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Tales From A Reading Room

Transport yourself back in the days of the Nabateans on their Spice route or Marco Polo on the Silk Road. Here on both of these incredible roads is how traders, merchants, nomads and royals would move spices, silks, silver, incense to and from faraway lands . This is what Australian designer Camilla Franks collection Tales from A Reading Room makes me dream of the weaving of storytelling from all these journeys. Ancient mystical nomads on their caravans adorning themselves as they cross over foreign lands and cultures. 

Camilla Frank has captured it so well, the colours, the styling, the jewels , having grown up in Theatre herself she would transform her own costumes  to give life into them. Doing this manifested into  a whole line of Kaftans and from there she expanded into home ware, jewellery, accessories, children's line and more. A Modern Nomadic Merchant. 

Her online shop is full of merchandise but sadly they only deliver in Australia  and where she has a whole list of boutiques. For ther rest of the world there is stockist list on the site.

I want the whole package must be my multi cultural blood. xo

All images sourced via Camilla 

All Aboard The Passenger

When I first saw these images of The Passenger (great name ) I thought it was a real train, only when I read the text did I realized that this is a bar in Madrid that looks like you are on a train. What a cool idea, with video production by Spanish video Artist Franger gives the illusion that you are looking out of the windows of a moving train.

Owned by Spanish Actors Rodrigo Taramona & Jimmy Castro and two entrepreneurs friends, they commissioned Latin Creative Director, Producer and Designer Paraolio to create the luxurious interiors to transport you back in time. Open during the day for one of Madrid's best cafesitos and  by night drink your whisky and cocktails to classic rock . I wonder if the issue The Passenger Passport with drink stamps if you travel  a lot with them.

Buen Viaje xo

Sources,

Cool Hunter

Paraolio

The Passenger

Le Smoking

YSL AD

YSL Cigarettes

Classic S T Dupont Lighter

Michael Caine via Like a Doll

Vintage St. Moritz Cigarettes

Delfina Delettrez Apartment via Harper's Bazaar

YSL Smoking via Helmut Newton

Love this photo but can't find the credit!

Carmen Kass via Vogue Espagna

Continental via Vintage Cigarettes

Jean-loup Sieff

YSL Vintage Cigarettes

Pierre Cardin Smoking set via Talisman

Josh Brolin by Hedi Slimane

Black and Gold S T Dupont Lighter

Nat Sherman Cigarillos

Paul Newman

Jennifer Connelly

Cartier 18Carat Gold Cigarette Case via Christies

Marlon Brando via Getty Images

The Stork Club 1950's Smoking , Elegance and fun allowed.

www.christies.com

www.ysl.com

www.helmutnewton.com

Visions of Sebastiao Salgado

The Nomadic Nenets Yamal Peninsula Siberia 2011

The Nomadic Nenets Crossing the Ob river to enter the Arctic Circle, Yamal Peninsula Siberia 2011

The Nenets : What made us survive all these hundreds of thousands of years is our spirituality; our link to the land. 

The Nomadic Nenets Family Yamal Peninsula Siberia 2011

The Reindeer of the Nenets Yamal Peninsula Siberia 2011

Oil Wells Greater Burhan Kuwait 1991

Oil Wells Greater Burhan Kuwait 1991

Oil Wells Greater Burhan Kuwait 1991

Dinka Man covered in Ashes which sterilises the skin against insects and parasites Sudan 2006

Okavango Delta, Botswana.

Omo Valley Ethiopia 2007

The Anavilhanas covering 1000sq km if Amaziona Rio Negro Brazil 

Two Mursi women, Omo Valley Ethiopia 2007

Yacare Caimans in the Patanal State of Mato Grosso Brazil 2011

A Yali man in the Jayawijaya mountains of Irian Jaya, West Papua 2012

The Mentawai Siberut Island Indonesia 2008

Zo'e Tribeswomen, State of Para Brazil 2009

Church Gate Station, Western Railroad Line, Bombay India

Coal Mines Dhanbad Bihar India 1989

Macaroni Penguins in Zavodovski Island, The Sandwich Islands 2009

Miner Standing up for himself Serra Pelada Gold Mine Brazil 1986

Figure Eight Serra Pelada Gold Mine Brazil 1986

Ladder Serra Pelada Gold Mine Brazil 1986

Arizona

Upper Xingu Kamayuva Shamans Brazil 2005

Namibia 2005

The Mentawai Siberut Island Indonesia 2008

Elephant Seal Calves on South Georgia, Barren Island on the South Atlantic 

Sebastiao reading his Sumo size book Genesis by Taschen

Genesis Exhibition at the London Natural History Museum 

  The look in the eyes of the Seals, the brutality of the life of the miners, the intoxicating beauty of our natural world The Patanal, The Okavongo Delta, the dunes of Namibia and the incredible lives of the tribes from Siberia to Java Indonesia that live the same way for thousands of years. God do I live in a bubble in London. 

These images just stir so many emotions in me, amazement, respect, sadness, anger, love but mostly awareness thanks to the courageous and humanitarian "photo-god" Sebastiao Salgado. 

The love and sensitivity this man has for this planet has been recorded in many photo essays and books ,some of the images I choose are from  "Workers"  on labour all over the world , "Migrations" on the displacement of people due to famine and war and now Sumo sized Genesis is "  My Love Letter to the Planet" a project that took Sebastiao into a journey of 9 years and over 30 journeys of trekking, canoeing, ballooning and travelling to the ends of the earth to visually connect us back into our planet, its tribes and its beauty that is still here.  

" We need to recover our instincts, to learn more about nature"

 " I wanted to give others the opportunity to see the nature of a pristine planet " 

I wish I could make these pictures bigger as you can only skim the surface of their power here. Luckily the Natural History Museum in London is showing a retrospective of Genesis until the 8th of September 2013. 

Otherwise you can get The Collectors Edition of the Sumo sized Genesis designed and edited by Salgados wife Lelia Wanick Salgado published by Taschen and also a custom made bookstand designed Legendary Japanese Architect Tadao Ando.  

There is more information on the websites below of other work and books. A lot to read and learn. 

Thank you for bringing us back the wonders of that still exists in our world. May they always be here for generations to come..

Genesis Exhibition at the London Natural History Museum

Amazonasimages

Taschen

The Light Aquatic

Aqua Creations Lighting & Furniture Atelier was founded in 1994 by designer-artist Ayala Serfaty who completed her degrees in Fine Arts at the Bezalel Academy of art in Design in Jerusalem and then at Middlesex Polytechic in London. Well known for her art creations Ayala and her husband Photographer Albi Sefaty collaborated to evolve their talents to develop Aqua Creations a Lighting & Furniture Atelier.

Based out of Tel Aviv where their pieces are all handmade by their team of skilled artisans who use their craft to create such unique pieces. They create, manufacture and design all out of these headquarters.

I am especially fascinated by the Light designs, there is something so modern but yet so soft to each piece, for some reason I see them as creatures from the universe both below in the depths of our oceans and above in our galaxies. They make me dream and escape into these worlds.. These magnetic pieces can be commissioned for a home, apartment, hotel, restaurant  I imagine they would blend in well with any type of lanscape sea, mountain, desert or snow. Fun to play around with and use your imagination with various colour and shape choices you will be surely transported to their world. 

I am floating xo

To commission a piece, Aqua Creations can be contacted in their offices in Tel Aviv or their Showroom in New york City,

Aqua Creations Head Offices

29 Ben Zvi road, Tel Aviv 68103, Israel

Telephone. +972 3 5151 222

Fax. +972 3 5151 223

Aqua Creations USA

200 Lexington Avenue, Suite #427

New York, NY 10016, USA

Telephone. +1 212 219 9922

Fax. +1 212 219 4042

All images via 

Aqua Gallery

Hermes Leather Forever

Celebrating 175 Years , Hermès Leather Forever Exhibition shows us the beautiful company's long relationship with leather. The show is divided in 12 rooms which represent various leather collections including Travel, equestrian, accessories and handbags. Bespoke items from history such as items commissioned by the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson and a winged saddle apparently commissioned by a Japanese band. Most exciting for me is the Craftspeople from the Hermès workshop in Paris who will be present at the show, demonstrating the art of leather-working.

There is more , Hermès created four one of a kind versions of its Passe- Guide Handbag  representing England , Scotland , Ireland and Wales as tribute to those countries. Christie's will conduct and online auction of the bags from 14th of May till 31st. All proceeds of the auction will be donated to the Royal Academy of Arts. They should make a special piece for the Her Majesty The Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Hermès Leather Forever Exhibition

6 Burlington Gardens

London

W1S 3ET

8th to 27th of May 2012

10am to 6pm Daily , Late Night on Fridays till 10pm.

Admission Free

Sources via,

www.hermes.com

www.christies.com

www.parkandcube.com

Leonardo da Vinci

"Leonardo da Vinci :Painter of the Court of Milan is the most comlete display of rare surviving paintings ever held. This unprecedented exhibition, the first of its kind anywhere in the world, brings together sensational loans never seen before in the UK"

                                                                                                        The National Gallery

I am so excited to see this show, London Culture at its best. GO NOW, but make sure you buy tickets in advance they are giving time slots, I presume so it does not get overcrowded. The website explains everything so prepare before you go.

Enjoy!

The National Gallery

Trafalgar Square

London

WC2 5DN

www.nationalgallery.org.uk

Video on the exhibition

www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/leonardo-live

Most photos via The National Gallery and Taschen

Fortuny Splendor

Photo via Fortuny

Photo of Mariano Fortuny by Fortuny

Photo by Ars Regia

Photo via Fortuny Blog of Showroom

Photo via Fortuny Blog

Photo of Pallazzo Fortuny

Photo via Apartment Therapy

Photo via Fortuny Blog

Photo via Architectural Digest Fortuny by L'Objet

Photo of Melagrana Marmalade via Fortuny Blog

Photo via Apartment Therapy

Photo via Architectual Digest Fortuny by L'Objet

Photo via Ars Regia

Photo via Fortuny Blog

Photo via Architectural Digest Fortuny by L'Objet

Photo of Pope Urban VIII and  Fortuny Melagrano via Fortuny Blog

Photo Via Kips Bay

Photo via Architectual Digest Fortuny by L'Objet

Photo of Cardinal Guilio Mazzarino via Fortuny Blog

Photo via Fortuny Blog

Photo via Fortuny Blog

Photo of Fortuny Dress in Box via Metropolitan Museum of Art

Photo via Architectural Digest Fortuny by L'Objet

Photo via Fortuny Blog

Photo of Fortuny Delphos Dress via Fortuny

Photo via Ars Regia

The brilliant, enigmatic Mariano Fortuny was born into a family of renowned artists in Granada, Spain, in 1871. 

He entered the fashion industry in 1907, with the introduction of one of his most notable achievements, the Delphos gown, inspired largely by Greek sculpture.

He was truly a Renaissance man who made his own photographic paper, bound his own books, and designed his own lamps and furniture.  He created one of the first dimmer switches, invented a boat propeller, and made his own paints, dyes, brushes and machinery.

To Read and see more of this mans incredible talent look at the great Fortuny website,

The New collection by L'Objet will be intoduced  at Bergdorf and Goodman and Neiman Marcus from September.

http://www.fortuny.com/

The Vision of Christopher Jenner

© Jenner Studio

Rising star Christopher Jenner is one talented man, born in South Africa based out of London the skill of  craftsmanship and future vision of design is exciting. Like the concept of how he sees the future of Eurostar, blending a sort of futuristic and vintage feel to create unique look that you want to experience

His work is well know for the design of the Diptyque Candle stores in Leadenhall Market London mixing traditional Victorian architecture, stained glass and English brass with modern aspects of colour. The Bleecker street shop in New York is filled with over 200 hand painted mirrors, Art Deco inspired metal ceiling, unusual  and elegant tables and display cabinets. Jenner studio has created some seriously bejewelled splendor here.  Not only you want to buy the candles but you wish you could take the whole shop with you. His next project is the upcoming opening of Diptyque in Chicago and there are many other interesting projects that you can have a look on his website.

Keep on Creating xo

All images via Christopher Jenner

Christopher Jenner Studio

Top Floor

Newman Hire Building

16 The Vale

London

W3 7SB

Tel 020 8746 1249

Email Info@christopher-jenner.com

Looks like My Soul x

DI∆MOND ST∆R