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Transcript of Selections #26
/ AED 37
ARTs / sTYLE / CULTURE fRom ThE ARAb woRLd And bEYond
issUE # 26 | JUnE-JULY 2014
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ARTs / sTYLE / CULTURE fRom ThE ARAb woRLd And bEYond
issUE # 26 | JUnE-JULY 2014
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GC AD.pdf 1 4/15/14 12:56 PM
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GC AD.pdf 1 4/15/14 12:56 PM
l’art de vivreby roche bobois
European manufacture.
Pho
to M
iche
l Gib
ert.
Phot
ogra
ph u
sed
as a
refe
renc
e on
ly. S
peci
al th
anks
: ww
w.a
quap
hyte
.com
BEIRUT DOWNTOWN33 rue Weygand Tel: +961 1 986 888/[email protected]
Escapade sofas, design Zeno Nugari.
Sofas and fabrics made for indoor and outdoor use.
Indoor version: Carioca and Indy fabrics
Outdoor version: plain or patterned fabrics for Roche Bobois
Flying Flower coffee table, design Sacha Lakic.
See www.roche-bobois.com for collections, news and catalogues.
l’art de vivreby roche bobois
European manufacture.
Pho
to M
iche
l Gib
ert.
Phot
ogra
ph u
sed
as a
refe
renc
e on
ly. S
peci
al th
anks
: ww
w.a
quap
hyte
.com
BEIRUT DOWNTOWN33 rue Weygand Tel: +961 1 986 888/[email protected]
Escapade sofas, design Zeno Nugari.
Sofas and fabrics made for indoor and outdoor use.
Indoor version: Carioca and Indy fabrics
Outdoor version: plain or patterned fabrics for Roche Bobois
Flying Flower coffee table, design Sacha Lakic.
See www.roche-bobois.com for collections, news and catalogues.
10
It was hard to press
the ‘go’ button to send
this issue to print: with
such a wealth of art-
ists, designers and
architects among our
pages, choosing which
of them to feature on
the cover proved to
be incredibly tough. It
was natural to resolve
such a dilemma with a
creative design twist.
Not one but two covers
have been designed,
each giving the spot-
light to two esteemed
names: Olivia Putman
is paired with Richard
Serra, and Rana Salam
with Zaha Hadid. The
Design Issue is very
broad and we move
from architecture to
fashion, and from furniture and décor, to today’s cut-
ting edge design challenges.
It was in Paris that I met with Olivia Putman, after I was
invited to visit the newly redecorated Sofitel Arc de Tri-
omphe in Paris by Studio Putman. It was a privilege to
be given a tour of the hotel by Olivia Putman herself,
and the hotel certainly impresses with its perfection
of the details that make the guest feel at home and its
sheer elegance. In return I invited Olivia to share with
us her connection to art
and inspirations. Allow
me to introduce you to
her world.
Recent travels also
took me to the Borouk
Desert in Qatar, where
walking amid Richard
Serra’s East and West
sculptures allowed me
to witness a monu-
ment that will be part
of history. In this erst-
while desolate spot it
really felt to me as if
the sculptures were in
a harmonious conver-
sation with the desert.
Among the other
highlights of this is-
sue, contributor Hilary
French, an architect
and architectural historian, joins world-acclaimed
architect Zaha Hadid for a conversation about her
upbringing, life in London, and why the future is all
about curves. Also don’t miss award-winning journal-
ist and critic Justin McGuirk who shares his thoughts
on Milan’s famous Salone del Mobile. And of course
there’s much, much more waiting to be discovered in
the pages that follow.
Enjoy.
EDitoR’S LEttER
The Design issue
The Design issue
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12
contRiBUtoRS
Hilary French studied architecture at the AA and history of architecture at the Bartlett. After many years in
architecture and design practice, in Paris and London, she started teaching and spent many years as Head
of the School of Architecture & Design at the Royal College of Art in London. She has published several
books on housing design and the architecture of the everyday and is a regular contributor to architecture
and design journals. Here she speaks with Zaha Hadid about her life and architectural practice.
Justin McGuirk is a writer, critic and curator based in London. He is the director of Strelka Press, the
publishing arm of the Strelka Institute in Moscow. He has been the design critic of The Guardian, the edi-
tor of Icon magazine and the design consultant toDomus. In 2012 he was awarded the Golden Lion at the
Venice Biennale of Architecture for an exhibition he curated with Urban Think Tank. His book, Radical Cit-
ies: Across Latin America in Search of a New Architecture will be published by Verso in spring 2014. Justin
shares his thoughts with us about this year’s Milan Salone del Mobile.
Merlin Fulcher is a writer, photographer and architectural journalist based in Battersea, London whose
work focuses on political interaction within changing built environments. He is competitions editor and inter-
national news writer on The Architects’ Journal and has contributed to The Architectural Review, New Civil
Engineer, Construction News and London Evening Standard. He is also programme director at Platform One
Gallery – a community art project. Several of his poems, including a collection on regeneration in the Brit-
ish Midlands titled Modern Air – have been published by the Different Skies experimental writing platform.’
In this issue Merlin reviews a discussion at the Institute of Contemporary Art, in London, about the tropical
utopianism of Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry.
Nicholas Chrisostomou is a British entrepreneur and former London nightclub impresario routinely
rubbed shoulders with fashion designers and pop stars at his wild clubnights across Europe and as
far afield as South Africa. Today Nicholas’ company, Coco Latté, advises the hospitality and nightlife
industries and manages DJs and artists, whilst Nicholas spends his life criss-crossing the globe for
work and play, shoe-horning long weekends and quick holiday jaunts in between meeting clients on
four continents and living it up with the who’s who of the global party scene. Turn to his diary column for
dinner party anecdotes from his first visit to Beirut.
Rajesh Punj is a London-based art critic, correspondent and curator, with a specialist interest in so-called
emerging markets, mainly across Asia. His undergraduate studies were in European and American art his-
tory at Warwick University, UK, and his postgrad was in curating at Goldsmiths College, UK. He has previ-
ously written for international art publications including Flash Art International, Milan, Deutsche Bank Art Mag,
Berlin, Elephant, London, Art Zip, London & Beijing, Sculpture, Washington D.C., and Asian Art newspaper,
London, among others. Rajesh is currently compiling a series of interviews with leading artists for a book
planned for 2016. Here he interviews leading Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos
Sheyma Bu Ali is an independent London-based writer and researcher. She is culture correspondent
for Asharq AlAwsat, editorial correspondent for Ibraaz and a regular contributor to numerous other publica-
tions. Her writing has also appeared in edited volumes and exhibition catalogues covering topics ranging
from historical archiving to cinema, political arts and Gulf urbanism. Previously, she worked for 10 years in TV,
film and documentary production in Boston, Los Angeles and her native Bahrain. Sheyma considers Thomas
Heatherwick’s new architectural scheme for Abu Dhabi in this issue.
Houda Kabbaj is a photographer and architect living in Paris who originally hails from Morocco. She cur-
rently works in a multidisciplinary architecture agency that strives for design synthesis between poetry
and physical reality. Houda has exhibited her photographs at the Biennale of Photography in Amsterdam,
2012, at the Arab World Festival in Montreal, 2010, and at WEF in Davos, 2009. She has also worked on
the curation of the Biennale Off, 2012, in Marrakech, and Animal Dream at Art Fair 2011. For this issue she
photographs Rabih Kayrouz in his Paris atelier.
12
contributors
Hilary French studied architecture at the AA and history of architecture at the Bartlett. After many years in
architecture and design practice, in Paris and London, she started teaching and spent many years as Head
of the School of Architecture & Design at the Royal College of Art in London. She has published several
books on housing design and the architecture of the everyday and is a regular contributor to architecture
and design journals. Here she speaks with Zaha Hadid about her life and architectural practice.
Justin McGuirk is a writer, critic and curator based in London. He is the director of Strelka Press, the
publishing arm of the Strelka Institute in Moscow. He has been the design critic of The Guardian, the edi-
tor of Icon magazine and the design consultant toDomus. In 2012 he was awarded the Golden Lion at the
Venice Biennale of Architecture for an exhibition he curated with Urban Think Tank. His book, Radical Cit-
ies: Across Latin America in Search of a New Architecture will be published by Verso in spring 2014. Justin
shares his thoughts with us about this year’s Milan Salone del Mobile.
Merlin Fulcher is a writer, photographer and architectural journalist based in Battersea, London whose
work focuses on political interaction within changing built environments. He is competitions editor and inter-
national news writer on The Architects’ Journal and has contributed to The Architectural Review, New Civil
Engineer, Construction News and London Evening Standard. He is also programme director at Platform One
Gallery – a community art project. Several of his poems, including a collection on regeneration in the Brit-
ish Midlands titled Modern Air – have been published by the Different Skies experimental writing platform.’
In this issue Merlin reviews a discussion at the Institute of Contemporary Art, in London, about the tropical
utopianism of Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry.
Nicholas Chrisostomou is a British entrepreneur and former London nightclub impresario who rou-
tinely rubbed shoulders with fashion designers and pop stars at his wild clubnights across Europe and
as far afield as South Africa. Today Nicholas’ company, Coco Latté, advises the hospitality and nightlife
industries and manages DJs and artists, whilst Nicholas spends his life criss-crossing the globe for work
and play, shoe-horning long weekends and quick holiday jaunts in between meeting clients on four
continents and living it up with the who’s who of the global party scene. Turn to his diary column for
dinner party anecdotes from his first visit to Beirut.
Rajesh Punj is a London-based art critic, correspondent and curator, with a specialist interest in so-called
emerging markets, mainly across Asia. His undergraduate studies were in European and American art his-
tory at Warwick University, UK, and his postgrad was in curating at Goldsmiths College, UK. He has previ-
ously written for international art publications including Flash Art International, Milan, Deutsche Bank Art Mag,
Berlin, Elephant, London, Art Zip, London & Beijing, Sculpture, Washington D.C., and Asian Art newspaper,
London, among others. Rajesh is currently compiling a series of interviews with leading artists for a book
planned for 2016. Here he interviews leading Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos
Sheyma Bu Ali is an independent London-based writer and researcher. She is culture correspondent
for Asharq AlAwsat, editorial correspondent for Ibraaz and a regular contributor to numerous other publica-
tions. Her writing has also appeared in edited volumes and exhibition catalogues covering topics ranging
from historical archiving to cinema, political arts and Gulf urbanism. Previously, she worked for 10 years in TV,
film and documentary production in Boston, Los Angeles and her native Bahrain. Sheyma considers Thomas
Heatherwick’s new architectural scheme for Abu Dhabi in this issue.
Houda Kabbaj is a photographer and architect living in Paris who originally hails from Morocco. She cur-
rently works in a multidisciplinary architecture agency that strives for design synthesis between poetry
and physical reality. Houda has exhibited her photographs at the Biennale of Photography in Amsterdam,
2012, at the Arab World Festival in Montreal, 2010, and at WEF in Davos, 2009. She has also worked on
the curation of the Biennale Off, 2012, in Marrakech, and Animal Dream at Art Fair 2011. For this issue she
photographs Rabih Kayrouz in his Paris atelier.
14
contEntS
18 in conversaTion wiTh Zaha haDiD28 The life of a conDucTor
30 cecil BeaTon aT hoMe
34 richarD serra in Doha42 ThoMas heaTherwicK in aBu DhaBi46 Karl lagerfelD’s rose Ball Décor
50 in The sTuDio wiTh raBih KayrouZ58 The luXury eDiT
60 anaToMy of a cluTch
62 salone Del MoBile wiTh JusTin McguirK
68 selecTions PicKs froM salone
18Cover Art work for Selections
The Design Issue by Rana Salam(above) and Liquid Glacial
Table by Zaha Hadid (right)
Vivre, Inside salAntelias-Dbaye internal road at Congress Center bridge+961 4 520 111 [email protected] www.vivre.com.lb
DROP CHAIR™ DESIGN ARNE JACOBSEN
eDiTorial MasTheaD
Editor-in-ChiefRima Nasser
EditorKasia Maciejowska
DesignerGenia Kodash
Pictures EditorRowina Bou Harb
In-house writerJohn Ovans
In-house IllustratorYasmina Nysten
Contributing WritersIndia StoughtonAnya Stafford
Nour HarbLucy KnightDan Hilton
Roman SinclairAlberto Mucci
Editorial [email protected]
+961 (0) 1 383 978
14
contents
18 In conversatIon wIth Zaha haDID28 the lIfe of a conDuctor
30 cecIl Beaton at hoMe
34 rIcharD serra In Doha42 thoMas heatherwIcK In aBu DhaBI46 Karl laGerfelD’s rose Ball Décor
50 In the stuDIo wIth raBIh KayrouZ58 the luXury eDIt
60 anatoMy of a clutch
62 salone Del MoBIle wIth JustIn McGuIrK
68 selectIons PIcKs froM salone
18Cover Art work for Selections
The Design Issue by Rana Salam (above) and Liquid Glacial
Table by Zaha Hadid (right)
Vivre, Inside salAntelias-Dbaye internal road at Congress Center bridge+961 4 520 111 [email protected] www.vivre.com.lb
DROP CHAIR™ DESIGN ARNE JACOBSEN
eDItorIal MastheaD
Editor-in-ChiefRima Nasser
EditorKasia Maciejowska
DesignerGenia Kodash
Pictures EditorRowina Bou Harb
In-house writerJohn Ovans
In-house IllustratorYasmina Nysten
Contributing WritersIndia StoughtonAnya Stafford
Nour HarbLucy KnightDan Hilton
Roman SinclairAlberto Mucci
Editorial [email protected]
+961 (0) 1 383 978
Vivre, Inside salAntelias-Dbaye internal road at Congress Center bridge+961 4 520 111 [email protected] www.vivre.com.lb
DROP CHAIR™ DESIGN ARNE JACOBSEN
16
70 nosTalgia anD sTreeT culTure wiTh rana salaM74 MaTerials MaesTro faMeeD KhaliQue
78 a PeaK insiDe The Diary of nicholas chrisosToMou
80 Plus Towers
82 africa Design awarDs
84 BeiruT Design weeK 2014
91 #noTaBugsPlaT
92 rounD TaBle on Design ThinKing
98 inTervenTions in KiTsch wiTh Joanna vasconcelos
104 a hisTory of The worlD in 100 oBJecTs
108 Jonas DahlBerg’s MeMorial arT
112 colonial MoDernisT archiTecTure reconsiDereD
116 in conversaTion wiTh olivia PuTMan123 curaTeD By olivia PuTMan
116
contEntS
Cover graphic for Selections The Design Issue by Olivia
Putman (above) and ‘Passage of Time’ by Richard Serra (right)
sales & DisTriBuTion
Commercial ManagerRawad J. Bou Malhab
Advertising [email protected]
+961 (0) 1 383 978
DistributionMessagerie du Moyen Orient de la
Presse et du Livre s.a.l. +961 487 999
Printing Chamas for Printing & Publishing s.a.l.
www.citynewspublishing.com
16
70 nostalGIa anD street culture wIth rana salaM74 MaterIals Maestro faMeeD KhalIQue
78 a PeaK InsIDe the DIary of nIcholas chrIsostoMou
80 Plus towers
82 afrIca DesIGn awarDs
84 BeIrut DesIGn weeK 2014
91 #notaBuGsPlat
92 rounD taBle on DesIGn thInKInG
98 InterventIons In KItsch wIth Joanna vasconcelos
104 a hIstory of the worlD In 100 oBJects
108 Jonas DahlBerG’s MeMorIal art
112 colonIal MoDernIst archItecture reconsIDereD
116 In conversatIon wIth olIvIa PutMan123 curateD By olIvIa PutMan
116
contents
Cover graphic for Selections The Design Issue by Olivia
Putman (above) and ‘Passage of Time’ by Richard Serra (right)
Tel. 01875 600 - [email protected] - PO Box 113-5332/1103-2030 Beirut, Lebanon
sales & DIstrIButIon
Commercial ManagerRawad J. Bou Malhab
Advertising [email protected]
+961 (0) 1 383 978
DistributionMessagerie du Moyen Orient de la
Presse et du Livre s.a.l. +961 487 999
Printing Chamas for Printing & Publishing s.a.l.
www.citynewspublishing.com
Tel. 01875 600 - [email protected] - PO Box 113-5332/1103-2030 Beirut, Lebanon
18
in conversaTion wiTh Zaha haDiD
Global architecture star Zaha Hadid has received every important architecture award there is. She was the first woman to receive the pritzker prize in 2004 and went on to receive the stirling prize twice, in 2010 and 2011. Her name regularly appears on media lists - the most influential figures, the most powerful women, important thinkers, as well as best-dressed. She was honoured with an order of chivalry of the British Empire for herservices to architecture in 2002 and elevated to dame in 2013. here she speaks with hilary french, architectural critic, author, and former Head of Architecture & Design at the Royal college of Art, about her upbringing, life in London, and
why the future is all about curves.
19
Zaha Hadid by Brigitte Lacombe
Maxxi, Rome, 2009. Photo: Iwan Baan
21
The phenomenal success of Zaha Hadid is not based
on following the rules. A Zaha-shaped world is very
far from the world of conventional rectilinear buildings,
based on functional modernism, which we are all famil-
iar with. Composed of wildly curving surfaces, overlap-
ping forms and soaring cantilevers, these are restless
spaces that demand our attention. Hadid’s work is syn-
onymous with a new style of architecture – a style that
eschews order, repetition and regular geometry in fa-
vour of a programmatic malleability and fluidity of space
and form – called Parametricism. In the 21st-century
urban landscape, where public spaces for interaction
might equally be the virtual spaces of social media as
city squares or department stores, computer technol-
ogy pervades our thinking and enables this vastly dif-
ferent approach.
Like her buildings, Hadid is
an original. The first inde-
pendent female architect to
achieve fame, there was no
prototype for her, no female
role model to emulate. For
those of us who witnessed
her early years at the AA
School of Architecture, it is
shocking that it was to be
such a long time before her
evident passion and talent
were recognised and rewarded. We know that without
hard work, talent will not flourish, but that she contin-
ued with little encouragement in the early years dem-
onstrates a level of commitment rarely seen. With this in
mind, I asked her about her beginnings, her evolution,
and the new architectural style.
ON HeR PRACtiCe tOdAy
Hilary French: The Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku
has just been named the winner in the architecture
category of the Designs of the Year at London’s De-
sign Museum. In the context of so many prestigious
international awards how important is this one to
you?
Zaha Hadid: Of course it’s an honour but what I find
most exciting is that people outside the profession now
know a great deal about architecture. Twenty-five years
ago it was only appreciated within the industry. It’s quite
a change in such a short period and I’m pleased to
have been part of this.
Your work has a very distinctive style. Do you agree
with recent claims that it is the only viable paradigm
for our changing world?
The dynamism of contemporary life cannot be housed
in simple grids like the
blocks built in previous cen-
turies. The challenge is to
move beyond outmoded,
rigid modernism to address
life today. Our research into
managing complexity has
led us towards natural sys-
tems. We often look at the
beauty and coherence in
natural forms when we cre-
ate buildings, using con-
cepts of seamlessness and
fluidity that enable complex-
ity without visual clutter. Life is not made in a grid - think
of a natural landscape.
There is a view that great architecture should be re-
served for ‘special’ buildings, not the everyday. Is
it important to you that your buildings become the
frame or background to ordinary people’s lives?
Ultimately architecture is all about wellbeing; the creation
of pleasant and stimulating settings for all aspects of life.
But I think it is also important to build projects that give
uplifting experiences that inspire, excite and enthuse.
“aT The Beginning we were all worKaholics. ofTen we DiDn’T Know
whaT The research woulD leaD To BuT BelieveD
ThaT all The eXPeriMenTs woulD PerfecT The
ProJecT, no MaTTer if iT woulD TaKe 10 years”
22
You have taught and lectured
at some of the best-reputed ar-
chitecture schools worldwide. Is
teaching still important to you?
Yes, definitely. I remember dis-
covering that teaching was also
a learning experience for me. It’s
reciprocal not only about what I
know, but about what my students
know too. Many who work in our of-
fice were previously my students.
They may be nervous at first but
given a degree of freedom their
only obligation is to work hard and
do their best.
ON PuSHiNG tHe
BOuNdARieS
Where others might take the
safe option, your work has al-
ways been at the cutting edge,
experimental, daring. Is this spe-
cifically the result of research?
There should be no end to ex-
perimentation. I’ve learned from
experience that without research
you do not make progress or find
solutions. When you experiment
you always learn more than you
bargained for.
What motivates your work in
other fields, such as furniture
and fashion?
I’m always interested in expand-
ing my repertoire. My architecture
often results from innovation
discovered through research
generated in collaborations.
Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, 2013. Photo: Hélène Binet
Liquid Glacial Table, 2012, at David Gill Galleries
25
Technologies used for cars and yachts were adapt-
ed for our Mobile Art Pavilion for Chanel. Designing
products is important for the studio as pieces can
be experimental; they are quicker to execute
than buildings, inspire our creativity, and
provide an opportunity to test ideas.
You’ve proved that it’s no longer only
a man’s world but have you always felt
that?
It’s still a challenge for women to oper-
ate professionally and in practice I do still
experience resistance. I have always had
the determination to succeed, but have
learnt to adjust my thinking every once in a
while to fit the moment. In the last fifteen years
there’s been tremendous change and you see estab-
lished, respected female architects all the time. That
doesn’t mean it’s easy. Sometimes the difficulties are
incomprehensible.
ON HeR BACKGROuNd ANd eduCAtiON
Did your teachers or parents try to dis-
suade you from architecture? Was it not
considered unsuitable for a girl?
Not at all! When I was growing up in Iraq
in the 1960s there were many women ar-
chitects. As in so many places at the time,
there was an optimistic belief in progress.
Architecture was a key element in build-
ing a new national identity. These ideas
of change and liberation were critical to my
development. My parents gave me the confi-
dence to try new things and encouraged my pas-
sion for discovery. My father’s interest in progress
ABOVE: Manta Ray seat for Swaya & Moroni, 2014; BELOW: Manifesto vase for Lalique, 2014
26
“wilDly curving surfaces, overlaPPing forMs anD
soaring canTilevers, These are resTless sPaces ThaT
DeManD our aTTenTion”
Serpentine Sackler Gallery, London, 2013
27
was matched by my mother’s great sense of style.
She was the one who taught me to draw. My older
brothers shared this spirit of adventure and sug-
gested I should become Iraq’s first woman astronaut!
I remember my aunt building a house in Mosul in
northern Iraq. The drawings and models the architect
brought triggered something in me. But it wasn’t until
I was studying mathematics at university in Beirut that
I seriously considered architecture.
You went to study at the AA in London in 1972. What
prompted that decision? What was special about
the AA then?
My brother was study-
ing at Oxford and told
me the Architectural
Association School
(AA) in London was
doing interesting work
so I decided to visit.
Compared with Bagh-
dad, London in the
early 1970s was a gloomy place. There were strikes
and power cuts. We sometimes only had electricity a
few hours each day. But the AA offered an exciting
critical forum for the exchange of ideas bringing all
sorts of people together for discussion. The students
and staff at that time have been seminal to the past
thirty years of architecture. The late Alvin Boyarski –
the fantastic former chairman of the Architectural As-
sociation – offered me my first platform.
ON HeR LONdON StudiO
Your studio has grown throughout its 35 years, from
a few people to 400 employees. How has your
practice changed in that time?
At the beginning of my career we were all workahol-
ics. With nobody paying attention to us, we developed
our drawing and research skills. Often we didn’t know
what it would lead to but believed that all the experi-
ments would perfect the project, no matter if it would
take 10 years for a 2D sketch to progress. I would say
our practice evolves now with advances in materials
and design technologies, plus our clients are increas-
ingly calling for radical solutions and institutions are
more prepared to innovate.
Is London still the attraction it was in the 1970s?
My own work has developed entirely because I live
in London, which in particular has always encouraged
creativity. As an architect, one of the most important
things about London
is the extraordinary
range of expertise
and skills available.
London also inspires
projects that are un-
predictable. Unlike
most European cities,
it still has large gaps
and the opportunity
for major new urban intervention – as we saw with the
Olympic Park in 2012.
ON tHe FutuRe
Your practice has expanded beyond the boundaries
of architectural design to many other fields. What
will you tackle next?
I would love to build a city quarter, to use all I have learnt
about creating public spaces, indoor and outdoor ar-
eas on a larger scale. We’ve learned to apply our new
architectural theories and techniques to urbanism. We
could develop a whole group of buildings, each one dif-
ferent but logically connected to the next. An organic,
continually changing range of interrelated buildings.
With this approach we can do something radically dif-
ferent from the early 20th-century theories of urbanism
that resulted in lifeless and disconnected chaos.
“My own worK has DeveloPeD enTirely Because i live in
lonDon. This ciTy has always encourageD creaTiviTy.
lonDon insPires ProJecTs ThaT are unPreDicTaBle”
28
The life of a conDucTor
harout fazlian, conductor of the Lebanese philharmonic orchestra, talks blackouts and baton-waving as he takes us behind the scenes of his profession
b y J o h n O v a n s
29
There’s a job out there that involves stand-
ing on a tiny stage, wearing a tuxedo jacket,
and waving your arms around vigorously at a
large group of people. “Conducting is a very
abstract profession,” Harout Fazlian tells
me when I query what it’s all about – and
I’m still none the wiser. But given the noises
that consequently emit from the orchestra, I
know there must be method to such vigor-
ous gesticulatory madness. Fazlian is the ar-
tistic director and principal conductor of the
highly successful Lebanese Philharmonic
Orchestra, which is funded by the govern-
ment, and regularly plays to packed audi-
ences around the country, and indeed, the
world.
“Anybody can move their hands, but you
have to make music,” Fazlian says. “I think of
conducting as like painting – a painter has a
palette of many colours, while in an orches-
tra, a conductor has instruments. You have
to be able to mix these colours, and to give
your painting – your music – its different
shades.” There’s another aspect to the role,
too, constituting control and a slice of show-
manship. “It’s a very weird thing to be able to
convince your musicians to follow you,” he
muses. “In English we say ‘to conduct’, but in
French there’s an even better word, which
is ‘diriger’, to direct. It’s taking people some-
where, and you have to have that special
energy, or else you’ll lose people.” On top
of all this, Fazlian memorises the music and
conducts from the heart – although it’s not
always plain sailing as he recounts a recent
encore in which he ‘completely blacked out’
and had to, with some difficulty, persuade
his first violinist to give him a glimpse of his
music.
Looking beyond borders, Fazlian speaks
passionately about his belief in what an
orchestra has to offer on a global scale.
“I always say an orchestra is the best ambas-
sador to represent your country. Music is a
universal language, and more than looking
at a painting or reading a poem, it’s the fast-
est way of communicating with people, be-
cause it just hits you, no matter where you’re
from. You’re not even thinking about it.
That’s the power of music.”
“i ThinK of conDucTing as liKe PainTing – a PainTer has a PaleTTe of Many colours, while in an
orchesTra, a conDucTor has insTruMenTs. you have To Be aBle To MiX These colours, anD To give your
PainTing – your Music – iTs DifferenT shaDes.”
29
There’s a job out there that involves stand-
ing on a tiny stage, wearing a tuxedo jacket,
and waving your arms around vigorously
at a large group of people. “Conducting is
a very abstract profession,” Harout Fazlian
tells me when I query what it’s all about –
and I’m still none the wiser. But given the
noises that consequently emit from the or-
chestra, I know there must be method to
such gesticulatory madness. Fazlian is the
artistic director and principal conductor of
the highly successful Lebanese Philhar-
monic Orchestra, which is funded by the
government, and regularly plays to packed
audiences around the country, and indeed,
the world.
“Anybody can move their hands, but you
have to make music,” Fazlian says. “I think of
conducting as like painting – a painter has a
palette of many colours, while in an orches-
tra, a conductor has instruments. You have
to be able to mix these colours, and to give
your painting – your music – its different
shades.” There’s another aspect to the role,
too, constituting control and a slice of show-
manship. “It’s a very weird thing to be able to
convince your musicians to follow you,” he
muses. “In English we say ‘to conduct’, but in
French there’s an even better word, which
is ‘diriger’, to direct. It’s taking people some-
where, and you have to have that special
energy, or else you’ll lose people.” On top
of all this, Fazlian memorises the music and
conducts from the heart – although it’s not
always plain sailing as he recounts a recent
encore in which he ‘completely blacked out’
and had to, with some difficulty, persuade
his first violinist to give him a glimpse of his
music.
Looking beyond borders, Fazlian speaks
passionately about his belief in what an
orchestra has to offer on a global scale.
“I always say an orchestra is the best ambas-
sador to represent your country. Music is a
universal language, and more than looking
at a painting or reading a poem, it’s the fast-
est way of communicating with people, be-
cause it just hits you, no matter where you’re
from. You’re not even thinking about it.
That’s the power of music.”
“I thInk of conductIng as lIke paIntIng – a paInter has a palette of many colours, whIle In an
orchestra, a conductor has Instruments. you have to be able to mIx these colours, and to gIve your
paIntIng – your musIc – Its dIfferent shades.”
30
Once you have come face-to-face with his circus-
themed bed replete with unicorns, seahorses, bar-
ley-twist posts and a statuette of Neptune, it quickly
becomes clear that they don’t make them like Cecil
Beaton any more. Two exhibitions are currently run-
ning in parallel in the UK to allow the public a glimpse
into a life that is absolutely worth glimpsing: that of this
Oscar-winning costume designer and photographer
who worked with American Vogue and Vanity Fair —
and who most famously designed the sets for the film
My Fair Lady — making Beaton one of Britain’s most
legendary exports of the 20th century.
This pair of exhibitions is part of a series that intends
to explore significant British artists with links to particu-
lar localities, and follows on from shows on Constable
and Rex Whistler. At Salisbury’s Wilton House, Beaton’s
society portraits are showing in a series taken from the
Sotheby’s archive, curated by leading British interior
designer Jasper Conran. Beaton used to frequently
attend parties at Wilton, a stately home owned by the
Pembroke family, and often coaxed his friends to pose
for photographs here in flamboyant period costumes.
It is his private life, however, that unfolds inside the
parallel Salisbury Museum exhibition, which contains a
veritable rainbow of relics from his houses Ashcombe
and Reddish. Beaton wrote of his first encounter with
Ashcombe, ‘It was as if I had been touched on the
head by some magic wand.’ Later filling the Georgian
manor with a magpie collection of sculptures, paint-
ings, curiosities, and fancy dress costumes, Beaton
sprinkled his own inimitable brand of fairy dust on it,
building what he referred to as, ‘An oasis of luxury and
b y J o h n O v a n s
two summer exhibitions reveal the private life of the legendary british photographer, costumier and set designer Cecil beaton
on The BeaTon TracK
31
32
Dorian Leigh in Modess because advert photographed at Reddish House, 1950s. © Johnson and Johnson
32
Dorian Leigh in “Modess....because” advert photographed at Reddish House, 1950s. © Johnson and Johnson
33
civilisation.’ His interiors minutiae likened his style of
living to his style of image-making, as if he lived inside
one of his excessively detailed theatrical productions.
As one would expect, Beaton was certainly not be-
reft of character, being at once hilariously and loqua-
ciously vicious (he once described Katherine Hepburn
as, ‘An obstreperous hoyden, with the rocking horse
nostrils and the corncrake, cockney voice’) and sensi-
tive of spirit. The likes of vintage photographs, por-
traits, original letters, diaries, and scrapbooks round
the exhibition out into a fully immersive experience of
Beaton’s life, from his relationships with his lovers to
his beautiful paintings of local children.
While known for lavish hospitality — his visitor’s book,
on display here, reveals a dazzling list of royalty, art-
ists, and other guests paying testament to his role in
the cult of celebrity – his neighbours also spoke of him
fondly for his engagement in village life, also record-
ed and presented here. For Beaton, his homes were
deep wells of creative replenishment, and against
extravagant recreations of his interiors and gardens,
today’s guests are lucky enough to be offered a sip
from it – you’d assume, just as he would have wanted.
Cecil Beaton at Wilton continues until 14th September 2014 and
Cecil Beaton at Home: Ashcombe & Reddish continues until
19th September 2014.
A view of Ashcombe, painted by Whitsler, 1936
33
civilisation.’ His interiors minutiae likened his style of
living to his style of image-making, as if he lived inside
one of his excessively detailed theatrical productions.
As one would expect, Beaton was certainly not be-
reft of character, being at once hilariously and loqua-
ciously vicious (he once described Katherine Hepburn
as ‘an obstreperous hoyden, with the rocking horse
nostrils and the corncrake, cockney voice’) and sensi-
tive of spirit. The likes of vintage photographs, por-
traits, original letters, diaries, and scrapbooks round
the exhibition out into a fully immersive experience of
Beaton’s life, from his relationships with his lovers to
his beautiful paintings of local children.
While known for lavish hospitality — his visitor’s book,
on display here, reveals a dazzling list of royalty, art-
ists, and other guests paying testament to his role in
the cult of celebrity – his neighbours also spoke of him
fondly for his engagement in village life, also record-
ed and presented here. For Beaton, his homes were
deep wells of creative replenishment, and against
extravagant recreations of his interiors and gardens,
today’s guests are lucky enough to be offered a sip
from it – you’d assume, just as he would have wanted.
Cecil Beaton at Wilton continues until 14th September 2014 and
Cecil Beaton at Home: Ashcombe & Reddish continues until
19th September 2014.
A view of Ashcombe, painted by Whitsler, 1936
34
“the subjective time in which you deal with yourself in the solitary
experience of being a speck
of sand in the desert”
35
Lined up in quietude, gesturing
between one horizon and an-
other, four towering steel planks
mark out a mile in the landscape
of Ras Brouq nature reserve, 60
kilometres west of Doha. The new
installation, conceived for the lo-
cation, is classic Richard Serra –
brutal, industrial, elegant, moving,
and unrepentantly modern – as
it waits night and day under des-
ert skies for visitors to come and
awaken its meaning. Named East-
West/West-East, the sequence
marks a neat axis in a disorien-
tating landscape. In Serra’s own
words, “It not only describes your
body as you move through the
desert but measures your relation
to the land and gives a direction
in a non-directional space.”
b y K a s i a M a c i e j o w s k a
The sPace BeTween
Richard serra’s towering planes of steel measure time and space on a human scale in the scorching sands of Qatar
East-West, West-East, 2014, steel. Photo Rik van Lent.
36
When initially invited by Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad
bin Khalifa Al Thani in 2009 to install in the desert,
Serra recalls, “I had no desire to do that”. After several
visits with an archeological guide, he was repeatedly
drawn to a particular spot. When he told H.H. Sheikh
Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani about the location he final-
ly settled upon, the Father Emir was touched, as it was
a place his uncles had often taken him as a boy, where
antelope used to gather. “I could see in his eyes that
he was moved. He saw that I recognised a particular
aura and significance here.” It took Serra two years
to consider the site and decide that his intervention
would be to mark an axis there. The artist compared
the commission to meeting leading Renaissance pa-
trons the Medicis in the 15th century, commenting on
the rarity of such an opportunity, and acknowledging
with gratitude how unusual it is to be allowed to install
within a nature reserve. “In my country, art comes after
football and entertainment.”
The 74-year-old American, born in San Francisco,
educated at Berkeley, Santa Barbara and Yale, is ada-
mant that his sculpture remains about the medium
itself, as opposed to representing something else –
including his country. “When I was invited to make a
piece in Washington with architect Robert Venturi they
asked whatI thought of Venturi’s proposal to put flags
on these pylons and my response was, ‘I don’t care
if it’s an American flag or a German swastika, I’m not
interested in art as patriotism – my sculpture is not a
patriotic gesture’.” The seriousness of his project, to
“when i was ouT There Doing My Piece, no one ever walKeD Through ThaT Pass, no one even Drove a car Through”
Richard Serra by Matthew Sumner
37
Passage of Time, 2014, steel.
One Ton Prop (House of Cards), 1969, lead. Photo: Peter Moore
39
investigate sculpture itself and how it influences its
environment, can be felt around the works, through
their materiality and minimalism. Serra’s fervent anti-
ornamentalism is evident in the industrial character of
his sculpture and it was no surprise to hear him say in
Doha, “Most public art is terrible and it gives sculpture
a bad name. I’m not into sculpture that is ornamen-
tal, that you pass by while
listening to music in the
car, as you would a house
or an advertisement. That’s
for Las Vegas and it’s bor-
ing. I am interested in the
walking and the looking,
and particularly in the time it
takes to walk and look. The duration and the physical
relation this journey has to one’s own sensibility.”
Despite dwarfing the human form, the four planes of
East-West/West-East function as measuring sticks that
give the body reference points within the epic scale
of the desert. They bring out the inconsequential size
of a person when set in the grand frame of Mother
Nature, and give each individual a way of contextualis-
ing themselves within the anonymising desert, a land-
scape renowned to act as a mirror for the self.
Evoking four giant sundials from some ancient civilisa-
tion, the pillars communicate time as you move past
each one. “Anyone who
walks that mile and walks
the mile back – whether or
not they think it’s art or not
– will have a different expe-
rience of time”. The time he
means is relative to the self,
like an interior rhythm: “I’m
not talking about time on the clock, but the subjective
time that is the duration in which you deal with yourself
in the solitary experience of being a speck of sand”.
Serra’s works invite a deep personal engagement,
whether by their location out in the desert or by de-
manding an extended attention span. East-West/West-
“The lanD iTself PrescriBeD The DisTance
BeTween each sTeel Plane”
Double Rift #3, 2011, paintstick on three sheets of double-laminated Hiromi paper. Photo: Robert McKeever
40
East and Passage of Time (a 2012 sculpture made
especially for Alriwaq Doha exhibition space) both de-
mand commitment to travel from one end to another.
The East-West/West-East planes feel permanent as
they stand overseeing the vulnerable human bodies
that pass in the scorching sun. This same material-
ity also changes how space is felt in that part of the
desert, as the rigid monoliths throw contrast onto soft
human forms and the crumbly gypsum earth. The
sculptor told us how it “contracts the space” of the
desert, meaning that it shrinks it to make it more con-
ceivable by providing reference points. This capabil-
ity to re-formulate space made Serra the first artist,
as opposed to architect, to receive the prestigious
President’s Medal from the Architectural League of
New York in April. Over the years, Serra’s metalwork
sculptures, in lead or in steel, have taken different
shapes that invite certain behaviours, through which
the viewer might re-experience a space. Playing with
volumes, lines and geometries on a giant scale, he
manipulates individual bodily experience and leads
the way in contemporary sculpture’s step down from
the pedestal into public territory, through which peo-
ple may swarm, pass, spend a moment, or walk in
solitude. As all serious artists engaged with the pro-
gression of art through history and its responsibility
to pertain to the now, Serra is conscious of his role in
the evolution of sculpture. “You’re just a stone in the
wall, from the beginning of time through the Renais-
sance and the 19th and 20th centuries, and you’re
trying to extend the syntax of what sculpture can be.”
The magnitude of his works and industrial quality of
his materials makes the architectural comparison an
obvious one. Serra has come under fire from critics
who accuse him of size for size’s sake, but in Doha he
countered this, explaining that it depends on context;
“I’ve always been involved with ‘big’ as a force but I
don’t think that scale and size is necessarily a virtue. In
fact it can be a trap for artists because not every space
can handle large objects”. The different heights and
the spacing of East-West/West-East’s four pillars are
a perfect example of how a specific site can define
the scale of a work for Serra, who sees the installa-
tion as taking shape according to the desert as much
as to himself; “I didn’t decide the spacing, the land it-
self decided it. I had a topographical map made so I
could understand what the land was actually doing.
The place itself, its proportions and erosions, defined
the place and height of each plate.”
Two exhibitions in Qatar, at the QMA Gallery in Kata-
ra village and at the Alriwaq Doha exhibition space,
along with his existing sculpture 7 at the Museum of
Islamic Art, mean Serra is currently being celebrated
in four different locations across the small nation. The
retrospective in Katara shows drawings and sculp-
tures from across 50 years, including the headline
piece One Ton Prop (House of Cards), from 1969.
Most touching from this show are the black drawings
that add a different dimension to our understanding
of Serra’s preoccupation with simple solid shapes
and a sense of weight. To escape gestural marks and
apply dense, abstract colour, Serra melts down oily
pigment into a brick that he rubs firmly onto the pa-
per using both hands. The result is a set of the most
opaque drawings imaginable, in black and white, that
speak about nothingness.
Two exhibitions, both entitled Richard Serra, at QMA Gallery, Katara
and Alriwaq Doha run until 6th July 2014. East-West/West-East, at
Brouq Nature Reserve, and 7, at the Museum of Islamic Art, are per-
manently on view.
“MosT PuBlic arT is TerriBle anD iT gives sculPTure a BaD naMe”
41Passage of Time, 2014, steel.
42
British designer Thomas Heatherwick’s name has
become, quite rightly, commonly associated with
striking, innovative design. Most people would re-
member him as the man who designed the elabo-
rate London 2012 Olympics Cauldron. The opening
ceremony ended when
the 204 petals, one for
each participating coun-
try, were set ablaze,
coming together in one
brilliant flame. Currently
his slick new rendition
of the iconic red double-
decker bus, the Route-
master, have been filling
into London’s streets.
Heatherwick Studio was established by the designer
in 1994 and has had commissions in cities including
Singapore, New York City and Kagoshima (Japan).
His works are intensely site-specific and often poet-
ic in their sensitive relation to the surrounding land-
scape. This architect with work in various corners of
the globe revealed last month that his next venture
is the redevelopment of a park in the heart of Abu
Dhabi. Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation,
the funding body behind the project, announced the
plans for the 125,000
square metre Al Fayah
Park, due to open to the
public by early 2017.
Approaching the space
with a more environ-
mentally sustainable
vision than has been
usual in the Gulf, the
Park will feature play ar-
eas and exercise paths.
There will be an organic fruit and vegetable garden,
which will supply the cafes and restaurants on the
premises, along with a botanical garden of GCC-na-
tive flowers and plants. It will also have a dedicated
public library, picnic area, mosque, outdoor cinema,
b y S h e y m a B u A l i
the outstanding British architect Thomas heatherwick has plans to set Abu Dhabi’s Al fayah park beneath the desert
surface to create an eco-oasis
a sunKen vision
43
Al Fayah Park envisioned by Thomas Heatherwick
44
and indoor and outdoor
arenas to host live perfor-
mances, local festivals and
community activities.
Inspired by the desert
landscape, the park will
incorporate and recreate the natural environment.
Column structures with canopies made up of parts
resembling cracked pieces of an arid ground will
create a shade under which people can spend time
protected from the intense sun. The shade will also
help in the irrigation of the planned gardens, reduc-
ing the amount of water lost to evaporation, improv-
ing the park’s energy efficiency.
This project is one of a few other starchitect-built,
ultra-modern environmentally conscious projects in
the works in Abu Dhabi. The strong Persian Gulf
sun, surrounded by water and wind, have neces-
sarily defined the plans for upcoming structures.
But many of these have not seen the light of day.
Hopefully Al Fayah Park won’t have the same fate
as some others.
The Helix Hotel, set to open
in Zayed Bay in 2012, was
to utilise 100 per cent recy-
clable polythene panels to
gather energy from the sun
and wind. But unfortunately,
there has been no update
on the project since 2010. Saadiyat Island, the enter-
tainment destination that will also be the address of
the upcoming Louvre, Zayed National Museum and
Guggenheim, was planned to be ready by 2013; up-
dated reports indicate that they will be open in 2015,
2016 and 2017 respectively. The Zayed National Mu-
seum, designed by Foster + Partners, is to have natu-
ral cooling pipes aided by the building’s wing shaped
towers.
While stalling has occurred in these highly ambitious
plans, there is still hope that they will all come to frui-
tion. In the meantime, these new ways of imagining
space and utilising the environment have added much
to a new, experimental urban development, pushing
the boundaries in terms of what has already been cre-
ated in innovative architecture.
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uTilising The environMenT have aDDeD Much
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46
‘I try to avoid charity,’ declared Karl Lagerfeld back in 2008. Yet five
years later, the man, the legend, the incredible sound-bite machine
was at the creative helm of the annual charity Rose Ball in Monte-Carlo,
successfully spinning a Belle et Pop theme for a star-studded crowd in
2013. He was back for 2014, once again putting bake sales and bucket
rattling on the back burner in favour of a creative direction that insti-
gated the collision of two unlikely ideological perspectives, that of the
wealthy elite at a paediatric health initiative, and the bleeding edge of
communist revolution.
rose reD
karl Lagerfeld’s decoration of the Rose ball 2014 brought an explosion of geometric shapes and primary colours inspired by the Russian Constructivists to the
glitz of monte-Carlo
b y J o h n O v a n s
47
Rose Ball 2014 invitation illustrated by Karl Lagerfeld
48
Karl Lagerfeld’s Constructivist inspiration sheet for the Rose Ball 2014
49
Taking his cue from the Russian artistic and architec-
tural philosophy Constructivism, Lagerfeld this time
created a Russian-themed ball. Arriving at the time
when the Bolsheviks came to power after the Octo-
ber Revolution of 1917, Constructivism was a wholly
new approach to making art that borrowed values
from the Communist ideology that it ultimately served.
Rejecting traditional easel painting as a symptom of
its opposition the bourgeoisie, it prioritised minimal
abstraction and geometric space. Circles, squares
and lines dominated the mood board of Lagerfeld’s
ball, with an on-stage décor cast in geometric figures
and flat colour areas. The luminous ceiling was swim-
ming in shapes, while screens in the lobby pulsed
with Lagerfeld-penned illustrations. For dinner, un-
bleached cotton tablecloths and napkins were print-
ed with geometric patterns, with bouquets of roses
and flowers perched in gradient-coloured vases in
tribute to star Soviet painter and theoretician Kazimir
Malevitch.
Such an aesthetic is not unfamiliar to Mr Lagerfeld –
take, for instance, the esoteric interiors of his 1980s
Monte Carlo apartment, all black rubber floors and
gray walls, decked out entirely in Memphis furnish-
ings. It’s clear that while Lagerfeld’s revolutionist prin-
ciples themselves are a little on the murky side, his
design manifestos have always remained top-notch.
TaKing his cue froM The russian arTisTic anD archiTecTural PhilosoPhy consTrucTivisM, lagerfelD
This TiMe creaTeD a russian-TheMeD Ball
The dining hall at the Rose Ball 2014
50
A young man stands up to measure a shirt seam while an
older woman sits stitching a collar. A rail of yellow and blue
dresses stands behind the tables as rooftops glint with rain
beyond the wall of windowpanes that have transformed
one aspect of Rabih Kayrouz’s studio into a Parisian skyline.
Taking a moment to step back, talking softly with his team,
Kayrouz plays with a fabric as he feels for what shape his
new collection might take.
“From the first drape it’s a whole process. Nothing is studied
in my designs, it’s all intuitive.” Such a natural way of work-
ing explains the easy mood and understated cool of the
designer’s highly acclaimed collections. Although far from
simple in their construction, his clothes convey a brand of
modern femininity that is understated and clean. Challeng-
ing enough to interest a sophisticated fashion eye, the Mai-
son Rabih Kayrouz style simultaneously manages to have
the relaxed air and flattering cuts that give it everywoman
the fashion world’s Lebanese darling is riding high after being made a knight of the order of Arts and Letters in France. He opens up to kasia maciejowska about his personal approach to design, his intuitive draping technique, and his love for his homeland, as houda kabbaj photographs
him at his Paris atelier.
b y K a s i a M a c i e j o w s k a
in The sTuDio wiTh raBih KayrouZ
51
52
appeal. “The Rabih woman
isn’t just a figure, she’s a
person”, muses the design-
er. “She’s a woman who is
strong enough to be strong
and strong enough to be
weak. I like this kind of woman who can play with who
she is because she doesn’t care too much.”
The intellectual-looking details in his collections –
the experimental cuts and geometric pattern play
– suggest a more conceptual approach than the
designer himself describes. Taking the traditional
draping technique most used in Haute Couture,
everything begins with the fabrics for Kayrouz. His
primary step is to commission them from Italy, and
once they arrive he drapes them on the mannequin
to see how a form might evolve. “Once we see the
fabrics and feel the knits
they tell a story by them-
selves. It’s in my mind and
I try to convey my ideas to
my team.” This tactile, dex-
terous approach feeds
into the sensuality of his style.
The Spring/Summer collection uses his love for drap-
ing and folding to craft soft, voluminous structures. “I
love the way that when you fold these fabrics you get
this movement. This is my way of cutting. I was working
to create shadows with the way things are construct-
ed.” He’s referring to the Ray collection, which has a
weightlessness that suits its central theme, of light.
In a palette of whites, palest pinks, silver, yellow and
cobalt blue, Kayrouz combines fluid folds and asym-
metric drapes with geometric cut-outs and structures.
“i seDuce These laDies wiTh cloThes, wiTh
Dresses, wiTh colours, wiTh faBric”
The Ray Collection for Spring/Summer 2014 by Maison Rabih Kayrouz
54
The Barbès-Batroun Collection for Autumn/Winter 2014 by Maison Rabih Kayrouz
55
Dresses are lean and easy
going, while skirts, tops and
knitwear play with volume
and sculptural shapes. “I’m
always asked what’s Orien-
tal in my work and I feel that
it’s my draping and folding,
the way the fabrics embrace the body in an intimate
way.”
For Autumn/Winter this embrace comes inspired by
a quintessentially Oriental scenario – the traditional
hammam. “I wanted to express this Oriental feeling
about the attitude of getting dressed, how you hold
yourself, how you hold your dress when coming from
the beach or from a Turkish bath.” Togas, wraps and
robes swathe the body in a cool contemporary way
that looks sporty as well as Arabesque. Named Bar-
bès-Batroun, it references
an area of Paris densely
populated by North Afri-
cans (Barbès), in counter-
point with the mellow sea-
side town north of Beirut
where Kayrouz used to live
during the summer months (Batroun).
Having won the respect of fashion critics from New York
to Paris, the designer welcomes his renown for archi-
tectural pieces. “It is correct as what I do is really an act
construction – I build shapes around the body.” Those
shapes range from angular to flowing and feature layer-
ing that adds motion and detail. “I have my own way of
cutting which gives my work its identity. But every sea-
son is an evolution as my cuts gradually mature. They
take the collection to a new place each time.”
“froM The firsT DraPe iT’s a whole Process.
noThing is sTuDieD in My Designs, iT’s all inTuiTive, i never Plan anyThing”
56
57
Born in Lebanon in 1973, Kayrouz studied at the Cham-
bre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne between 1991
and 1994, before returning to Beirut to found his own
couture label in 1998 and moving into ready-to-wear
in 2012. Today, all the creative work takes place in
Paris, at 38 Boulevard Raspail, formerly the Petit The-
atre de Babylone, where the design team numbers 15.
He visits Lebanon at the start of every season, choos-
ing the right pieces for each client alongside them.
“My clients are very loyal and many have become
friends,” he tells me at the Beirut store, shepherding
me towards a table covered in pots and spoons bear-
ing Lebanon’s different honeys. As I’m given a tasting
by the kind beekeeper who Kayrouz discovered one
Saturday morning at Souk el Tayeb, Beirut’s gourmet
market, the designer adjusts a dress on a client while
she looks in the mirror, and recommends it without a
belt and maybe in the other colour – the white and
pink looks from this season’s catwalk can be found in
lemon yellow and cobalt blue in the store.
Every time you visit the Maison Rabih Kayrouz boutique
you are greeted by a different spread on the round
central table – be it breakfast, fruits, coffee, or honey.
“I cannot host people here without offering food”, he
says, revealing his Lebanese sense of hospitality, but
also his association of food and fashion with feminine
allure. “I seduce these ladies with clothes, with dress-
es, with colours, with fabric – just as I was always se-
duced as a child, in a way, by my aunts, my mother, my
grandmother, by their clothes and their food. What I do
is a continuation of that. It’s a seduction.”
“i have My own way of cuTTing which gives My
worK iTs iDenTiTy. BuT every season is an evoluTion as My cuTs graDually MaTure”
58
tHE LUXURY EDit
Jewel thong sandal in prune metallic calfskin with wood heel, Summer 2014, by Celine
Oyster Perpetual Milgauss watch in electric blue with green
sapphire crystal, by Rolex
Ceramic blue petals bracelet, from Em Brace Let series, by Amal I. Muraywed
Serpentine perfume with bottle illustrations by Tracey Emin, by Comme des Garçons
Travertine crystal table, from Element series, by Raëd Abillama
Selections goes shopping...
59
Limelight Exceptional Piece watch in white gold and
diamonds, by Piaget
Zip Coccinelle transformable necklace and bracelet in white gold, diamonds, red spinels and onyx, from Palais de la Chance collection, by Van Cleef & Arpels
Saffiano print shoulder bag, Spring/Summer 2014, by Prada
Rabbit in metal and PVC, from Animal House series, a charitable collaboration with women in Columbia, by Marni (all funds go to Associazone Sogni)
60
The Polygonia by Nathalie Trad, Spring Summer 2014
anaToMy of a cluTch
Accessories designer nathalie Trad shares the technical drawing for her celebrated
polygonia clutch bag with Selections
Sydneys_entertainment_selections235x285.pdf 1 5/22/14 5:30 PM
62
In recent years, the Salone del Mobile has felt more
than ever like a barometer of Italy – a test of Italian
manufacturing in particular and the national econo-
my in general. This year, the endless halls of Milan’s
furniture fairground in Rho were as busy as I’ve ever
seen them. It felt like business as usual. Even the
new prime minister, Matteo Renzi, took a tour of the
Kartell stand in a show of support. But the funda-
mental problems remain.
If anything, it was a more honest Salone. There
were less of the theatrical gimmicks and bombastic
displays with which brands at first tried to bluff their
way through the economic crisis. At least no one’s
bothering to pretend anymore that times aren’t
hard. But my instinct is that innovation is drying up.
One obvious sign that furniture houses are play-
ing it safe is the revival of aging classics. Vitra was
a prime example, re-releasing Hans Coray’s Landi
chair, a perforated aluminium number that dates
back to 1938.
In Vitra’s case, such tactics are linked to a panic that
the bottom is falling out of the office market. With de-
mand for office systems waning, companies like Vitra
are now shifting their attentions to the domestic mar-
ket, which accounts for its recent purchase of Artek,
the Finnish purveyor of bent blonde wood. This is
Vitra’s ticket to the living rooms of Europe.
Having fully milked the legacy of Alvar Aalto over the
last half-century or so, Artek does at least appear to
be moving forwards. Under the art direction of Hella
Jongerius, it unveiled a new chair this year by Kon-
stantin Grcic, seemingly the safest pair of hands in
furniture design. Grcic’s Rival swivel chair displays
his preference for angularity over elegance, with its
splayed legs milled from a block of birch, but it was
solid and modern. Indeed, generally there seems to
be a return to quiet, sensible furniture, epitomised by
the two wooden chairs released by Mattiazzi, one by
the Bouroullec brothers and the other by young Amer-
ican designer Leon Ransmeier.
b y J u s t i n M c G u i r k
Sensible furniture defined this year’s salone del mobile as designers felt the pinch of Europe’s ongoing economic woes - but a handful of stand-out shows and innovations
from emerging talents offered promising highlights
noTes froM iTaly
63
Artek Rival chairs by Konstantin Grcic
Uncino chairs by the Bourrellec brothers at Mattiazzi
64
Low leather-backed lounge chair by Maarten Van Severen for Lensvelt
Nathali du Pasquier for American Apparel
65
Amid such tendencies, the old maestri of Radical De-
sign continue to cut extraordinary figures and contin-
ue to be paraded as paragons of Italian imagination.
In the fair it was the return of Gufram, the 1960s brand
of Technicolor pop objects. Over at the Triennale mu-
seum it was yet more picking over of the work of Enzo
Mari and Andrea Branzi and their generation of 1970s
radicals. You wonder how many years Milan can keep
trotting out these maestri. And yet, though I’ve been
critical of such tendencies in the past, the more Ital-
ian design sinks to its knees, the more nostalgic for
it I become. And these Triennale shows are often my
favourite Milan event.
In any event, even when you think the old heroes have
been fully consigned to history, they pop back into
fashion. This was the case with one of the few women
of the Memphis group, Nathalie Du Pasquier, who was
back this year with a set of designs for clothing label
American Apparel. Memphis has been creeping back
into fashion in recent years and now appears to have
entered the mainstream. It was inevitable that people
would tire of all this austerity chic.
In the fuori Saloni, the countless fringe events that
pepper the city during the furniture fair, the one that
sticks in my mind was From-To, a little show curated
by Martino Gamper in an apartment in Sant’ Ambrogio.
Here, Gamper had invited a group of young designers
– many of them London-based – to work with artisans
in the Veneto region. The resulting products were dis-
a liTTle show curaTeD By MarTino gaMPer in an
aParTMenT in sanT’ aMBrogio, inviTeD a grouP of young Designers To worK wiTh
arTisans in The veneTo regionRaw Edges kitchen at Ceaserstone
Raw Edges bath at Ceaserstone
66
Dave haKKens’ PhoneBloK MoBile Phone concePT – a sMarT Phone in which every coMPonenT is MoDular anD rePlaceaBle
– is The KinD of innovaTion one wanTs To see Much More of
Phone Bloks by Dave Hakkens
67
played throughout the apartment, designed by the ar-
chitect Luigi Caccia Dominioni, who is still going at 101
years old. And it was the experience of this sprawling
home, with its galleried mezzanine and different ter-
razzo floors in every room that was so unforgettable
– testament to the charmed bourgeois existence of
some lucky mid-century Milanese. The show itself was
invitation only and no photography was allowed. The
reasoning behind this was to aim the products at po-
tential manufacturers, who lose interest if a potential
product has already been published. If by the time this
article appears there are no images of the show, that
is why.
Elsewhere, the Palazzo Clerici proved a popular hub of
activity, with a series of events and exhibitions organ-
ised by Joseph Grima, Z33 and others. Grima was try-
ing out an algorithmic publishing machine that collated
transcriptions of public conversations with any related
Twitter activity and spat out a little newspaper. Upstairs
there was strong work as ever from Raw Edges, who
designed a giant kitchen island out of Caesarstone
quartz, and FormaFantasma, who displayed objects
made of basalt from Mount Etna. Some of this solid
lava was turned into vases, hand-blown like glass, or it
became tables and objets d’art. Formafantasma’s ma-
terial research is always impressive, though their styl-
ing at times errs towards the fey for my liking.
The Lambrate district was more populous than ever,
now fully established as a semi-official Dutch colony in
Milan. It seems there is no number of vast warehouses
that the Netherlands cannot fill with aspiring young de-
signers. At the established end, Lensvelt was reissu-
ing a complete line of the late Maarten Van Severen’s
furniture, and it was as strong a showing of pure mimi-
malism as I can remember. At the graduate end, De-
sign Academy Eindhoven’s show, Self Unself, was less
aesthetic than usual and more focused on social prac-
tice. The stand-out project was Dave Hakkens’ Phone-
blok mobile phone concept – a smart phone in which
every component is modular and replaceable. It is the
antidote to a disposable product culture and may yet
become a game-changing product in its own right.
This modular phone is the kind of innovation one
wants to see so much more of in Milan. Granted, the
Salone is built around furniture, but if it could just get
beyond this obsession with chairs and with the health
or otherwise of the “Made in Italy” brand, it might en-
sure its relevance to the broader design culture for
the foreseeable future.
Low chair in aluminium by Maarten Van Severen for LensveltDe Natura Fosilium vase by Forma Fantasma
68
lighT e-MoTion By Marcel wanDersThis installation of anthropomorphic chandeliers for Barovi-
er & Toso at the Cloisters of the Basilica of San Simpliciano
won our hearts instantly and once we’d heard the designer
explaining, “It is our responsibility to be magicians, to be
jesters, to be alchemists, to create hope where there is
only illusion, to create reality where there are only dreams”,
we were totally gone. The dancing light sculptures, manip-
ulated by an invisitable maestro puppeteer, set themselves
a grand task: to ‘describe how emotion is’.
lighT air aT KarTellEugeni Quitlett was aiming for an illusory effect when
designing his charming retro Light Air lamps. Suspend-
ed on a frame and in a winning set of off-pastel hues,
the design is minimal and modern but generates a soft,
diffused glow – in our view, a perfect combination.
selecTions aT salone
We present our furnishing favourites from Salone del Mobile. Because a chair is
never just a chair.
68
Light e-motion by marceL WandersThis installation of anthropomorphic chandeliers for Barovi-
er & Toso at the Cloisters of the Basilica of San Simpliciano
won our hearts instantly and once we’d heard the designer
explaining, “It is our responsibility to be magicians, to be
jesters, to be alchemists, to create hope where there is
only illusion, to create reality where there are only dreams”,
we were totally gone. The dancing light sculptures, manip-
ulated by an invisitable maestro puppeteer, set themselves
a grand task: to ‘describe how emotion is’.
Light air at KarteLLEugeni Quitlett was aiming for an illusory effect when
designing his charming retro Light Air lamps. Suspend-
ed on a frame and in a winning set of off-pastel hues,
the design is minimal and modern but generates a soft,
diffused glow – in our view, a perfect combination.
seLections at saLone
We present our furnishing favourites from Salone del Mobile. Because a chair is
never just a chair
69
raf siMons for KvaDraTWhen creative director at Dior Raf Simons created a line of furnishing
fabrics for Danish textile company Kvadrat earlier this year there was
inevitably quite a fuss. Having seen his functional fluorescents and
salt’n’pepper weaves up close we can understand why. The asymmetric
campaign photographs by artist Anne Collier give the collaboration an
extra edge and are perfectly in keeping with the sporty 1990s style that
Simons has been pushing at Dior.
TaKao inoue’s TaMPoPo lighTsUsing one of nature’s magical little details to gorgeous
effect, Takao Inoue cast dandelion seed heads in blocks
of acrylic to form his Oled Tampopo lights (tampopo is
Japanese for dandelion), which became one of the Sa-
lone’s hits on social media. Inoue is a cinematographer
but recently turned his hand to design, inspired by the
light play of Shiro Kuramata’s work, with beautiful results.
sTellar seaTs aT eDraBrazilian design star brothers Fernando and Humberto
Campana amused with their new Bastardo sofa - which
they say is “a piece with a soul” - on show alongside
their cushty spaghetti-esque Vermelha chair at Edra.
Sitting in formation nearby on the stand were the Rose
chair, Masanori Umeda’s pretty piece from 1990, and
Francesco Binfarè’s Sofà here translated into a chaise
longue, along with Jacopo Foggini’s popular ‘50s-look
Gina chair, and his grungy ombré Alice armchair. It was
a gallery of hits.
70
As the best-known graphic designer in beirut, the red lipstick-wearing, Vespa-riding, product-designing Rana salam created a special cover for this issue. She sat down with kasia maciejowska to explain her new direction and talk
graphics in the middle East now
b y K a s i a M a c i e j o w s k a
nosTalgia anD sTreeT culTure wiTh rana salaM
71
Rana Salam is like the mama of Lebanese graphic
design. After studying at the Royal College of Art
in London from 1992 to 1994, she built her name
around the style she had developed there, which
re-worked the Lebanese iconography that scat-
tered the country in the mid-twentieth century. Her
pared back take on kitschy graphics and colourful
Arabic lettering have been applied to fabrics and
homewares ever since, and defined the mood of
restaurants, the best known being Comptoir
Libanais. Creating graphics and logos
for brands and venues for bread and
butter, Salam moved back to Beirut
four years ago and in 2014 is
figuring out how to take
her signature style for-
ward.
Since she popula-
rised local imagery
and icons, making
them cool again
with her punchy
pop taste, the
fashion for us-
ing retro styling
in graphics and
branding from the
region means appro-
priations of her look are
now everywhere. How should she redefine her
brand then? “It’s been more than 20 years since I
developed my look, and clients still ask me for it all
the time – to mimic certain things that they’ve seen
from various stages. But I want to develop it now
and contemporise it more – to keep my own style
but move forward, this is the challenge for me now.”
During Beirut Design Week she’s giving a workshop
on creating contemporary designs through observing
traditional Islamic art, aiming to show budding design-
ers how to go about building a visual language for to-
day that is rooted in vernacular style. “It will be very
practical, so showing people how to apply what they
create to products like book covers, graphic pieces,
homewares.” She has also built a special shop win-
dow with an atelier theme, with school chairs and a
mood board, showing how they work upstairs above
the shop. “It’s important that the people who have
been successful share their knowledge with
the new generation of designers and to
show leadership, especially in some-
where like Beirut.”
The question of how to Arabise
graphic design, to de-
velop a native ico-
nography that
feels current
and relevant, is
a recurrent one
across the Mid-
dle East. Such
a task can seem
elusive, but for Salam
the key is practical research
and simply looking around. “It’s
important to stay constantly in
touch with current affairs and with
trends, both in terms of what people
are reading and talking about and in terms
of fashion and style.”
Working on a restaurant in Dubai at present, she has
abandoned her staple source material of nostalgia
and is sourcing everything from today. “Nostalgia is
powerful because it plays on your emotions, and it
works every time, but I’ve done it for too long so now I
love looking at street life because street culture is the
richest source.” For this current project she is merging
72
73
the mood of Basta, the vintage furniture market area
in Beirut, with references from London. For another,
with make-up artist Bassam Fattouh, she’s designing
packaging for an eyes and lips compact called Nos-
talgie d’Orient. “It’s like a cigarette box for an eyeliner,
lipstick and concealer. It’s the Middle East in a little box
– it’s very cool.”
Salam says she loves Beirut for its sensuality and cul-
ture clash. “The mix of women in hijab and others in
hotpants is just brilliant. I’ve always been obsessed
with tribes. Plus nothing is rational here. It’s all against
the grid! My design is Beiruti in that way. It’s emotional.
I don’t work to the grid philosophy.”
So how does she perform her magical transposition
of rough details from the streets into an expensive
product? “Slick it up, refine it, take the best parts and
reduce them to their essence. This is stylisation and
how you turn source material into desirable designs.”
“iT’s iMPorTanT To sTay consTanTly in Touch wiTh currenT affairs anD wiTh TrenDs, BoTh whaT PeoPle are reaDing anD TalKing aBouT, anD in TerMs of fashion anD sTyle”
74
When it comes to succeeding in the workplace, go-
ing with your gut is the kind of impressive-sounding,
sock-it-to-‘em idiom that many would like to live by,
yet seldom do. But for Fameed Khalique, it’s the only
way he knows how to do business, and as a result,
it’s made his eponymous label one of London’s lead-
ing suppliers in finishes at the top end of the mate-
rials market. “I believe that if something elicits an
emotional response, then it has something special,”
he says, “and it will also
move someone else.” As
an emotional philosophy,
it strikes you in its simplic-
ity. “When I first started my
company I had amassed
experience with some ma-
terials,” he says, “but had
limited knowledge about others – say eglomise, mar-
ble and stone. All I had to go on was the emotional
response I had towards the things I was seeing.”
Khalique’s journey to the top leaves in its trail some-
thing of a chequered résumé, which began with a
sixth-form college fashion show in Leicester, in the
UK. He enrolled in a fashion course at a local poly-
a MaTerial worlD
With his eponymous label, fameed khalique champions the most exciting and extraordinary materials for the
interior design world
b y J o h n O v a n s
“all i haD To go on was My eMoTional
resPonse TowarDs The Things i was seeing”
Clockwise from top left: Chella textiles, Gatsby Riviera print; malechite and tiger’s eye from Precious Stones collection; Waterproof
Art Panel; amethyst from precious stones collection.
technic, where he pitched the idea of producing the
‘world’s biggest fashion show’ – a goal that, astonish-
ingly, he went on to achieve, by getting on the phone
to Bob Geldof and planting the seed for Fashion Aid,
which was held in the Albert Hall to an audience of
5000, and featured 18 of the world’s top design-
ers. The intervening years saw an expansive career
in fashion and design, eventually heading up sales
and marketing at Alma Leather alongside his brother,
before launching his own
company in 2008.
The excitement and am-
bition that propelled
Khalique’s early career
continues to impress on
the scope of his work to-
day, and he talks about the process of his new embroi-
dery collection as, “A bit like a kid being thrown into
a candy shop – I went a little mad from all the sugar!”
76
He began by visiting the
workshop in India that em-
broiders for the world’s top
luxury fashion brands. “I
wanted to create a collec-
tion that was inspired by
couture embroidery tech-
niques but making them
relevant and useful for in-
teriors,” he says. “This first
collection definitely has a
fashion slant, as I wanted to show as many different
techniques as possible - be it embroidery on leather,
or using feathers, or on copper-woven textiles.”
Unusual, unique and exotic materials have become
the identifiable signature in his portfolio, with collec-
tions that make use of own-label leathers – the core
material of his business – as well as high performance
fabrics, semi-precious stones, and fabrications incor-
porating copper wires and technical fibres. Earlier in
the year, he premiered his collaboration in industrial
stone design with Lithos Design at Salone in Milan,
which displayed character-
istic bravado in an aesthet-
ic shift from the sculptural
to the pictorial. Patterns are
at the forefront, with geo-
metric shapes, checked
designs and dispersed
graphics rolling out across
luminous grids and gradi-
ents.
Khalique’s travel experiences are something that
have borne fruit for his label. Whether taking weav-
ing techniques from Laos or hammered brass from
Morocco, Khalique scoops up craft practices and ma-
terials along the way to bring home to his studio in
Clerkenwell, London. And once his passport is back
in his drawer, he gets to work - armed with ever-grow-
ing skills and knowledge, Khalique is never afraid of
a challenge. “I’m not an interior designer,” he states,
“but I very much see our role as being there to in-
spire designers to create spaces that are exceptional
through the use of extraordinary materials.
wheTher weaving TechniQues froM
laos or haMMereD Brass froM Morocco, KhaliQue scooPs uP
crafT PracTices To Bring hoMe To his sTuDio in lonDon’s clerKenwell
Glossy gold aluminium tiles sourced by Khalique
LTEcardExp2014_v1_cercle10x270.pdf 1 5/22/14 4:24 PM
78
a PeeK inTo The Diary of nicholas chrisosToMou
in the first of his diary series for Selections, party man extraordinaire and gent about the middle East regales us with tales from a distinguished dinner party in Beirut
78
A peAk into the diAry of nicholAs chrisostomou
In the first of his diary series for Selections, party man extraordinaire and gent about the Middle East regales us with tales from a distinguished dinner party in Beirut
79
For a city brimming with individuality I can’t help wonder-
ing why so many of Beirut’s most prominent ladies sport
a Rolex. Not that Rolex watches are not exquisite speci-
mens of horlogerie, on the contrary, they are quite beau-
tiful. But there are so many other divine timepieces to
choose from. This phenomenon appears to span all age
groups, from young fashionistas on the first rung of the
career ladder right up to high-powered executives and
company bosses. Some surely must have asked Daddy
to fund their extravagant acquisitions, since we’re not
talking about common or garden watches here, more
like the rose gold or diamond-encrusted, top-of-the-line,
eye-wateringly pricey variety. This came to my attention
at a rather select dinner party recently held at Indigo at
Le Gray, undoubtedly the city’s swishest hotel, hosted by
Beirut’s most energetic and much admired Ambassador,
and attended by a veritable who’s who of Beirut’s fashion
fraternity. This was a gathering of designers, magazine
owners and included a stylist with pink hair, all invited to
break bread with his Excellency and meet the latest ec-
centric Englishman in town, me.
I wasn’t appraised by my PA of that night’s guest list until
just a few hours before kick-off, and when I discovered
the identities of some of the Lebanese glitterati I would
be introduced to in a matter of hours, I experienced a mild
bout of fashion fright. This was exacerbated by the discov-
ery that the invitation circulated by the Embassy said the
dinner was “In honour of Nicholas Chrisostomou, owner
of Coco Latté”, the first time my name had ever been
mentioned on a formal Ambassador’s invitation. I felt like
James Bond on a covert fashion mission for her Majesty.
Should I run with the Paul Smith brogues, Vivienne West-
wood shirt and Warren Kade dinner jacket? - Or sport an
altogether more formal ensemble of a Dolce & Gabbana
three piece pinstripe suit, Gieves & Hawkes shirt, Richard
James tie and Church’s shoes? The latter felt more civi-
lized but the former was more me - so I opted for the for-
mer and wheeled out the canary yellow brogues, much to
the approval of the gathered throng.
What I love most about dinner parties is the conversation
and this night was no exception. I chatted with a mens-
wear tailor about his stint on MTV Lebanon’s Dancing
With The Stars, which met with heckling from the pink
haired stylist seated next to me. The country’s political
situation was a subject of hot discussion, with many pres-
ent feeling that some sort of under-the-table deal must
have already been agreed because the unstable situa-
tion could surely not continue past Ramadan. There was
the aforementioned Rolex moment when I asked all
the ladies to show their wrists so I could observe if any
was wearing a watch by a different maker, just for fun. I
had a fascinating discussion with a friendly restaurateur
about his establishment where every day different ladies
comes from different Lebanese villages to cook tradition-
al dishes – the much-loved Tawlet, in Mar Mikhael. Then
after someone unexpectedly tapped a spoon on his
glass I was thrust into giving a short unprepared speech!
That’s the thing about Beirut in my view - many of the
city’s movers and shakers look unapproachable but
when you get up close and personal, most are out-
standingly warm and friendly. This is testament to the
city’s drive and continuous determination to survive.
It knows that to move forwards it must include new
people. Beirut is unique in this respect, not just in the
Middle East but in the world, and this welcoming and
transience gives the city its infectious spirit, which had
me addicted within hours of my first visit. There is no
city like Beirut on the planet, and my canary yellow
brogues have seen a few.
i wheeled out the cAnAry yellowbrogues, much to the ApprovAl of the gAthered throng
a PeeK inTo The Diary of nicholas chrisosToMou
79
For a city brimming with individuality I can’t help wonder-
ing why so many of Beirut’s most prominent ladies sport
a Rolex. Not that Rolex watches are not exquisite speci-
mens of horlogerie, on the contrary, they are quite beau-
tiful. But there are so many other divine timepieces to
choose from. This phenomenon appears to span all age
groups, from young fashionistas on the first rung of the
career ladder right up to high-powered executives and
company bosses. Some surely must have asked Daddy
to fund their extravagant acquisitions since we’re not
talking about common or garden watches here, more
like the rose gold or diamond encrusted top of the line
eye wateringly pricey variety. This came to my attention
at a rather select dinner party recently held at Indigo at
Le Gray, undoubtedly the city’s swishest hotel, hosted by
Beirut’s most energetic and much admired Ambassador,
and attended by a veritable who’s who of Beirut’s fashion
fraternity. This was a gathering of designers, magazine
owners and included a stylist with pink hair, all invited to
break bread with his Excellency and meet the latest ec-
centric Englishman in town, me.
I wasn’t appraised by my PA of that night’s guest list until
just a few hours before kick-off, and when I discovered
the identities of some of the Lebanese glitterati I would
be introduced to in a matter of hours, I experienced a mild
bout of fashion fright. This was exacerbated by the discov-
ery that the invitation circulated by the Embassy said the
dinner was “In honour of Nicholas Chrisostomou, owner
of Coco Latté”, the first time my name had ever been
mentioned on a formal Ambassador’s invitation. I felt like
James Bond on a covert fashion mission for her Majesty.
Should I run with the Paul Smith brogues, Vivienne West-
wood shirt and Warren Kade dinner jacket? - Or sport an
altogether more formal ensemble of a Dolce & Gabbana
three piece pinstripe suit, Gieves & Hawkes shirt, Richard
James tie and Church’s shoes? The latter felt more civi-
lized but the former was more me - so I opted for the for-
mer and wheeled out the canary yellow brogues, much to
the approval of the gathered throng.
What I love most about dinner parties is the conversation
and this night was no exception. I chatted with a mens-
wear tailor about his stint on MTV Lebanon’s Dancing
With The Stars, which met with heckling from the pink
haired stylist seated next to me. The country’s political
situation was a subject of hot discussion, with many pres-
ent feeling that some sort of under-the-table deal must
have already been agreed because the unstable situa-
tion could surely not continue past Ramadan. There was
the aforementioned Rolex moment when I asked all
the ladies to show their wrists so I could observe if any
was wearing a watch by a different maker, just for fun. I
had a fascinating discussion with a friendly restaurateur
about his establishment where every day different ladies
comes from different Lebanese villages to cook tradition-
al dishes – the much-loved Tawlet, in Mar Mikhael. Then
after someone unexpectedly tapped a spoon on his
glass I was thrust into giving a short unprepared speech!
That’s the thing about Beirut in my view - many of the
city’s movers and shakers look unapproachable but
when you get up close and personal, most are out-
standingly warm and friendly. This is testament to the
city’s drive and continuous determination to survive.
It knows that to move forwards it must include new
people. Beirut is unique in this respect, not just in the
Middle East but in the world, and this welcoming and
transience gives the city its infectious spirit, which had
me addicted within hours of my first visit. There is no
city like Beirut on the planet, and my canary yellow
brogues have seen a few.
i wheeleD ouT The canary yellowBrogues, Much To The aPProval of The gaThereD Throng
78
A peAk into the diAry of nicholAs chrisostomou
In the first of his diary series for Selections, party man extraordinaire and gent about the Middle East regales us with tales from a distinguished dinner party in Beirut
79
For a city brimming with individuality I can’t help wonder-
ing why so many of Beirut’s most prominent ladies sport
a Rolex. Not that Rolex watches are not exquisite speci-
mens of horlogerie, on the contrary, they are quite beau-
tiful. But there are so many other divine timepieces to
choose from. This phenomenon appears to span all age
groups, from young fashionistas on the first rung of the
career ladder right up to high-powered executives and
company bosses. Some surely must have asked Daddy
to fund their extravagant acquisitions, since we’re not
talking about common or garden watches here, more
like the rose gold or diamond-encrusted, top-of-the-line,
eye-wateringly pricey variety. This came to my attention
at a rather select dinner party recently held at Indigo at
Le Gray, undoubtedly the city’s swishest hotel, hosted by
Beirut’s most energetic and much admired Ambassador,
and attended by a veritable who’s who of Beirut’s fashion
fraternity. This was a gathering of designers, magazine
owners and included a stylist with pink hair, all invited to
break bread with his Excellency and meet the latest ec-
centric Englishman in town, me.
I wasn’t appraised by my PA of that night’s guest list until
just a few hours before kick-off, and when I discovered
the identities of some of the Lebanese glitterati I would
be introduced to in a matter of hours, I experienced a mild
bout of fashion fright. This was exacerbated by the discov-
ery that the invitation circulated by the Embassy said the
dinner was “In honour of Nicholas Chrisostomou, owner
of Coco Latté”, the first time my name had ever been
mentioned on a formal Ambassador’s invitation. I felt like
James Bond on a covert fashion mission for her Majesty.
Should I run with the Paul Smith brogues, Vivienne West-
wood shirt and Warren Kade dinner jacket? - Or sport an
altogether more formal ensemble of a Dolce & Gabbana
three piece pinstripe suit, Gieves & Hawkes shirt, Richard
James tie and Church’s shoes? The latter felt more civi-
lized but the former was more me - so I opted for the for-
mer and wheeled out the canary yellow brogues, much to
the approval of the gathered throng.
What I love most about dinner parties is the conversation
and this night was no exception. I chatted with a mens-
wear tailor about his stint on MTV Lebanon’s Dancing
With The Stars, which met with heckling from the pink
haired stylist seated next to me. The country’s political
situation was a subject of hot discussion, with many pres-
ent feeling that some sort of under-the-table deal must
have already been agreed because the unstable situa-
tion could surely not continue past Ramadan. There was
the aforementioned Rolex moment when I asked all
the ladies to show their wrists so I could observe if any
was wearing a watch by a different maker, just for fun. I
had a fascinating discussion with a friendly restaurateur
about his establishment where every day different ladies
comes from different Lebanese villages to cook tradition-
al dishes – the much-loved Tawlet, in Mar Mikhael. Then
after someone unexpectedly tapped a spoon on his
glass I was thrust into giving a short unprepared speech!
That’s the thing about Beirut in my view - many of the
city’s movers and shakers look unapproachable but
when you get up close and personal, most are out-
standingly warm and friendly. This is testament to the
city’s drive and continuous determination to survive.
It knows that to move forwards it must include new
people. Beirut is unique in this respect, not just in the
Middle East but in the world, and this welcoming and
transience gives the city its infectious spirit, which had
me addicted within hours of my first visit. There is no
city like Beirut on the planet, and my canary yellow
brogues have seen a few.
i wheeled out the cAnAry yellowbrogues, much to the ApprovAl of the gAthered throng
80
Plus Properties is already responsible for several
iconic buildings on the Beirut skyline, and now its new
project, located in the heart of the capital, is seeking
to further refine the city. The unmistakeable duo of
the Plus Towers can be found in the hub of Martyr’s
Square, and were designed by prominent interna-
tional architecture studio Arquitectonica. Playing with
light and shadows to create a ‘second skin’ that fea-
tures distinctive terracotta elements, the towers show
a genuine commitment to luxury contemporary design
– and as a result they are currently competing in the
Best Architectural Design category in the upcoming
R.E.A.L Lebanon awards.
Boasting sea and mountain views that can be enjoyed
from private terraces, the light-filled, spacious pent-
house apartments scale 13 residential floors that were
designed to optimise the contemporary living experi-
ence. The apartments – all fitted with state-of-the-art
furnishings – vary from 2, 3, and 4 bedroom spaces,
ranging from 155 square metres to 555 square me-
tres, meaning there is something for everyone, from
extended families to young singles looking for an in-
dependent living space.
Adjacent to Solidere’s ‘arts quarter’ Saifi Village and
the souks of Downtown, as well as the vibrant bars
and restaurants of Gemmayzeh, the towers are per-
fectly located for shopping, drinking and dining, while
two retail floors and a top-of-the-range gym also span
the buildings themselves. Security within the complex
is also paramount, with 27/7 CCTV monitoring and un-
derground parking, as well as visitors’ parking.
The Plus Towers are lifestyle-orientated in more ways
than simply luxury – best of all is the way that green
thinking has been an integral factor in the design
process, as Plus Properties seeks to create what is
very much a green real estate project. Incorporating
innovative sustainable design elements including the
efficient use of energy, water and other resources,
as well as reduction of waste, pollution and environ-
mental degradation, the towers are proudly amongst
the first few buildings in Beirut to be environmentally
friendly across many facets. Residents can also sleep
better at night knowing that their health and wellbe-
ing have been prioritised through the use of non-toxic
building materials.
Martyr’s Square is regarded by many as the ‘Gate to
Beirut’. Plus Towers is ultimately intended not simply to
be just buildings, but more as a neighbour to the likes
of the Blue Mosque and the crumbling egg-shaped
cinema, to be an iconic new monument within this his-
toric area, seamlessly becoming part of the city whilst
resolutely making a statement in design.
ADVERtoRiAL
Plus Towers
the new highrise set to mark the historic landscape of Downtown Beirut
82
b y A l b e r t o M u c c i
the first edition of the Africa design Award explores a continent’s emerging scene
fuTures rising
With its emerging middle class,
commodities boom, and slowly
growing economy, the coming
rise of Africa has been well doc-
umented in recent years. Less
covered is its nascent design
scene. While progress across
the continent is slow, and many
old problems are still endemic, it
is progress nonetheless, particu-
larly in manufacturing and service
economies.
Optimism is at the heart of this
year’s edition of the Africa Design
Award, a competition launched
by Moroccan based designer Hi-
cham Lahlou. The first of its kind,
the award was nonetheless competitive for all the aspiring talents
who participated. Heading up the jury was Danilo di Michele, the
founder of the international advertising agency DDM advertis-
ing. Other members of the committee included Gilda Bojardi, the
editor of Interni, an Italian magazine of interior design and prob-
ably the most important publication in the trade, as well as Asma
Chaabi, a progressive Moroccan politician and the first woman in
the country to ever be elected as mayor of a city.
The Africa Design awards were open to all, whether individuals
or associations, that have a direct or indirect link to the African
continent. The only condition was that the work presented relates
to the theme ‘Africa in movement and its desire to move forward’.
First Prize was awarded to DNA (Design Network Africa), from
South Africa, with runners up being Jeff Maina, from Kenya, Mo-
hamed Sekou Ouattara, from Burkina Faso, and Maria Haralambi-
dou, from Malawi.The Young Talent Prize went to to Sofia Bennani
and Alexandra Singer-Biederman, followed by Houda Rahmani,
and Karima Elkhider, all from Morocco. The Coup de Coeur Prize
was awarded to Maria Haralambidou, from Malawi, followed by
Babacar Niang M’Bodj, from Senegal, and Cedric Nzolo, from the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
Furniture by DNA, winners of the First Prize
MEA Boy 23.5x28.5.pdf 1 4/9/13 2:01 PM
84
Pendulum No.9 by Ranya Sarakbi at SMOgallery
85
As international headlines continue to foretell the demise of Beirut, the city itself is celebrating its own creativity and collaborating to strengthen it with beirut design week. Just some of this year’s international guests include the artist mona hatoum, fashion journalist hilary Alexander, curator at the v&A museum Rowan bain, and designer at philips Rik Runge. Selections wades through the events, talks to the founders, and guides you
through the week with our map overleaf.
b y K a s i a M a c i e j o w s k a
Mena’s creaTive caPiTal
Beirut Design Week (BDW) is not a
design fair but more like a festival, as
much for participants as it is for the
general public or a niche audience
of collectors. This is largely down to
the vision and efforts of its co-founder
Doreen Toutikian whose priorities lie
with the design community itself, hav-
ing formerly worked as a designer af-
ter training in Glasgow and Cologne,
before founding the MENA Design
Research Centre, the festival’s over-
seeing organisation. Her other half in
the venture is Maya Karounouh, who
previously set up two branding design
agencies Cleartag and TAGbrands
having studied architecture and art
history; BDW is something of a CSR
project for TAGbrands. This dynamic
pair of focused women believes in
Lebanon as a cultural hub and bub-
bling creative centre of the Middle
East. As a result, the programme of
exhibitions, talks, workshops and
Doreen Toutikian Maya Karounouh
One plus One see-saw by White sur White Spring Summer 2014 jewellery collection by Rosa Maria
Architectural CGI by The Other Dada
Handwork at Sarah’s Bag
Fractal Light by White sur White
87
open studios is geared towards boosting commu-
nication between different segments within design
in Beirut and the wider region, as well as bringing in
international contributions to inspire and stimulate
the local conversation.
Beirut the crossroads, Beirut the political melting
pot… these clichéd summaries still ring true and can
be felt in the creative output produced by the city.
But in recent years there has been a concerted push
among artists and designers to develop creative
practices that are meaningful to Lebanon. Quite how
that can be done when the country itself is inher-
ently so polyphonic is a big question, but Toutikian
elaborates: “Many of the influences of nearby cul-
tures, as well as colonialism, have had their imprint
on our current design culture. Most of our design
schools in universities have imported curricula from
the West, but for the past decade, there has been a
conscious shift to create design that the Lebanese
can truly identify with. This ongoing process and the
current quest among the Lebanese to redefine their
own design culture is what makes the contemporary
context so exciting.”
The well-founded belief of Toutikian and Karounouh
that Beirut is a regional, rather than just a national
creative hub means their intention is to have a posi-
tive influence beyond the Lebanese borders. “Of
course we want to encourage cultural exchange
between Lebanon and the rest of the MENA region,
of course we wanT To encourage culTural eXchange
BeTween leBanon anD The resT of The worlD anD hoPe
BDw MighT insPire oTher counTries in The region To
BuilD Their own Design culTure
Tree of Life wall hanging by Bokja
Magma Light Fixtures by Ghassan Salameh
Posters by Wonder8
Til leotard and Ralin skirt from by Nour Hage SS14
Arik Levy lighting for Vibia at Lumiere GroupSaint Louis crystal chandelier by Lux Lab
Toio light by Achille and Pier Castiglioni for Flos at Lightbox
Handwork at Sarah’s Bag
Fractal Light by White sur White
88
and with the rest of the world. We also hope BDW
might inspire other countries in the region to build
their own design culture.”
That Hilary Alexander, leading fashion journalist of
international standing, is coming especially to speak
at BDW reveals how much the event has grown
since being launched in 2012. The former Fashion
Director of British newspaper the Telegraph will talk
about how different modes of dress from around the
world, from Bhutan to Mongolia, and Russia to Peru,
become glamorised through the fashion industry.
She was invited as part of an expanded focus on
fashion at BDW to celebrate the establishment of
the fashion design program at LAU. That she said
yes, especially during this time of off-putting interna-
tional press coverage on Lebanon, indicates grow-
ing belief in the event and trust in its founders. Talks
by Rowan Bain, print curator at the V&A Museum in
London, and Rik Runge, designer at Philips Health-
care do the same. Toutikian sees these international
guests (of whom there are 15 in all) as playing an
essential role in expanding the festival’s audience
beyond the design community to the wider public.
For those who prefer to look than to listen, the
three headline exhibitions are of Danish Architec-
ture, Dutch Design, and Newcomers, showcas-
ing local up and coming designers. For something
more participatory, those who missed last year’s
tour of artisanal workshops such as leather-workers
and jewellery-makers in Bourj Hammoud can catch
it again this year, and Le Gray hotel is hosting the
week’s best opportunities for real discussion with
its Designer Dinners, where you can engage a mix
of local and overseas talent in some serious chat.
As last year, the week is organised with a focus on a
different part of town each day; moving from Down-
town and Saifi Village on Monday 9th June, through
Achrafieh, Gemmayzeh, Hamra, Mar Mikhael, and
Bourj Hammoud over the following days. Selections
is hosting an event at Carwan gallery, to celebrate
the week and the launch of this Design Issue. Car-
wan is exhibiting designs by Lebanese product de-
signer Carlo Massoud and Italian architect Vincenzo
de Cotiis, two of the outstanding names on the ros-
ter of Beirut’s most exciting luxury design gallery.
ThaT hilary aleXanDer saiD yes, esPecially During This TiMe of off-PuTTing inTernaTional Press coverage on leBanon,
inDicaTes growing Belief in The evenT anD TrusT in iTs founDers
Mona HatoumHilary Alexander
1st floor -Ataya Bldg. - Sadat Str. - Hamra - Beirut - Lebanontel./Fax: +961 1 862 662 - Mobile: +961 3 834 134
Email: [email protected] - Website: youssefkamoun.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/YoussefKamouncouture - twitter: @Youssef_Kamoun
f a c e b o o k p a g e : R o u l a K e h d i C r e a t i o n s i n s t a g r a m : r o u l a k e h d i
91
A bug splat: the phrase is quick, efficient, visceral. The
term is a piece of military slang that deftly encapsu-
lates the dehumanisation of war, referring to Preda-
tor drone operations that view casualties through
grainy video streams, so far away that they resemble
crushed insects. In April, a collective of artists congre-
gated in the rural Pakistani province of Khyber Pak-
htunkhwa, where attacks regularly bring tragedy, to
give a literal face to the victims with a project entitled
#NotABugSplat. An installation featuring a gigantic
portrait of a child – whose family were allegedly killed
by drone operators in the region – is sprawled across
the fields, easily viewable by operator cameras and
pointedly anti-anonymous. The artists’ statement
states, “Humans appear as disposable bugs when
viewed through a drone camera. We changed this.
Now, a drone will see an actual face of a child, creat-
ing dialogue, and possibly, empathy.” The collective
took their cue from French artist JR’s global partici-
patory art project, the Inside Out movements, which
promotes individuals and causes to raise awareness
about the devastating effect of Obama’s light-footprint
foreign policy, which is believed to have resulted in
the deaths of more than 2,400 people in five years,
according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, a
UK-based non-profit organisation.
face TiMe
#notAbugsplat is a creative awareness campaign by French art collective JR to counter US foreign policy in Pakistan
b y J o h n O v a n s
92
Spider light by Niko Koronis
93
“Designers are faced with huge changes in terms of
production, technology, everything. We are entering
a new era and this brings with it its own aesthetics
and its own codes”. This proclamation made by Niko
Koronis was the one thing that all the designers sitting
around the table could agree on at the Challenging
Design debate. With their differing experiences and
areas of expertise, Koronis, Marc Baroud, Cyrille Naj-
jar, and Marc Dibeh each had their own views on the
challenges facing contemporary design. Discussing
the subject at Eklekta Gallery, the four touched on is-
sues of 3D printing, collaboration, new production sys-
tems, and design’s uncertain future.
It was Hélène Abtour, Educational Counsellor for
Laureate Universities in Lebanon and Syria, who in-
vited Koronis to make the trip from Milan. Prior to the
round table he gave a lecture at Alba as part of Ab-
tour’s scheme to give design students in Lebanon the
opportunity to participate in competitions and confer-
ences, running now for four years. Koronis is not only
an academic but practices as a designer under his
own name, recently exhibiting at Venice Biennale and
Milan Triennale. Before his time at Domus he was a fel-
low at Central Saint Martins, London, and a researcher
at the Alvar Aalto Foundation, Helsinki, having previ-
ously received his PhD from the Architectural Associa-
Niko Koronis Cyrille Najjar Marc DibehMarc Baroud
truly contemporary design - which engages with the now - is about problem-solving, whether designing products, buildings, websites, or interaction pathways. Designers today enjoy more technological support than ever, but are simultaneously faced with their own demise as computers continue to encroach on their profession. niko koronis, professor of Design & Architecture at Domus, came to Lebanon this Spring to chair a round table discussion with marc baroud, head of Design at ALBA, Cyrille najjar, founder of White sur White design studio, and designer marc dibeh, on the subject of Challenging design.
b y K a s i a M a c i e j o w s k a
Design ThinKing
94
tion, London. Talking about his recent designs, he de-
scribes a suspension lamp that is structured like a 3D
matrix of 68 planes of Plexiglas, and a pair of wooden
chairs designed with the latest CAD (Computer Aided
Design) programmes but handmade in Italy – “Using
the newest technology to create something that looks
and feels very natural.”
After the debate, Dibeh, who has a solo show at Art
Factum gallery this month, explains that for him design
is about storytelling, and in his own work he tries to
integrate a sense of humour. His recent mirrors series
called Please Don’t Tell Mum took a playful approach
to the theme of Spectrum for a group show earlier in
the year, having been inspired by when he acciden-
Brass light fixture from 2+2 series by Marc Baroud
95
tally smashed a mirror. On the subject of critical design
he is keen to distinguish between the collectable ob-
jects he creates for galleries and the solution-driven
design thinking that addresses the challenges of tech-
nology and services today. In the latter case, he says,
“The designer becomes a transcriber for all the pro-
fessionals around him – the sociologist, the client, the
manufacturer – and like a conductor he takes all this
different information and transcribes it from 2D into 3D
or whatever dimension the solution demands.”
This hybridisation is precisely why the role of the de-
signer is changing from solo star to a problem-solving
role. As Cyrille Najjar describes his company’s proj-
ects, his back catalogue is full of inventions that push
the world forwards. To do this they rely on the same in-
terdisciplinary approach that Dibeh referred to, mixing
engineering, architecture, programming, and so on,
in different combinations to best suit each brief. Proj-
ects to date include working with Yamaha to develop
their musical instruments and designing a software
that enables quadriplegics to control computers with
their eyes. Despite such a progressive focus on tech-
based solutions, White sur White is not above rede-
signing the humble chair – although not for high-end
collectors. The studio’s new One plus One range is
an affordable modular furniture system that responds
to the changing needs of real homes now and in the
future. The line can be produced in store based on
demand, so there is no stock, making the production
One plus One furniture by White sur White
96
line ultra lean. For design to stay relevant, it must re-
spond to the realities of the contemporary market in
this way, whether that means how we live now or new
tech production methods.
“Product design as we knew it ten years ago is over.
In the near future the designer will be the program-
mer”, exclaims Dibeh, whose sentiment of uncer-
tainty is echoed by Koronis when he adds, “I wish I
knew what’s coming but the aesthetics of each new
era only comes after a certain period of experimen-
tation.” Although 3D printing will bring production
into the home and enable everyone to play design-
er, the poor finish and style that 3D printed objects
currently have means professional designers still
have a few years – probably a few decades – be-
fore becoming archaic. “This is now one challenge
for designers”, says Koronis, “to take the method of
3D printing and make its aesthetic palatable to the
consumer. At the moment it can’t compete with the
results of mass production.” As Najjar clarifies, “3D
printing isn’t a viable solution for now but it is symp-
tomatic of design now and its loss of scale and con-
trol over the production industry.”
Becoming archaic isn’t inevitable of course; the alter-
native is to keep up. Integrating programming into the
designer’s toolbox of the designer is the most obvi-
ous move, best done independently by each indi-
vidual because the pace of technological progress
is faster than design education institutions can match.
The rise of DIY culture doesn’t mean designers are
left completely alone however, as the online culture of
open sharing and crowdsourcing is coming offline. In
this spirit Najjar set up Fab Lab in Beirut, to provide a
DIY space in which both the public and designers can
make products by hand or using 3D printers, or sim-
ply come to develop their skills. For Koronis, this open
culture is Beirut’s ticket to building a voice on the in-
ternational design stage: “Without the open nature of
digital culture Beirut would never be able to compete
because it doesn’t have the necessary infrastructure.
But now designers can be supported by a distributed
community all over the world.”
Marc Baroud, interior architect and product designer,
pushed ALBA (Académie Libanaise Des Beaux-Arts)
to change its design school, of which he is now in
charge. “I came up with a new programme that is
based around design thinking and is tailored to our
region.” While he acknowledges that tech is the future
of design, he nevertheless promotes the importance
of handcraft and the role that slow design still has to
play. “In Lebanon we have fantastic craftsmanship and
I don’t want it to disappear. We also have good creativ-
ity and problem solving is already strong in our culture.
These assets don’t need to disappear with today’s
digital tech, they can equally be supported.” The hand
made takes on a special significance as it becomes
increasingly special in a digitally dominated environ-
ment, and the best contemporary craft often combines
the two opposite approaches to create objects that
use strengths from both the online and offline worlds.
“I would love to develop a system for collaboration
between technology, designers and craftsmen, as this
would be genuinely socially and economically sus-
tainable.” Similarly Koronis feels that a tempered ap-
proach that combines old skills with new is the best
“ProDucT Design as we Knew iT Ten years ago is over. in The near fuTure The Designer will Be The PrograMMer”
97
way to proceed: “You can’t apply new technologies
to all projects. Sometimes you’re exploring new aes-
thetics or pushing into new materials, textures, finishes
– but in other contexts you might use the same tech-
nique as was used 100 years ago.”
This mid point, where the designer uses hybrid
techniques and enables the consumer to do the
same means that individualised products, rather
than mass-produced uniformity, will become the
norm as the 21st century progresses. “The poor
customise because they don’t have enough money
to buy the full product they would like. The rich cus-
tomise because they want something unique. What
is exciting now is that the middle class is becoming
enabled to customise, so the masses have the abil-
ity to impact their environment in a way they never
have before,” says Najjar, who far from bemoaning
the precarious position of the designer in this brave
new production system, can’t wait for it to manifest
more fully in the next few decades. His attitude of
positive embrace is the only solution to design’s big
challenge of self-preservation. As he puts it, “We’ve
hacked the world and I’m so proud of it!”
Slelf Lamp by Marc Baroud and Marc Dibeh. Courtesy of Art Factum gallery
True Faith, 2012
Lilicoptere, 2014
99
Joana Vasconcelos is
as eloquent as she ap-
pears demonstrative
when discussing her
new exhibition Time Ma-
chine, at Manchester Art
Gallery, in the UK. Her
impassioned ambition
and persuasive cha-
risma take hold of your
imagination in the mea-
sured time it takes her to
guide you through the
survey show in which
the seasoned artist in-
ter-mingles her world
of fluorescent colours
and patterned materials,
with the existing historic artworks from the gallery’s
permanent collection. She has exhibited extensively,
including at the Palace of Versailles in 2012, and at
the Venice Biennale in 2013, where she represented
Portugal. Born in Paris in 1971, Vasconcelos attended
the Centro de Arte e Comunicacão Visual in Lisbon
in the early 1990s. Following numerous exhibitions
across Europe, her first retrospective show was held
in 2010 at the Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon. Hers
is a kitsch universe with
a sobering message,
in which traditional fe-
male objects and craft
techniques are put to
playful use as signifiers
for a different vision of
the world. And as she
explains here, when fa-
miliar objects re-appear
in new contexts, their
meanings can change,
and by changing mean-
ings we can adapt our
conceptions and in turn
our future directions.
For an audience less
familiar with your work, can you explain your prac-
tice and approach?
I am inspired by everyday life and my perspective is
led by a critical observation of the world around me.
My creative process is based upon the appropriation,
decontextualisation and subversion of pre-existent
objects and everyday realities. I’m oriented by my
condition as a woman and as Portuguese but always
thinking in global terms. I re-frame the global through
inTervenTions in KiTsch
Leading portuguese contemporary artist Joana vasconcelos talks to Selections about crafting the future, re-appropriating domestic materials,
and how art can be a catalyst for change
b y R a j e s h P u n j
Joana Vasconcelos by Christopher Morris
100
the local, in the sense that I work with various traditions
and techniques that can be identified as Portuguese,
such as crochet, but they are in fact found all around
the world. Re-working these items and resorting to ev-
eryday objects, such as cooking pans, is part of my
conceptual language because I believe these carry
with them an impressive potential for signification. We
think we know them well but these can always acquire
a new signification and existing meanings can be chal-
lenged to serve concepts or to question the world.
Do you define yourself using words such as artist,
sculptor, ceramicist, or interventionist, and are such
definitions important to you?
I am all of those except for a ceramicist, although I
do sometimes work with ceramics. These definitions
were very important when exhibiting in Versailles and
Venice as both projects were artistic interventions
over pre-existent areas. In Versailles, both inside and
outside the palace, I placed my contemporary works
in dialogue and confrontation with the different spac-
es, decorations, themes and histories. Trafaria Praia,
my floating pavilion and total work of art for the 2013
Venice Biennale, involved turning a typical Lisbon fer-
ryboat – a cacilheiro – into the Pavilion of Portugal.
The exterior was covered with a panel of azulejos (tin-
glazed, blue and white, hand-painted ceramic tiles)
that reproduced a contemporary view of Lisbon’s sky-
line, while on the ship’s deck I made an environment
of textiles and light.
This has been my ongoing style, to install organic and
often colourful forms hanging from the ceiling so they
interact with the surrounding architectural elements.
My latest piece is a medley of blue-and-white fabrics
all over the ceiling and walls, from which crocheted
pieces, intertwined with LEDs, emerge. The installa-
tion suggests a surreal and womb-like atmosphere,
like you are under the sea.
My work can also be taken as interventional from a
political point of view as I represent and subvert the
symbols, objects, and behaviors of contemporary
society to generate different discourses that the
viewer can layer over reality. Interventional instal-
Bestie, 2014
War Games, 2011
101
lations, like those I made in Versailles and Venice,
can be read as acts of subversion as they occupy
historic spaces of wealth and power, implying con-
ceptual transformations through the physical trans-
formations they manifest.
Can you talk about how you de-contextualise or
subvert everyday objects?
I do that through appropriation and by using those
items in unexpected ways – like steam irons to create
fountains (Full Steam Ahead series) or perfume flasks
turned into lamps to make a huge bow (J’Adore Miss
Dior, 2013). Everyday items and objects have a great
capacity for signification. We can make various read-
ings of them using association and collective memory.
Of course the objects used are chosen for the sym-
bolism they carry, but each culture and person also
carries a particular way of looking at these objects and
makes their own associations, which brings each work
a variety of possible readings. My works don’t close
themselves in upon a single discourse or interpreta-
tion. They are ambiguous, paradoxical and dichoto-
mous, and I believe the richness and value is in this
multiplicity of possible interpretations and readings.
Full Steam Ahead, 2012, 2013, 2014
102
How important is humour in your work?
Humour comes naturally to me but I am perfectly con-
scious that humour is in fact a serious thing and an
excellent means of communication. The questions my
work poses seek to broaden people’s perceptions of
the world and humour is a great instrument for this.
What did you want to achieve with this show? Why
did you install works throughout the galleries as in-
terventions?
The museum’s collection is composed of works from
the past but that make sense today and my contem-
porary works talk to them so that a dialogue was cre-
ated between past and future. All my work looks, in
fact, both back and forward, as a bridge. The crises we
are living through force us to think about our roots and
what we should preserve for a future that isn’t look-
ing very bright. It’s in these moments that we activate
the ‘time machine’ in our minds. I believe artists can
have a catalytic effect as they offer an imaginative fil-
ter that allows people to search for identity – not only
for who we are but also who we want to be. With this
in mind the central themes of recycling and renewal
came naturally.
Finally, what does the rest of the year hold for you?
2014 began quite intensely with this show and two ex-
hibitions in São Paulo - Casarão at Casa Triângulo and
my site-specific work Amazônia for the Pivô space at
Oscar Niemeyer’s Copan building. Up next I have ex-
hibitions in Ireland, Berlin, China and then Brazil again.
I will be busy!
Hwarang, 2012
Lebanon, Headquarters, Tel: +961 7 735 226, Fax:+961 7 735 228
U.A.E. - Dubai, Tel: +971 4 295 7922/11, Fax: +971 4 295 7921
Dar AL Baba- Mohammed Bin Rashed Blvd.
www.albaba-sweets.com
104
Eating, trading, worshipping, teaching, ruling, at-
tracting, celebrating, surviving. Covering two mil-
lion years of civilisation, A History of the World in
100 Objects tells the tales of artefacts and how they
have been used. This marks the third collaboration
between Manarat Al Saadiyat and the British Muse-
um, and heralds the 2016 opening of the Zayed Na-
tional Museum on the now-controversial Saadiyat
Island, future home to the Louvre and Guggenheim
Abu Dhabi. The museum
will house items from the
UAE and the wider Middle
East.
“It is certainly a privilege to
re-stage this show in Abu
Dhabi as with so many
exciting new cultural proj-
ects are on the horizon
here, it feels like a good
time to be talking about
global culture,” says exhibition curator Becky Allen.
100 Objects is inspired by the massively successful
BBC radio series and book, which took items from
the British Museum and wove a narrative around
them. Bringing the objects together for the first time
under this theme has been a serious undertaking,
with Allen leading a team of over 90 other curators.
Some objects were too large or delicate to travel,
so the Gulf incarnation of the show is a variation on
the original list.
The exhibition is presented in chronological chap-
ters, with titles such as Power and Philosophy, and
Innovation and Adaptation. Allen explains, “The
close study of an object
gives us a way to under-
stand cultures that didn’t
leave any written texts be-
hind”. The Inner Coffin of
Shepenmehyt, c.600 BCE,
for example, is packed full
of information: “Look how
much we can learn from
the study of this one ob-
ject. Hieroglyphics to be
decoded, an understand-
ing of religion, an idea about what kind of materials
they used.”
Throughout the exhibition, each object is contextual-
ised through maps, images, texts, videos and its prox-
sTories aT The crossroaDs
the British Museum brings its celebrated exhibition A history of the world in 100 objects to Abu Dhabi
throughout the summer
b y A n y a S t a f f o r d
Zayed National Museum, Saadiyat Island
105
Hebrew astrolabe 1200-1400AD, South Arabian bronze hand 200-600AD, and other objects from A History of the World in 100 Objects
106
imity to other artefacts. The Royal Game of Ur from
2,600-2,400 BCE is a special and beautiful piece that
according to Allen, “Shows the importance of leisure,
fun and game playing.” It comes from one of the
world’s first cities, the Sumerian city of Ur in Mesopota-
mia, now southern Iraq. The fact that has been crafted
from wood, lapis lazuli, red limestone and shell tells
the story of Ur’s trade routes, with the lapis lazuli and
shell coming from Afghanistan and the Gulf respec-
tively.
A mask from late 1880s Sierra Leone is accompanied
by a stunning film of a woman dancing in the black
wooden and raffia disguise as a part of Sande initia-
tion ceremonies. Only her legs are visible as the dark-
ness conjures other worlds, but also something of a
contemporary aesthetic. This mask is surprisingly fin-
ished with a European top hat, a status symbol among
community elders.
In Allen’s view, “Objects are remarkable survivors”. She
cites the tiny 5.5cm Incan Gold Llama from 1400-1550
CE as her favourite example of this because most of
the empire’s gold was melted down by the Spanish
when they arrived in Peru yet this figurine survives.
The curator hopes that visitors will “walk away from
the exhibition thinking about the many similarities in
challenges, hopes and fears that people have faced
through time. This show is a celebration of that com-
mon thread.” This intention informed the aim of making
the exhibition feel relevant to today by also including
recently designed items, such as Object 101, which is
the Prototype Foot-Controlled Car, designed in 2013
by an Emirati student. “This way, the story continues.”
A History of the World in 100 Objects continues at Manarat Al Saadi-
yat Abu Dhabi until 1st August 2014
Safavid Tiles
Statue of the pharaoh Ramesses IIOlmec stone mask
106
imity to other artefacts. The Royal Game of Ur from
2,600-2,400 BCE is a special and beautiful piece that
according to Allen, “Shows the importance of leisure,
fun and game playing.” It comes from one of the
world’s first cities, the Sumerian city of Ur in Mesopota-
mia, now southern Iraq. The fact that has been crafted
from wood, lapis lazuli, red limestone and shell tells
the story of Ur’s trade routes, with the lapis lazuli and
shell coming from Afghanistan and the Gulf respec-
tively.
A mask from late 1880s Sierra Leone is accompanied
by a stunning film of a woman dancing in the black
wooden and raffia disguise as a part of Sande initia-
tion ceremonies. Only her legs are visible as the dark-
ness conjures other worlds, but also something of a
contemporary aesthetic. This mask is surprisingly fin-
ished with a European top hat, a status symbol among
community elders.
In Allen’s view, “Objects are remarkable survivors”. She
cites the tiny 5.5cm Incan Gold Llama from 1400-1550
CE as her favourite example of this because most of
the empire’s gold was melted down by the Spanish
when they arrived in Peru yet this figurine survives.
The curator hopes that visitors will “walk away from
the exhibition thinking about the many similarities in
challenges, hopes and fears that people have faced
through time. This show is a celebration of that com-
mon thread.” This intention informed the aim of making
the exhibition feel relevant to today by also including
recently designed items, such as Object 101, which is
the Prototype Foot-Controlled Car, designed in 2013
by an Emirati student. “This way, the story continues.”
A History of the World in 100 Objects continues at Manarat Al Saadi-
yat Abu Dhabi until 1st August 2014
Safavid Tiles
Statue of the pharaoh Ramesses IIOlmec stone mask
107
Dos Santos in lead
107
Dos Santos in lead
108
The shaPe of MeMory
Swedish artist Jonas dahlberg speaks with Selections about his design for memory wound to commemorate the victims of the 2011 Utøya
massacre in norway
b y A l b e r t o M u c c i
When in 2013 Jonas Dahlberg first visited Utøya, the island off
the Norwegian coast where 69 people were killed by Nor-
wegian nationalist Anders Behring Breivik, he was struck by
the narrative that had formed around visiting the place. “From
the moment you get on the bus in Oslo and start the journey
towards the site, everyone was waiting for that moment when
you see Utøya. When the lake came into view and we saw an
island, somebody immediately asked, ‘Is that Utøya?’ and we
all were stood up, staring out of the window. When it turned
109
Jonas Dahlberg’s Memory Wound will cut through the peninsula at Utøya
110
out not to be Utøya, we all sat down again, until the
island actually appeared. It was this voyeuristic gaze
that I wanted to avoid with the actual memorial – I
wanted people to look inside themselves rather than
just waiting to see an island.’
The objective of the Swedish artist – who started out
studying architecture, but went on to do a masters in
Fine Art at Malmö Art Academy, and asserts that he al-
ways works conceptually with architecture in his work
– was to avoid any form of romanticisation around the
site of the massacre. Dahlberg explains that he want-
ed to design a place where people would be able to
gather in intimacy and privacy, to find a place where
they could reflect on what had happened and try to
untangle the complex realities behind such a tragic
event for themselves.
This was the thinking behind erecting Memory Wound,
the name given to the memorial, in Sørbråten, the pen-
insula that faces Utøya. And it is for the same reasons
that Dahlberg’s creation is made up of a three-and-a
half-metre-wide incision in the ground, made “by ne-
gation”, as the artist describes it. This means building
by taking away part of the earth and creating a physi-
cal open space in the ground. Once completed visi-
tors will be able to walk through an underground path-
way to the split and see the victims’ names inscribed
on the other side.
The Sørbråten memorial is one part of a larger project
as the materials excavated will be used to build the
foundation for a temporary memorial in Oslo’s gov-
ernment quarter, as well as a more permanent me-
morial at a later stage. When asked if at any point he
felt uncomfortable building a national memorial as a
foreigner, Dahlberg answers with decision: “Not at all.
I actually think the opposite. Breivik (the perpetrator
of the massacre) justified his actions on nationalistic
grounds and it would be strange to choose the artist
on the very same basis. Utøya was a human tragedy,
one that can be felt beyond borders.”
Such an idea about the reach of Utøya invites a more
general reflection on the meaning of memorials and
their public role. According to Dahlberg there are two
main objectives that such structures have to fulfil. The
first is to create a private place for everyone to be
able to pay respect to the victims and meditate on the
social and political reasons that triggered the event
that the memorial commemorates. The second role
is institutional: memorials are there to remember that
something this terrible happened and to remind peo-
ple that something similar could occur again.
“It may sound harsh but when events such as the
Utøya massacre occur, the real task of remember-
ing is to look at what caused the specific human
behaviour that allowed such a terrible event to take
place.” Dahlberg’s words might well be applied be-
yond the Norwegian borders and his work stands
not only for the importance of remembering over
forgetting, but also points us towards the tone that
remembrance should take.
“The Killer JusTifieD his acTions on naTionalisTic grounDs anD iT woulD Be sTrange To choose The arTisT on The very saMe Basis.
uTøya was a huMan TrageDy, one ThaT can Be felT BeyonD BorDers”
111
112
How and why did postcolonial modernist architecture fail? merlin fulcher, from the Architects’ Journal, reviews a discussion of Jane drew and maxwell fry’s flawed tropical utopianism
TrouBle in ParaDise
Basra Masterplan location by Stallan-Brand
113
A stone’s throw from the imposing grandeur of Buck-
ingham Palace, Wellington House and the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office in the British capital, a
small group of academics, architects and students
gathered in March to discuss colonial modernist ar-
chitecture – not its achievements, but its failure.
Sixty years ago, London’s Institute of Contemporary
Arts (ICA) was the epicentre of Britain’s modernist
movement. The hip and stylish venue on the edge
of leafy St James’s Park reverberated in the 1950s
and ‘60s with extraordinarily gifted and idealistic
artists who believed they could transform the world
for the better by following scientific and rational
lines of thought.
Among them were the architectural leading lights
Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry who were busy scientifi-
cally theorising a new architecture that they believed
could provide perfect living and working conditions
in all of earth’s tropical zones. Like many of their con-
temporaries they placed an extraordinary faith in the
developmental power of modern steel, glass and
concrete buildings.
So while the post-war ruins of Victorian London were
being revolutionised with new high-rise housing and
motorway underpasses, it was simultaneously be-
lieved this wonder-cure architecture could also help
Britain’s former colonies to flourish as they re-learned
to govern themselves. But within only a few years of
many gleaming new hospitals and universities being
completed, many of the former colonial countries had
descended into civil war, with such flagship icons of
modernist architecture becoming epicentres of vio-
lence and demonstrations.
One such flagship project was University College
Ibadan (UCI) in Western Nigeria. Designed by Drew
and Fry in 1953, the campus was laid out in Oxbridge-
style quadrangles with moulded concrete-screened
buildings designed to mimic the rhythm of African
music. A propaganda video from the time by BP de-
scribed UCI as a place where ethnic rivalries would
dissolve. But as Nigeria fell into civil war it became the
complete opposite, with police entering the campus
in 1969 and the first student being shot a year later.
So what went wrong? The architects and thinkers who
gathered at the ICA believe there was a catastrophic
mismatch between the radically egalitarian principles
of modernist architects and the colonial authorities’
desire to reinforce traditional power structures in the
Basra Masterplan by Stallan-Brand
114
countries they had previously relinquished. They
point to the underlying racial prejudices that saw
architecture and town planning used to geographi-
cally separate colonials from native peoples in In-
dia and Africa throughout the nineteenth century.
Ultimately they suggest that modernist architects
were naïve to believe new buildings alone could
revolutionise these intentionally divided societies.
The now-evidently limited concept of tropical archi-
tecture was clearly not – despite what Drew and Fry
fervently believed – uniformly appropriate around
the globe.
Today we might ask why, despite these failings,
British architects (along with those from many other
nationalities) continue to practice a similarly uni-
form design approach around the world, and the
image of sparkling modernist towers and shopping
malls has become a symbol of independence and
economic power across North Africa, Asia and the
Middle East. Perhaps this evidently misguided ap-
proach continues because business between West-
ern consultancies and former colonial countries
remains a cornerstone of international commerce,
with architectural firms such as Glasgow-based Stal-
lan-Brand devising new masterplans for universities
in Iraq, Lagos and Nigeria in the last year alone. The
very best international architecture today is far less
dogmatic than the modernistic mantra that informed
Drew and Fry’s experiments. The greatest change
now is the rise of powerful local clients around the
world who can decide for themselves which devel-
opmental ideas they are importing, and cherry-pick
the most appropriate, for better or for worse.
© S
Koopman
© S
Koopman
University of Ibadan by Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew
AYYAm Ad
following in her fooTsTePs
the legacy of Andrée putman lives on under the sensitive leadership of her daughter olivia, now steering the family’s eponymous Paris studio in her own contemporary direction
b y J o h n O v a n s
Lustre Rosace Orgue by Studio Putman
117
As a designer, Andrée Putman was as ground-
breaking as she was prolific. Recognisable by her
red lipstick, side-swept bob, and serious photo face,
Putman was responsible for the boutique interiors
of some of fashion’s leading names, including Yves
Saint-Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. She was credited
with designing the world’s first boutique hotel, re-
spected for her cult film sets for Peter Greenaway,
and known for her signature black-and-white check-
erboard motif. This
sassy grande dâme
of design launched
her eponymous
label in 1997. She
even reworked the
interior of the Con-
corde jet. Refus-
ing to let age get
the better of her,
Putman carried on
designing into her
eighties. When she
died last year at the
age of 87, the design world mourned, but her studio
continues under the direction of her accomplished
daughter, Olivia Putman.
A designer in her own right, Olivia has been at helm
of her mother’s company, now known as Studio Put-
man, since 2007. She ventured into her first profes-
sional adventure by transforming old factories into
artists’ studios and exhibition spaces, shortly fol-
lowed by work as a landscape designer. Taking on a
parent’s widely respected legacy, several years af-
ter she was first asked, is not without its challenges,
but rather than browbeating, Putman Junior remains
level-headed as she explains, “I am trying to cre-
ate my own style without forgetting her legacy – but
influence from her is certain, as she educated me.”
Such pragmatism weighs into much of Putman’s
design philoso-
phy. “We try to be
sociologists when
we work for public
spaces and more
psychologists
when working on
private projects,”
she reveals. With
this in mind, she
is direct about her
feelings for con-
temporary design,
suggesting that it,
“Calm down a little. I believe we’ve reached a time
where people are fed up with design for design’s
sake.” She cites her work for Lalique, where she
was formerly creative director, such as an eleven-
piece collection of chandeliers, sconces, and desk
and floor lamps in satin-finished crystal cylinders
entitled Orgue, as a personal favourite, but also
describes how she enjoys the challenge of a pri-
vate customer brief. “When you work on private
Andrée and Olivia Putman by Xavier Bejot
118
“i aM Trying To creaTe My own sTyle wiThouT
forgeTTing her legacy – BuT influence froM her is
cerTain, as she eDucaTeD Me”
ABOVE: Le Temps des Collections, Rouen, by Studio Putman
OPPOSITE PAGE: Cover graphic for Selections The Design Issue by Olivia Putman
119
120
121
ABOVE: Golden Orgue lamp by Studio Putman for Lalique
OPPOSITE PAGE: Jour de Fête lamp by Studio Putman
122
residences you have to guess what the client is not
telling you,” she says. “Most of time, you have to
guess what their needs are, because they don’t re-
ally know themselves.” As for her upcoming work,
she teases that “two big exhibitions” will soon be
taking place in Hong Kong, a location not unfamiliar
to the Putman brand. When not designing, Putman
has another full-time job as the mother of four boys.
Musing recently about the ‘Putman style’, Olivia
settles on, “A high dose of nostalgia linked with a
futuristic vision”. How does she reconcile her own
aesthetic approach with this? “I like design when
it seems obvious,” she says. “What I am trying to
achieve is to give a kind of soul to the objects that
accompany our everyday life.” Working for the likes
of Serralunga, Fermob, and Emeco, her precise, ele-
gant style combines elements of classic French flair
and balance with a modern simplicity that feels both
chic and relevant. The Studio Putman approach,
in Olivia’s own words, is, “To be both abstract and
clear at the same time. Ours is a complex blend of
values, habits, and ways of being. It’s really more
like a way to live and to think.”
“whaT i aM Trying To achieve is To give a KinD of soul To The oBJecTs ThaT accoMPany our everyDay life”
Sketch for LAN Airways VIP Lounge by Studio Putman
123
cURAtED BY
olivia PuTMan
124
wiTh eyes wiDe oPen
I was lucky enough to be raised in a family
surrounded by artists and had the chance to
meet many inspirational creative figures at
home. Listening to their conversations I used
to admire their freedom. How precious these
young girl’s memories
are to me now. I re-
member listening to
what I thought were
very strange and
funny point of views
about life, its colours
and textures. I remem-
ber going to a Pink
Floyd concert with my
mother, Andrée Put-
man, when I was only six, and observing Bram
Van Welde while he was creating, all the time
with her at my side, sharing her thoughts with
me.
I really have to thank my parents for the way
that they taught me about how art can be
such a powerful channel to emotion, sense,
beauty and hopefully peace in the world. My
interactions with artists were so important
during my childhood that I still need their sup-
port every day in my adult life. Because of
this it was a natural and obvious decision for
me when I tried to help young artists for the
first ten years of my professional life. This was
one of my most inter-
esting and formative
experiences, when
I was converting old
factories into artists’
studios.
The choices I made
for this special section
in Selections repre-
sent a small panel of
those creators who surprise me with their in-
novative vision and remarkable work. Some-
times their creations seem to be very simple
but these are often those that possess some-
thing like a hidden grace, which can seem
almost invisible.
Artists give us the possibility of keeping our
eyes wide open so we can continue to dream
and to invent new ways of life.
Olivia Putman - Nina Ricci Parfums
Lucio FontanaSpatial Concept #2
1960oil on canvas
I remember seeing the first Concetto Spaziale and being very moved by the subtle effects
of the tears and the change of light.
[© Albright Knox Art Gallery/Art Resource, NY/Scala, Florence]
cURAtED BY oLiViA PUtMAn
Patrick BlancMur Végétal, Musée du Quai Branly
2005plantlife
Patrick Blanc is the brilliant botanist who invented the vertical garden,
which has become quite fashionable but could still be used more. His is a poetic and futuristic vision that may be the only way to introduce more
gardens in our crowded cities.
[©Musée du Quai Branly. Photo: Nicolas Borel]
cURAtED BY oLiViA PUtMAn
Jean Michel BasquiatSelf Portrait As A Heel
1982acrylic and oilstick on canvas
I had a lot of fun with Jean Michel when I was younger. He was an incredible
good boy / bad boy mix. He had so much energy he should never have died so young. He was an angel passing by.
cURAtED BY oLiViA PUtMAn
René Lalique Mossi vase
1933glass
During my two years as artistic director at Lalique I discovered the incredible world of the company’s founder René. I love this vase he designed in the early twentieth century but which could just as easily
have been designed today or tomorrow. I like this ambiguity about it – it’s timeless.
cURAtED BY oLiViA PUtMAn
Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean TinguelyFontaine Stravinsky
1983fibreglass and polyester;
steel and aluminium
I remember playing with my brother around those big machines outside the Pompidou Centre in Paris when
I was a child. My parents were surrounded by artists and always took us to many exhibitions there.
cURAtED BY oLiViA PUtMAn
Gehrard Richter Two Candles
1982oil on canvas
This painting has an incredible effect on the soul and is something close to mystical for me. Universal mysticism! World Peace!
cURAtED BY oLiViA PUtMAn
James TurrellAten Reign, Guggenheim, New York
2013light installation
This contemporary mastermind gives materiality to light and seems to make the invisible visible. James Turrell is a genius
who I’ve had the privilege of sharing several discussions with over the years.
cURAtED BY oLiViA PUtMAn
Mathias KlotzVilla Angostura, Argentina
2007concrete, wood, copper
Photography: Roland Halbe
Mathias and I worked together on a project in South America and
came away with a huge amount of admiration for his particular talent at creating amazing spaces that are
simultaneously beautiful and respect their surrounding environment.
cURAtED BY oLiViA PUtMAn