Audio visual: Iranian-American artist Ali Banisadr comes to the UK February 5, 2015 East meets west in Iranian-American painter and synaesthete Ali Banisadr’s first ever UK show Celestial and earthly, east and west, figurative and abstract – worlds collide in the work of Ali Banisadr. The Iranian painter specialises in a kind of ornate chaos where the ruffs and plumes of material finery tumble and swirl into spectral, [...]
Rights and wrongs: Examining the humanitarian legacy of photojournalism February 5, 2015 A new exhibition considers the humanitarian legacy of photojournalism in the post-war era. The effect of photojournalism in furthering humanitarian objectives can be explained by the simple fact that it’s harder to ignore wrong-doing when you can see it in plain view. A new exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery examines the political legacy of photojournalistic [...]
Wood carving February 5, 2015 This winter, treat yourself to Bogner’s achingly cool, lightning quick luxury bamboo ski set Plastic, fibreglass, kevlar, carbon fibre – none of the fancy materials used to make modern skis can match bamboo for flexibility, durability and tensile strength. The qualities of this naturally occurring material make it ideal for carving, gliding and slaloming down [...]
Seeing red February 5, 2015 Salvatore Ferragamo tears up the rulebook and enters the world of casualwear When it comes to fashion, some rules are made to be broken. For 100 years, the craftsmen at made-to-measure connoisseurs Salvatore Ferragamo used only the finest Italian leather to make smart, red carpet-worthy shoes for its Hollywood patrons. Now, in the year of [...]
A weekend of gourmet indulgence with Heston Blumenthal on the Mont Blanc slopes February 5, 2015 You know a Heston Blumenthal meal is going to be something special. The same, it turns out, goes for a Heston Blumenthal holiday. The concept is a foodie’s wet dream: four days of crisp slopes, fine Italian wine and haute cuisine cooked by some of the world’s top chefs. Here’s how it came about: “Heston [...]
Hong Kong nom nom: Getting to grips with the burgeoning foodie scene February 5, 2015 Hong Kong at night falls somewhere between Manhattan and Magaluf, combining the grandeur of the former with the trashy hedonism of the latter. I was there in September when the humidity was in the 90s and the streets were heaving with twenty-somethings moving from bar to club. It’s also home to one of the most [...]
Slimline time: Why svelte timepieces are the ultimate boardroom status symbol February 5, 2015 If a wristwatch is still a reliable marker of success, standing and savoir-faire – and by all means scoff away at the idea but, for better or worse, it frequently is – then I’ve an idea that the true sign of having made it is downsizing. On the way up, a big(ish) watch – from [...]
Time and space February 5, 2015 Introducing the Omega Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon The idea of an all-grey watch may not seem terribly enticing on paper, but Omega’s latest version of its classic Speedmaster Moonwatch chronograph is a high-tech slice of horological cool. A couple of years ago the brand produced an all-black Moonwatch (so-called because the Speedmaster was [...]
Spyder sense: Even Sir Patrick Stewart is bowled over by the new McLaren 650S February 5, 2015 Everyone has their “happy place”. Most people think of a tropical island, a postcard pinned to their office wall. I don’t. Not any more. Now I have a different reference point for unbridled joy: pulling down the driver’s door of a McLaren 650S, firing its twin-turbo and racing through all seven gears in a breathless, [...]
Is the wine bar making a comeback? Pall Mall Fine Wines is giving it a bash February 5, 2015 The years have not been kind to the wine bar. Two decades ago it seemed there were three on every high street, offering a “sophisticated” alternative to the local boozer, where you could trot off to quaff some Chardonnay and talk about the hardships of the working week. As a journalist, I spent some of [...]