Pierre Besson, Brussels

Thirty years ago, French artist Pierre Besson was a sculptor. These days he busies himself as an overlord of illusion. His artificially constructed and meticulously fabricated images are based on installations built from everyday objects, particularly bits of computers. In one instance, Besson uses the carcass of a computer to help him create the image of a futuristic building, blending aspects of architecture, sculpture and photography. In this artificial and deserted world, he exposes today’s technologic excess and questions our future whilst skillfully mucking around with perspectives, a technique that reminds us at times of Renaissance paintings, Braque or Picasso. Heavy stuff.

Until 3rd March

Joye Gallery, Chaussée de Vleurgat 125 Vleurgatsesteenweg – 1050 Brussels

www.joyegallery.be

Catclub, Brussels

A new era is nigh: Catclub kicks off the year in a brand new venue, a big-ass loft in Brussels Forest that can host an even bigger crowd than before – a move that had to come sooner or later, judging by the sets-appeal of upwardly mobile South African whippersnapper Culoe De Song on the decks. His Deep House-inspired Afro-Beat, characterised by tribal vocals and hypnotic thumps are set to keep you up all night. Support by Brussels-based DJs Soumaya Dancemachine and Ben Marzys. A late one, guaranteed.

4th February

Catclub, Studio 2, Avenue Van Volxemlaan 14 – 1190 Brussels

www.catclub.be

ProPulse Festival, Brussels

Belgium’s knee-deep in talent, and ProPulse Festival, a “do” organized by the Performing Arts Federation of Wallonia-Brussels, is the new place to parade it. Replacing the well-known Boutik Rock and EntreVues, this is the latest hot date for up-and-coming bands and theatre and dance artists, hooking them up with agents, managers and others from the professional art community for six days on the trot. This weekend’s events are all about music, with Friday night dedicated to pop (from Kupid Kids to Applause), while Saturday occupies itself with Belgium’s most promising electronic acts, including Squeaky Lobster, Ssaliva and Glÿph, to name but a few. In ten years you can tell your mates “I was there when (insert band name here) were just a weirdo garage band nobody had heard of.” That could be nice.

3rd and 4th February

Botanique

www.botanique.be

Atelier Solarshop, Antwerp

This is a good one. Antwerp’s Atelier Solarshop, a creative nerve centre for young artists and designers, is hosting a four day pop-up shop, selling vintage furniture and design bits and bobs. In its 7th edition, the shop offers a sumptuous selection of pieces rooted in Scandinavian industrial design, together with some hand-picked contemporary objects and army treasures. To spice up the shopping experience, they’re bringing out the booze on Friday, with a special cocktail night starting at 19h00. Featured designers include ANVE and Stephanie Schneider to HUI-HUI, Jan-Jan Van Essche and more.

From 2nd to 5th February

Atelier Solarshop, Dambruggestraat 48 – 2060 Antwerp

www.ateliersolarshop.be

Dubieus Design, Antwerp

Only 60 meters away from Atelier Solarshop there’s an even bigger vintage shopping mecca: For the fourth year in a row Designcenter Winkelhaak is hosting the winter edition of their annual design fair. The centre will be flogging curiosities, collector’s items and design classics dating from the fifties and onwards – a feast for vintage fetishists. Buying chairs as an investment may sound a bit strange, but we think it guarantees a bit more excitement than keeping a close eye on the boring old stock market. And what’s more: this year’s fair includes a special vinyl sale on Friday. Step this way, music nerds and nerdettes.

Designcenter Winkelhaak, Lange Winkelhaakstraat 26 – 2060 Antwerp

From 3rd to 4th February

www.winkelhaak.be

Heartbreaktunes presents LA DISPUTE vs. FORMER THIEVES vs. DEAFHEAVEN vs. HIEROPHANT, Antwerp

Three Americans and an Italian walk into a bar… or, three US bands and an Italian one walk into a youth centre in Antwerp, and pursue a dodgily loud evening of punk, exploring the range from hardcore and shoegazing to post-rock and black metal. Whilst American five-piece La Dispute wax delightful with a peculiar mixture of emotional introspectiveness and dynamic punk attitude, Californians Deafheaven make you think of My Bloody Valentine, shifting constantly between ugliness and beauty. Italians Hierophant are here on their mission to prove, once and for all, that punk is defo not dead. A dark, loud affair, and not for the tender-eared.

3rd February

Kavka, Oudaan 14 – 2000 Antwerp

www.heartbreaktunes.com

ITAL, Dynooo vs. Cupp Cave, Ghent

Introduced to Ghent by independent music platform Subbacultcha!, Daniel Martin-McCormick is set to fill the weekend stage with solo project ITAL. Conserving some of the musical mannerisms he acquired as a Sex Worker or as one half of Mi Ami, the New York producer wallows in classic house and techno. Challenging his audience with dissonant sound and unconventional structure, Martin-McCormick specialises in long, stretched-out synth sweeps and walls of feedback. Like many of his colleagues on 100% SILK records, ITAL takes pride in blurring the boundaries between artistic creation and dance music. As a special treat just for you, bustling Belgian producers Cupp Cave and Dynooo will join in for a riveting live set, merging slow tempo techno, atmocore and broken house.

5th February

DOK kantine, Koopvaardijlaan – 9000 Ghent

www.dokgent.be

Why is two better than one?

D: In the artistic field it is always better to be more than one. When you’re all by yourself there comes a point when you cannot judge your own work anymore. It’s good to get another opinion. You make each other better in the end.

F: That’s very simple: Because there are two brains instead of one and four hands instead of two. This means more creativity, more input. When you work alone you are never really confronted with criticism, and criticism is very important. Being two multiples our possibilities. For example we can go to different meetings at the same time or if one of us goes on holidays it doesn’t mean that the workflow stops. It also reassures our clients, because they know there’s always a back up.

Isn’t two harder than one?

F: No. Of course you have to deal with being confronted to another opinion and you have to let go a bit of your own idea sometimes, but that’s not really difficult.

D: You have to find compromises of course and you have to adapt yourself a bit, but it’s not harder, no.

Does 1+1 always equal 2?

F: I’d say 1+1 makes 3: Because it triples the possibilities.

D: It makes three because we created a third entity: Face to Face Design. It’s something that could theoretically even continue without us one day.

Do either of you ever wish it was just 1? (Be honest!)

F: No. Of course things are not always perfect, but it’s always better than being alone.

D: No. We function really well together and never have fights actually.

Is 2 better than 3? In French they say never 2 without 3…

F: Three is great! It means some fresh air, even more ideas and two more hands to help. That’s why we almost always have interns. And we are just in the beginning, maybe we’ll really be three one day.

D: Just when we have a bad intern, then we think two might be better (laughter).

Can you remember a life without your +1?

D: My memory is actually quite vague. I remember I was working home alone and tried to organise myself somehow…

F: I remember quite well. There were no fixed hours, I was working at night a lot, and it was very flexible. Now our hours resemble those of civil servants (laughter). Everything is much more structured. But that’s also because I have kids now.

Is it all 50/50?

D: Nearly. Just when it comes to some of our old clients we work separately. The spirit is definitely 50/50. But we are not pedantic when it comes to that, we don’t calculate the hours we work or things like that.

F: We basically divide everything, also money-wise. But we don’t compare all the receipts to calculate every single cent. I think that’s also one of the reasons why we don’t fight. It’s completely like being in a couple, actually.

Photography Melika Ngombe

From Colette to Dior to Louis Vuitton, all high-end fashion houses count on Stockman mannequins to drape their creations-in-the-making. No wonder, then, that these famous French dummies are a must-have for the studio of any worthy fashion designer. In Brussels, La Cambre‘s army of the shapely mannequins have become part of the furniture. Around since 1867, the ageless Stockman mannequin has kept its position as the number one tailoring dummy for the ready-to-wear trade, keeping the same gestures it made in the 19th century. The company’s founder, Fredric Stockman, is the guy that we have to thank (we think) for today’s clothing sizes: he was the first to identify standardised shapes for our bodies. The company shapes their dummies to fit the prevailing local shape, so that Belgium’s Stockman dummy will be markedly different from Japan’s.

Photography Melika Ngombe

Premiere Vision is hands down the most important address for professional fashion designers on the hunt for fabrics. At this twice yearly fair in Paris, bump into everyone and anyone who’s anyone in fashion, fishing for the perfect material for the perfect next collection. With 700 weavers from 28 countries, the range of choice for the 50.000 or so visitors is eclectic, to say the least. Premiere Vision has swiftly established itself as the world’s number one fabric fair, an event that stays tuned to the demands of the industry and all the trends and tendencies of yearly fashion calendar, with impeccable timing. Whatever you are looking for, if you don’t find it here, you won’t find it anywhere.

From 14th to 16th February 2012

Premiere Vision, Parc d’Expositions Paris Nord Villepinte

www.premierevision.com

Photography Melika Ngombe

With the fashion week roll about to begin, fashion professionals the world around best start sprucing up on their fashion intelligence for the next few weeks will be one long test. Picture the following. You’re standing at the bar at the after-paerty, waiting to be served. Someone starts small-talking you, asking you how you found the collection. Next thing you know, you’re being quizzed on everything from the credit ratings of certain luxury powerhouses and the latest rumours surrounding the appointment of Dior Homme’s menswear designer to who the new face of Balenciaga might be. And, unless your blog reader’s full of the industry’s main chit-chat platforms (Bryan Boy, Tavi and the likes), Women’s Wear Daily‘s really your only ‘get out of jail for free’ card. The weekly bible of the fashion world, the newspaper, who has just celebrated its 100th anniversary, is the mother-of-all authorities on everything that is remotely linked to fashion. Truth is, whether you need to know what’s trending on the catwalks this season, who the new creative director of your favourite fashion imprint is or which upstart just got awarded the Mango Fashion Award? Getting a yearly subscription to WWD’s your only safe bet.

Women’s Wear Daily

Yearly print and online subscription $169.00

www.wwd.com

…

How did the cooperation develop? What do you like about Delvaux?

It was Delvaux who approached us and we were very happy about it. We have a lot of respect for this brand and a lot of common denominators, ranging from their respect for material to the way they work and the number of pieces they produce. Everything is hand-made and well-controlled. Delvaux is a label that we already know for a long time, it’s something you grow up with, something our mothers already wore.

How did you choose what kind of piece you wanted to make? What inspired you?

It was important for us to create a link between silver and leather. We needed to translate that somehow. First we thought about making a piece out of leather, but that didn’t feel right. So we decided to transform leather into metal.

You used an antique procedure called the “wax casting method”, can you tell me more about that?

We wanted to use a method that would ensure not to lose any details. Church bells used to be made this way. It’s very rare to find someone who can still do something like that. We found this old man in this old house in Brussels who did an amazing job. It is a very long procedure involving many different steps, and each step poses the risk to lose some of the structure.

There’s also a bump in the bracelet imitating a woman’s wrist knuckle.

We added the bump ourselves by heating up the metal and working it with a hammer. The bump is a typical Wouters & Hendrix feature. We like to add humorous details, make it personal somehow. We don’t take ourselves too serious.

What kind of woman did you have in mind when you designed the bracelet?

It has nothing to do with age but more with an affinity for the piece. Our clients are usually people who don’t buy jewellery just to have it and because they can. For many the pieces are of sentimental value. Some come to us with pieces they bought 20 years ago asking to repair them. There’s always a story behind.

Why did you choose the title “embrace”, what does it signify?

We chose the name because of its double meaning: The bracelet embraces your arm and at the same time the two houses are embracing to work with each other.

Why is it a limited edition?

It’s very difficult and time-consuming to make, every piece is hand-crafted. And we wanted to keep it exclusive. With the moulding method that we talked about earlier you get a lot of unusable samples. Maybe 6 out of 12 pieces turn out the way we want. Not producing too many pieces protects their quality. We consider the bracelet more as an art piece.

How long does it take to make one piece?

For example it took two whole weeks until we got the first sample and after that we work on it about half a day in house.

It’s not exactly cheap – what is luxury for you?

It’s things you have but don’t really need. Something to spoil yourself and to make your life more comfortable.

You’ve been designing for 27 years now – how would you describe your style? What makes your jewellery stand out? What’s your signature touch?

We do classic jewellery with a twist. Also, we love old pieces with an emotional value produces with old techniques. Sometimes we reuse them in combination with contemporary pieces.

How did you two meet?

We studied together in Antwerp but were not really friends at the time. We really liked and respected each other’s work and have learned a lot from each other.

How did you get into jewellery-making and what is it that you like about it?

It is so beautiful because it is something you do with your hands and requires real craftsmanship. And it gives you a real kick when you use an old method and finally get it right. Or the feeling when you make your first ring…Jewellery-making is learning by doing and the passion grows in the process.

‘Embrace’ bracelet (€ 2.100)

Available from Delvaux, Boulevard de Waterloo 29 Waterloosesteenweg, 1000 Brussels

www.delvaux.be

Christopher Coppers, Brussels

Brussels-based cut-up artist Christopher Coppers has a thing about ripping up magazines. Whether carving out a new cover for them, stripping out their souls to give them a new life or shredding their pages to use as coating for other objects, Coppers reworks and revisits magazines with his signature, destructive touch. Although his latest work has taken somewhat of a political stance – he recently set about recreating the G8 countries’ flags using nothing but shredded magazine pages – Coppers retains his uncanny ability to infuse his work with a light-hearted irony that, really, is the single reason we like his work so much. Maybe that’s why we once asked him to recreate our very own flag.

Opening tonight at 17h00

Exhibition runs until 25th February

Bodson Emelinckx, Rue de Henninstraat 70 – 1050 Brussels

www.bodson-emelinckx.com

The Criime and Asura, Brussels

The Criime, a Brussels-based tribal-infused, tech-house two-piece from Luxembourg founded by Andrea Mancini and Fabio Picariello in 2009, have stirred quite some attention of late with the release of their debut EP ‘Fidji’ (released on Finnish label Top Billin). Confirming its place amongst the city’s nightlife circuit, newcomer Mr Wong puts on a night which pairs the fresh-faced duo with Parisian DJ project Asura (think sombre and melancholic beats). Their fourth album, ‘360’ came out in 2010 on Ultimae Records. Get your dancing shoes on because this one promises to be long.

Tonight, at 22h00

Mr Wong, Rue de la Vierge Noire 10 Zwarte Lievevrouwstraat – 1000 Brussels

www.mrwong.be

Tomas Alonso, Brussels

“I would like my objects to be used, lived with and enjoyed,” says designer Tomas Alonso about his work. Accordingly, his pared-down designs combine functionality and practicality with a quirky elegance. By working with different materials in an original way, the Spanish-born, London-based designer explores structure and form whilst eliminating all unnecessary elements. This exhibition puts forward some of Alonso’s most recent works, such as his Mr. Light series of lamps, and makes good his reputation for down-to-earth, pragmatic  furniture-making. It is no surprise, then, that his works have gained a place in London’s Design Museum‘s permanent collection. Not to be missed.

Until 5th February

Victor Hunt Gallery, Rue Lambert Crickxstraat 16 – 1070 Brussels

www.victor-hunt.com

Zero Gravity Revolt, Brussels

‘Zero Gravity Revolt’ is more than just your ordinary exhibition. The works of Moscow-based artist Nikolay Oleynikov, part of the Russian collective Chto Delat, are based on bringing people together from different backgrounds and disciplines and building temporary communities that actively participate in the creation of the artwork. The end result is a mural juxtaposed with sketches, scripts and research material stemming from countless group meetings. The subject: early Soviet science fiction from the 1920s. Subversive and thought-provoking, Oleynikov’s didactic murals are always influenced by surrealism, punk culture, comics and the Soviet monumental school.

Until 11th February

Zero Gravity Revolt, Avenue Van Volxemlaan 295 – 1190 Brussels

www.kmplt.be

Chilly Gonzales, Brussels

Grammy-nominee, world-record holder (longest ever piano play), prodigy producer, versatile vocalist. It’s fair to say Canadian-born, Paris-based Gonzales (whom we interviewed back in May 2011, read the interview here) has more than a talent up his sleeve. And, following his cancelled show on 22nd December, he’s (finally) back in Brussels touring his latest album: ‘The Unspeakable Chilly Gonzales’. Expect lots of laughter, wit and a good dose of playful arrogance.

22nd January

Botanique, Rue Royale 236 Koningsstraat – 1210 Brussels

www.botanique.be

Ben Murphy, Antwerp

The building of the United Nations‘ headquarters near New York City’s East River is without doubt an urban icon and an obligatory stop for all visitors to the Big Apple. Only a handful have been able to venture inside the building though, which adds to its sense of mystery and general aura. Over a period of 15 months, British photographer Ben Murphy had the opportunity to capture its hidden spaces on film, creating 100 images that in a way reveal a sublime and melancholic beauty on the backdrop of power-broking corridors.

Until 26th February

Stieglitz 19, Klapdorp 2 – 2000 Antwerp

www.stieglitz.be

From Back Home, Ghent

Anders Petersen and JH Engström are two of Sweden’s leading and most important photographers. The exhibition ’From Back Home’ is the result of a seven-year long collaboration between the two. From 2001 up until 2008, the pair photographed the Värmland region, a barely-populated region in Sweden from which they both originate. Their resulting captivating, melancholic and slightly dark pictures pay tribute to the people, places and landscapes of their childhood. A fascinating and very personal journey down memory lane.

Until 29th January

ZebraStraat, Zebrastraat 32 – 9000 Ghent

www.zebrastraat.be

American artist Shirley Jaffe’s works are all about colour. Colours are what determine her compositions and generate form, stimulating the viewer’s gaze and pleading for experiencing art just by looking at it. Her geometrical, flat paintings are clearly inspired by abstract expressionism and the innovative movements in American painting since the mid-forties. Jaffe was part of a group of young American and Canadian artsits that moved to Paris after World War II and became referred to as the Second Generation Abstract Expressionists, including artists as Ellsworth Kelly or James Bishop.

Until 14th January

Galerie Greta Meert, Rue Du Canal 13 Vaartstraat, 1000 Brussels

www.galeriegretameert.com

Design Brasil, Brussels

Even though for a long time design was not considered as a separate discipline but rather integrated in other related fields as art, industry or architecture, Brazil’s design history goes back to the 19th century. With the creation of the country’s first design agency in 1958 and the foundation of an Industrial Design School in Rio de Janeiro a few years later, design became more established. This exhibition especially puts forward products from the famous Brazilian designers Fernando & Humberto Campana who, inspired by their country’s street life and carnival culture, created objects made of found pieces as wood waste in combination with advanced technologies. At the same time Design Brasil gives a comprehensive overview of a large number of Brazilian designers whose works are characterised by vibrant colours and a certain playfulness.

Until 5th February

Design Vlaanderen, Rue de la Chancellerie 19 Kanselarijstraat, 1000 Brussels

www.designvlaanderen.be

Ferdinand Schirren, Brussels

Even though always a bit in the shadow of the most prominent Belgian Fauvist, Rik Wouters, Ferdinand Schirren was a pioneer of his time who in the beginning of the 20th century greatly contributed to the emergence of what we now refer to as “Brabant Fauvism”. With this exhibition the Royal Museum of Fine Arts continues to put forward some of Belgium’s lesser-known artists who clearly deserve more spotlight. Schirren’s paintings, that mostly display rather simple subjects taken from everyday life or landscapes, are defined by glowing, vibrant colours and a precise composition whilst rejecting symbolism. Reminiscing French Fauvists such as Matisse, Schirren’s focus on colours became the overriding theme in his oeuvre.

Until March 2012

Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Rue Royal 3 Regentschapsstraat, 1000 Brussels

www.fine-arts-museum.be

Baxter Dury, Brussels

Six years after his last album, English singer-songwriter Baxter Dury is back with his latest record ‘Happy Soup’, an intimate collection of laid-back, warm and intriguing songs. At times melancholic and dreamy, at others optimistic and uplifting, Baxter Dury has become quite good at something he originally never wanted to do: Be a musician and follow into the footsteps of his famous father (Blockheads punk-era hero Ian Dury). With the ten tracks on ‘Happy Soup’ that Baxter cryptically describes as ‘seaside psychedelia’, the artist proves once again that he does not have to be afraid of his father’s long shadow.

Listen to the single ‘Claire’:

14th January

Botanique, Rue Royale 236 Koningsstraat, 1210 Brussels

www.botanique.be

Best Vinyl Art 2011, Brussels

Over the years album artwork has become much more than just a marketing or promotion tool: Designing record covers is considered as an art by many nowadays. It is within this context that Brussels’ Jonas Gallery exhibits a selection of the 50 best album sleeves of 2011 with Das Pop being the only Belgian flag-waver. Also on display are the newest LP covers of The Horrors, Metronomy or Bon Iver, for example. Considering the rise of digital downloads and the decline of buying, it remains to be seen how important the CD format will be in the future.

Until 28th January

Jonas Gallery, Rue de Flandre 35 Vlaamsesteenweg, 1000 Brussels

www.jonasgallery.com

Peter Lindbergh, Antwerp

With his melancholic photographs of international supermodels Linda Evangelista, Kate Moss or even Tatjana Patitz marked by their effortless character and emotional depth, German fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh brought the new faces to worldwide attention. A master of black and white photography, he contributed more than any in shaping the fashion scene of the last 25 years. Combining a selection of Lindbergh’s world famous images with his more recent work as well as a series he shot for Vogue in Berlin in 2009, this comprehensive exhibition is a must for photography and fashion fans alike.

Until 29th January

FotoMuseum, Waalsekaai 47, 2000 Antwerp

www.fotomuseum.be

Johan Grimonprez, Ghent

Mixing reality and fiction, Belgian artist and filmmaker Johan Grimonprez, a child of the first TV generation, explores and documents the ever-growing influence television, cinema, advertising and the news have on our perception of the world and the imminent risk of manipulation. His video works, which play with delusion and deception whilst expos- ing the importance of the moving image in our lives, are based on recycled images taken from news broadcasts, documentary material, Hollywood movies, animated films and commercials as well as from archival items. In his award-winning video collage Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y for instance, Grimonprez explores the worldwide history of high-jackings. And it is exactly this kind of uncanny relevance that draws you in. Think of him as a Michael Moore but with an even bigger grin.

Until 29th January

S.M.A.K., Citadelpark, 9000 Ghent

www.smak.be

Writer Philippe Pourhashemi, Photographer Lorenzo

In a noisy world governed by pressure and speed, Damir Doma’s clothes offer a welcome respite from the highly cyclical fashion world. His garments whisper -rather than shout- inviting us to take a step back and reflect upon fashion. The Croatian-born, Paris-based designer, showed his first collection in June 2007, gaining serious interest from key retailers and influential press. With a focus on draping, soft shapes and generous volumes, he pushed menswear into a new territory, moving away from Hedi Slimane’s razor-sharp silhouette at Dior Homme towards something more abstract and less angular. He also put an emphasis on craft, giving his pieces a tactile and intricate dimension. He’s part of a generation that rejects sensationalism and style fads, looking for long-term commitments instead of short-term gains. In Doma’s work as a designer, there is no space for vulgarity. He may only be 30, Doma already has quite a large business to run, including menswear and womenswear collections – shown in Paris twice a year – shoes, bags, accessories, and a diffusion line called “Silent”. Working on several projects simultaneously, the designer seems particularly excited at the prospect of opening his own store on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, a few steps from the Comme des Garçons boutique. He plans to unveil the new space during menswear fashion week next January.

Despite an amazing career path – which would make many of his peers green with envy – Damir Doma does not cultivate his ego as much as other designers do. He comes across as an articulate and fairly introspective man, aiming at something more meaningful than the next fashion high. He is deeply analytical and critical, but you can feel his vulnerable side, too. He happens to have a special relationship with Belgium, where he got to learn about his own boundaries, role and identity “I lived in Antwerp for a while, working with Raf Simons and Dirk Schönberger. It was a bit of a soul-searching time for me,” he explains. “I didn’t know anything about the city when I arrived. I didn’t know anyone either and was still in my early 20s. I found myself on my own for the first time and was wondering who I was and what I really wanted from life. I guess it was an exi tential thing. Even though I felt lonely at times, it encouraged me to find some answers. This process helped me create my own foundation in terms of design and direction.” There’s a sense that Doma wants to protect himself, hiding his sensitivity under cosy layers. His clothes are like an embrace from an old friend, giving you comfort, warmth and happiness.

I chose white, because it felt like a new beginning. It was like holding a blank piece of paper in my hand, something very pure and untouched

During his last womenswear show back in September, Doma decided to open with a series of stunning white outfits, giving a clean and fresh start to his collection: “I chose white, because it felt like a new beginning. It was like holding a blank piece of paper in my hand, something very pure and untouched. White stands for spirituality, which is important in my work. I wanted to bring much more sensuality and femininity into the collection. People often acknowledge me as a menswear designer, but I feel the message within my womenswear shows has become clearer and sharper each year. I’ve had to learn the design language to express what I wanted to say.” There’s an organic feel to his clothes, which refer to natural elements in a subtle way. Shades of stone, plaster, marble and sand can be found in his shows, as well as occasional dashes of strong colour. In many ways, Damir Doma’s aesthetic refers to the early 80s and the infamous Japanese wave, when designers like Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo changed the face of Western fashion. Doma’s forte is finding the right balance between all these elements and keeping in mind the needs of his clients “As a designer, I have to keep on pushing myself while remaining true to my essence. Another thing I realised working with Belgian designers is that you always have to place clothes within a much broader context. It’s totally different from – let’s say – the way Italian designers work. Italian fashion is much more about creating a certain look than addressing the reasons why it should exist. I think the Belgians gave depth and meaning to the fashion world, which was surely lacking when their careers took off. Still, one should never forget that fashion is not art. It’s just that the creative process getting you to a collection can be quite similar to what is experienced by an artist when he or she tries to come up with a new piece.”

Needless to say, fashion stardom comes with its fair amount of strain. And, even though Doma is clearly not the excessive type prone to give in to life’s every indulgence, he still has to deal with the pace of the industry and the stress it creates, “People always emphasise the shows, but the most important thing for me is how you get there. That’s the fascinating part. There’s more and more to be done at the company each year. I get more help now, but I also have to be able to delegate, which is not as simple as people imagine it to be. I guess it’s a challenge right now. I still draw everything myself and am not at that point where I feel I don’t need to have that level of control. It’s different with menswear, because I’m getting more and more to this point. With the womenswear line, I’m not there yet.” There’s something touching about Doma’s humility and his willingness to be sincere, not pretending to be something he clearly isn’t. You get to sense the person behind the brand, echoing the way his models look on the catwalk, appearing more like individuals than soulless clothes hangers. Despite growing up as a kid amongst patterns and samples within his mother’s atelier – and being backed by Paper Rain, a powerful and international fashion group – he wants to take the time to evolve, leaving enough room for experimentation and research “I turned 30 this year and didn’t feel any difference. I guess each one of us has milestones in life. There’s always this idea that certain things have to be done by a certain age. I don’t know if this applies to how I live my life. I guess my work is not just about creating collections, but also finding a language that can be understood globally. I’m aware that finding this is challenging and goes quite deep, but I’m very excited about it. I feel so grateful I even get the chance to do it. Not many people do.”

For me, fashion is always a very direct reflection of the times we’re going through

Every designer has to make tough decisions, from the complete beginner to the confirmed talent, which is something Damir Doma is more than aware of. “When we started with the menswear, we used to have our production in Belgium, but ended up switching to Italian manufacturers. Belgian companies were very strong when it came to producing women’s clothes, but finding strong partners for menswear was much more complicated. There were also issues with pricing and quality. We got a better package in Italy. The whole production was moved there eventually, apart from Silent, which is mainly made in Portugal.” Besides some unavoidable commercial demands, it’s obvious that Damir Doma loves his work. In fact, he takes fashion more seriously than most of us do: “For me, fashion is always a very direct reflection of the times we’re going through. That’s why people should never underestimate it. It’s a confus- ing period in general, not just in fashion.” He seems to find satisfaction in dealing with several tasks at the same time, rejecting the notion that a single focus is necessarily more efficient “People always seem to worry that working on different things simultaneously decreases your creativity, but this is not something I agree with. I tend to be the opposite as I’m quite comfortable going from one project to another. If you’re a designer working on just one collection, you get this huge sense of loss after your show and there’s nothing else to hang on to. Coming back after that tends to be much harder. This is a very good moment for me. You just need to take a few days off when your body tells you to.”

damirdoma.com

(this feature was first published in the white album)

Art & culture

John Isaacs: The closest I ever came to you

Photography courtesy of Aeroplastics

The UK-born artist is somewhat of a modern-day moralist: His works, mainly installations, expose the discrepancy of the way the world is and the way we would like it to be. Playing with extremities and taboos John Isaacs uses his pieces as guilty messengers that show the decline of today’s Western society and deal with our role as individuals within society. Despite his gloomy vision of the world, his work carries a spark of hope trying to create a new consensus by challenging the spectators to rethink their perspectives. Heavy stuff.

From 18th November to 21st January 2012

AEROPLASTICS contemporary, Rue Blanchestraat 32 , 1060 Brussels

www.aeroplastics.net

Donald Judd

Photography courtesy of Galerie Greta Meert

From his earlier works to his later creations, the exhibition at Greta Meert gallery gives a comprehensive overview of one of the most renowned exponents of Minimal Art – a label that the American artist himself always fiercely rejected. With his radical and innovative approach to furniture design focusing on functionality combined with a pure and simple but elegant look, Donald Judd’s creations were at the time of making of ground-breaking character. Today his pieces have lost nothing of their appeal – built with sober but solid materials, technical precision and an elegant simplicity, Judd’s furniture is timeless and here to stay.

From 19th November to 10th March 2012

Galerie Greta Meert, Rue Du Canal 13 Vaartstraat, 1000 Brussels

www.galeriegretameert.com

Shoot for Good

Photography Sébastien Calvez

With a dual purpose to its existence (to give emerging artists some shine as well as raise funds to support the accessibility of art for low income communities), Shoot for Good‘s Contrasts exhibition displays limited-edition works by photographers from across the world. Sitting alongside the works of 13 amateur photographers are the donated prints of over 17 seasoned professionals who’ve handed their image rights over to the organisation. All profits from the event are reinvested into projects that promote social reintegration through the arts, providing you with the perfect opportunity to indulge in your photographic fetish whilst also doing a little bit of good by, hopefully, reaching out for your wallet.

From 17th to 20th November

Tour & Taxis, Avenue du Port 86c Havenlaan, 1000 Brussels

www.shootforgood.be

Shopping

Indoor DesignMarkt

With its vast selection including affordable interior pieces as well as items exclusively aimed at collectors, this enormous vintage market offers everything a vintage fan could wish for. What’s more, the Ghent DesignMarkt is more than just a sale, extending into the realms of fair-territory. Indeed, visitors will be able to get their picture taken together with their purchased wares by top photographer Andy De Decker, consult young interior designers for free or watch four Belgian architects build a vintage living room right before their eyes.

From 19th to 20th November

ICC Ghent, Citadel Parc 1, 9000 Ghent

www.designmarkt.be

Modo Sales

Organised by Modo Brussels, this gigantic two-day stocksale offers an excellent chance to get your hands on Belgian designer pieces at a reasonable price. More than thirty creators open up their wardrobes for the weekend, with everything from Carine Gilson’s exquisite lingerie to the elegant clothing of award-winning label Sandrina Fasoli vying for your attention. The yearly rendez-vous of the local fashion scene and the best way to add a little Belgian flavour to your clothes rack.

From 18th to 19th November

Center of Fashion & Design, Nouveau Marché-aux-grains 10 Nieuwe Graanmarkt, 1000 Brussels

www.modobrussels.be

Music

Indie: Foster The People

Having conquered the radio waves this summer with its catchy hit ‘Pumped Up Kicks’, the dance-infused indie pop three-piece from Los Angeles now comes to Brussels on the back of their acclaimed debut album ‘Torches’ (think MGMT’s ‘Oracular Spectacular’). The Californians are another perfect example for internet-initiated music stardom: The viral success of ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ got them an online ad campaign, a record label and, finally, appearances at big festivals as Coachella and SXSW where they cemented their reputation for energetic live performances.

19th November

Botanique, Rue Royale 236 Koningsstraat, 1210 Brussels

www.botanique.be

House/disco: Maceo Plex

After having travelled the world and played in some of the best clubs around the globe Maceo Plex, better known under his former artist name Maetrik, now comes to Brussels to present his new tracks (the album ‘Life Index’ was released this year on Crosstown) at the Libertine Supersport night hosted in K-nal. With his versatile mixture of dark and deep house and Nu Disco, Maceo Plex‘s smooth and sexy sound is guaranteed to keep you on your toes ’til the early hours of the morning.

19th November

K-nal, Avenue du Port 1 Havelaan, 1000 Brussels

www.libertinesupersport.be

Hip hop: IconAclass

IconAclass is the most recent solo project from MC and producer Will Brooks, best known for his alternative hip hop releases as MC Dälek. With his new album ‘For the ones’, he digs deep in his soul and offers a stripped down, boom bap old school hip hop album with the lyrics at the forefront and touching on topics from religion to race relations and criticism of capitalism. A must for backpacking hip hop heads with a penchant for dark productions.

20th November

Trix, Noordersingel 28-30, 2140 Antwerp

www.trixonline.be

Funk/Soul: Tropical #17

Every third Saturday of the month Madame Moustache invites you to its so-called Tropical parties dedicated to latin, afro and caribbean rhythms from the 60s to today. This weekend resident DJ Funky Bompa is joined by DJ Quilombo, active in the Brussels Up collective and something of a tropical bass supremo.

19th November

Madame Moustache, Quai au Bois à Brûler 5-7 Brandhoutkaai, 1000 Brussels

www.madamemoustache.be

Photography courtesy of Zhao Li

Did you study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp?

Yes, I did. I graduated with a BA in Jewellery Design and Metalworking in 2009 and got my MA in July last year.

Why did you choose Antwerp to study?

The school has a very good reputation and, of course, I knew about the Antwerp Six. I started doing fashion in the 1st year to realize I was more into the finer details and craftsmanship. I also wanted to do more research on materials and my teacher suggested I do jewellery instead. I started the course in 2006.

Did you have any other options apart from Antwerp?

I would have loved to study in Paris. For me, Chanel and Dior are references, especially when it comes to Haute Couture. It’d be fascinating to work there and gain some professional experience within a larger company.

I love adding a conceptual layer to jewellery making, it’s something that truly drives me.

Why is jewellery so important for you and what does it bring you creatively?

One thing I learnt from the Academy was to focus on the concept and research behind a product. I love adding a conceptual layer to jewellery making, it’s something that truly drives me. I love learning about new techniques as well.

What materials do you like to use in your collections?

The main material I use at the moment is this medical plastic I get through a Belgian healthcare company called Orfit. They basically give me the material for free and I get involved in workshops with schools. I could do anything I wanted with the plastic and remember showing my first pieces to the factory’s owner and his daughter. They both loved it and ended up sponsoring me for my final year project. I’m still using their plastic now.

When did you launch “talitali by Zhao Li”?

I launched the line a year ago and am happy with the way it’s evolving.

Being creative is one thing, but turning it into a business is another.

What are the challenges you face as a young designer?

It takes time for people to notice your work and understand what you are about. You cannot just rely on your own brand and have to work on several projects at once. I work with Heaven Tanudiredja in Antwerp and enjoy our collaboration. When you come out of school, you don’t know anything about the business and have to learn from scratch. Being creative is one thing, but turning it into a business is another.

Where does your passion for animals come from?

It’s funny, because I always get very strong reactions from people, particularly when it comes to insects. Some of them do not seem to be that popular… You would not believe how many adults are terrified of spiders for instance, even when they’re made out of plastic! While I was experimenting with materials, I noticed how beautifully the plastic merged with textiles. I needed something to create a strong contrast between the shapes and materials used. Animals came to mind very naturally, I cannot say it’s something I planned in advance.

Did you like the paradox between the sweet feel of your pieces and the way insects can be perceived?

Yes, definitely. I wanted to work on that contradiction throughout the collection. My aim was not to scare anyone, you know, but it’s nice to see people react to what I do.

Which textiles work best when combined with plastic?

I love using lace. It’s easy to work with and striking at the same time.  I have to melt the plastic first and press the lace on top of it. As lace has many holes, you get this bubble effect on my jewellery, which I really like.

For me, luxury has more to do with creativity, innovation and emotion.

What is luxury for you?

For me, luxury is not about using expensive materials only. In jewellery, many designers are obsessed with diamonds, gold or expensive stones, but luxury can be precious for different reasons. It has more to do with creativity, innovation and emotion. I guess luxury is a very relative notion.

What do you think of artists experimenting with jewellery at the moment?

It’s great. I have exhibited my work in several galleries already and like working with contemporary jewellery pieces. The idea of limited, artistic jewellery appeals to me as well.

Do you think jewellery can be envisaged as an art form?

Yes, I do. There’s this big trend at the moment with contemporary jewellery artists, which I find very interesting. I love the way jewellery has become much more interdisciplinary, dealing with several creative fields at once.

What are the advantages of working and living in Belgium?

Belgium has a great location within Europe. You can easily go to Paris, London or Amsterdam. It’s a very creative country, too, especially when it comes to the fashion world. A lot of things happen here. The best thing is quality of life and the fact that things are still affordable, compared to other major cities. I like the peaceful atmosphere, too.

Do you find people support each other in the business?

Yes, they do. You get to meet a lot of designers here and exchanging ideas with them is not difficult. The Flanders Fashion Institute really helped me, too, and I’m grateful for it. To be honest, I have no intention to move elsewhere. I love it here.

Instameet

When lens manufacturer Schneider begins manufacturing lenses for iPhones and the widely popular photo app Instagram hits the ten million users mark, you know the game has forever been changed. No surprise then that A&Gallery and Instameet, an initiative bringing together the global phoneography community, felt it timely to put on what is, essentially, Belgium first major phoneography exhibition, showcasing 100 selected photographs snapped up with mobile phones. Get used to these, they’re the future.

From 10th to 12th November

A&Gallery, Schepenhuisstraat 17 – 9000 Ghent

www.instameet.be

Olivier Cornil: La quadrature du vide

Photography Olivier Cornil

To celebrate the 60 year anniversary of Brussels’ North-South connection – the city’s so-called Jonction – the neighbourhood’s artistic institutions Recyclart and Congrès join forces to present artists exploring the present and the future of this urban renewal scheme. Top of our list: Photographer Olivier Cornil who’s just completed his first month of residency at Recyclart, Peter Downsbrough showcasing a site-specific installation of his at Congres as well as a historical exhibition tracing the North-South’s axis evolution. The perfect opportunity to spruce up your historical knowledge of Brussels in a very visual manner.

Recyclart, Rue des Ursulines 25 Ursulinenstraat – 1000 Brussels

www.jonction.be

Michel Mazzoni: Straight in the light

Abandoned spaces, lost places and the powerful and immaterial beauty of light – these are the themes French-born photographer Michel Mazzoni explores in his works for the exhibition “Straight in the light” studying the mystical vastness of North American landscapes. Think Stephen Shore and Alec Soth.

From 11th November to 11th December

Centre Culturel Jaques Franck, Chaussee de Waterloo 94 Waterloosesteenweg – 1060 Brussels

www.lejacquesfranck.be

Pink screens

Five different artists from New York to Paris explore gender and sexual diversity in different ways. Machado De Souza Jaqueline for instance focuses on motel rooms as a microcosmos of sexuality, whilst visual artist Carter presents a film installation in which Hollywood star James Franco (127 Hours, Howl) acts out excerpts from different films in an attempt to question identities. The show is part of the Pink Screens film festival’s 10th edition hosted by Cinema Arenberg, Cinema Nova and Genres d’à Coté.

From 10th to 19th November

Cinema Nova, Rue d’Arenberg 3 Arenbergstraat – 1000 Brussels

www.pinkscreens.org

The fashion show to catch: Customisez-moi

In its fifth edition this year, talent contest Customisez-moi created by vintage guru Bernard Gavilan and open to all fashion obsessives – from autodidacts through to fashion students – hosts its final catwalk show this Friday, putting forward the customised creations of the selected finalists. The winner will be given some space to shine through Modo Brussels as well as the RA store in Antwerp.

11th November, 20h00

Studio Indigo, Avenue Van Volxem 388 Van Volxemlaan – 1190 Brussels

www.customisezmoi.com

Paul Smith

Photography courtesy of Paul Smith

Last days to see: This Friday is the final opportunity to see Paul Smith’s stamped object collection – an exhibition of sometimes funny, sometimes weird pieces that designer Paul Smith has been receiving frequently by mail from an unknown fan. Usually situated in Smith’s home, the selection of quirky objects is now shown in Europe for the first time since its debut in Hong Kong.

11th November

Paul Smith, Kelderstraat 2 & 3  – 2000 Antwerp

www.paulsmith.co.uk

The night out: DIG.IT.ALL

German DJ and multi-instrumentalist Christian Prommer takes to the decks at Wood this Friday for a night of live electronic music. Expect a more eclectic vibe, one which places experimentation right at the centre of its game.

11th November

Wood, Chemin de la Meute 1 Jachtkoppelweg – 1000 Brussels

www.thewood.be

The festival to go to: I love Techno

Paul Kalkbrenner, Boys Noize, Birdy Nam Nam, Cassius…once again the Belgian indoor festival I love Techno brings the crème de la crème of electronic music to town. Top of our wish list: Totally Extinct Enormous Dinosaur, Drop the Lime and playboy DJ Brodinski.

Flanders Expo, Maaltekouter 1, 9051 Ghent

www.ilovetechno.be

The concert to catch: Atmosphere

Having probably done more than Prince himself to put Minneapolis on the map, indie rap imprint Atmosphere has over the years built up a considerable fan base with its blend of hardcore emo-rap. Led by eloquent wordsmith Slug, the band have just released their latest album, The Family Sign for which they are currently touring Europe. With other label mates getting on the bus with them (Brother Ali, Dilated Peoples‘ Evidence and Ohio producer Blueprint), this is one sure to bring the backpackers out in force.

11th November

L’Ancienne Belgique, Boulevard Anspachlaan 110, 1000 Brussels

www.abconcerts.be

The shop to drop by: La Fabrika

La Fabrika, a design store offering 230 m² of carefully-curated contemporary furniture, lighting and accessories, opened its doors a year ago and now celebrates its first birthday with a special treat for its customers: a 10% reduction on the whole collection, including pieces by established designers as well as rising talents.

12th November, 11h00 – 18h30

La Fabrika, Rue A. Dansaertstraat 182 – 1000 Brussels

www.lafabrika.be

The exhibition to go to: Antoine Bouillot

Courtesy of A.L.I.C.E. Gallery

After having infiltrated the Parisian fashion world aged barely 16 – where he worked on catwalk scenography, became artistic director and created identities for luxury brands such as Lanvin, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Sampar or Gaspard Yurkievich – Antoine Bouillot decided to have a go at movie directing, before settling for visual arts. Visibly inspired – or affected – by his previous experience, the French artist’s vision of art became one of a tautological provocation with the world of luxury as an alibi, resulting in a body of work that accuses as much as it celebrates these two worlds.

Until 29th October

A.L.I.C.E. Gallery, Rue du pays de Liège 4 – 1000 Brussels

www.alicebxl.com

The concert to catch: Teeth

Being touted as Karl Lagerfeld‘s favourite new band certainly raises the stakes. Fortunately, Teeth‘s electro-noise-pop lives up to the hype. Playful, fresh, stylish minimalistic yet very punchy, cynics might describe the Dalston trio as yet another bunch of hipsters, but who cares – they put on a good show and that’s all that counts, right?

14th October

Botanique, Rue Royale 236 Koningsstraat – 1210 Brussels

www.botanique.be

Watch the video of the single Care Bear:

The auction to go to: Second Hand Second Life

Acclaimed Belgian designers will once more present one of a kind creations made from second hand goods for the 9th edition of the now famous Petits Riens / Spullenhulp fashion show, which is auctioned at the end of the show to raise funds for the non-profit organisation.

Tour & Taxis, Avenue du Port 86C A Havenlaan – 1000 Brussels

www.petitsriens.be

The night out: Audiorama

With Dan D, a veteran of the Berlin club scene Panorama Bar, Maria am Ostbahnhof or Club der Visionäre) set to man the decks, The Wood‘s Audiorama night promises to bring a little Berlin to Brussels this weekend. And, with Koln’s Audio Werner joining Dan D for a double-whammy of house goodness, the night’s guaranteed to go on until the early hours…

14th October

The Wood, Avenue de Flore 3 Floralaan – 1000 Brussels

www.thewood.be

The exhibitions to go to:

Rinus van de Velde: The art of storytelling

Hailed as one of the most promising young artists in Belgium, Rinus Van de Velde’s charcoal drawings accompanied by witty texts relating to separate moments in his semi-fictional biography have caught the eye of the international art intelligentsia around the globe. His most recent exhibition will see him present a new series of drawings that circle around the theme of the artist studio. These drawings will tell stories that are to a certain extent autonomous and can be read individually from each other, leaving it up to the viewer to be directly challenged to imagine the larger story Van de Velde is aiming to share.

Until 22nd October

TIM VAN LAERE GALLERY, Verlatstraat 23-25 – 2000 Antwerp

www.timvanlaeregallery.com

Die Essenz der Dinge: design and the art of reduction

The question of sustainability has never been as relevant, be it in fashion, food or design, as it is today. The Design Museum’s current show examines the kind of design that illustrates the “art of reduction” – cutting back on materials and going for products with a longer life expectancy. The exhibition aims to provide the explanation behind the rational design logic in aspects such as the production process, spatial limitations or aesthetic trends, setting design icons ranging from le Corbusier to Eero Saarinen against similar figures from the worlds of fashion, food design and art.

Until 16th October

DESIGN MUSEUM GHENT, Jan Breydelstraat 5 – 9000 Ghent

www.designmuseumgent.be

The festival to catch: TodaysArt.BE 2011

Photography courtesy of TodaysArt

After having established itself over the last six years as one of the most exciting festivals in the Netherlands, TodaysArt set its sights on the capital. Its unique mixture of contemporary visual and performing arts including a wealth of concerts, exhibitions, workshops or installations in public spaces can be discovered throughout the city from 29th September to 1st October. See here for a detailed programme and here for a map with all festival locations.

TodaysArt Festival Brussels

From 29th September to 1st October

www.todaysart.org/be/

The night out: Nuit Blanche

Photography by Benjamin Brolet

An initiative of TodaysArt.BE Festival 2011, the Nuit Blanche is an all-nighter which blends national and international music acts together with audiovisual art. One ticket will get you entry to seven parties in seven different locations, ranging in genres from Minimal Techno and Drum&Bass to Folk and Swing. Check here for an overview.

Nuit Blanche Parties

1st October, 23h00 – 06h00

www.2011.nuitblanchebrussels.be

The movies to watch: Elles tournent

Photography courtesy of Elles tournent

Offering a platform to female directors, the film festival ‘Elles tournent’ will put 39 movies on the big screen, including 19 motion pictures and 20 short films. With a special focus on the Netherlands and Taiwan, the 4-day-programme takes into account established directors as well as rising talents from all around the globe. See here for the full schedule.

From 29th September to 2nd October

BOTANIQUE, Rue Royale 236 Koningsstraat – 1210 Brussels

www.ellestournent-damesdraaien.org

The exhibitions to go to: Richard Prince and Donna Wilson

Photograph courtesy of Almine Rech Gallery

Richard Prince: The Fug

We all know Richard Prince for his Jokes, Nurses, Cowboys and Girlfriends series, as well as for his heavy use of rephotography. A member of the influential Pictures Generation, the American artist had a strong hand in expanding the scope of conceptual photography through the use of appropriation. This first solo show at Brussels’ Almine Rech Gallery gives the audience the perfect occasion to explore Prince’s fascination with American culture, Borscht Belt jokes, car enthusiasm, pulp-literature, and his unmatchable knack for elevating material directly sourced from the underbelly of soceity to the status of fine art.

Until 5th November

ALMINE RECH GALLERY

Rue de l’Abbaye 20 Abdijstraat -1050 Brussels

www.alminerech.com

Photograph by Gareth Hacker

Donna Wilson, Ercol & SCP

The Brussels-based design showroom La Fabrika has invited Donna Wilson to create an installation in collaboration with established British manufacturers Ercol and SCP. Earning the accolade of British Designer of the Year 2010, Wilson has been quoted as being “wonderful with wool”, a “material marvel”, a “textile designer extraordinaire” and even an “all round textile legend”. Characterised by a playful nature, tactile aesthetic and multicoloured palette, the young designer’s work ranges from colourful knitted creatures to striking upholstered furniture designs, which all promise to be a refreshing sight during this month’s Design September festival.

Until 30th September

LA FABRIKA

Rue Antoine Dansaert 182 Dansaertstraat – 1000 Brussels

www.lafabrika.be

The tour to take: Designers Weekend

© SICIS - The art mosaic factory

Hot on the heels of Design September, Brussels’ Designers Weekend brings together professionals as well as amateurs for a weekend of impromptu meetings and punctuated showcases. Over 15 hotspots have been selected – showrooms, shops and galleries – to provide as rounded a view as possible of the current crop of local talent. Think open doors with a slightly more commercial focus. What’s more, the lazy ones out there can rejoice in the thought of a shuttle service having been organised just for them, taking them from one stop to the next at their own pace. Sign up for it here.

The shuttles run from 10h00 to 18h00, and departs from the Nonciature, Place du Sablon / Grote Zavel

The movies to watch: Truffaut retrospective at the Cinematek

This Thursday, Brussels’ Cinematek started a comprehensive retrospective dedicated to French director and cult cinematic icon Francois Truffaut, one of the most influential filmmakers in history and co-founder of the French Nouvelle Vague. An extensive collection of Truffaut’s films will be replayed on the big screen until 31st October, with this weekend’s agenda screening Les Quatre Cents Coups (Saturday at 19h00), awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and the director’s first huge success, as well as its more experimental successor Tirez Sur Le Pianiste (Sunday at 19h00).

CINEMATEK

Rue Baron Horta 9 Hortastraat – 1000 Brussels

www.cinematek.be

Watch the trailer of Les Quatre Cents Coups:

The shop to stop by: Diito’s Hay pop-up store

Photograph courtesy of Hay.dk

Brussels-based gallery and interior design shop diito opened up a pop-up store solely dedicated to award-winning furniture namesake Hay. During the course of three weeks you’ll be able to admire the Danish imprint’s creations which bring 1950s and 1960s design philosophies closer to and contemporary ones.

Open every day of the weekend from 11h00 to 18h30

HAY POP-UP STORE

Rue de la Régence 9 Regentschapsstraat – 1000 Brussels

www.diito.be

The concert to go to: Boots Electric

There’s no point denying the soft spot we have for Eagles Of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes. The self-proclaimed hillbilly and endearing sleazebag extraordinaire has taken some time off from the cock-rock band he shares with bestie Josh Homme to embark on a solo journey as Boots Electric. Cannot wait.

Watch the album trailer:

17th September

TRIX, Noordersingel 28-30 - 2140 Antwerp

Get tickets here

The show you can’t miss: Raw Edges, from flat to full

Design dealer Victor Hunt brings Israeli-born, London-based designers raw edges to town for an extensive overview of their most recent work, the lot to be exhibited in the city’s favourite style boutique Hunting and Collecting.

8th to 25th September

HUNTING AND COLLECTING, Rue des Chartreux 17 Kartuiserstraat- 1000 Brussels

The night out: Indie Club

You don’t have to wait for a weekend trip to London or Berlin anymore to dance to indie tunes: Brussels finally has caught up and hosts its own indie rock/pop party every month in the The Wood. Expect an eclectic mix ranging from Blur and Arctic Monkeys to The Doors or Metronomy. The season’s opening party is this Friday and we wouldn’t miss it for a thing.

16th September

THE WOOD, Avenue de Flore 3 Floralaan – 1000 Brussels

The walk to take: Design September’s Open Doors

You’ve always wondered how and where designers work? Now you have the chance to find out, thanks to Design September, the Belgian capital’s biggest design festival stretching out over four weeks. This weekend the two-day Open Doors event invites everyone interested to come visit Brussels-based artists’ workspaces and have a look behind the scenes. The perfect occasion to stroll through the city and discover its hidden creative laboratories.

For an overview of all participating studios have a look here.

Photographer Sarah Eechaut

www.atelier4cinquieme.be

(This feature was first published in the blue album)

Photographer Sarah Eechaut

www.studiosimple.be

(This feature was first published in the blue album)

“The studio was founded in 2007 and is located in the Koekelberg district of Brussels. I live in one of the city’s last dead end street – old worker houses, quiet surroundings, like a small village. My neighbours are people who work at Medecins sans frontières, a taxi driver, a lorry driver, a pianist…”

Photographer Sarah Eechaut.

(This feature was first published in the blue album)

Photographer Sarah Eechaut

“We’ve been in this space since last summer only. It’s a temporary thing since we have to move out by the end of November at latest unfortunately. We all got really attached to the space, even though rain drips in buckets spread out across the studio and in winter it is freezing cold. But the space ‘feels’ so nice. When it’s sunny there’s a terrific atmosphere in there. It’s a five-minute walk from my house, so for me the location couldn’t be better. The entire space is about 500-600m², and my ‘corner’ in it would be around 75m². I also quite like the neighbourhood, Place Bethlehem for example, is wonderful to have dinner at on summer evenings, there’s also one of the best pizzeria’s in the whole of Brussels. The building used to be a furniture factory that went bankrupt. We found the office in the same state as the previous owners left it, everything still quite intact, catalogues and unpaid bills everywhere, personal things like children’s’ drawings, unopened mail,…Collages of the furniture they produced, together with images from magazines were hanging on the walls, self-made shelving (which we are using now) everywhere. We have a very flexible studio, everything depends on the projects we’re working on. Sometimes there are three tables, sometimes only one.”

www.maartendeceulaer.com

(This feature was first published in the blue album)

Writer Rose Kelleher

Low-cost brands have no such neurosis. Think IKEA, Ryanair or Lidl. Their screaming yellow billboards pull in the crowds, leaving the discretion of forest greens and burgundies to the more discerning brand manager. Yellow is an eye-catching, attention-grabbing marketing tool that spells “affordable”. Suzy Chiazzari of Iris International School of Colour Therapy says “yellow is highly visible. Wanting to stand out in the crowd is considered by some to be brash and pushy, so it depends whether you want to send out the message of accessibility or exclusivity”. Roger Pruppers, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Amsterdam University agrees. “Bright yellow has the capacity to really grab attention, and that’s something luxury brands don’t want”.

Loud, conspicuous branding that requires sunglasses – think the garish interior of a Ryanair cabin or a Zeeman’s back-to-school poster – does not endear the luxury shopper. They happily pay a premium for “quieter”, less conspicuous markings. They seek exclusive membership of an elite “club”. IKEA, Telenet, Lidl and Zeemans do not discriminate. They are aware of the effect their eye-watering use of yellow has on bargain-hunting customers, and have embraced it with just as much gusto as their bejeweled cousins have turned their finely sculpted noses up at it. So what colour is luxury? Burgundy evokes images of chesterfield couches and hunting jackets in most. “Research shows that primary colours like yellow grab your attention, but that they also convey a simple message,” Says Roger. “Burgundy is a mix of different colours, it’s a very specific shade. It communicates sophistication and complexity, that there is more to the brand that a simplistic message”.

So what if a discount brand like IKEA changed their corporate colour to burgundy tomorrow, would we begin to associate burgundy with cheap? Roger says “IKEA is a hugely influential brand, but I’m not sure that it could change the meaning of a colour all by itself. Perhaps, you could ask the question the other way around: If IKEA started using burgundy, how long would it take for us to associate the brand with luxury?” But this is unlikely, he adds. “IKEA’s whole strategy is deliberately based around value for money.” Yellow’s mass appeal means you won’t find it over the door of the air conditioned emporiums on Brussels’ Boulevard de Waterloolaan, London’s Bond Street or the Parisian Avenue Montaigne. But this snobbish rejection fortunately applies to corporate identity only, and doesn’t extend to products them- selves. Marc Jacobs may still send Kate Moss sashaying down the catwalk in a saffron boiler suit but he’ll never adorn his fashion house with the same shade. Chivas Regal are as likely to use yellow in their branding as they are to be found handing out free samples of double scotch at your local Delhaize. Veuve Cliquot is the exception. They recognise that consumers associate yellow with champagne, along with sunshine, happiness and other “priceless” stuff.

So imagine our delight when we heard about 120-year-old shoemaker J.M. Weston inviting preppy-hipster label Kitsune to update, reinterpret and revisit some of its classics. Not only did it, in our mind, make complete artistic and commercial sense, the two brands are known for their attention to detail and their high standards in terms of design and craftsmanship.  What more could you want, really? We caught up with J.M Weston’s artistic director Michel Perry and Kitsune co-founder Masaya Kuroki a couple of days ago to talk authenticity, nostalgia and Kitsune interns…

J.M. Weston's Michel Perry and Maison Kitsune Masaya Kuroki

Photography Joke De Wilde

The Word: There is an enormous amount of collaborations, exclusive collections and what not in the fashion industry. Where does one start when working on collaboration?

Michel Perry: it is first and foremost about sincerity and transparency. The fact of collaborating, of doing co-branding is, in itself, nothing new.  But what is new is to find people who correspond entirely to the evolution that we wish to give to the brand, and who benefit just as much as we do in the collaboration. There needs to be a true exchange. And that’s my role as creative director, to put into place these principles that work. And I think we’re quite satisfied here…Things didn’t happen overnight, as we had already met a year ago, and I found Masaya to have sensibilities towards the brand that were right. Then, Masaya called back, several times..

Masaya Kuroki: I really insisted…SMS, email, telephone, love letters…

MP: So we gave it a thought, wondering what we could do with Masaya. We liked what he did, we just needed to find the twist. So we thought about the invitation, as I thought it was a nice way of opening the brand up to other things, whilst still respecting its soul.

It's all in the detail

The Word: When you say ‘opening up the brand to other things’ you mean opening it up to Kitsune’s client base?

MP: Yes, exactly. I had arrived at Weston in 2000, and had brought along a much younger clientele to the brand, with a more urban style. But I wanted to go beyond that, and touch a clientele that didn’t yet have the ‘Weston reflex’, a clientele for who Weston was a brand steeped in history, one they considered ‘classic’, but definitely not ‘fashion’. Few clients knew how to use and wear Weston as a contemporary brand, and pair it with their more modern-day style. Working with Kitsune also has a certain cachet, and acts as a validation of a certain style and quality. It confirms that Weston is well-and-truly ‘fashion’. It also greatly adds value to Kitsune’s brand, as the association with such a historial brand as J.M. Weston definitely helps. Interests and benefits are therefore shared. The association just works.

The Word: Practically, where does one begin?  Do you spend six months in J.M. Weston’s archives?

MP: Not really no. I think our intuition helps, as well as our cultures. That and also the fact that we knew each other. It’s a rather transparent process, very logical. Masaya did go to the archives in Limoges, to see the company’s history and past and meet the craftsmen. He discovered the company’s link to sports (golf and horse riding), which informed his creations with a vision of today. The mix happened very quickly. Masaya has his universe (preppy, East Coast Americana, new Bourgeois) and we had ours. They just both met. Once Masaya had enough inspiration and visual references to begin, he drew up the collection, then we met again and went back to Limoges to work with the craftsmen in the workshop. Nothing really was new in terms of the materials used. It is more the way in which they were used and combined that differed. The shapes already existed back in 1950s, which explains the deep authenticity of the collection. That was very important to me. And, commercially, this opens up Weston to a whole new clientele.

Masaya Kuroki: its true that the idea from the beginning wasn’t to create something new. We wanted to share something that was important to us, an interpretation, an update. There was a new kind of dress code I wanted to integrate to the brand, a new way of wearing Weston. There was a ‘made in France’ label that was very important to me, and that I wanted to exploit it. It is very rare nowadays. There also was the timeless element of Weston which appealed to me: these are shoes that last a lifetime. To give you an example, we have an intern at Kitsune offices at the moment, and he was wearing a pair of Westons. I asked him about them, saying I found it a little odd for his age, and he said there were his grandfathers.

Boots, 660 euros

The Word: Where does this Americana influence come from? The collection clearly seems to be shaped by the United States of the Kennedy era…

MP: That’s Masaya’s influences…

MK: I grew up in Paris, but was very much influenced by East Coast music from the 60s to the 80s. Music is extremely important to transport me back to a period. It is nostalgic, but brought back to today.

MP: Music is indeed a very important factor. When I arrived at Weston back in 2000, I analysed its code and, rather naturally, took it towards an English Dandy kind of style. My musical tastes clearly being New Wave, I naturally took my creations in that way.

Derby shoe (595 euros)

The Word: If the collection were a film, which one would it be?

MK: There’s a Great Gatsby element to the collection.

MP: Arianne, with Audrey Hepburn and Gary Cooper.

The Word: And if it were an album or an artist?

MP: Marianne Faithfull, with her rebellious, iconic and classic essence.

MK: A lot a band could represent the collection. It’s difficult to give just one artist. Bizarrely, I could see Two Door Cinema Club wearing the collection. The music fits perfectly with the collection: its melodious, casual and pop. I could see Sam wearing the white pair, Alex wearing the moccasins and Gab wearing the boots. Their album’s called Grand Tourismo, so it works.

The Word: We have a habit of asking rapid-fire questions to help readers get a sense of your inner world. Which website can’t you live without?

MK: The New York Times’ website. I only read their headlines though.

MP: Me too actually. I don’t watch TV. I also visit French websites, such as Le Figaro.

The Word: Creatives often resort to magazines for nurturing their creativity and inspiration. Which magazines do you read?

MK: Monocle and Gentlewoman. Fashion titles but with a certain sense of conservatism.

MP: I don’t buy any magazines, but do pick them up here and there. My inspiration’s really been built up over the years. I stock images continuously. It’s an every day job. I write everything down in notebooks. My wife’s really the one who subscribes to magazines.

The Word: do you listen to the radio in the studio? Which ones do you listen to?

MK: I actually have a huge respect for Belgian radios. I remember when Phoenix’s debut album came out, Belgian radios were the first to play it, even though French radios were still sleeping on it.

The Word: That’s odd, given that a large proportion of Belgians listen to French radio, and Radio Nova more specifically.

MK: That’s funny…then again, you do have the best DJs in the world…Two Many DJs. The Dewaele brothers have always been amazing.

The Word: People tend to watch less movies, and more TV series. Which ones do you watch?

MK: It’s the new DVD generation. Madmen is an obvious one.

The Word: It’s a very J.M Weston TV series actually…

MK: Definitely…

MP: It’s true that we aren’t very far off from the series’ entire style and aesthetic.

MK: I actually did a collection that was called Madmen, Kitsune’s AW2010. I even found a model that had the Draper look.

J.M. Weston’s East Hampton collection, seen by Kitsune

Available from J.M. Weston Brussels

Avenue Louise 52 Louizalaan

1050 Brussels

And even though it’s the kind of concept that has New York, Tokyo or Dubai plastered all over it, Electrolux, rather strangely, picked our humble capital as the starting point for The Cube’s itinerating route, which will see it set foot in Stockholm, Moscow and Zurich during the coming year. For the moment though, it can be spotted towering atop the Cinquantenaire/Jubbelpark’s triumphal arch, where it will remain for three months.

Playing the cutting-edge tech card to the fullest, each guest is greeted with a shiny new white iPad 2 and encouraged to take pictures of the panoramic view. Using the classic “table d’hôte” concept, all 18 guests are seated at the same table, encouraged to mingled and interact. L’Air du Temps’ innovative chef Sang-Hoon Degeimbre cheerfully shares his passion and knowledge of local products and herbs with anecdotes, poetry and even forest sounds recordings playing in the background, and with each step of the meal explained and detailed, the average length of a lunch/dinner (three hours) go by in a flash. Haute cuisine then, in its most literal meaning.

The Cube by Electrolux
In Brussels until 3rd July
Booking can be made online here
electrolux.be

Writer Anneke Bokern

Studio Job’s Pyramid Angle © Studio Job

Suddenly, countries that never had much of an influence on the international design scene are developing into major markets. “People here want golden faucets”, an architect friend working in Shanghai once told me. “They’ve had to live with state-administered simplicity for more than two generations. Now they finally have a choice, and they’re not interested in minimal things anymore. They want lots of gold, ornaments, luxury.” Of course one could simply dismiss this as the proverbial bad taste that comes with new money – if it didn’t coincide with a newfound predilection for exuberance amongst designers in Europe. No matter whether the new markets in the east have had a liberating effect on design or vice versa: for a growing number of designers, less is a bore, and the new clientele is a welcome reason for going opulent. “People in countries like China and Russia haven’t gone through a hundred years of Bauhaus. They see with different eyes. They’re freer”, Dutch designer Marcel Wanders, one of the most famous exponents of anti-minimalism, explains. “I’ve always tried to steer clear of so-called good taste, and I love kitsch. Style is an invention of the insecure.” But Wanders wouldn’t be so successful if mere kitsch was all he produced. The trick is to balance sugariness with a dose of recalcitrance. Designers play with decoration, bringing together historic ornaments with rough-and-ready materials or traditional crafts with subversive imagery, trying to fathom the borders between maximalism and tackiness. In 2005 Amsterdam-based Studio Tjep presented its project Destructive Deco, which was in fact an experiment on ‘How deco can you go?’ On a simple veneer lampshade, three pattern layers were laser-etched successively. The laser burned the material, so during the second processing it started to cut into the lamp. Tjep presented the three stages of the lamp in an exhibition. While the first lamp simply featured a floral pattern, the second version was partly perforated. The third one was the most cut-up, the most decorated, and – due to the costly operation time of the high-end laser – also the most expensive. Nevertheless, visitors of the exhibition preferred the second lamp, signalling that more isn’t always better, but some ornamentation can’t hurt.

Studio Tjep.’s Chair of Textures © Tjep.

Studio Tord Boontje’s Allegro-Crescendo’s speakers © Pelle Crepin

Layering is a characteristic strategy in the work of studio Tjep, led by Frank Tjepkema. “Our style emerges when we go into detail”, Tjepkema says. “We like to work with structures, tactility and decoration. If there’s a certain richness to a design, I’m happy.” Although this richness often takes quite modern shapes, Tjep also like to create über-decorated works once in a while, such as the Chair of Textures. The chair, made of several cut-through layers of metal, looks like an oversized piece of jewellery. With two fat butterflies sitting on the backrest and flames licking up one of the legs – ”to add some drama”, as Tjepkema explains – it probably deserves to be called saccharine. Like a lot of Tjepkema’s work, however, it has to be seen within the context of design history. “This is so radically different from what was ‘de bon ton’ in the architectural world for decades and decades: a modernist approach to design in which a sense of detail, crafts and symbolic quality made place for unappealing, depressive functionalism”, he says.

He certainly isn’t alone in advocating this approach, which basically backlashes against the tired paradigm of form following function. But while Tjepkema is rather anti-dogmatic – jumping twinkle-toed from pieces with intricate fairy-tale decoration to very slick, even minimalist objects and back –, others take maximalism a step further. Five years ago, Dutchman Tord Boontje became famous for re-introducing floral ornaments into design. When his flower patterns faced the threat of a shift from trademark to fad, he left them behind, but anti-minimalism still pervades his design philosophy. “My education at the Design Academy in Eindhoven and at the Royal College in London was very much influenced by Bauhaus-ideals”, he recounts. “When designing something in those schools, one never used ornamentation or decoration. But why not? I had the feeling that something was missing in our world. Whenever I visited the Victoria & Albert Museum and saw old embroidery, wood carvings or jewellery, I got really enthusiastic.” Accordingly, Boontje doesn’t only employ a lot of decoration in his work, but also plays with historic references. With L’Armoire, for instance, he created a piece of furniture that looks like something that escaped from a David Cronenberg movie. Besides being just as outrageously curvaceous as it is expensive, the cabinet, made of Dalbergia and Padouk wood and hand-sawn Cocobolo veneer, contains an intricate mechanism, which has to be discovered in order to open its drawers. In essence, it’s a rococo cabinet on steroids.

Studio Tord Boontje's L'Armoire © Studio Tord Boontje

The question is, of course, whether something as extraordinary as this, created completely by hand, can still be classified as design, or whether it’s rather applied art. After all, didn’t Adolf Loos write in his legendary 1908 pamphlet Ornament and Crime that “ornament is nothing but wasted manpower”? Loos, however, lived in a time when machines were barely capable of bending a steel tube, whereas today they can produce remarkably detailed ornaments at the push of a button. A piece of furniture like L’Armoire probably has Loos rolling in his grave, but quite a few of Boontje’s objects, although no less ornamental, are machine-made, wasting no manpower apart from the designer’s. Studded with dainty flowers and insects, and resembling an 18th century still life painting more than a piece of technical equipment, Boontje’s Allegro-Crescendo speakers are the products of a rapid prototyping machine. “I like to compare this to William Morris‘ work”, Boontje says. “During the industrial revolution, factory workers lived in terrible conditions, just like today’s sweatshops. William Morris tried to produce things on a smaller scale and re-introduce craft, in order to achieve higher quality and also to improve the workers’ lives. I try to use new technology in order to re-introduce a higher level of detail into products.”

Besides this quest for quality, meaning and beauty in design objects, another factor pushing the trend towards opulence in design are clients. In recent years, more and more companies that used to be regarded as makers of ultra-traditional, even kitschy products want to work with designers, from crystal glass producer Swarovski to Spanish porcelain figurine maker Lladró. The latter even hired Spanish-born, London-based designer Jaime Hayon as creative director, resulting in several collections of figurines, including the aptly named Re-Deco series. Hayon is probably the first designer to find an appropriate appellation for his over-the-top, colourful and decidedly anti-ascetic style, calling it “Mediterranean digital baroque”. Recently, he designed the interior of the Fabergé Salon in Geneva, where he combined pseudo-traditional round shapes, chandeliers with elegant lampshades and room-high curtains with neutral, silvery colours, creating a space that looks like an updated version of a 1950s Hollywood interior. The only things missing were Cary Grant and Doris Day in his and hers silk dressing gowns.

Jaime Hayon’s Lladro © Jaime Hayon

Jaime Hayon’s Fabergé Salon © Jaime Hayon

Jaime Hayon’s Fabergé Salon © Jaime Hayon

“Believe me – it’s much more addictive to love kitsch than it is to love minimalism”, Hayon says. In contrast with Boontje, he doesn’t take his task too seriously, but sees himself as a kind of court jester. In fact, opulent design is at its most digestible when it has a slightly subversive undertone, like a hint of lemon in cream sauce. In Hayon’s work, it comes in the shape of gaudy colours, clown’s faces and Pinocchio noses. In the work of Antwerp-based Studio Job, founded by Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel, recalcitrance is more literally present – most of all in the imagery. The successful couple creates shamelessly unpractical objects, which often appear kitsch at first sight, but turn out to be rife with a dark, contemporary iconography at closer inspection. For Dutch ceramics manufacturer Royal Tichelaar, they made the Pyramid of Makkum, a surrealist tower of, well, things. How else can one sum up a fence, a pipe, a high-rise coffee pot with filter, a kettle – and gold-coloured steam? A closer look at the blue-and-white decoration reveals an even more idiosyncratic mix of cloverleaves, spoons, syringes, flowers, crucifixes, kitchen utensils, band-aids and safety pins. In a similar way, their Industry furniture feature images of hummingbirds, sea horses, dragonflies, skeletons, tanks, helicopters, hand grenades, gasmasks and fighter planes.

Studio Job’s Cabinet © Studio Job

In the case of Studio Job, the question isn’t just whether their works belong to the realm of design or applied arts, but sculpture also comes into play. Hardly anyone would ever dream of hanging their coat in the Industry closet, just like no one would use one of the Wonderlamps – a series of oversized cast bronze torches, pots, buckets and pipes, fitted with blobby mouth-blown crystal bulbs – to light their living room. Yet while Studio Job’s critics might claim it’s all just expensive trumpery, fans of their objects profess that the pair has crossed-over into the world of art. A few years ago at the high-end fair Design Miami Basel, sheikhs and their wives were roaming around their works with longing looks in their eyes. Ironically, what they were gazing at was a project called Robber Baron: five bronze objects representing factories with golden smoke coming out of their chimneys, with a 500 000 Euros pricetag, which according to the designers “tell the story of the excesses of American nineteenth century tycoons and the current oligarchs from Russia”. Kitsch, design or art? Maybe it’s time somebody came up with an entirely new category.

To make it as relevant and timely an app as possible, we’d love to hear your thoughts on a few issues. So, please be so kind as to take the required 4 minutes (tops!) to fill out the questionnaire below.

To thank you for taking the time to answer these 12 questions, we’ll randomly pick two of you to win a bottle of champagne as well as a bottle of vodka.

Tracy Emin, 'I whisper to my past, do I have another choice' (2010)

The  weekend before last saw the return of the Frieze Art Fair in London, so we thought we should take a look for ourselves and see what the fuss was about. Frieze art fair is a pilgrimage of sorts for art lovers and dealers; an almost sacred spot to pose while you peruse the finest offerings from the worlds’ leading fine contemporary art galleries.

Lorna Simpson, 'Staircase' (1998)

I’d never been before, despite living in London for five years and realised why as I sat on the Eurostar leaving Brussels leafing through my info on the event. Priced at £25 a day ticket, the fair was a luxury event. Despite this quite saddening comprehension (naïve maybe but wasn’t modern art supposed to be by the people for the people?) I was excited as I realised the sheer number and breadth of galleries on show; from small indies that I had seen in London to the monsters of the art world such as Gagosian and Hauser & Wirth. But even this list couldn’t prepare me for the overwhelming plethora of art in all forms that hits you as you enter the bustling arena.

Daphne Wright 'Swan' 2007 © Copyright 2008 Frith Street Gallery

Busy doesn’t cover it: even the most dedicated art follower would be ambitious to think they’d be able to visit all the galleries on show such was the sheer number of them. But through the mass of what can only be described as banal gimmickry, unoriginal imitations and prescription irony, shined through great feats of artistry. Delicate skill could be seen in Daphne Wright’s swan crafted out of resin and marble dust exhibited by the Frith Street Gallery. The morbid statement of the dead swan with its stark off white, matt gloss of the marble mould reflected the light hauntingly.

Thomas Saraceno, Hydrogen Cloud Exploding (2010)

Interesting set designs for the Peter Kilchman Gallery, Zurich showed off the wonderful Fabian Marti photography and Francis Alÿs studies to their best. While at the White Cube, Christian Marclay’s seven and a half minute video titled Telephone (1995) was an amusing and whimsical series of clips with telephones used from classic movies, new and old. The breadth of artistic medium was really demonstrated at Galerie Fons Welter with an extensive array of artworks. Particularly interesting and eye-opening was Gabriel Lester’s ‘The future chasing past the present’ (2010); a conveyor belt with scale models, by Marco Giacomelli, glued on rain in a darkened room while lights from different angles created a silhouettes in motion on the four walls. The shadows of urban planning, trees and figures falling away was dramatic and the whole piece arrestingly alluded to the passing of time.

Sanchayan Ghosh, Doosra- The other maze (2010) Ⓒ Linda Nylind for Frieze

The sculpture park offered some delights as the autumn light bounced off the reflective surfaces of Tomas Saraceno’s untitled pieces. The most startlingly effective sculpture was a piece by Sanchayan Ghosh named ‘DOOSRA- The other maze’ (2010). On my way to the art fair I noticed many people clutching white flowers attached to thick wooden sticks- on arriving I realised they were in fact part of Ghosh’s artwork. A cordoned area floored with metal shape punched throughout with holes. I realised that the flowers I had seen people holding were in fact from this artwork, which asked the viewer to take a flower from its place if one wished. By the time I had reached it, all I saw was decimation of what I could only imagine was a beautiful field of crafted flowers using an ancient and now dying artform of Shola (pictured). Some remained, however, broken or trampled upon, unworthy of being collected by avid visitors. All that struck me was the environmental polemic, signalling human over consumption but maybe I was being cynical. Either way, it was disheartening and saddening and the feeling lingered all weekend. Art at its most effective.

To say the least, the Frieze Art Fair was somewhat of an emotional experience, making me smile and laugh one moment and incensing sardonicism another. If you think about all the entrance costs you pay to get into these galleries (plus the air-fare!) it’s actually a snip. But what makes it really worthwhile is the fact that it’s a haven of all things modern art, showcasing the best contemporary galleries the world has to offer  and  leaving you with a big smug smile of cultural accomplishment.

I traveled by Eurostar from Brussels to London on 15th and 18th October.

Photography Melika Ngombe

1. Sir lounge-a-lot

Very rarely does a lounge chair manage to balance both the lounging and the sitting in equal measure. Either you end up on the floor, the chair’s lounging attributes obviously more at work than its seating ones. Or you end up assuming the posture of an uptight librarian, the seating attribute evidently pushed to the extreme. In steps Marina Bautier. Her impeccable Cruise chair offers just the balance we long for in lounge chairs: the right amount of stoop coupled with the right amount of support. With a width of 72cm, its seating space is plentiful, although the chair remains discreet thanks to its light oak frame, and its one-click foldaway system.

Cruiser chair in leather (€1,316), in canvas (€1,084) Available from Espoo, Antwerp

2. Rock’n rolla

At first sight, a rocking stool could strike you as one of those ideas that sounded good on paper but somehow just didn’t translate well in actual form. Call us traditionalists, but whatever is going to be rocking our world needs to have a sizeable backrest and a pair of perfectly (height) proportioned armrests. So it came as a little bit of a surprise to find that Feld’s Monarchy stool, designed by Yiannis Ghikas, managed to sustain our slouching figures just about right. A sturdy knee-height stool with a rhythmic rock to it, the Monarchy does induce you into meditation although its unsupportive nature – it is a stool after all – means you’ll always be kept on your feet.

Monarchy stool in lacquer (€295) Monarchy stool in oil varnish (€375) feld.be

3. Power to the people

A slap in the face of the throw-away generation, Sugru is what butterfingers the world over have been longing for. An innovative, versatile and flexible material, Sugru is a plasticine-like texture which will basically extend the lease of life of pretty much anything you own – and improve it along the way. Invented by RCA graduate and product designer Jane Ni Dhulchaointigh in conjunction with two material scientists, the chameleon-like solution comes in a range of four colours (blue, orange, black and green), is beautifully packaged and is pretty much one of the most ingenious little inventions we’ve come across in a while.

Sugru’s smart hacks 5gr pack (€7) Sugru’s smart hacks super pack (€13) sugru.com

4. For business or leisure

One often underestimates just how much your travel gear says about you. Conscious of its internationalite clientele’s needs, Delvaux has re-edited its classic range of stylish yet discreet travel goods. Featuring essentials such as the trolley case, the duffle bag, the business case, or the laptop pouch (pictured), each bag of the 10-item Airess collection also comes with a kit of moisturizing goodies by Shu Uemura. Treat yourself to an upgrade in the leather world and you might just get one in the leisure world.

Airess laptop pouch 13’ (€150) delvaux.be

5. Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the loveliest of them all ?

Three elements make a mirror: its shape, its treatment of material and its fixing system, the latter often receiving less attention than its two former acolytes. This realisation forms the basis of Benoit Deneufbourg’s Crossed Out mirror, an inside out reflection on mirrors as we know them. This is how it works. Two slanted pieces of wood slit to perfection, allow for a round-edged mirror sheet to be slotted in and attached straight onto your wall. Bringing the forgotten to the fore, this is simple genius that just needed to be thought of.

Crossed Out mirror (€220) benoitdnb.com

6. So solid

Every talent has its tools of the trade. Photographers use Photoshop, graphic designers dabble in Indesign whilst product designers muck about in Solidworks. The package of choice for studios from Brussels to Barcelona, the 3D CAD software contains a complete suite of built-in simulation, routing and presentation tools which allow you to draw and design your prototype, test it through simulation, calculate its productivity efficiency as well as create model animations and photorealistic renderings. A pre-requisite to any meaningful design career, this is the software that’ll turn your napkin doodle into a multimillion-euro business.

Solidworks Premium Available online from solidworks.com

Photography Benoît Banisse, art direction and styling facetofacedesign

1. Table bullies

Think of the final scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and you’ll know exactly what drew us to Jochem De Wit’s tableware range. Indeed, sometimes the most striking objects are also the most inconspicuous ones. And although the jury is still out on whether the young Dutch designer’s crude ceramic jugs, cups, murky shot glasses and chunky concrete bowls will stand the test of time and follow us to immortality, they sure have already earned themselves a prime spot in our kitchen cupboards.

Jochem De Wit Raw tableware series Jug (€150), mug (€ 75), shot glass (€70)

2. Birth of a movement

They don’t come any harder than New York’s hardcore set. An offshoot of Boston’s precursor scene (Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains and the likes), the Big Apple’s one was rawer, angrier, with bands such as Madball, Agnostic Front and Cro Mags updating the genre’s sound to fit their particular blend of urban angst. Immortalised through the classic 1995 documentary N.Y.H.C (New York Hardcore), this special edition two-disc set features updated interviews with a lot of the scenes’ key players filmed 10 years later. The passion is still there, although the resolve might have somewhat been damped. A powerful and insightful watch, one likely to get all the nostalgic kids of the 90s sitting on the edge of the couch, ready to hit the mosh pit.

N.Y.H.C (from €12) Available online at amazon.co.uk

3. Brass band

Long time the essential companion of gangsters and street thugs, brass knuckles are now illegal all over the world except for some American states and, bizarrely, France. Fortunately for the ill-intended ‘punch-now-think-later’ type, triple-knuckle busters ain’t. Though these custom made bad boys might not be chunky enough to fracture your opponent’s cheekbones, they sure as hell will leave you with a mean scratch or two. We dare you to mess with us now.

Available in pawnshops across the United States (or on eBay)

4. So you think you’re tough?

When news spread that Olympus came up with a virtually indestructible waterproof, crushproof and shockproof digital camera, it just seemed too suspiciously good to be true. Well set on using and abusing the pocket-sized point-and-shoot, we dropped it, froze it, thawed it, drowned it, sat on it, stampeded it, and even improvised a football game in the backyard with it. This raging session left us exhausted and short-breathed, but – believe it or not – the little bugger still clicks.

Olympus µ Tough 8010 (€399) Available at Fnac, Mediamarkt and Saturn

5. Case control

The problem with the iPad (if there ever was one) is that we find it difficult to picture ourselves tapping away at it whilst waiting for the tram on Place Flagey/Flageyplein in the middle of rush hour. What with the gods of envy (don’t look now, but I think everyone is looking at us) and our conscience playing tricks on us (do we deserve to be seen with such a sleek and sexy device?), it’s safe to say our new plaything hasn’t really ventured out of the office much. In steps the Dodocase, a magnificent example of old media habits serving new media’s frailty. Handmade in San Francisco, the deceiving case’s cover is made of faux leather using traditional book binding techniques whilst its interior is minutely carved out of bamboo to exact proportions. Just like walking around town clenching your favourite book, although this time it’s your entire library you’re carrying with you.

Dodocase (€46) Available online at dodocase.com

6. Threadbare and fabulous

When it comes to tattered chic, no craftsman-ship or superior stylistic skills ever equal the accidental authenticity of actual wear and tear. Those perfectly symmetrical holes in your jeans are not fooling anyone, unless perhaps you’ve spent the past six months walking on your knees? Exceptions, however, do exist – like this inside out knitted wool dress that, frankly, could not have looked better than if that bored cat of yours actually had a go at it.

Maison Martin Margiela 01 wool dress (€390) Rue de Flandre 114 Flanders Straat 1000 Brussels

I let these thoughts rest for a few days, somewhat disturbed at the thought of such a timeless classic being butchered in such a way, and intent on getting to the bottom of it. Surely, I told myself, such a design conscious and culturally relevant car manufacturer as Citroen would be sensitive to the nostalgic and emotive attachment prevalent in their brand, let alone in one of their specific models? Surely they knew how much the model was revered by urban hipsters and statement-seekers, ever the word-of-mouth ambassadors necessary to any new product launch? Surely, I told myself again, they couldn’t have gotten it so wrong?!

Thing is, they didn’t – and this wisdom comes to me only after several days of mental twist-and-turns. When it first was introduced to the world, the Citroen DS was hailed for its innovative and modern values, an emblem of French manufacturing might that was quickly voted ‘car of the year’ in 1970. It turned heads and made a statement.

Although the new DS3 might, at first sight, appear to be a complete travesty on the car’s original values, closer inspection revealed that, actually, it was its perfect modern-day embodiment. Yes, its racy driving style, raunchy looks and sometimes obnoxious demeanor made it an odd choice as a follow-up to a revered and adored classic. But then again that is what we expect of manufacturers. To take things a step further. To get a pulse for what the people want and create it. With its new DS3 model, Citroen manages to do just that. Give the people what they want.

Citroen DS3, from €15,400

Photography Sarah Michielsen

1. Saab 900i 16v

Year 1991, Purchased in August 1991, Price 610,000 Belgian francs (approx.€15,000)

A word from the owner “The only extra option is the rooftop which needs to be opened by hand. Other than that, the car is already very complete: heated driver and passenger seats, windshield wipers on the head lights, an air cabin filter, back window heating system, etc…”

With thanks to the Saabclub Belgium (saabclub.be)

2. Citroën DS 21 electronic injection

Year May 1971, Purchased in 2001,Price 35,000 French francs (approx.€5,300)

What won the owner over “The car’s design, the cultural context it enjoyed during its 20 years of service, the drive and the many movies it was featured in, such as ‘The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob’ (Gérard Oury, 1973) or ‘Going Places’ (Bertrand Blier, 1974).”

With thanks to the DS-SM club Belgium (dssmclub.be)

3. BMW M635 CSI E24

Year January 1985, Purchased in 2005, Price €25,000

A word from the owner “What is there to say about BMW? Until recently, the brand had a soul, a unique style – one that got lost during the Christopher Bangle (BMW’s former design chief) period, but which is slowly coming back. Up to 30 years ago, BMW drivers used to salute each other at red lights.”

Below are some shots of the owner’s impressive BMW collection.

Hunting and Collecting: book corner

What’s impressive about Hunting and Collecting is the careful selection of brands and products defined by distinctive identity, edge and quality. What can be seen as a part of the contemporary zeitgeist acutely focused on independent craftsmanship and artistry, the chosen collections are meticulous representations of Aude and Neils’ aesthetics and are proving popular with not only the fashion-conscious of Brussels but also a wider online audience and international clientele. Largely enabled by the online shop, which has been running successfully since May, a few short months after the store opened in February of this year.

Hunting and Collecting: changing cabin

Hunting and Collecting: garlands

This season see’s the boutique decorated in an ‘Alpine’ scheme, eschewing cliché with its amusing and whimsical arrangement of wooden furniture, ski-gear, furs and even trees. Amongst this one can find womenswear gems from designers like Mouton Collet, Rag & Bone and personal favourite Stine Goya while the men’s range boasts Alexander Olch, White Mountaineering and Our Legacy to name a few. Check out an exciting new collection Silent by Damir Doma as well as jewellery by Arielle de Pinto and the much-lauded Pamela Love. An eclectic portfolio of designers and brands are continually rotated to create a captivating and unique retail space which extends to a heady mix of books, magazines and even technology in the form of AIAIAI‘s very slick TMA1 headphones .

Hunting and Collecting: the store

Upcoming exhibitions, events and note-worthy collaborations include the fore-mentioned Kwangho Lee exhibition Lifelike Design running from 10th September- 30th September as well as the launch of the Le Mont St Michel menswear range designed with Das Pop frontman Bent Van Looy, which is being celebrated with a party and catwalk on 15th September.

Hunting and Collecting

Rue des Chartreux 17 Kartuizerstraat

1000 Brussels

+32 2 512 74 77

huntingandcollecting.com

Glorybox Store

Newly opened and already making its presence felt on the fashion thoroughfare of Dansaert, Glorybox is a bastion of Belgian and French design. Stocking new designers solely from Belgium and France is a primary and appealing feature of the boutique, distinguishing it from other shops in the area. Another somewhat atypical quality is the friendly, inviting and genuinely fashion loving atmosphere of the boutique. Sophie Novali, founder, is emphatic about this point, dismissing hoity attitudes held by so many in her industry; ‘It’s just clothes after all’. Saying that, Novali is definitely serious about her threads. Originally an advertising aficionado, Novali transformed her love of fashion and understanding of the industry from her Ad days into what is now GLORYBOX Communications & events Agency and Glorybox the boutique.

Glorybox Store

Offering wares from designers such as Jessie Lecomte, Orlane Herbin, A Wolf at my Door, Leslie Ferre, Bruno da Silva and Filles à Papa, it’s an eclectic range of clothing all brought together by an ethos of quality, innovation and most importantly, wearability. Being the first point of sale for many of these new designers, stocking at times entire collections and including items from past collections makes Glorybox somewhat unconventional in its style, looking away from conceptual high fashion and driven purely by the pursuit of classical elegance with quirky design that can be worn season after season.

David Giampiccolo

Defined by the concept of L’allure de Glorybox, the store looks to create a universe focused on making the shopper feel really good- something its founder feels is the real crux of fashion. A shopping destination for all those in love with charming design, friendly atmosphere and feeling fabulous, Glorybox is indeed beyond your fashion expectations.

GLORYBOX
Rue Leon Lepage 10 Leon Lepage Straat
1000 Brussels
+32 (0) 2 511 04 88
www.theglorybox.com

Hotel Pantone

© Serge Anton - Pantone Hotel

© Serge Anton - Pantone Hotel

Topping our list is the recently opened and buzz-worthy Hotel Pantone. Designed by Michel Penneman and architect Olivier Hannaert, the spanking new boutique hotel establishes itself as a temple for the colour-conscious, and whose aim is to allow guests to experience the city through a lens of colour. Each floor showcases a distinctive hue, mixing colour therapy and design. The 59 rooms and suites use one of seven Pantone colour palettes, ranging from tranquil and aquatic to daring and fiery: earthy/rich (chocolate), daring/fiery (fuchsia), vibrant/intense (orange), cheerful/warm (lemon), captivating/esteemed/silky (pink), fresh/eager (green) and tranquil/exotic/exhilarating (aqua).

Place Loix 1 Loixplein
1060 Brussels
+32 (2) 541 48 98
www.pantonehotel.com

Odette en Ville

© Odette en Ville

© Odette en Ville

Monochromatic amateurs will probably feel more comforted by the black and white palette of the Châtelain/Kastelijn’s Odette en Ville. This boutique hotel, set in an Art Nouveau townhouse, offers eight rooms dominated by black, featuring a flat screen TV, gas flame fireplace, and punctuated by lilac coloured bed, candles, and a white marble bathroom, featuring a notably huge bathtub. The library offers a selection of art books and a black and white TV with Fellini movies on rotation. Extremely popular is also the hotel’s restaurant, renowned for its fine French and Belgian cuisine. The ideal place for a business lunch or for bringing a date whose favourite Stones song is Paint It Black.

Rue du Châtelain 25 Kastelijnsstraat
1050 Brussels
+32 (0)2 640 26 26
www.chez-odette.com

Tenbosch House

© Tenbosch House

© Tenbosch House

Those looking for something with flair and willing to skip the boutique hotel trail now have an option thanks to the Tenbosch House. This intimate guesthouse breathes serenity in these two revamped late 19th century town houses. The seven spacious suites – all complete with balconies or terraces – have original mid-20th Century Scandinavian furniture complementing the uncluttered gallery-like interiors. With an ever-changing art collection, the Tenbosch House operates as a gateway to the Brussels’ art scene. The interior of each suite has been curated by the Swedish Catharina Eklof, offering guests a perfect fix of Scandinavian style and contemporary art.

Rue Washington 131-133 Washingtonstraat
1050 Brussels
www.tenboschhouse.com

The Amigo Hotel

© Amigo Hotel

© Amigo Hotel

When it comes to top-notch service and absolute luxury, it doesn’t get any better than the Amigo. A thirty seconds walk from the Grand Place/Grote Markt, the hotel is as central as could be. Being greeted by the uniformed doormen is bound to make you feel like a million dollars, and the highly knowledgeable concierge staff is famed for its helpfulness. The 173 rooms all have a unique customized twist, with nods to Belgian trademarks ranging from surrealist painter Magritte to comic book hero Tintin. The Bocconi restaurant lives up to the standard of luxury the hotel offers, and which has now become the ultimate destination of well-known politicians as well as A-list celebrities.

Rue de l’Amigo 1 – 3 Amigostraat
1000 Brussels
+ 32 (0) 2 547 47 47
www.hotelamigo.com

The Dominican Hotel

© The Dominican Hotel

© The Dominican Hotel

Housed in what used to be a Dominican Abbey in the 15th century, the hotel enjoys a prime location right behind opera house La Monnaie/Het Munt, right in the city’s vibrant centre. The original stone floors and sweeping archways provide the authentic finishing touches to the stylish interior. Lingering lunches in the peaceful courtyard are a must and the swanky lounge bar, boasting a great cocktail selection and an elegant à la carte menu, makes it the perfect place for those looking to impress a date.

Rue Léopold 9 Leopoldstraat
1000 Brussels
+32 (0)2 203 08 08
www.dominican.be

La Centrale Electrique

As its name aptly suggests, the contemporary art centre is housed in a former power plant. Design aficionados counting the days until September can satisfy their crave with Fighting The Box (until 3rd October), an exhibition celebrating the relationship between designers and their industry. Your chance to see 20 Belgian designers (among which Marina Bautier, Sylvain Willenz, Xavier Lust or Nathalie Dewez) who open their “box”, confess about the design challenges they face and unveil the association between the creative approach and industrial production.

Place Sainte-Catherine 44 Sint-Katelijneplaats
1000 Brussels
+ 32 (0)2 279 64 52
www.lacentraleelectrique.be

Baronian Francey

Opened in 2002 by two well-known figures of the art world (Albert Baronian and Edmond Francey), Baronian Francey has a knack for finding the best new talent, unrelentlessly nurturing and championing it through solo exhibitions, liaising with international galleries and museums as well as creating a historical archive for each of its protégés. Make sure to catch Xavier Mary’s Over Game installation (pictured above) before the gallery closes for the summer on 17th July.

Rue Isidore Verheydenstraat 2
1050 Brussels
+32 (0) 2 512 92 95
www.baronianfrancey.com

Galerie Sans Titre

Drawing its name from a timeless habit recurring amongst uninspired artists, the “untitled” gallery has hosted solo exhibitions by international emerging artists such as Ninar Esber, Ane Graff, Sarah Westphal, Rui Calçada Bastos (pictured above) as well as group shows of local young talent and certified names like Richard Kern or Lee Ranaldo. Opened just over a year ago, the Galerie Sans Titre has established itself as one of the compulsory stops of the Canal district’s flourishing art scene and our favourite address when it comes to exciting, experimental and avant-garde work.

22 Boulevard Barthélémylaan
1000 Brussels
+32 (0) 2 513 35 32
www.galeriesanstitre.be

Wiels

It was about time the capital of Europe had its own proper contemporary art centre. Therefore it’s no wonder the highly anticipated Wiels generated a fair amount of buzz when opening in 2007. The likes of Mike Kelley, Luc Tuymans, and Ben Cain have displayed their work in the in the former Wielemans-Ceuppens brewery since, confirming the success and necessity of such an institution. Currently showing are Rehabilitation (until 15th August), a group exhibition by young artists exploring modernist architecture and design, and Wangechi Mutu’s My Dirty Little Heaven (until 12th September), which we reviewed last week.

Avenue Van Volxemlaan 354
1190 Brussels
+32 (0)2 340 00 50
www.wiels.org

Aeroplastics

© Aeroplastics

Jerome Jacobs provoked quite the stir by opening a gallery in an old building of the upmarket Stephanie Square area in 1998, when the main trend was to occupy vast, disused warehouses along the sides of the canal. Purposely drawing attention to the bourgeois aspect of art collections that others were seeking to dismiss, Aeroplastics offers visitors a refreshing alternative to the standard – if not trite – white cube aesthetic. Summer exhibition The Alchemy of Delusion (until 14th August) introduces the work of Pat Andrea, Ion Bîrlàdeanu, Martin Kasper and Wolfe von Lenkiewicz amongst others.

Rue Blanche 32 Wittestraat
1060 Brussels
+32 (0) 2 537 22 02
www.aeroplastics.net

Words Timothy Palma, photography Timothy Palma and Melika Ngombe

"Hangar 29", Antwerp

View across the canal

Comprising collections varying from first to fourth year students, the show successfully displayed the incredible technical skills and talent of the Academy’s student body. The work of students in their first, second and third year was showcased on the catwalk, with the final year students presenting their entire thesis collections. Visible especially amongst the bachelor collections, it was clear that the Academy prizes concept as well as craft. Second year Sabrina Fischer’s “The artefact and the living” collection included a woven satchel creating the image of a cartoonish child hugging its wearer’s torso. “Amaranthine”, created by third year Leonnet Derksen, was a spectacular collection of walking banquet tables, layered like cakes and animated by the only body parts visible beneath them: the legs.

Leonneke Derksen, "AMARANTHINE"

Leonneke Derksen, "AMARANTHINE"

Amongst the work of masters students, the creations of Marie Cramer and Johan Åkesson were particularly remarkable. Cramer’s collection, entitled “Like a Painting”, was of an ornithological persuasion, featuring soft, ovoid dresses that seemed, like hummingbirds, to hover in place around the models’ bodies, each with a matching gilded egg shaped headpiece. Åkesson’s equally impressive collection “To Her” was much more down to earth… literally. Working in menswear, the sleek and simple designs of his looks were accentuated with plant life: each outfit’s respective sack carried a selection of greenery. Whether or not these two collections were purposefully presented back-to-back, this juxtaposition of concept, aesthetic and execution—the suspended and the grounded, the ornate and the simple, the feminine and masculine—wonderfully represented the strikingly dynamic character of the Royal Academy’s students.

Marie Cramer, "LIKE A PAINTING"

Johan Åkesson, "TO HER"

Åkesson's Final Collection

Most of this year’s featured collections, as well as the student’s portfolios, can be viewed on the Academy’s Fashion Department’s comprehensive website.

Words Alex Deforce, photography Gunter Blokken

Precinct 5's Tom wearing Nike Sportswear AW77 hoodie by South-African artist Kronk, Nike Sportswear kit tee by Kronk, Norse Projects pants and Nike Sportswear Dunk High AC by Kronk from the Nike Sportswear Six collaborations with a "State of the Art" Twist

Precinct 5's Tom wearing Nike Sportswear AW77 hoodie by South African artist Kronk and a Nike Sportswear kit tee by Kronk from the Nike Sportswear Six collaborations with a "State of the Art" Twist

Nike Sportswear Dunk High AC by South African artist Kronk from the Nike Sportswear Six collaborations with a "State of the Art" Twist

“Precinct 5 is a logical next step after years of running sneaker store Patta together with Edson”, says Mr. Wix. “The shop is located in a former precinct, police station number 5. The beautiful thing about the P5 store is the modular system we’ve gotten designed for the location. Since the opening we’ve changed the set-up already three times. We’ve recently started with Nike Stadiums as well, so from now on we’ll be developing projects together with Nike.”

Precinct 5 store

Malwin Wix aka Mr. Wix wearing a long sleeve t-shirt by Nike Sportswear, Levi's Denham-Enplus 495 jeans and Nike Air Footscape Freemotion by Mister Cartoon from the Nike Sportswear Six collaborations with a "State of the Art" Twist

Precinct 5's Denia is wearing Nike Sportswear tank by UK artist James Jarvis from the Nike Sportswear Six collaborations with a "State of the Art" Twist and a shirt by Folk

Nike Sportswear LunarLite Rejuven8 Mid by James Jarvis from the Nike Sportswear Six collaborations with a "State of the Art" Twist)

Here’s what Delta had to say about repping his country the World Cup way: “It’s fun to work within the constraints given by this type of work, as opposed to what I do in my personal work. This is of course in my style, but let’s say that this was made with my designer cap on, while the rest is with my artist cap on. I’ll always experiment, but with this World Cup concept for instance, I had to experiment within the limits of four colours: black, white, orange and blue. The best thing was the tight deadline. For some reason that calms me down, whereas with exhibits, I’m stressing out like crazy. For this one, I had my work done on time, amazingly.” Delta, aka Boris Tellegen, has created a geometric world with his art that is a colourful reflection of the constructivist movement that brings to mind both block-like cities as well as pixelized digital environments. His artwork for the assortment is an extension of his blocky visual language: the boxy mascot is a simple-yet-dynamic running man, the crest is a cubic puzzle of numbers, and the font is heavy as concrete.

Precinct 5's Tom is wearing a Precinct 5 white tee, a Nike N98 track jacket by Dutch artist Delta and Nike LunarLite Chukka Woven by Delta from the Nike Sportswear Six collaborations with a "State of the Art" Twist

Dutch artist Delta on his bike outside Precinct 5

Each collaboration includes classic staples of the brand like the N98 Track Jacket, AW 77 hoodie, kit tee, polo shirt and short for both men and women; a tee for men and tank for women. Each kit includes a selection of Nike Sportswear footwear coordinated with the apparel. The Football Six collection can be found in selected shops throughout the world such as Precinct 5 in Amsterdam or Colette in Paris. Some items from the collection can be bought online in the Nike store.

Photography Merel ‘t Hart

Located on Place Flagey, right beneath the cultural centre Le Flagey, its huge corner windowed façade and even bigger terrace have made the café impossible to miss. Calling it a local institution would be an understatement, and few would dispute the idea that Café Belga singlehandedly managed to put the Flagey district back on the map. “There was clearly a political and communal will to renovate the area and its urban space. So I guess it seemed like the perfect timing to invest in it,” explains François, who’s been managing the café for the past seven years. Created by Frédéric Nicolay (who else?), it bears the characteristic attention to detail familiar from other favourites like Tavernier, the Zebra or the Walvis; warm wooden interior with a carefully studied ancient/authentic feel, stylish design, counter service, pleasant tunes, free gigs, healthy snacks, and outdoor seating.

Undoubtedly the biggest and busiest, the Belga’s terrace located on the Place Sainte-Croix / Heilig Kruisplein and facing one of the Ixelles ponds is ideal to enjoy some rare UV rays while people watching. Regulars will pack onto the terrace at any cost, even if it means venturing out in nearly polar temperatures or sitting on the floor when all the chairs are occupied. Who ever said having a drink was meant to be relaxing? During peak hours, it’s a battle. Get ready to queue and fight for a table; if you manage to make it, the sense of victory will be a reward in itself. Fortunately, the staff is very helpful, with more barmen than there are bar women . “Being a huge and busy place, the work gets physically intense. I’d love to have more women on the staff, but it’s hard finding girls who are able to keep up.”

Open from 8am, Café Belga take on multiple identities over the course of the day. Early birds flock in for a quick coffee before work, others chose to begin the day with a satisfying breakfast or attempt to cure a hangover with one of the heavenly fresh juices. Come lunchtime, you can bring yourself up to date with the day’s newspapers while eating one of the salads served in a trademark glass. Catch up with a friend over a cup of tea in the early afternoon before hitting that first beer during the after-work slot, when the place gets flooded with students, creatives working in the area (global advertising agency Publicis has its offices above) and Schuman’s Eurocrats.

Depending on the day of the week, you can discover a great jazz band, dance the night away during wild DJ sets or even be lucky enough to catch the exclusive showcase of some special guest: in 2008, Moby performed a 45-minute acoustic gig for free and at his own request, the only condition being that there would be no publicity. Brussels word of mouth was efficient enough to deliver an insane crowd squeezed into the café, rapidly filled beyond capacity, and spilling on to the square and streets of the area.

Moby’s acoustic rendition of Natural Blues in Café Belga

[youtube width="567" height="420"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ul4uz9vtzo&feature=related

We Are All Made of Stars and Slipping Away

[youtube width="567" height="420"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGRsqJSRarw&feature=PlayList&p=327A90B177503E99&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=31

During the summer, the terrace morphs into an open-air theatre, screening movies within the Brussels Film Festival programme. At closing time, generally around 2 or 3am, the peckish ones, knackered on Belga cocktails of vodka, Canada Dry and violet syrup crawl to the square’s legendary fritkot (an institution in itself) conveniently located right across the street.

From a Belgian perspective, it’s a miracle that a place with no indoor smoking or table service has thrived so long after its novelty factor has worn off. The smoking ban has not had a negative effect on the business, thanks to the heated terrace and provision of blankets: if anything the café has managed to attract a wider and more family-friendly clientele as a result. As for the counter service, it was first initiated at Nicolay’s Saint-Géry cafés, and shook the clients’ habits. Although widely accepted now, the concept is still not the most popular, but François remains convinced it is a necessity. “People may not be very pleased about standing at the bar to order, but considering the size of the place, they’d have to wait five times longer if we were to bring drinks and food to their table. The situation would become unmanageable and prices would inevitably rise.” However, some still find it hard to stomach, the main argument being “why should I pay twice as much for a beer as I would in a supermarket if I have to get it myself anyways?” Fair enough. But at the end of the day, you’re not paying for your actual drink. You’re forking out to gorge on the café’s atmosphere, watch the people, and be part of the institution.

Opened on June 18th in 2002, Café Belga was a revolution in the quiet Place Flagey / Flageyplein. A few decades back this was a lively neighbourhood with local businesses, activities and a village-like intimacy. The central esplanade was home to a weekly street market, the annual Bouglione circus, a Portuguese party, parades, and neighbourhood parties. However it all died out, thanks, among other things, to intrusive and apparently endless road works. “I was extremely excited and immediately drawn to the place,” reminisces Elleni, who has been living on the square for the past 25 years. “It was magnificent and very new. The café offered a lot of concerts, jam sessions, but also attracted a very bobo and fauxhemian crowd. It doesn’t really bother me per se, but has truly changed the atmosphere and the identity of the neighbourhood. It feels weird thinking I live somewhere that’s now become hip.”

Besides upping Flagey’s cool factor and directly contributing to its considerable property boom, Café Belga has catalysed a boom of trendy bars like Bar du Marché, Nexx, Le Tigre, Irish pub De Valera’s, or artsy Café Murmure. One has to hand it to Mr Nicolay. The man has always been a visionary with an unmatched talent for revamping the city’s neglected and seedy areas with his bars and restaurants. Just look at his latest ventures like the Bar du Matin, opened less than two years ago on Place Albert / Albertplein in Forest / Vorst, or the Café Modèle, bordering the canal in Molenbeek. It doesn’t take a psychic to predict that these distressed areas are well on their way to become the capital’s next hot spots.

Café Belga
Place Eugène Flageyplein
1050 Brussels
Tel: +32 (0) 2 640 35 08

Everyday from 8am to 2am except Fridays & Saturdays from 8am to 3am
Kitchen open from 9am to 4pm

Photography Benoît Banisse, art direction and styling facetofacedesign

1. The holy grail

Just when we thought it was high time we stopped going to client meetings in beat down high tops and, instead, start making our billion dollar pitches in more adult-looking shoes, we stumble upon new brand on the block Jojo. Designed in Belgium, the fresh-faced sneaker distinguishes itself from the rest through its wrap-around shoe lace as well as its playful colour pairings. With strong environmental sensitivities underpinning the brand (for each pair of Jojo bought, one tree gets replanted in Niger, or one year’s supply of drinking water is secured for a person in Sierra Leone), there’s not a lot Jojo can do wrong in Word HQ at the moment.

Jojo (€79)
jojoproject.com
Available in Brussels
from Prive Joke and Reservoir Shop

2. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAGH!!!!

There you are, supervising the trial of an experimental gamma bomb for the US Defence Department one minute, and the next you find yourself transformed into a thick-skulled, mood-triggered mutant. Darn it, you’d think a genius scientist would be able to carry out his breakthrough research into nuclear weapons technology in peace without
having to turn into a Marvel comic book icon every time he got a little too excited. Remind yourself not to get ANGRY with this T – it even glows in the dark for that alluring hint of radioactivity.

Hulk T-Shirt (€59.95)
Marvel Vs. Hilfiger Denim

3. The birth of cool

We’re far from being experts in watch wizardry, although we know good design when we see it. Perfectly proportioned and carved out to please, Swatch’s classic watch has recently been given an artistic makeover in the shape of its 60+1_2 (pictured on the right). Designed by David Benedek as part of the company’s Colour Code Collection, the
cool, composed and confident wrist wear – complete with lo-fi demeanour and engaging colour palette – ticks all the right boxes.

From left:
Swatch’s Purple-And-White (€38) and 60+1_2 (€43)

4. The ultimate breakthrough tool

When considering sheer force and the word “stiletto” (not to mention the onset of acute pain), one would probably think about footwear before hardware. The Stiletto TBII 15’s combination of low weight titanium material and leverage
both increases the strike force and allows for less user fatigue: it’s the kind of tool that will last forever. If the TBII 15 is the Prada stiletto of hammers, then Vaughan Manufacturing’s V5 is the new pair of Doc Martens. While less chic, it
is more durable (the Stiletto can only be used for wood framing, the Vaughan can be used in any situation) and more affordable.

Top to bottom:
Stiletto TBII 15 (€255), available from rutlands.co.uk
Vaughan V5 (€61), available from axminster.co.uk

5. Future’s so bright

Founded early last year as a Euro-centric variant on the American original, Wired has quickly laid claim to our magazine stack’s top spot. For most magazines, breakthrough content is all to do with style – format, delivery, image, graphics, interactivity. For Wired, breakthrough content involves finding out about the future before it happens. Which kind of leaves the rest of us choking on its dust.

Wired UK (€7,90)

6. Rep that Rap

We totally fell in love with design studio Unfold’s self-Replicating Rapid prototyper (RepRap) when it was on show at Z33’s ace Design by Performance exhibition. Their version was tinkered to print in porcelain, and hooked up to a nifty computer program that allowed visitors to throw virtual pots that were then built layer on layer by the RepRap over the duration of the exhibition. Created according to an open-source plan developed by Dr Adrian Bowyer, the RepRap is a financially accessible 3-D printer that can be replicated using parts that it can manufacture itself, coupled on to locally available components. This one was built at Sint-Lukas University College in Brussels from a kit bought online.

Darwin RepRap kit (€940)

Read more about Dr Adrian Bowyer’s RepRap Project here

Rado's r5.5 Chronograph Matt (Photography Melika Ngombe)

A sleek, stylish and straight-up piece of watch-making might, this particular dial was thought-up by Jasper Morrison, whom the design-conscious Swiss watchmaker enlisted for this collection of engaging and exquisitely understated chronographs.  Making good the company’s use of oversized dials, the master of functionalism and minimalism has designed a watch which somehow manages to reflect the company’s heritage (Rado is known for its innovative use of hi-tech ceramics, a tradition Morrison’s design embraces), draw upon contemporary tastes (both the analogue and digital versions are discreet yet refined, well-suited to post-recession indulgences) whilst also firmly looking to the future (the watch’s design is right up there with, say, the Citroen DS).

The perfect anti-dote to Jacob-the-jeweler-era bling (the r5.5 is more corduroy than it is Jeans, more Saab than it is Hummer), this dial heralds a new-found confidence in watch making prowess, with Rado leading the pack as far as designing what today’s people really, really want.

Photography Melika Ngombe

To put it in the words of the game’s creator: “…The game is to be played as often as you can, in order to be prepared for any kind of disaster. The game is to be played with anything you can lay your hands on as a pawn. You just have to feel that this button or sipping top or whatever you use has the potential to represent you and save the earth. Best played with two or three survivors. You’re free to decide what to do with them when you reach the centre square and win the game.”

Monopoly it ain’t. Then again they say love is the new green…

Illustrations Félicie Haymoz, photography Aggloweb

A pawn of choice

The domino was covered in shiny tacky stickers. When it fell on the "I love you" sticker, she had to kiss all of us. Love conquers all... yet she sort of lost the game.

That's my blue bird of paradise car! I came second, thanks to its powerfull non-toxic engine.

The five of us were full of Christmas cake and eager to win the race...

The winner of the game, the Red Horse gave a vigorous speech about how wooden toys would overcome and save the earth.

This is a good demonstration of how to hide under the table when you cross the TWISTER path on number 36. Also, you'll need a huge stack of chocolates to eat when arriving in the Swiss Shelter.

1. LOCAL RUDE BOYS NEEDED – Our March edition’s Fashion Special will capture the flamboyant and fickle world of rudeboy fashion. Sheep-skinned leather coats, Adidas tracksuit bottoms, white sox, Sebago’s and Louis Vuitton slinger-bags. Not to poke fun at, but rather, to immortalise. Know a bad boy with a blingy sense of (street) fashion? Have a penchant for mixing sportswear with luxury brands (think Scappa and D&G)? Want to give your neighbourhood thug some love? Email n.lewis@thewordmagazine.be with some pictures. Budgets are inexistent, but we have a load of perfumes (Giorgio Armani, Kenzo and Burberry) to giveaway to those of you who can help. The shoot takes place this Thursday morning, in Brussels.

2. SOMEONE WITH A CAR – The latest issue still needs to make it over to Leuven. Approximately 25 points need to be served, which should take you a maximum of 4 hours (it’s a small town, and they’re mostly in the center). The job pays 60 euros. Interested? Email n.lewis@thewordmagazine.be now. The Leuven round needs to be done this week.

3. CALL TO ALL DJs – Some of you might have heard that we’re organising a photography exhibition in April (more info soon to follow), during artbrussels. As such, we’ll also be throwing a party on 24th April 2010, which is the closing weekend of artbrussels. Thus, our call to all DJs to send us examples of their tastes in the shape of a 1/2 hour mix. Those DJs we fall for will be invited to play our party. Mixes should be sent to n.lewis@thewordmagazine.be before Sunday 14th February 2010.

4. INTERN NEEDED – As part of the photography exhibition we’re organising in April, we’re looking for an art history/curating/events student to intern with us on a full-time basis from 15th February to 30th April. Your responsibilities will vary: everything from liasing with our many sponsors to driving the communications push and assisting the curator in implementing her artistic direction. Applications (CV + covering letter) should be sent to h.judah@thewordmagazine.be before Friday 12th February 2010.

5. SOME MORE MORNING AFTER POSTS – We still owe you at least three posts following January’s Morning After Issue: a round-up of some of our favourite Sunday morning tracks, a test (together with Alex from on-point) of some legal drug that’s been worrying members of parliament from Berlin to Barcelona and back, and an illustrated game (and visually-enacted rule book) created by Felicie. They’re there, ready to be published, we just need to bring a couple of finishing touches to them (been a while since we last skinned up) and then we’re a go. Look out for them this week and during the course of next week.

6. CONCERT TICKETS TO WIN -  We still have a pair of tickets to the Menahan Street Band playing Het Depot on 13th February 2010. First reader to email wewrite@thewordmagazine.be with Menahan Street Band specified in the title box will be on the concert’s guest list.

7. TWITTER FOLLOWING – We know Belgium’s been slow on the Twitter uptake, so we wanted to do our part. As well as ourselves (@NicholasTheWord), here are a couple of local cats worth following: @karenVG83 (for fashion and geekiness), @on_point (for culture, music and video), @plmd (mainly for graphic design and some laughter), @Kunstart (for local culture updates), @Knotoryus (for music and culture) and @LaidBackRadio (also for music and culture as well as the best online radio online). For the novices out there, trend a topic by adding a hashtag (#) in front of it. Ours, for example, is #thewordmagazine (add it in all tweets concerning the magazine). @on-point’s hashtag of choice is #imjustsaying (one we plan on pushing too). We’re just saying (Belgian) people, get with it and follow.

And that’s our Monday morning bit of news. A lovely week to all of you…

Photography Yassin Serghini, Art direction Melisande McBurnie, Defacto model Lalita Davis

The shot we ran with

For Amazon links:

Design Revolution (Thames & Hudson), Remake it Home (Thames & Hudson), Birth of the Cool (Prestel Publishing), Like Lipstick Traces (Dokument Press), Men in the Cities (Schirmer/Mosel), 60 Innovators Shaping our Creative Future (Thames & Hudson), Tatoo Book (Maurizio Carraini)

Tryouts

And more tryouts

All books available from Amazon:

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

Antwerp Street Style (2009) by Jens Mollenvanger – Ludion

Bibliographic (2009) by Jason Godfrey – Laurence King

Oil (2009) by Edward Burtynsky – Steidl/Corcoran

American Power (2009) by Mitch Epstein – Steidl

Born in the Streets (2009) – Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain

This Book is Elektronic (2009) – Ludion

Photography Yassin Serghini, Art Direction Melisande McBurnie

Photography Yassin Serghini, Art Direction Melisande McBurnie

Photography Yassin Serghini, Art Direction Melisande McBurnie

Photography Sarah Eechaut

Over two months after, it’s high time to refresh your memories and remind you of the interactive design exhibition we organised early September with a three minute video directed by Gaetan Saint-Remy of Sep Stigo Films. The three opening nights were as good a success as we had hoped for (this being our first truly “Word” event), with close to 650 people coming to say hello and no suicides, emergency room visits nor DIY disasters to speak of (although we did get the odd drunk trying to slap a lawsuit on us for being hit by a paper plane).

Dance moves, envelopes, business cards and perfect songs. The three days (and the rest of the month for that matter) had somewhat of a kindergarten feel to it, with cissors and felt pens the weapons of choice.

Photography Yassin Serghini

Photography Sarah Eechaut

Thanks again to all the exhibiting artists for taking part: Félicia Atkinson, Atypyk, Base Design, Nicolas Buissart, Benoit Deneufbourg, Sarah Eechaut, Face to Face, Damien Hirst, Félicie Haymoz, Hvass & Hannibal, Label Architecture, Anais Massini, Pleaseletmedesign, Robin Renard, David Trubridge, Sylvain Willenz, Wallpaper Magazine.

Sylvain Willenz and Félicie Haymoz (Photography Sarah Eechaut)

Damien Hirst (Photography Sarah Eechaut)

Hvass & Hannibal (Photography Sarah Eechaut)

Sarah Eechaut (Photography Sarah Eechaut)

And an extra special dose of thanks to the following people for their unremitting assistance putting on the show: Melisande McBurnie, Rena Smith, Yassin Serghini, Benoit Berben and Lea Munsch.

See you all next year for Follow the Guide part two….

Edited by Brussels-based journalist Guy Dittrich, the guide continues in its quest to, as he puts it, “give the design-savvy traveller a snapshot of the best of the best a city has to offer.”

Confirming its reputation for shining a new light on citites you thought you knew, the guide casts  a wide – and very sharp – eye over Brussels, with Guy (who is also responsible for the guide’s Prague, Frankfurt and Munich versions) digging deep into the city’s arteries to reveal his pick of design, architecture, travel, culture, food and retail outposts worth a nod. The ususal suspects are all present (Chez Moeder Lambic‘s cellar for example) as are rather more daring inclusions (Ingo Maurer‘s lighting for the Atomium to name but one). Combining its customary mix of arresting photography, crunchy wordbites and useful tips, the W* guide remains one of the most exhaustive directories available to the city-hopper and, although really meant for the Prada-totting traveler, will also appeal to locals seeking to re-discover their city’s cool-factor.

Make sure to tag along to Sterling Books this Friday 4th December 2009 from 19h00 to get a first peek at what made the pages, and what didn’t…

Wallpaper* City Guide Brussels, available from Amazon

An inside spread showing a view over Brussels

A map of Brussels gets the W* touch

Dissecting Brussels by districts

An inside spread with essential information

The Wallpaper* City Guide Brussels'cover

Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg: Scatalog

Daisy and fellow designer James King collaborated with the Cambridge team that produced the Grand Prize winning entry, out of 1700 participants and 112 teams, which we think is a real testament to what happens when you bring intelligent designers in on projects right from the outset. Daisy and James  worked alongside the students in the lab over the summer, and encouraged them, as she put it to “think outside the petri dish”.

E.Chromi in the lab - Mike Davies

Their proposals for the resulting project – E.Chromi: a pigment-producing variant of the E.Coli bacteria developed in the Cambridge labs – was certainly eye catching. Daisy and James rocked up to MIT with a secure briefcase containing a selection of lightly polychrome turds, with each colour variant created by the bacteria designed to highlight the presence of a particular disease in the delivering body. Rather like bacterial disclosing tablets, this futuristic diagnostic tool is proposed as an inexpensive way of monitoring your own health, and checking up on the presence of diseases to which you might already know you have a genetic susceptibility.

The Scatalog Suitcase - James King

The Scatalog was one of seven separate futuristic proposals that Daisy and James presented to the Cambridge team, all of which were intended to help the scientists thing of the real-world applications and impact of their creations (good and bad), and how the results of their research might one day be translated into commercial products. The designers also helped the students understand the importance of being able to communicate what they were doing effectively to the outside world, by encouraging them to think about how their work fitted into developments taking place beyond the laboratory.

Yesterday's lunch box - James King

Jatopa - Studio Job facades

An outlying Amsterdam housing project is now the home to 800 square metres of ornamental friezes designed by Studio Job. Decorating the façade of 5 large new buildings commissioned as part of a development by Far West, the designs feature a rich collection of the Studio’s iconic graphics, from gymnasts to guns, insects to syringes, fighter jets to flowers.

We’ve been corresponding a lot recently with Studio Job – they’re putting together a special something for our Heritage issue in December – so when they send us a little email about a project they’ve been working on in Amsterdam, we felt that we had to go up and take a look. It seemed particularly intriguing since the work formed part of a social housing project and as such contrasted pretty dramatically with other their other recent activities (the giant Swarovski crystal-studded globe that they lent for the Viktor and Rolf catwalk show in Paris, for example).

The building project, Jatopa, is in the far west of Amsterdam, in an area known for its high unemployment and large immigrant population. It’s not the kind of area that usually makes it onto the route map of cultural tourists. After a long ride on the city’s light rail system I finally got to the area at the end of the working day on a rainy Wednesday.  I (predictably) got lost (twice) and wandered around the streets checking out Turkish and North African bakeries, mother and baby care centres and schools for children with special needs. There were wide cycle lanes, clean playgrounds and when I finally stopped to ask directions, people were friendly and helpful – this may have been an area with problems, but it felt as though a large amount of investment, infrastructure and goodwill were being pumped into it.

Jatopa - Studio Job facades

Job and Nynke’s involvement dates back 5 years, when they were contacted by Gabi Prechtl of Kunst en Bedrijf, an organisation that matches artists to architectural projects. “When I went to the site a few years ago I saw a huge chance to make a change in Amsterdam, and I wanted to see if the director of the development was interested in combining it with an Art or Design project and he was, and this was the first big project.” At that time Studio Job was still a young and less known design outfit; this was to be the first time that they were involved in a project of this scale.

Because of the nature of the development, the budget for the art was tiny, so Gabi and the architect decided to use an existing aspect of the building’s design. “The lintels and concrete panels were already on the plan – so we made an extra effort to make them nicer.” Gabi’s brief to the Studio was to produce work for a public space that must be interesting to all kinds of people from different cultural backgrounds. “It’s not easy to find a new way of communicating with a society and community like this.”

Jatopa - Studio Job Facades

Studio Job’s work has been known for its provocative edge, and certainly on other projects they have seemed to enjoy winding people up. This last April, for example, they displayed stained glass windows featuring missiles and monsters at a seminary in Milan and were certainly ready for the priests to raise objections. The friezes for Jatopa certainly pull no punches –  there are spermatozoa and death’s head skulls laced in there alongside the flora and fauna, not to mention the reference to socialist art that comes from both the location and the format. “I don’t think it’s provocative,” shrugs Gabi with a smile. Well, this is Amsterdam – there’s a heck of a lot worse on public display around these parts if you take a wrong turning. “There are a lot of images on the friezes, so you can pick what you see; it can be nice and easy, or maybe not, like the real world.”

For Gabi, the architectural significance of the project is particularly exciting; “Dutch architects are wary of using ornaments,” she explains. “But now it’s changing; this project is quite big for Holland.”

Jatopa - Studio Job Friezes

Back on the street at Jatopa, residents are starting to come home from work. The housing complex covers almost a whole block of the neighbourhood and the buildings alternate between private apartments and social housing. I get talking to one of the residents of a private block and he lets me into the building to show me the garden – it’s communal, shared between private and social blocks. I ask him who maintains it? He admits that the space is paid for by the owner-occupiers, but he explains that he likes the idea that he’s part of an important social change in the area. The private block is fully occupied, and my new friend greets the other residents as they walk past him; they have formed a housing corporation and the buzz of social cooperation is in the air. I ask what he thinks of the artwork on the outside of the building – he says that he’s very proud to live somewhere so beautiful, (although he can’t remember the name of the artist).

When tenants started moving into the area at the beginning of September, Gabi helped put together a glossy brochure about the friezes that was given out to everyone in the block; “they can read about it, pick out their own building in the photographs and show other,” she explains. “You can really recognise the buildings now and that works – it’s different from the other blocks.”

Kunst en Bedrijf is still involved in two other art and design projects; a pair of sculptures that will be ready late next spring and a staircase to go into a building slated to complete in 2011. “This renovation and renewal project is a huge operation;” Gabi admits. “It will take a lot of time to change the area, but Far West is really interested in putting effort into the cultural and social side of the development.”

Christien Meindertsma’s project to discover all the products made from a single pig (the titular 05049) ended up taking her 3 years, and included such unexpected products as wine, carbonless paper, zinc, medicine capsules, paint, cigarettes, toothpaste, heart valves and train brakes. The products were all exhibited at an installation in Rotterdam last year; for the book she has photographed them all on a 1:1 scale.

This is both a beautifully produced object (we particularly love the stud on the cover) and a very revealing piece of research; it totally chimed with our fondness for great graphic design and restless inquiry into the peculiar workings of the modern world.

Many thanks to Lisbeth Juul of the INDEX awards who very sweetly gave us a copy of PIG 05049, which won INDEX’s  Play category.

The book is available via Amazon.com. A limited edition of 50 have also been produced with pigskin covers and photo of Pig 05049.

It was the closing event of Design September – the professionals’ day – with conferences featuring an impressive line-up of key speakers.  The packaging speakers had a kind of wary defensive aura to them; Fabrice Peltier of Paris’ DesignPack Gallery admitted that when people asked him what he did he’d sometimes joke that he “designed waste” – which pretty neatly indicated the elephant in the room. Sustainability – still an afterthought, still a buzzword, not yet centre stage. Packaging people – there’s no excuse.

Over on the award side, Peter Zec of Red Dot did point out that it’s not just the packaging people that were failing to grasp the sustainability nettle. During the most recent Concept Awards; Red Dot’s Singapore based awards for younger designers; 300 works were entered for the Green Design section but the jury was so disappointed that they ended up not actually giving the award out.

Lisbeth Juul of Index Awards made Copenhagen seem like design-loving right-on community spirited heaven. The awards go to works that improve human life – this year’s laureates included a system of microcredit loans, and an integrated infrastructure to support electric cars – and the events connected to the awards are all held in the homes of local design enthusiasts. Which sounded like perfection until Jean-Pierre Blanc, director of the Villa Noailles’ Design Parade, started showing slides of the design conferences at Hyeres – long lunches in the Provencal sunshine during the early summer – and we considered asking whether he’d adopt us. Design, wine, sunshine, glorious architecture and fabulous conversation – it almost makes us weep thinking about it.

Karim Rashid unfolded his long pink-clad legs from one of the Festival’s Mini Coopers at 5 o’clock, just in time for a chat before he gave the closing address of the day. We decided not to bother with small talk (although for those of you lap up the incidental froth – he is very bright, charming, and super articulate, likes good quality coffee with milk (preferably a cappuccino), rates the architecture of the Flagey building and admits that his sideline in DJ-ing has fallen by the wayside since he discovered that even he needs to sleep occasionally).

Hettie: Since today is really about branding I’d like to ask you about you as a brand. If I say that there is a very recognisable Karim Rashid style, to you take that as a very positive statement; the result of really good branding on your part, or do you find it oppressive? Do you ever feel the need to break away from it?

Karim: Because I do such a broad range of work there will always be some brands that hire me because they expect me to be very Karim Rashid, but I never believed that I had a very specific style. Before I started my own studio 18 years ago I spent 10 years working for other design offices. During that time I designed power tools for Black & Decker, I designed humidifiers, medical and even military equipment. When you do that, there’s no personality that you can impose on the work – you are driven by the performance of the product.

I think there are two worlds of design; there is the more artistic commodity that occupies the popular domain of design and there are products that fill our everyday life where we don’t see the designer at all. Packaging design occupies the second area. Most of the brands prefer to keep the designer out of the equation – Issey Miyake is the brand, not Karim Rashid. If you walk through an airport Duty Free shop, I’ve probably designed 10% of what you see, but you’d never know it. Is that shouting my style or not?

It depends if companies have their own strong identity, or they ask me to be quite expressive. But I’m more interested in doing important things that in being a celebrity.

These days consumer culture is interested in who’s behind these things; they realise someone has had an original thought and that it’s become that particular product. Objects aren’t just generic. It’s a new phenomenon and I think it’s very positive; people know which bottle of water Ross Lovegrove designed and which was designed by Ora Ito, for example.

I’m working on a water bottle at the moment and I have convinced the company to make it out of sugar cane – I talked to six different companies before them and no one was interested – designers don’t just bring form, material and ergonomics, they can be responsible for major shifts?

Hettie: That leads pretty neatly on to the second thing that I wanted to talk about actually: the role of designers in industry. One of the speakers earlier pointed out a big difference between packaging in the Southern European and Northern European markets; apparently in the South the notion of quality comes from the earth up; they take their notion of quality from its provenance, whereas in the north we judge it on the packaging. Perhaps as a result, from a lot of quarters at the moment I’m getting the sense that we’re suddenly encountering a generation of designers that design identity rather than products; they understand packaging, branding, image and so on, but not about actually creating a genuinely new product. Does this chime at all with your experience?

Karim: I think it’s one of the things that modernism did – it was the age of specialisation – it bifurcated our profession.

I was recently working for a client on an ice tea – and I was trying to convince them that they couldn’t just change the packaging, they had to change the product; I was talking to them about the big shift towards natural and organic products, but I didn’t get anywhere, because I’m just hired to make the package. There’s a huge disconnect. For something like that you need to get all the people in the room together right at the start of the project, but that’s not how things happen.

Companies come to me, and other like me, because their sales are going down. These days the global competition is extraordinary; there are lots of little brands that are right on there, understanding the particular demands of the time, and larger companies miss the signals. Say you want to do a new sports drink – the competition is fierce precisely because there are all these smart moves coming out of these tiny companies. The companies expect that changing the label or bottle will get them back in the game, but they need to take a more holistic approach.

I had the same thing when I was designing a toothpaste brand – why do the big brands have nothing to compete with Tom’s? Method was one of the few product ranges I’ve done where I was part of a holistic approach. It was started by three guys with pretty small loans; now it’s worth $700 million. They’re young guys who reacted to the times. I’m so interested in the political and social life of the world – I want to be more proactive.

Hettie: I’m interested in this idea of the designer out engaging with the world and responding to changes. I was talking to someone about Rei Kawakubo and they were explaining how she kept Comme really responsive and ahead of the game as a brand because she was really engaged with political and social movements in that way. She really works with a team on the design, which her allows her to give her attention to these other elements. I imagine that your studio functions in a similar way?

Karim: Actually we are really small: only 12 people. I’m doing 90 projects now. I’m a bit controlling; it does hold me back but I don’t want to be a big company; I reject lots of work and stay small. I don’t know if I’m capable of doing it any other way; I’ve never really had the personal desire for it to get bigger. Unlike a united brand, we work for a plethora of different brands, and if you delegate the quality can become uneven.  When you have big overheads you end up having to do what the British critic Peter Dormer used to call ‘below the line’ work to pay the bills. I never wanted to be in that position. I take only one in ten jobs because they’re the ones I want to do.

We do have to produce quite technical prototypes for companies – they expect it, so two of the team are design engineers. I’ve gone in a bit of a full circle – my education was very rigorous, but then I went to Milan and saw the Italian design artistic the work was. My background (I’m half British) and my education have been a good balance for me; the practical, pragmatic and technical side balances the artistic. It allows me to work with big multinationals that create real mass products and to make real changes.

I think what I’d refer to as the ‘Droog School’ of design changed the world because it made people think that design was all about whimsical, craft like, artistic proposals, but that’s not design. Real design is a Nespresso machine. Design is about moving things forward. Of course it is very valuable to have someone doing something critical and radical too.

The night’s invitees read like a guest list at a design geek’s surprise birthday bash, with big name agencies such as Spin, Biblioteque, APFEL and Tomato all present, as well as Adrian Shaugnessy (Studio Culture’s author and former agency director at Intro), Patrick Burgoyne (editor of Creative Review), Tony Hung (responsible for shaping Kylie Minogue‘s graphic identity) and, a personal favourite, Neville Brody (celebrated, amongst others, for his work with the now defunct The Face and for designing the record sleeves of Depeche Mode).

Big shout out to Frédéric at Coast (the only Belgium agency included in the book) for his account of the night’s happenings (white wine galore and a curry at Busaba Thai, although I personally would have opted for their Pad Kwetio), for sending through the pictures and for hauling a copy of the book (soon to be reviewed) back from his London trip for us.

And of course, we wish nothing but the best to Unit Editions…

Coast's Frederic Vanhorenbeke and Studio Culture author Adrian Shaugnessy

Lucid Dream by Eric Klarenbeek (photo by Paola Pieroni)

In Praise of Shadows is a concise meditation on light curated by Jane Withers. 20 works are displayed inside an existing gallery at the V&A; nestled in among the ceramics and inlayed furniture they provided the only illumination; visitors are given torches at the entrance so that they can read the exhibition text.

Light Bulb by Pieke Bergmans (photo Paola Pieroni)

There’s politics and science here, but also space for poetry; I really enjoyed getting another look at Drift’s Fragile Future: a light sculpture that combines LEDs with real dandelion seed heads that was on show the Carpenters Workshop Gallery stand in Basel this year. Here in the dark it looked even more beautiful, if, as the title suggests, terrifyingly fragile. Paul Cocksedge’s cool flower-powered vase lamp was here too, as was old Word favourite Pieke Bergmans with one of her giant melting light bulbs (above).

Stay away from the light

Shadows really are here to be praised, says Jane Withers; she thinks that we may all be crazily in thrall to illumination; too accustomed to everything being super-bright. The exhibition title is taken from an essay by Junichiro Tanizaki that argues that too much lighting robs culture of its aesthetic richness. Jane explained that she thinks many shops could certainly do with lighting their stock more selectively; having seen the effect that good lighting has on exhibition displays, I definitely agree. Decent display lighting can make things look much more alluring, and uses much less energy. The brochure for the show also cites research work by Claudia Dutson of the Royal College of Art suggesting that over-bright light, particularly of the wrong colour, can have a negative impact on health.

“The office may be the most demanding environment on a person’s physiology. Is a uniform, brightly lit room the best place to be productive and healthy?” Claudia Dutson, RCA

Sonumbra by Loop, photo Paola Pieroni

Fight the power

The show is pegged to the EU-wide  switch to energy efficient light-bulbs that came into force this month. Rather than a chastisement, the curator sees the directive as a stimulus and considers this to be a time of great creativity and change in lighting design. A reminder of why it’s so important to make the switch comes from Tom Foulsham’s film Light Balance, for which he built a merry-go-round inside the Albert Hall which he powered with the heat of one 400w bulb – 95% of the energy used by incandescent lightbulbs is given out as heat, only 5% as light. While the bulb managed to swing Tom around, it certainly didn’t light up much of the Hall itself.

There’s another video showing some direct action to power-guzzling; French activists Clan du Néon go around at night switching off the lights on shops’ street displays.  It felt irresistibly irreverent to stand in the grand old V &A watching grainy footage of jubilant activist shinning up drainpipes to flick off the emergency power switches. Anyone fancy starting a Belgian branch?

[dailymotion]http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Clan+du+N%C3%A9on/video/x8zwrw_clan-du-neon-on-eteint-la-lumiere_news[/dailymotion]

And now for the activists’ Belgian branch:

[dailymotion]http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Clan+du+N%C3%A9on/video/x4m3iz_clan-du-neon-namur-belgique_politics[/dailymotion]

Lao – Les Ateliers Ouverts

Consisting of wood workers Benoit Langlade and Ludovic Avenel and designer Gaetan Coulaud, Lao‘s products are innovative and nifty affairs, appealingly simple in their conception. Their table garden was especially refreshing, and apparently a hit with pensioners. Can’t wait to be over 65 if this is what awaits us…

Lao's table garden

Moustache

Founded by Stéphane Arriubergé and Massimiliano Iorio of Domestic fame, Moustache is a small-scale design editor firmly rooted in 21st century ideals.  Think functionalism, think minimalism. “Less is more” rather than “big is better”. The company’s debut collection presents the works of designers such as  Big-Game (part of Atelier A1 and a clear Word favourite), Inga Sempé and Matali Crasset to name but  few. If the company’s first presentation is anything to go by, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this baby.

Moustache's stand with Inga Sempé's "Vapeur" lamp (top left), Matali Crasset's "Instant" chair (middle) and Big Game's "Bold" chair (bottom and top right)

Design House Stockholm

Bringing to the fore Swedish design in all its comic simplicity, Design House Stockholm combines affordability with ingenuity. I loved the company’s Work Lamp (designed by Form us with Love) as well as its set of Family Chairs by Lina Nordqvist.

Lina Nordqvist's "Family Chairs", with Form us with Love's "Work Lamp".

In a following post, I’ll be continuing what came out of Maison et Objet with small titbits on Areaware, Concha Bay and Danish Crafts.