospheric number among the others produced by Burial or Ramadanman. Night Air is fundamentally a pop song, but with tasteful nods to the genres that have inspired Woon. In fact, it is precisely this eclecticism that gives his music its crossover appeal. Traditional songwriters with a taste for the electronic in Britain seem to be carving out a spot for themselves in the marketplace. The xx, whose 2009 debut album xx earned them overnight fame and the 2010 Mercury Prize, mixes minimal electronic grooves with the nonchalant affect of indie rock vocalists. James Blake, who recently ranked just above Woon in the BBC’s Sound of 2011 poll, also flirts with R&B and progressive soundscapes. Blake’s approach tends to involve clever inversions of traditional elements in classic soul music to much acclaim. Woon, on the other hand, directly engages the genre’s more contemporary vocal turns and style. Ultimately, the distinctions between these artists demonstrate the incredible potential of this brand of fusion. With the floodgates opened by the success of The xx, music fans can expect much in the future from artists as loosely tied as Burial and Mount Kimbie. Based on the strength of Jamie Woon’s Night Air, they can also expect April’s Mirrorwriting to stand out amongst its impressive peers.
{Arts & Culture}
30
P
www.yuppiemag.com
The Unfortunate rice for the erfect Pirouette Words by Devora Neikova
Image courtesy of Laura Bittner
he prima ballerina combines beauty, strength and agility with the ability to interpret powerful emotions through dance, music and movement. In the film Black Swan, Oscar winner Natalie Portman portrays the life of a ballet dancer as something much more complex than the captivating costumes and effortless pirouettes seen on stage. So, what happens behind the scenes when the curtain comes down? Is ballet really as unrelenting as the film would have us believe, and do other types of dancers share the same experiences? Devora Neikova investigates.
Director Darren Aronofsky’s current film Black Swan has caught the public imagination. Star Natalie Portman’s Academy Award for best actress was very popular and will assure the film’s box office success. This stylish film presents an at times harrowing view of the life of a ballerina, with equal measures of physical strain and psychological trauma, within a strong narrative. Perhaps not surprisingly, given this somewhat disturbing view, Aronofsky is reported as having met some resistance from the world of ballet as he researched the film. What is it
about this world that makes it so guarded and secretive that only once in a while an explosive film like Black Swan can come along and make ballet and dance the focus of controversy and debate? In response to the film, the normally guarded domain of dance has broken its silence and outrage has poured out on many websites from ballerinas and dance teachers. They claim that the film is a gross exaggeration. It replays the tired stereotype of the vulnerable anorexic or bulimic girl struggling with body image issues and the stress of intense
32
“To me, the film was about perfection: the long, strenuous and painful road to achieving excellence”
www.yuppiemag.com
{Arts & Culture}
Some blogging dancers have agreed that it is, as it claims to be, a psychosexual thriller, but deny the connection with ballet as other than coincidental. Armed with this information, yet uncertain as to what to expect following my trawl through the Internet, I was eager to speak to someone from the inside. Polish-born Michael Kopinski, a former soloist with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, was neither guarded nor outraged when I asked him about his experiences as a ballet dancer and his reaction to the film. Already, I was getting the sense that, in an art form whose history, legacy and traditions span some 500 years and more, it would be extremely difficult to find unanimity. “Black Swan is only one interpretation of a certain character which you find in the ballet world. If you judge the film as a portrayal of a ballet dancer’s life you are looking at it from the wrong perspective. To me, the film was about perfection: the long, strenuous and painful road to achieving excellence, which requires focus and dedication. This is paved with light and shade, ingeniously represented through the analogy of the ballet Swan Lake,” suggests Michael. Having expected him to violently reject Black Swan and any association with it, this balanced and positive response was certainly a surprise. To enter the closed world of ballet I was finding I had to leave aside my preconceptions. But, what I really wanted to know was, what were the sacrifices that dancers have to make in order to be able to grace the stage so beautifully and elegantly? How do they become able to perform day in, day out, often with very gruelling schedules? “The extreme dedication of the dancers is probably not that well known to the public. Everything else is put aside in order to achieve what is required to succeed in the profession,” says Michael. “Furthermore, the expectations on the body in ballet are higher than in other forms of dance. We turn out, twist and bend our bodies in order to achieve the classical form the audience finally sees on stage. That often requires going against our bodies.
A lot of dancers smoke and live on antiinflammatories. We suffer from a lot of injuries, and therefore have numerous operations.” One particular moment from my interview with Michael, which parallels Portman’s portrayal of Nina the ballerina in the film, is his description of the way that the focus on the body in ballet becomes so intense that, “the mirror becomes your best friend and your worst enemy; it is very narcissistic.” Nevertheless, Michael’s overall parting feelings regarding the film are surprisingly optimistic: “I think films such as Black Swan are important for audiences to see, even if they only serve as an advertisement for the industry. Theatres, choreographers and dancers need more funding as well as appreciation for what it is to exist in a unique, beautiful and highly skilled genre of the arts.” So, certainly not the bitterness regarding the misrepresentation of dance that I was expecting, but rather a call for recognition of this dance form, even if it does come with its dark sides. Michael allowed me a rare glimpse of the self-discipline and endurance needed to achieve at the top level of professional ballet. His account was not that far removed from what Portman’s character Nina undergoes in Black Swan. Yet, as I walk through the corridors of The Place, the UK’s premier centre for contemporary dance located in London, I get the sense that these young boys and girls who are stretching in the corridors and merrily padding around in leggings will have something very different to expose about their experience of dance. It’s like a scene from Flashdance as I sit in the cafeteria, about to quiz these young dancers. As soon as I start explaining my interest, what is immediately obvious is how seriously these students take their discipline, and how keen they are to point out the differences between ballet and contemporary dance. As Jessica, a second year student, explains, “In ballet you are trying to fit a cookie cutter stereotype, whereas in contemporary dance you are trying to be different and individual.” Although ballet is a regular
{Arts & Culture}
part of their daily routines, Jessica and her friends seem somewhat distant when discussing their relationship to it. “Ballet school is very demanding... there are rumours that people put glass in other people’s shoes... contemporary is very demanding as well but it calls for a certain level of creativity.” For these girls, it is clear that contemporary dance is where their hearts are, although they do concede that the portrayal of dancing in Black Swan is somewhat accurate, given the strains, pains and sacrifices that they themselves have to make on a daily basis. And what might those be? The usual, when you consider that the girls I spoke to were all under twenty years old and that a typical day for them starts at 9am and can go on until 10pm. “We have no life, no boyfriends and if we drink or smoke we certainly pay for it the next day in class,” claims Jessica. “We have to maintain our bodies too. As a contemporary dancer you want to look strong and that’s more important than being skinny.” The combination of the lack of a social life paired with the effort to maintain peak physical fitness seem to me such foreign and difficult concepts that I cannot imagine how these dancers persevere through every day. Yet, although they are confiding in me the realities of their chosen professions, they seem both content and determined, even when they describe the harshness of some teachers who lay into students, drilling into them the idea that they will never succeed and suggesting they should not even be dancing in the first place. For the successful ones who make it though training and join a contemporary dance company, things do not necessarily improve. The girls tell me how most of the time when a dancer is working with a company he or she will most certainly have to have another job in order to survive. “Still though, I’d rather starve than be in a company I hate,” retorts Bridget, another girl from the group. My increasingly wide-eyed disbelief doesn’t faze them though, as they are clearly used to outsiders questioning their life choices.
At one point, talk inevitably turns back to Black Swan and I am keen to compare the opinions of contemporary dancers with Michael’s reaction to the film. These people are young and they are driven and do not think of failure. I think that explains the raw and passionate responses they give me. “You have to understand that, unlike in the film, you can push past the temptations. You don’t have to do drugs or sleep with the director in order to land the lead role... although that does happen. After all, we are in an age where there is so much creativity that you just have to reach out and grasp it, and you don’t need to take any crap from anyone.” Inspiring words indeed, but at the end of the day, is all this worth it? “Despite all the difficulties, the feeling I get from dancing and being on stage is like nothing else, and it drives me forward,” ends Bridget with piercing sincerity. Reflecting on what I have been told, I realise that like any other profession, dance is overflowing with a diverse mix of people who have a plethora of individual experiences. Many of our common perceptions of dancers are based on halfbaked generalisations and films such as Black Swan contribute to this. The welldocumented tragedies of certain ballet dancers have been immortalised in history, further adding to a public opinion of dancing which may be negative for all the wrong reasons. You need only look at the stories of Gelsey Kirkland, who resorted to plastic surgery in order to improve her stage image, or Heidi Guenther, who died as a direct result of an eating disorder, to realise that it is only the dire tales that people remember. We, as an audience, need to take off our blinkers and acknowledge the fact that often these tales of tragedy, including the one conveyed in Black Swan, are the cumulative results of complex personal turmoil endured by individual dancers. Equally we need to recognise the unquenchable spirit and self-sacrificing determination of so many, in the face of huge obstacles. Then we may be better able to fully appreciate the dazzling spectacle of the dance.
33
“The feeling I get from dancing and being on stage is like nothing else, and it drives me forward…”
Excerpts from The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats Photography Denis Davydov
Awakening
39
On either side the river lie Long fields of barley and of rye, That clothe the wold and meet the sky; And thro' the field the road runs by
She found me roots of relish sweet, And honey wild, and manna dew, And sure in language strange she said— “I love thee true.”
I met a lady in the meads, Full beautiful -- a faery’s child, Her hair was long, her foot was light, And her eyes were wild.
42
Keeping A London Eye On Fashion It’s still spring outside but already our thoughts are turning to winter again. Madness? No! We are up to the minute. Paula Merlo gives us a tour of the highlights of London Fashion Week.
There
is no better illustration of the power of fashion – both in business and in our own lives – than the moment in The Devil Wears Prada when Miranda Priestly, ‘God Almighty’ from fashion magazine Runway, vigorously informs Andy, the assistant wannabe political journalist, that a blue belt is not an insignificant extra, picked out at random, as Andy innocently thinks. “That blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs, and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile
www.yuppiemag.com
of stuff.” Ouch! London Fashion Week is the essential showcase of one of the UK’s most important industries. The British Fashion Council reports that the direct value of the UK’s fashion industry to the country’s economy is £21 billion. In six days, 65 catwalk shows, 45 salon shows and 170 designers in The Exhibition at Somerset House gathered over 5,000 visitors including buyers, media crews, fashion editors and reporters from all over the world. Also included are hundreds of
individual fashionistas, hoping to be photographed by trend hunters and dozens of top celebrities such as Olivia Palermo, Alexa Chung, Kate Bosworth and Rachel Bilson, to name but a few. What makes this week uniquely important in comparison with those of New York,
{Fashion}
Milan and Paris, is that it offers an outstanding opportunity to the new generation of designers to gain exposure alongside veteran brands such as Burberry, Vivienne Westwood, Pringle of Scotland and Paul Smith. New Generation, known as NEWGEN, was initiated in 1993 by the British Fashion Council as the world’s first scheme to support emerging designers. It has been tremendously
successful and popular and has been sponsored by Topshop for the past decade. Outstanding designers such as Matthew Williamson and the late Alexander McQueen were once part of it. Among the new names creating a buzz at the moment are David Koma, known for his perfectly bodyconscious dresses already shown off by Rihanna and
43
Beyoncé, and Holly Fulton, a Scottish designer, who graduated in 2007 and who collaborated last year with Smythson’s of Bond Street to produce a range of exclusive and sophisticated notebooks and diaries. Without a doubt the collections of the fresh young designers in London are an exciting complement those of their seniors. Here at YUPPIE, as dedicated, devout followers of fashion, we could not ignore this huge event. And so, we grabbed our Moleskine notebooks and Montblanc pens and we ran – ever so cautiously in high heels – all over the city to report on the best of the must-haves for next winter.
Holly Fulton Simplicity is not a word that would normally describe Holly Fulton’s creations. But this season we saw cleaner and yet more powerful lines. Coco Chanel’s affair with the Duke of Westminster in the 1920s was the inspiration behind tweed skirts, dresses and coats that were perfectly mixed with bold jewellery.
Issa London
Art Deco details, also a part of her signature style, were printed in shirts and sewn in dresses. The romantic element of the passionate affair is seen in the fun lip-prints on gowns and long skirts with bias cut.
Celebrating 10 years in the business, Brazilian Daniella Helayel became internationally known when princess-to-be Kate Middleton chose Issa’s blue jersey dress for the announcement of her engagement to Prince William. With styling by Giovanna Battaglia, fashion editor of L’Uomo Vogue, the models marched down the catwalk wearing what Daniella does best: jersey dresses. This season they were printed with a mixture of her past collections’ patterns. These were perfectly set off by the felt berets created by hat designer Stephen Jones and coloured stilettos by Manolo Blahnik. Que comience la fiesta!
Photography Fernanda Calfat
House of Holland Henry Holland seems to have been inspired by his granny’s house. Of course his grandma, just like mine, is a true trendsetter. The neo-granny look includes non-traditional Scottish tweeds and 70s patchwork patterns, mixed with the best hosiery of all times – striped and printed with bingo balls or letters. www.yuppiemag.com
{Fashion}
While
the great and the good from the silver screen and the fashion houses competed for attention in the first row at Kensington Gardens, those less fortunate mortals without an invitation were watching the show streaming live on a huge screen in Piccadilly Circus, “I love technology but what we try to do here is to humanize it and through it, make our brand more accessible. It is amazing to know that literally every country in the world had at least one person streaming our show live”, says Christopher Bailey, the Creative Director of Burberry. Inside the huge tent was a veritable feast for gossip-thirsty paparazzi. It’s
not an easy task to achieve a low profile especially if you are Rachel Bilson and Kate Bosworth is sitting next to you wearing the most glamorous studded skirt Burberry has ever produced. On the other hand, it is not easy being Bosworth when Stella Tennant, top British model and Bailey’s muse, is by your side gossiping with photographer Mario Testino. Back to the catwalk… Bailey is a creative machine in every aspect, especially with those trench coats, Burberry’s iconic piece for over 150 years. “I feel there is still a lot I can do with it. It is just a never ending story for me or the brand”, he says. And this season the trench coat was reshaped and goes straight
45
to the top of my personal wish list. While naturally not wishing to offend PETA, we must be honest and say it is impossible not to mention how sophisticated the coats became with fur trimmings and sleeves. Red, orange, green, white and some colourful plaid announced that camel days are over. Super-long skinny tweed pants with flared bottoms were an omen that being curvy is sadly not an option this season. I am saving up for the chunky wedges as my detox/diet/fasting regimen begins!
Machina Photography Carolina Mizrahi
Art Direction Camilla D’Anunziata Styling Milton Castanheira Assistant Fernanda Terrmoto Hair & Make Up Felipe Freitas
47
50
51
54
The Children’s Hour Words by Polis Loizou
E
verybody knows Audrey Hepburn. And chances are, everybody associates her with a certain stylish, tiarawearing, guitar-playing socialite by the name of Holly Golightly. In her later years, she was renowned for her humanitarian work as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. But few now remember her as earthy Karen Wright, a teacher in a private girls’ school who is mistakenly labelled a lesbian thanks to a wayward child’s lies. Imagine how shocking that must have been in 1961, when William Wyler’s film of The Children’s Hour hit cinema screens. Now try to imagine how shocking it must have been when Lillian Hellman wrote the play almost 30 years earlier. The story of the play, now showing in London, is www.yuppiemag.com
ingeniously simple: Karen Wright (Keira Knightley) and Martha Dobie (Elisabeth Moss, a.k.a. Peggy from Mad Men) are young women with bright futures ahead of them. Superficially their private school appears to be a breeding ground for respectable ladies. Below the surface there are complications due to Martha’s dotty Aunt Lily (Carol Kane) and Mary Tilford (Bryony Hannah), a difficult student whose deviousness and tall tales mark her out from her peers. When Miss Wright sets out to punish Mary for her latest fib, the girl runs to her powerful Aunt Amelia (Ellen Burstyn) and, in trying to get herself out of school, unwittingly leads the older, more traditional woman to believe that Karen and Martha are lovers. It’s a set-up that could easily end
{Leisure}
55
Image courtesy of Premier PR
in disaster. Now sit back and watch that ball of yarn unravel… While the New England accents come and go during the evening, this doesn’t detract from the wealth of acting talent. Knightley shows she is more than just a glossy magazine cover, unleashing herself as never before in the thrilling finale, while Moss manages to be a fiercely independent and heartbreakingly fragile Martha Dobie. It’s largely thanks to her that the climax is so moving. Carol Kane, surely used in countless American sitcoms for her distinctive voice, is the perfect choice for Aunt Lily with her dottiness sinking from loveable to detestable without budging an inch as the plot unfolds. Ellen Burstyn, remembered as the mother trying to get her daughter down from the ceiling in The Exorcist, and the bowl-breaking housewife in The Last Picture Show, is quietly potent as Amelia Telford, the woman whose prejudice proves far more harmful than her young niece’s lies. Which brings us to the crux of the evening: Bryony Hannah is a terrifying force of nature as Mary Tilford, investing the girl with a restless physicality and near-psychopathic
fervour that lights up the stage. Mark Thompson’s elegant set, bathed in Neil Austin’s sublime lighting, gives Mary the perfect china shop in which to be the proverbial bull. Even if she’s hamming it up, who cares? It’s thrilling to watch. Director Ian Rickson has done a fine job with his cast, but he cleverly allows Hellman’s script to take centre stage. It’s perhaps her acute plotting that shines the most, highlighting as it does the fact that a seemingly harmless event can turn into a deluge of falling dominoes; that individual characters, at first ‘unimportant’ to an audience, can – knowingly and unknowingly – have a huge impact on another’s life. On reading the play for the first time, theatre directo Herman Shumlin told Hellman: ‘If it’s done right, 1,000 playgoers will sit there silently.’ Well, it silenced audiences in the 1930s, then in the 1960s, and it silences them still.
The Children’s Hour continues at the Comedy Theatre until 7th May 2011.
56
{Leisure}
REVI EW Restaurant & Bar
Words by Paula Merlo Photography Courtesy of The Folly
To Be Jolly at The Folly
The Folly 41 Gracechurch Street (084) 5468 0102 www.thefollybar.co.uk Mon-Wed : 7.30am - 11pm Thurs - Fri: 7.30am - 1am Sat: 10am - 12 midnight Sun: 10am - 7pm
www.yuppiemag.com
If
there is one thing YUPPIE understands (and lives by), it’s that a drink or two are essential to remaining sane. No wonder then, that The Folly is one of our favourite new spots in town. Just a few minutes from the busy banks and crowded offices of Liverpool Street, The Folly is a mix between restaurant, bar and garden. In other words, it’s a downtown oasis for thirsty and famished hard workers. For starters, try the Neal’s Yard cheese board, a fine selection of British cheese from one of Borough Market’s best delis. It is understandable if you take more than a couple of minutes choosing the right wine to perfectly match the cheese, as it’s a long list that include the best labels from South Africa, New Zealand, Chile, Italy and Spain. If you’re in the mood for something a little stronger, but reluctant to
order a sugar-laden cocktail, check out the signature range of ‘skinny cocktails’ that offer your favourite spirits mixed at around 100 calories. When it’s time to order the main, try the chicken breast with stuffed mascarpone and wild mushrooms or the pork belly sandwich with chorizo. For the ultimate experience, visit The Folly on a Sunday to relax over the newspapers while a feast is delivered to your table consisting of the roast of your choice and all the trimmings. Regardless of what day you visit the grand finale of any meal at The Folly must be one of the many desserts on menu (check out the Chocolate Chilli Martini!) while grabbing a complimentary blanket and a cozy spot in the garden. Feeling more relaxed yet? You will.
57
{Leisure}
REVI EW Exhibition & Event
English Beauty Despite what your mother might have told you, beauty is not only about the reflection in your mirror – it’s so much more. From April to June 17th, the Victoria & Albert Museum presents The Cult of Beauty, a major exhibition that explores the Aesthetic Movement, which sought to escape the ugliness and materialism of the Victorian era from 1860 to the 1900s. The evolution of beauty in this time period is shown through a series of design pieces, photography, furniture, ceramics, costumes and paintings.
The Cult of Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900
Words by Paula Merlo Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, armchair, c.1884-6. © V&A Images
2 April - 17 July 2011 www.vam.ac.uk/cultofbeauty Mon-Thurs,Sat-Sun: 10.00 - 17.45 Fri: 10.00 - 22.00
58
YUPPIE
Colin Peters East London Resident What do you do in London? I’m an English teacher for Spanish speakers. What’s your favourite Spanish word? Def initely: “cerveza” (or beer, in English). Where did you find your shoes? In NYC at Bloomingdale’s in 1996. They still look pretty cool.
Words by Paula Merlo Photography Suhani Maheshwari
www.yuppiemag.com
/street style
Marjttan Kausar
Linda Ayepe
833 Fulham Rd London SW6 5HQ | For further information call 0800 169 3889 | www.sweatybetty.com
LONDON BOUTIQUES 125 Kings Road • Battersea • Canary Wharf • Chiswick • City •
Fulham
Hampstead • Harrods • Kensington • Notting Hill • Selfridges • Soho