Artist Sarah Sze’s delicate towers question the nature of sculpture April 29, 2016 "When I think about sculpture, I’m thinking as much about the dispersal of objects as the agglomeration of objects, about the absence of form as much as the presence, about the decay of material as much as the construction of material.” This is a suitably elusive description by Sarah Sze of her large-scale installation pieces, [...]
How Nyetimber put English wines on the map April 29, 2016 My good friend Pierre Emanuel Taittinger has decided to buy a tract of Kentish orchard, grub it up, plant vines and join the Gadarene rush into the English industry. And if he’s prepared to put his name to a drop of vin d’Albion, we really must be doing something right. But by the time he's [...]
The five best train journeys in the world April 29, 2016 Train travel affords a vision of the world that seems so much more interesting than road journeys; somehow you hardly ever see anything interesting from a motorway. As John Betjeman said, “you need never be bored in a train”. Train travel is liberating in the time it affords for oneself – to read, write, think, [...]
Mother of pearl, that demure dial staple, is back in vogue April 29, 2016 The three definites for a woman’s watch used to be a petite case, diamonds somewhere, usually around the bezel, and a dial made from mother of pearl. Combined they made for something dainty, feminine and uncontroversial; just like the women from whose delicate wrists they dangled. Then, as we know, thing changed. Women became more [...]
The chronograph makes a welcome comeback: The Rolex Daytona is leading a field of fascinating new stopwatch complications April 29, 2016 Whether it’s the design symmetry of the counters on the dial, the tactile satisfaction of clicking the stopwatch pushers, or the reams of history associated with cars, speed, space travel and adventure, the chronograph remains the most romantic, evocative and downright manly style of wristwatch there is. And right now it’s the hottest thing in [...]
Celebrity vineyards: Who makes the best wine, Donald Trump, Cliff Richard or Angelina Jolie? April 29, 2016 Feel depressed about the US presidential election? Need a stiff glass of something to steel yourself against the carnival of bigotry unfolding in the Republican ranks? Well, why not indulge in a large glass of Trump? I’m afraid it’s true: Donald Trump is a winemaker. Down in Virginia there is a 200 acre winery that [...]
The new Volvo XC90 is more luxurious than the equivalent Jaguar, with the loveliest SUV interior this side of a Bentley Bentayga April 29, 2016 The Volvo XC90 T8 Inscription feels incredibly Swedish, in the best possible sense; classy and restrained, with a hint of noir about it. If a forensic psychologist arrived at your door in one of these, investigating the murder of your business associate, you would be very worried indeed. It eloquently answers any misgivings we might [...]
My Inspiration: Classical pianist William Howard on the sheet music that inspired his latest project, Sixteen Love Songs April 29, 2016 I became very passionate about Czech music in the 1970s when I was a student. I went to Prague in 1984 during Communist times, and I’d go to second-hand music shops where you could pick up music phenomenally cheaply. I used to come home with piles of scores; lots of stuff I’d never heard of. [...]
“We were the first ever agents to sell a building through Twitter” – Meet the social media moguls dragging commercial property sales into the 21st century April 29, 2016 While residential estate agents have been dragged into the internet age, their commercial counterparts have – mostly – continued to resist such a move. There’s no Rightmove for office blocks, or warehouses. And it was this inherent conservatism that seemed to offer a great opportunity when three young surveyors decided to set up shop in [...]
Property of the Week: The three-bed Chelsea penthouse of the Sex Pistols’ visual designer April 29, 2016 Most property developers start out with a humble investment and move on to create homes that superstars want to live in. But Margaret and Michael Stanford began with icons, largely thanks to their job as visual designers – of album covers, videos and stage sets – for some of Britain’s most revered artists, including Queen, [...]