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Les Editions du Griffon, Swiss Publishing house for beautiful art books.

Art
Luxury

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15 June 2015

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Print is not dead. It sounds a big statement but it is true. In a world where digital becomes a rule, we could have imagined that printed books, magazines and newspapers would stop existing. Well, we realize that the more people go online, the more there is room for a printed document in your life. This month we met Les Editions du Griffon, a historical Publishing House in Neuchâtel. For a couple of hours, we could talk about beautiful books, arts and a lot of passion.

Les Editions du Griffon, a jewel in the art of Book publishing

During the Second world war, there was a lack of books for schools and for children. It was as we can imagine hard times. In Switzerland, in the Neuchâtel canton, Marcel Joray, decided to change the situation about books. Being a school teacher himself, he decides in 1944 to create Les Editions du Griffon. The initial mission was to publish school books in order to keep culture and education alive. With the years passing by, Marcel Joray started developing as well arts and culture in his Publishing house. He is also at the start of several cultural activities in Switzerland.

First Swiss outdoor exhibition in Bienne about Sculpture in 1954
First Swiss exhibition in Neuchâtel about Abstract painting in 1957
Launch of an amazing collection called “Les Trésors de mon Pays”
He launched one of the firsts collections of Contemporary Art books that get international recognition
Author of several books about Contemporary Art

For his books, Marcel Joray received the International Award for Art books in Jerusalem for his work about Vasarely in 1971. He was then given the high honor of the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres title. He was as well in 1980 Honoris Doctor of Bern University. Les Editions du Griffon decade after decade specialized in the publishing of Art books and the Publishing House launched several monographies from artists of the Post-war period. To reference only some of the major editions:

Brancusi
Vasarely
Soto
Gabo
Schöffer
Agam

For this amazing work, Les Editions du Griffon became a worldwide reference and a true Swiss heritage.

Les Editions du Griffon today and tomorrow

3 years ago, Mr Julien Gonzalez-Alonso took over Les Editions du Griffon. After being the Director of a major contemporary art auction house in Paris, Mr. Gonzalez-Alonso decided to put himself at the service of contemporary creation. And that is how he became a book publisher. He had at heart to be an actor of creation by supporting authors, artists and institutions. For Mr Gonzalez-Alonso, books are about transmission, sharing, generosity, memory and eternity.

Les Editions du Griffon has 4 main collection:

Trésors de mon Pays: This collection celebrates Switzerland, its heritage and the memory of a lost past. It highlights landscapes, industries, men and culture. There is also special beautiful books about Swiss artists. 20 references already published from Yves Dana, Wolf Barth, Erwin Rehman, Le Corbusier, Ofön Koch… And the list will grow with future publications.
L’Art du 20e siècle + suivants: more than 40 monographies of contemporary artists, all international references. From Victor Vasarely to Yaakov Agam, Lourdes Castro, Naum Gabo, Gunther Gerzso, Marino Di Teana, Arthur-Luiz Piza, Antoine Pevsner, Nicolas Schöffer, Jesus-Rafael Soto or Kemény. Loyal to its roots, les Editions du Griffon will continue the highlight of contemporary artists and their impressive talent.
Bespoke Books: As a private project or a corporate one, a beautiful book is something that marks a special moment or a special project. Between 50 to 50’000 units, the Editions du Griffon will bring you their know-how and quality to all editorial projects you might have.
Bibliothèque Scientifique: One hundred scientific, technical and philosophical books published by the Griffon and the Maison Vaudoise Fonds Rouge (redeemed by Editions du Griffon in 1959). The last available copies are still very current and desired.

New projects by Editions du Griffon, writing the future of the Publishing house.

Les Editions du Griffon is reborn and every year there will be an effort made to publish valuable and beautiful art books. On the recent projects there are 3 that are already published and one incoming major book. The following projects can be seen here on the Publishing house website:
http://griffon.dixens.org/nouveautes

Vasarelyptiques coffret , Victor Vasarely (1906-1997)

This anthology of the work of Vasarely brings the ultimate original copies of Vasarelyptiques albums, complemented with unpublished documents (1954-2013) gathered in exclusive boxes whose design are part of the tradition of the artist’s work .

Here is a presentation video about the coffret.

Album de Naissance, Lourdes Castro (born in 1930)

The great Portuguese artist had created this album in 1972. Here it is the artist’s book published now in limited edition of 120 copies, signed and numbered by the artist. Sketchbook containing 15 tests: Colour serigraph on Bristol, collage and photographic print. 120 copies, signed and numbered by the artist.

Monographie, Arthur Luiz Piza (born in 1928)

The first reference in terms of monography on the Brazilian artist living in Paris since 1951, covering an entire career dedicated over 60 years to the exploration of volumes. 1000 copies, 99 copies de tête and 23 copies in deluxe edition.

After these amazing publications, Les Editions du Griffon are currently working on a great new project. For the first time, you will be able to read a monograph about Isidore Isou, the creator of the Lettrism

Isidore Isou (1925-2007) by Frédéric Acquaviva

The first monograph on Isidore Isou, the creator of Lettrisme, avant-garde movement started in 1946 in Paris.
This work, which echoes the pioneering publications Griffon editions (Brancusi in 1959) will be mainly devoted to visual art Isou, while evoking its innovative designs in poetry, film or novel. 250 pages and 250 illustrations

Lettrism is a French avant-garde movement, established in Paris in the mid-1940s by Romanian immigrant Isidore Isou. In a body of work totaling hundreds of volumes, Isou and the Lettrists have applied their theories to all areas of art and culture, most notably in poetry, film, painting and political theory. In French, the movement is called Lettrisme, from the French word for letter, arising from the fact that many of their early works centred on letters and other visual or spoken symbols.

As you can see, Les Editions du Griffon is back for good and after celebrating last year its 70th anniversary, we all hope that it will be around for 70 years more. Mr Julien Gonzalez-Alonso is a very passionate person, true books lover and deserve to succeed in this endeavor. So do not hesitate to visit the company website to get more information about the incoming publications:
http://griffon.dixens.org

LA

Info sourced at the exclusive interview for LuxuryActivist.com, wikipedia, www.hls-dhs-dss.ch, RTS, www.lespressesdureel.com, www.platinn.ch. All images are from Les Editions du Griffon and with the only purpose of illustration. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Miss Claire, you can wear fine lingerie every day.

Fashion

LuxuryActivist

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14 June 2015

0

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, but lingerie is every women’s companion. From the day-to-daylife to a one night celebration, lingerie has always being part of a woman’s femininity, seduction or even comfort. This week we met Miss Claire Suisse, an interesting lingerie brand with one specific goal: They are committed to offer the opportunity for all women to wear every day refined and quality lingerie at an affordable price.

Miss Claire Suisse believes that quality of service is a differentiator key in a competitive market. We set the goal of becoming the preferred brand of our current and future clients.

Miss Claire, a know-how at the service of women.

When you meet a new brand, one of the first questions you might have is the background of the company and how the products are made. With Miss Claire, things are pretty clear and reassuring. The company started to produce mariage portions for women in 1960 and in the 80’s the first collections of underwear and lingerie started. For several years the company manufactured lingerie for very well known and established brands, like Triumph, Oysho, Etam, Chantelle, La Senza… After a while, Miss Claire brand was born, in 1997. 18 years later, Miss Claire is located in Istanbul, Turkey. Established in a 6’ooo m2 offices, Miss Claire has a production capacity of 350’000 pieces per month. Why Turkey? Well, When it comes to Lingerie, you need to find a high-skilled tradition and know-how in dentelle and fine-clothes. Turkey has decades of tradition in lingerie and lace. Several families started businesses around lace and lingerie after the Second world war. Miss Claire has a perfect background that allow customers to benefit from the best techniques at an affordable price.

Miss Claire offers a wide variety of trends, fancy or classic woman underwear, able to meet a multitude of needs. The company develops its business and markets for many years and is now present in several European countries and on others continents. For Switzerland, Miss Claire is Miss Claire Suisse. They have offices between Geneva and Lausanne. And all activities in the Swiss market are managed in Switzerland. Lingerie is also about design and style. All design work for Miss Claire is done in France and in the UK by the best Lingerie designers of the moment.

Miss Claire Suisse, 100% online, a digital boudoir

Miss Claire Suisse has a clear “parti-pris” about the way to commercialize its lingerie. Always concerned by proposing the best quality at an affordable price, Miss Claire Suisse decided to go online and embrace a 100% digital distribution. Their aim is to keep distribution and marketing costs as low as possible, focus on production and quality. Prices goes from CHF 29 to HF 150. So their mission to offer the possibility to women to wear everyday fine-lingerie is accomplished.

Miss Claire proposes 5 collections of lingerie and underwear:

Fashion
Classic
Pure
Private
Interior

With these different collections, every woman can find the perfect piece to answer to a day-to-day need or a special occasion, or both. Miss Claire explores colors, shapes, materials, anatomic designs and of course a full range of affordable prices. So no excuse to find your dreamed lingerie.

Miss Claire has a very interesting offer in the Pure collection. Pure products have sustained a washing procedure with a special ferment that guarantees. The quality and the shape of the cotton underwear whilst strict microbiological controls make sure that the product is friendly to the skin. In addition the finishing with a ferment of silicone seals the softness and the perfect fitting of the Pure collection.

As you can see, Miss Claire is a very interesting brand. Their approach of being 100% online is very interesting. The website is very well done, there is all the reassurance required and in the website you can even find a local phone number to contact in case of doubt. Little note about the models presented in the website. They are very little photoshopped which gives them the allure of real women rather than extra-terrestrials. Naturally they are all very beautiful women but basically that is it.

Miss-Claire-website-homepage

Please visit the brand website for more information about the company and the products. The stocks are regularly updated so you will never end up trying to buy something that you cannot.

http://missclairesuisse.ch

Miss Claire is a very clear business with a clear mission about how to please its customers. Dedicated people are key for success and qualitative products at the right price are the foundation of a very sustainable business. Well done.

LA

Info sourced at LuxuryActivist exclusive meeting with Miss Claire Suisse team. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. All images are courtesy of Miss Claire for illustrations purposes only.

Cultural Network, the ultimate Swiss digital guide for arts and culture.

José Amorim

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13 June 2015

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

The world of arts it is an amazing human activity that will inspire millions of people. Switzerland is a great supporter of arts. It is pretty surprising to see how many exhibitions, concerts, installations and other artistic festivals take place every year in the Swiss soil. How to manage your calendar so you would not miss a thing? Well, now there is CULTURAL NETWORK.

Cultural network, your digital pocket companion for arts and culture

Cultural Network is a mobile app and a web platform that allow museums and institutions to connect every day with thousands of people. And it is all for free. That is the beauty of it. Museums, Opera houses, galleries or concert halls can easily update in a live streaming all their current and incoming news. The user have access to all events that will match his profile. By entering your interests, the app will geo-locate you and propose all matches to the information you have chosen. You can browse the list of events by type of artist (dancer, painter…) or by type of institution (museum, gallery, festival…) or even by type of event (concert, exhibition…).

Cultural Network takes Switzerland as a role model and a good place to start

Switzerland can be proud of Cultural Network. It is a full 100% Swiss made project. The team behind this project picked up Switzerland as a cultural challenge and an advantage in terms of quality, design and functionality. In deed, Switzerland with its 4 official languages and the amount of cultural events running every year across the country represents a great challenge to anyone. If Cultural Network succeeds in Switzerland, it can succeed everywhere! Switzerland also became a major world reference for arts and society. So starting in Switzerland sets the ambition of the project. We also tend to say that Switzerland has one of the most demanding audience, aiming for only the very best at all levels.

Connecting people with the actors of arts

The principle is pretty simple. Cultural Network allows museums, art galleries and concert halls to input their events, news, incoming exhibitions with as much details as possible. This will allow to map every single local to regional to national events. The end user can enjoy a live updated tool that is at the same time a cultural calendar, agenda, exhibition guide and weekend personal assistant for going-out. It is already the 17th version of the app that is continuously improving and adding more features.

Cultural Network, everything in one place

The app is pretty complete. You access all information by event, institution or by geo-location. There is also a QR code reader, very practical in order to get extra information. You can favorite information, so you can retrieve it easily and you can also save events and see them in a cultural to-do list. One incoming feature, not yet available, is the possibility to buy tickets online. Currently in negotiations with online ticket bookers, the close-future idea will be to help you find the perfect art exhibition, event or concert and buy tickets directly from the app. This would definitely be a must and a very helpful functionality.

Do not hesitate to download the app from the app store:
Cultural Network par Julien Goumaz
https://appsto.re/ch/vqbcP.i

You can also check for more information on the company official website. You can see a presentation of their services and also how exactly the platform works. You can also see the recent news about incoming concerts, exhibitions and more.

https://www.culturalnetwork.ch

When passion for arts and Swiss ingenuity meet, the result can only be outstanding.

LA

Info sourced by LuxuryActivist from Cultural Network team. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Kissthedesign gallery in Lausanne – Objectif Gare.

Art

José Amorim

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13 June 2015

0

Reading Time: 4 minutes

In the world of Arts and Design, you can find museums, galleries and stores. And actually you also have the Kissthedesign gallery. An unique place in Lausanne – Switzerland that will mix a Design furniture shop with an art exhibition place. Here in this place art, culture, design and interior furniture blend in order to bring a certain freshness in the approach of these topics. Why choose if you can have it all. Currently, you can discover an amazing, original and sharp exhibition called Objectif Gare, Céramique, Estampe and Design. LuxuryActivist was invited.

KISSTHEDESIGN, an unique place in Lausanne made by passionate people.

The gallery was opened in 2010 by 2 artists graduated from the Geneva University of Art and Design as well as from the Kunsthochschule für Medien in Cologne. Kissthedesign gallery has quickly gained a legitimacy in the art and design scene among a demanding clientele of collectors and vintage furniture aficionados. The gallery has a beautiful and original space of 150m2 displaying designs from the very best:

Corbusier
Saarinen
Florence Knoll
Mies Van der Rohe
Hans J. Wegner
Max Bill
Alvar Aalto
Etc…

Postmodernism 80s also occupies a special place in their selection, especially with the creations of the Memphis group and Ettore Sottsass. It is thus the treasures of Swiss design, American, Italian, French and Danish from 1930 to 1985.

Kissthedesign The gallery is also a cultural space with exhibitions of young Swiss and international artists. Since March 2012, the gallery Kissthedesign achieves a contemporary design exhibition program around unique or limited editions and represents young international designers such as Nicolas Le Moigne, Valentin Loellmann Frederick Dedelley Tobias Schäfer, Tomas Kral, etc. The concept of Kissthedesign makes it a unique and sharp space where history and avant-garde interact.

Objectif Gare, Ceramique, Estampe, Design: the exhibition.

In collaboration with the mudac and its path in the event Objectif Gare, the Kissthedesign gallery offers an overview of the local and international creative ceramic and illustration, two fields of activities sharing the gallery with Mudac museum. The collective exhibition brings together artists, ceramists, designers and graphic artists known around interdisciplinary materials and techniques.

Presented in a setting designed by designers and Beatrice Bähler Dimitri Durandard is a narrative ceramic that is in the spotlight: The delicate porcelain figurines pristine ceramists Makiko Nakamura and Marianne Eggimann report a magical and poetic universe, while the plates of Canadian artist Martin Hyde tell a hallucinated pop and traditional culture under sail. As for the porcelain vases and copper Michèle Rochat and Wiebke Meurer, they revisit a wild and mysterious still life frozen in luxurious fabrics

The drawing plays the game through multiple artisanal reproductive technologies, such as screen printing or etching. The artist Augustin Rebetez which the gallery will present the solo exhibition at the 09/10/2015, and graphic Anaëlle Clot, A3 Studio and Helge Hjorth Bentsen, inspired by mapping networks, present new drawings in limited edition.

The skills of local artisans are also highlighted here in the image of the Vaudois Colormakerz screen printing workshop, which achieved several of impressions served and invests Minikiss showcase.

Objectif Gare – Pole Museal in Lausanne

Preparing the future gathering on the site of the old Les Halles CFF aux locomotives, just a few steps away from Lausanne Main station, the MCB-A, the Mudac and the Musée de l’Elysée propose Objectif Gare. It is an artistic parcours throughout the streets of Lausanne- The Tom Pauli foundation and the Félix Vallotton foundation set to join the MCB-A Museum on the site of the Pole Muséal. This artistic parcours is also promoted and supported by the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise.

The exhibition at Kissthedesign gallery takes place until July 25th 2015, so you still have some time to visit it and discover these amazing artists and this amazing place.

KISSTHEDESIGN – Exposition collective
Augustin Rebetez, Anaëlle Clot, A3 Studio, Dimitri Bähler, Helge Hjorth Bentsen, Béatrice Durandard, Marianne Eggimann, Martin Hyde, Makiko Nakamura, Michèle Rochat et Wiebke Meurer.
+ Minikiss: Colormakerz, atelier de sérigraphie
Avenue de Rumine 4
1005 Lausanne
Suisse
http://www.kissthedesign.ch

Passionate people enjoy to share their passion with others. Kissthedesign is definitely a place for sharing the beauty, the originality and the dedication of contemporary artists.

LA

Info sourced at the Kissthedesign gallery vernissage, website and communication release. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Eres 2015 Spring-Summer collection, beautiful and elegant

Luxury

LuxuryActivist

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11 June 2015

0

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Eres is a beautiful swimwear and lingerie house. Created initially by the imagination and the will of a woman, the French luxury house Eres represents a must in terms of body-wear. Each season, Eres reveals amazing creations, always finding the right balance between glamour and comfort, style and structure. A beautiful brand that reveals women’s inner beauty.

Eres, a matter of elegance with quality, unique design and outstanding colors

When Irène Leroux launched Eres in 1968 at Place de la Madeleine in Paris, her aim was to create an unique and original swimwear brand based on elegance and timeless style. She took over her parents business about swimsuits. At that time her parents would sell swimsuits only in the summer season and Irène Leroux had this crazy idea, for that time, to sell them all year long. She simplifies all the models, restructure them and start proposing amazing designs and colors. In a great success story Eres crossed decades of creation and always trying both innovation and loyalty to the brand DNA. In 1996, Irène Leroux sells the company to Chanel and associates her business to the jewel of French luxury and fashion. She keeps her role as Artistic Director of Eres. With the support of Chanel, Irène Leroux decides to extend the brand territory by launching in 1998 its first line of Lingerie. Capitalizing on Eres know-how in the swimsuit industry, we can see from the first collections to today a clear vision of femininity. The fluid lines follow the body silhouette. Women feel comfortable and sexy with a natural and authentic style. Materials, structures and decoration are studied carefully season after season in order to build a solid and evolutive business.

Eres 2015 Spring-Summer Collection, beautiful and inspired

17 years after the first lingerie collection, Eres pursuits the line of its founder. This year the Spring-Summer collection is an amazing one. The spirit of the collection is inspired by muses, illustrious women and royal mistresses such as Juliette Récamier, Madame du Barry, Joséphine de Beauharnais and Madame de Pompadour. All powerful women and all loved by men that were ready to commit the craziest acts for love and passion. This inspiration signs a very determined collection in which Estampe lace fades into the skin as if it was lightly sketched across its surface.

The ethereal Coton Amourette is trimmed with Chantilly lace, French embroidery is scalloped with Volupté while Satin Duchesse is decorated with a crown of flowers. Salomé lace is enhanced with satin effects and a scattering of geometric shapes. The fabrics, which are inspired by portraits of these heroines, are sparkling, light, refined and feminine. Here is a image gallery with the highlights of the new collection .

[masterslider id=”4″]

As you can see, Eres is a magical story about femininity, glamour yet with a natural sensuality, comfort and allure. You can check the brand website to get more information about the amazing and unique universe of Eres here:
http://www.eresparis.com

When French glamour meets elegance, femininity and passion for details, only the very best can be accomplished.
LA

Info sourced at the brand official communication release, wikipedia, the brand website, aufeminin.com and net-a-porter.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Thierry Mugler Angel, Eau Sucrée: the heaven’s delight.

LuxuryActivist

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6 June 2015

0

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The trend of gustative notes in perfumery was born by a wild dream of French fashion designer Thierry Mugler. The day he decided he wanted a fragrance, his dream was to invent something nobody had before. And that was Angel by Thierry Mugler. It was launched in 1992, and in history was the first fragrance with gustative notes – Parfum Gourmand. You can read our article about its 20th anniversary here. Every summer, we get surprised by the inventiveness of the brand in reinventing the universe of Angel with gorgeous and glamorous limited editions. You can read our review of the last year edition here. This summer you can discover a new edition of Angel Eau Sucrée. We can see that when you love Angel, sweetness is never enough and you are always ready for a sunny delight.

With Angel Eau Sucrée, Thierry Mugler goes deeper in the gourmandise theme. Less woody Patchouli and sensual than the original Angel, Angel Eau Sucrée will explore the gourmandise, the lust and the overdose of Angel. Caramel, meringue and red berries will complete the water-mouthering effect of this fragrance.

This year the new aspect of this limited edition is the flacon. The 2015 flacon gets a translucent blue, fresh and crunchy like a candy. The iconic Angel star revives the best of our childhood. The surface treatment of the flacon looks like as if the star was sprinkled with sugar, turning this limited edition into an irresistible treat. The outer-packaging decoration is inspired by traditional prestigious confectionery codes. Simply yummy.

The Thierry Mugler brand now rivals the most renowned names in perfumery. It is represented in more than 14,000 points of sales, distributed in 122 countries on 5 continents. The brand owes its success to a perfect alchemy that combines expertise, boldness and creativity without constraint and an exclusive relationship with its loyal customers.

In 1992, Thierry Mugler created Angel, a new fragrance with gourmand notes and unforgettable flacon, now in the top 5 best-selling women’s fragrances. It was the start of a saga that saw the birth of other great fragrances as A * Men in 1997, Alien in 2005, and in 2010 Womanity.

You can discover more about Angel Eau Sucrée and Thierry Mugler by visiting the brand website:
http://www.mugler.com

So once again, you still need to beware of Angels…

LA

Info sourced at the brand official communication release. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Birdy Kids at ArtShop Lausanne – Must see!

Art

José Amorim

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28 May 2015

0

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Lausanne will shine with bright and vibrant colors from tonight. Birdy Kids are in town. Always on the cutting edge of art, Virginie Bridy and her trendy ArtShop in Lausanne present an exhibition of some chosen artwork of street artists Birdy Kids.

Street Art is not dead

Street Art is a visual art created in public locations. It can be executed in different ways, places and the artist has a vast choice in terms of techniques:

Spray-Painted Graffiti
Stencil Graffiti
Wheat-Pasted Poster art
Sticker art
Pop-Up art
Street Installations
Street Sculpture
Video Projections
Yam Bombing
Lock On

After the Second World War, the world of arts entered a post-modern phase in which artists decided to quit the traditional art channels like galleries and to explore other ways to exhibit their art. There is a complete refusal of an established system and the idea to explore the city walls was something quite tempting. They bring art to a high social visibility. Art, or popular art gets to the streets and enjoy an extreme day-to-day visibility. The artist wishes to communicate ditectly to the public, a large audience to be exposed to the artist message. in general, street art explores several themes from music, to popular iconography, politics or sport events. Generally we can see socially relevant content with a high degree of aesthetics. Everything started already in the 60’s in the US with post war artwork. The 70’s started spreading street art as part of pop art and the 80’s were the high peak thanks to street culture development:

Rap Music, street/Urban music
Electronic Music
Street dance
Spray-painted Graffiti

Some street artists use “smart vandalism” as a way to raise awareness of social and political issues. Other street artists simply see urban space as an untapped format for personal artwork, while others may appreciate the challenges and risks that are associated with installing illicit artwork in public places.

Birdy Kids, the legitimate heritage of Street Art

Birdy Kids is a group of French artists from Lyon. Gauthier, Stéphane et Guillaume created Birdy Kids in 1989 in Lyon. They started by creating a cartoon character called Birdy. They tagged Birdy along the high-ways nearby Lyon.

At the beginning, they were considered as vandals and step by step they started being associated with the city cultural scene. They started exhibiting their art in other French cities including Paris. In 2000 they became officially a representative of Street Art. In 2012, Birdy Kids receive the official recognition of their city Lyon by becoming an official Cultural ambassador of Lyon.

Birdy Kids at ArtShop Lausanne

With a edgy and sharp artistic choices, once again ArtShop proposes an unique exhibition currently in Switzerland. By welcoming Birdy Kids in Lausanne, people have the opportunity to discover this original, colorful and vibrant universe of street art. Birdy Kids is not a nostalgic journey to the 80’s. It is a fresh look into Street art. It takes its inspirations from the very beginning of street art and revamps this urban universe with their art. It is a very interesting creative artwork that contrasts with the grey urban landscape.

With this exhibition, Birdy Kids will present a fresh vision of art in which we recover the young child that stands in our hearts. It also provides an emotional feeling in order to remind us our part of humanity.

ARTSHOP LAUSANNE
BIRDY KIDS – From May 29th to June 12th 2015
Rue du Flon 8 – Quartier du Rôtillon
CH-1005 Lausanne
Tel: +41 (0)21 558 62 36
http://the-art-shop.ch

If you live in Lausanne and/or you are passing by in the incoming days, do not hesitate to visit ArtShop. You will be amazed by these team of artists.

LA

Info sourced at ArtShop official communication release, website and Facebook page, Wikipedia and Birdy Kids website. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Friday Chronicle #15: The next Gisele Bundchen or the raiders of the lost ark.

Blog
Fashion

José Amorim

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22 May 2015

0

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Who is going to be the next big hit? Who is going to be the next Gisele Bundchen? Since the Brazilian top model decided to retire from the fashion catwalks, our fashion soul feel a little abandoned. We feel that the time in which Top models were strong symbols of glamour, desire and success is over. The new generation of models are more like short-phenomenons rather than a true super-star establishment. Model agencies are always scouting for the “lost Ark”, it means they have people all over the world to scout, find and spot the next big hit, the next Gisele. It is a hope to see again a super star to rise. So in order to stop this Gisele-Blues, let’s focus in the future of top modeling and who are the next generation. Potentially we shall see the rise of a new “Gisele”.

Top Models, the aura of a super star

The 80’s saw the establishment of the top model status to the rank of super stars. Girls like Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer leaded the way, followed in the 90’s by Kate Moss and other Laetitia Casta, Naomi Campbell and Elle McPherson. It was the time that top models were more popular than singers and actresses. They were not women any more, they were goddesses of Glamour, sexiness and beauty. They represented a new era of feminine aesthetics. It was also the era when fashion photographers started using photoshop that gave an extra layer of perfection to these beauties.
In 1996, the fashion world discover a new wonder, Gisele Bundchen. She is 16 years old and she represents a new type of fashion models. She is natural, far from beying artificially perfect and has personality. She is also attached to nature and her yoga lessons, so she brings a new wave. She was also the one to open the door to Brazilian top models as thanks to her, the model companies got suddenly interested in Brazil. And since then we know the success of Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima and Isabeli Fontana. In 2015, Gisele Bundchen announced her intention to retire from fashion shows and our souls of fashionistas became suddenly orphan. We shall not talk about Cara Delevingne. She is definitely the supreme it-girl right now, but for how long? We all remember Agyness Deyn for example that came as fast as she left. So for the moment we leave Ms Delevingne aside for the purpose of the article. Kate Moss and Gisele Bundchen were the last true mega-stars in the modeling business and we wonder who will be the next Gisele or the next Kate.

Top 5 new fashion models that we should pay attention to

Sara Sampaio, Portugal, 23 years old

Sara Sampaio is by far the most successfull Portuguese model. She became the first Victoria Secret’s Angel from her country. Naturally this means a big visibility for her and also the fact that she is super gorgeous. In 2014 she was elected “rookie of the year” by Sports Illustrated magazine and is definitely a promising model.

Julia Saner, 23 years old, Switzerland

Did we ever heard something related to a “Swiss top-model” in the past? Nope. Now things are about to change thanks to Julia Saner. Born in Switzerland, she has the potential to become the most well known Swiss model of all times. Spotted in Zürich and winner in 2009 of the Elite Model Management, she decided to finish her studies before embracing the modeling career (clever girl). School finished, she started her first fashion week. Hoping to get one fashion show, she ended up doing 27 catwalks! All fashion designers want to have her and Anna Wintour her-self thinks she has a great look. Now she is the chouchou of Chanel, Vuitton, Valentino or Mulberry. Her face is both angel and demon. You better watch out.

Daphne Groeneveld, 21 years old, Netherlands

Top models are not only American, Brazilian and French. They can also be Dutch. The perfect example is Daphne Groeneveld. She was born in 1994 in the Netherlands and her young model career is already pretty full with all top luxury brands. She is more well known thanks to her collaboration with Dior on the fragrance Dior Addicted as well as in the make-up ranges. She symbolizes a new generation of Dutch models that are invading the fashion space. It is a good thing.

Lindsay Wixon, 21 years old, United States of America.

She is also called “baby face”, Lindsay Wixon was born in Kansas state in the US and she is 21 years old. She is right now predicted to have a great modeling career. She is known for her unique looks, defined in part by her “bee-stung lips”, “rosebud pout”, and gapped front teeth. Several signature campaigns are marks of premature success like the ones she did for Chanel, Versace, John Galliano, Miu Miu or Alexander McQueen. It has been a while that we did not have an American model so high in the rank of top models. Promising.

Gabriela Machado, 13 years old, Brazil

Gabriela Machado, also called Gaby Machado is only 13 years old and she has already made her mark in people’s mind. The one called “Giselinha“, in Portuguese “little Gisele” is already showing the signs of a true promising top model. So far she has refused to leave Brazil and her family to live abroad and start an international career as a model. Her parents are pretty protective, let’s not forget she is only 13 years old. Gaby thinks it is a true career boost to have physically similitudes with Gisele Bundchen but of course she wishes to have her own thing. You can follow her latest adventures here: http://gabybmachado.blogspot.ch

While Model agencies are like raiders of the lost ark, spotting which new big star might rise, and trying to get her first, we see that there is no room anymore for the 80’s and the 90’s super stars. Models now are models, actresses, photographers, magazine editors and potential there is a higher turnover of trends and styles. Although the 5 models indicated here above have the most promising careers in the next 5 years, is the modeling system ready for a next generation of super-uber-models? Are people willing to see new super stars rising in the modeling landscape? In any case, Gisele Bundchen set a new standard of a more “natural and healthy” approach of beauty aesthetics. Probably there is an interesting path to explore, like a promising legacy transmitted by gods.

LA

Info sourced at Elite model Management, Vogue UK, Sports Illustrated,ndsstatic.com, pandawhale.com, ytimg.com, bellazon.com, drunkenstepfather.com,ftape.com, http://gabybmachado.blogspot.ch, Wikipedia and Vanity Fair. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Henk suitcases, passion for details.

José Amorim

-

20 May 2015

0

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The world is about mobility. This means that not only borders are daily crossed by millions of people but also that you need to travel safe with your dearest belongings. Only in the US, there are 450 million business trips every year (source: statista.com).

No matter if it is on a business trip or a personal travel, luggage is a very important topic. If you want to travel with style and still in the most practical way, you want to pay attention to your luggage. Several brands fight for the top 5 leading position but there is one brand that is out of any category and that is Henk. If James Bond would have a preferred travel gear brand, it would be Henk.

Henk, a success story about luxury, details and uniqueness

Dissatisfied by the briefcases and hand luggage he used during his frequent trips around the world, a Dutch businessman called Henk decided to create something better. Much better. In his mind, the following:

Passion for details
World-class design
Finest materials

Of course Mr Henk would not necessary succeed alone to create an unique brand with such outstanding products. He assembled a team of the world’s most experienced designers and engineers to develop the ultimate in hand luggage without compromise.
It is true that someone passing by with a Henk travel case will be spotted out and people will admire his luggage. In a world in which all luggage are black, dark-blue and brown squares and rectangles, Henk travel cases will out stand from monotony and ordinary luggage.
It took around 10 years to obtain the perfect travel case. The result is extremely strong, yet exceptionally light, case which would not only be functional and very comfortable, but also a real eye-catcher.

Henk proposes Intelligent travel cases. Functionality with style.

Henk travel cases are not only beautiful and practical, they are also clever with some quite unique features. Some of them, you end up wondering why nobody have not thought before. The first feature, one of my preferred is the retractable wheels. This is probably one of the biggest issue in luggage. How many times we put a lot of money in quality luggage and we end up with a broken wheel? Henk has an integrated telescopic handle that allows two large wheels to extend when the handle is raised. This system is patented and only available with HENK products.

If you look to the wheels themselves, they are 16cm diameter wheels very stylish and the retractable feature allows to keep the surroundings clean whenever the wheels get dirty. The telescopic handle has also a very clever function while you are in a hotel room. You can use it as a room valet.
Henk travel cases are tremendously clever with details like:

Auxiliary side wheels to help in airplane alleys
Side compartment doors to help accessibility
2 Top lids compartments
Removable interior wall
Anti-Theft chain to secure your belingings
Central locking system for safety

There are many other details in each Henk case that would be worth talking about and you can discover all of them in the brand official website:
http://www.henk.com

Henk travel cases are for sure not for every one. When you travel a lot, when you care about your personal belongings and that on top of it you wish to travel with style, then you need Henk.

LA

info sourced in the brand official website. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available

Inspiration Japan – Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh at Kunsthaus Zürich

Art

José Amorim

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19 May 2015

0

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Until May 25th the prestigious Kunsthaus Zürich holds a very interesting exhibition called “Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh Inspiration Japan”. This exhibition reflects the deep influence of Japanese art and culture into Western painters like Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh as well as Cezanne, Courbet or Degas.

And the world met Japan – 1860

During the second half of the 19th century, Europe and Japan have reopened their trade relations. After the influence of Portuguese and Dutch missionaries and traders during the 16th and the 17th century, Japan decided to close down to foreigners and foreign influence. The Tokugawa family ruled Japan and took the decision to close down all trade relationships. During their reign of 265 years, Japan refocus on their traditions, history and art. It was only by the end of the 19th century, that Europe succeeded to reinstate trade relationships. It was then a true rediscovery of Japan for the World. Trade relationships started again and art pieces and objects started circulating again. Japan became very trendy and influential among the Western Europe artists. They discovered the Ukyio-e prints and got inspired by several Japanese art topics like mountains, animals and flowers. This new and fresh source of inspiration gave a new angle to impressionism, fauvism and pointillism.

Claude Monet, the Japanese dream

One amazing thing we discover during the exhibition is how far Claude Monet went on the Japanese experience. His property at Giverny was completely shaped to fulfill his Japanese dream. From Water Lilies ponds to bridges over the waters, it is the entire painter’s environment that was built up to match a certain vision of Japan aesthetics. This decor generated one of the most amazing masterpieces from Monet, some of them can be observed at the Kunsthaus in Zürich.

Vincent Van Gogh, nature sublime

The Japanese influence on Van Gogh’s work might be more subtle than on Monet artwork but it brought a new dimension on the painter’s work. It definitely helped Vincent Van Gogh to reach an intense level of nature expression. Sunsets became all flames and showed a magical intensity that were completely inspired by Japanese art. The perspective of men and nature, the placement of different elements present in Japanese art, gave a certain structure to Van Gogh’s work making some of its paintings as true masterpieces of the genre.

Gustave Courbet, a new energy from the sea

Japanese art brought to Western painters a new perspective in terms of how to illustrate certain natural elements. Things like mountains, sunsets and even sea got a new dimension, more intense, deep, in-motion. Gustave Courbet got literally obsessed by the representation of the sea. Before the Japanese influence, the sea was a vast thick mass that would be represented in a very classical way. The Japanese painters gave a different focus. Scenery is more close-up styles and we would rather focus on a single wave rather than a hole sea. Waves get alive and have its own energy captivating the eyes of the person observing the scene. Waves can also express feelings of anger, happiness, strength and even sadness. In the Zürich exhibition we can see a series of Courbet’s artwork completely fulfilling this idea in which the sea becomes the mirror of human soul.

Picasso, naughty boy goes dirty

Another interesting aspect of the Japanese influence in the Western painting is the erotic artwork called Shunga.

While this style of artwork was very common in Japan, enjoyed by both men and women, only a few European painters truly dared to explore it. Pablo Picasso definitely dared to push the erotic Japanese style to the maximum. You can definitely see the influence in the examples presented at the Kunsthaus.

Zürich Kunsthaus Museum
Heimplatz 1
CH-8001 Zürich
http://www.kunsthaus.ch
Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh Japanese inspiration is opened until May 25th 2015. so you still have some days left before the end. It is a very original and interesting exhibition in case you want to better understand the work of Western Europe artists at the end of the 19th century.

LA

Info sourced during the visit of the exhibition at Kunsthaus Zürich, the museum website, wikipedia and culturalnews.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

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