AIR Magazine - Empire Aviation - December'23

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS

Empire Aviation’s soaring success DECEMBER 2023

VANESSA KIRBY

An Air Command is for eternity.

Marrying vintage style with watchmaking’s latest advances, the Air Command celebrates a fascinating era of our history. A legendary flyback chronograph, whose reputation has flourished over the decades.

Showrooms:

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+971 4 2262277

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Mrs.Mahallati

Gold Souk

Contents

Credit: Debi Mazar, British Vogue, New York, 1994, by Michel Haddi

DECEMBER 2023: ISSUE 147

FEATURES Forty

Forty Six

Fifty Four

Vanessa Kirby on her need for challenging roles that push her into places she never wanted to visit.

How seeing copies of Vogue while living in an orphanage set Michel Haddi on the path to a 40-year career.

Journey into the mind of filmmaker Spike Lee, as a new exhibition celebrates his life and influences.

The Chameleon

Shot To Fame

Spiked

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Contents

DECEMBER 2023: ISSUE 147

REGULARS Sixteen

Radar

Eighteen

Objects of Desire Twenty Two

Critique

Twenty Four

Art & Design Thirty Six

Timepieces Sixty

Motoring Sixty Four

Gastronomy

AIR

Sixty Eight

What I Know Now

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief & Co-owner

John Thatcher john@hotmedia.me

ART Art Director

Kerri Bennett Illustration

Leona Beth

COMMERCIAL Thirty

Jewellery Why hatching one of Cartier’s nature-inspired high jewellery masterpieces takes years of training and thousands of hours.

Managing Director & Co-owner

Victoria Thatcher

PRODUCTION Digital Media Manager

Muthu Kumar

M e d i a C i t y, D u b a i , UAE Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from HOT Media is strictly prohibited.

HOT Media does not accept liability for any omissions or errors in AIR.

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Empire Aviation Group DECEMBER 2023:ISSUE 147

Welcome Onboard DECEMBER 2023

Welcome to this issue of AIR – Empire Aviation’s luxury lifestyle magazine for aircraft owners and onboard guests.

As we approach the end of 2023, we can look back on an exceptional year for Empire Aviation, during which the company has developed significantly and the team Saad Mumtaz, Empire Aviation, receiving the award for has delivered outstanding Excptional Services and Product Innovation at AAGE service to owners and charter clients. The recent Dubai Airshow was the opportunity to celebrate some of these achievements, along with meeting partners and announcing exciting new partnerships.

One of the announcements was a new partnership with Satcom Direct (SD) - the global connectivity solutions provider. We were delighted to become the first operator in the UAE to deploy the advanced technology Plane Simple® Ku-band terminal for reliable onboard connectivity – something highly valued by owners and charter clients. We were also able to meet with the team from SD and celebrate this development together.

We also announced the award of a CAR CAMO (Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation) certificate by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of the Republic of San Marino - the first awarded to an operator based in the Middle East. The approval certificate was presented by our friends from San Marino CAA during a meeting held at the Empire Aviation pavilion.

CAMO is a commitment to the fundamental and legal responsibility for the ‘airworthiness’ of an aircraft and so a critical element of our services.

The Dubai Air Show really was a fantastic stage to introduce the company and our team both to regional and international industry players, to renew contacts and make new ones while also sharing our unique story.

Through 2023, we have grown and developed our managed fleet with the addition of a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), offering more flexibility and options to serve a broader range of clients and charter customers. Our charter fleet continues to evolve and as a charter broker, Empire Aviation can arrange aircraft charters worldwide and collaborate with partners through our Luxury Partner programme (including leading hotels at top destinations) to craft the ultimate luxury leisure experience. We continue to invest in the latest technology developments available to the industry, from the latest satellite communication systems for onboard Wi-Fi capabilities to software technology enhancements for ground and flight operations.

We were delighted when all this team commitment was recognised with yet another industry award – for Business Aviation Innovation at the Aviation Innovation Awards 2023, held during Dubai Airshow. It was a fitting end to a very special year for Empire Aviation.

Enjoy the read.

Paras P. Dhamecha Managing Director

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS

Empire Aviation’s soaring success DECEMBER 2023

VANESSA KIRBY

Cover: Vanessa Kirby, Alamy

Contact Details: info@empire.aero empireaviation.com 13

Empire Aviation Group DECEMBER 2023:ISSUE 147

Onboard Connectivity: Plane And Simple Empire Aviation selects Satcom Direct for connectivity solutions

Paras Dhamecha (centre left) Managing Director, Empire Aviation with David Falberg (centre right), VP International, Satcom Direct

Satcom Direct (SD) the global connectivity solutions provider has announced that Empire Aviation Group is the first operator in the UAE to deploy the advanced technology Plane Simple® Ku-band terminal. Since the commercial introduction of the SD Plane Simple Kuband terminal just over a year ago, the compact terminal which can be simply installed, continues to be adopted worldwide, clocking up over 10,000 flight hours to date. The SD terminal is purpose-built for business aviation to deliver reliable, high-speed connectivity via the Intelsat FlexExec service, which is committed to providing airtime to the business aviation sector. The powerful broadband addresses increased passenger demands for consistent global high-speed data in flight.

“As a leading management company, our clients entrust and empower us to deploy solutions that deliver reliability, commercial value and, of course, passenger satisfaction. For us, the SD Plane Simple option just made sense,” said Paras Dhamecha, founder 14

and managing director at Empire Aviation Group. “Satcom Direct offers a highly attractive single resource for all our connectivity needs. From cockpit to cabin, the system provides leading-edge technology backed by a network of top MRO partners and access to expert support 24/7/365 to keep us connected.

This approach gives us peace of mind, minimizing the risk and pain of deploying new technology.”

SD VP International, David Falberg, “We are extremely proud to partner with Empire Aviation Group on this first deployment of our Plane Simple solution in the UAE. This deal is testimony to our continued success in delivering innovation to the market, particularly in the Middle East, and customers’ confidence that our solutions will protect their investment and ambitions.

As a business, we value long-term working partnerships that allow us to deliver success to our customers and support their competitive advantage now and in the future.”

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Empire Aviation Group DECEMBER 2023:ISSUE 147

Empire Aviation Group Awarded CAR CAMO by CAA of San Marino Group becomes the first independent CAR CAMO in the Middle East approved by San Marino CAA

Ing Marco Conti, Director General of the Republic of San Marino CAA (third from left) along with CAA team members, and Paras Dhamecha (second from right) with Harish Sadarangani (holding the certificate) of Empire Aviation

Empire Aviation Group has been awarded a CAR CAMO* certificate by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of the Republic of San Marino - the first awarded to an operator based in the Middle East.

The approval certificate was presented during a meeting held at the Dubai Airshow 2023. In 2015, Empire Aviation subsidiary – Empire Aviation San Marino – became the first aviation company from the Middle East to be awarded an AOC by San Marino, where the company has a dedicated office supporting its operations. Empire Aviation is already providing continuing airworthiness services for CAT operating under its AOC. The San Marino CAR CAMO Approval Certificate confirms that Empire Aviation is approved by the CAA to perform CAMO function work on private aircraft managed by Empire Aviation and/or any other aircraft not on the company’s managed fleet and also based internationally. For San Marino registered aircraft not managed by a specialist company or smaller operators without the CAMO capabilities, this creates the opportunity to request CAR CAMO services from an independent and certified provider and for the aircraft 16

to obtain a 36-month Certificate of Airworthiness validity. Empire Aviation already offers CAMO as part of its services and is now able to do the same under its CAR CAMO for private operators with T7 registered aircraft worldwide.

CAMO is a commitment to the fundamental and legal responsibility for the ‘airworthiness’ of an aircraft, by planning and coordinating all maintenance activities to keep the aircraft airworthy, but also communicating with the regulators and manufacturers. The Empire Aviation team offers CAMO services and CAR CAMO to aircraft owners under management agreements.

The company’s CAR CAMO will become central to its aircraft management services.

CAMO complements perfectly Empire Aviation’s aircraft asset management business model – the quality of the asset directly correlates to the quality of CAMO. Speaking at Dubai Airshow, Paras Dhamecha said: “With the increasing number of private aircraft operating around the world and many more

locating to the UAE, the CAR CAMO segment is becoming more attractive.

We have all the first mover advantages and our base in one of the world’s leading aviation hubs with great people and systems in Dubai. So, we have access to the skills and resources required to develop this service line further geographically. Technical management is becoming important and there’s also a good fit with our aircraft management business, for which CAMO is a great shop window.“ He added: “We are delighted to be the first company with offices in the Middle East to become an Approved Independent CAR CAMO with San Marino CAA. We have a very close working relationship with the CAA and this represents another exciting development and phase in our development. San Marino is proving to be a very attractive jurisdiction for owners to register their business jets, with a well-managed and regulated aircraft registry and the reassurance of compliance with all the appropriate international standards.”

Ing. Marco Conti, Director General of San Marino CAA, commented: “Empire Aviation and San Marino CAA have created an effective working relationship, which continues to grow and develop with strong mutual benefits.

Empire Aviation is still the largest operator on the San Marino registry and has continued to demonstrate exceptional business professionalism and a very experienced CAMO service provider. CAMO is an important area and service that our clients are looking for and it took around four years to develop the appropriate policies and process. Today, we have over 400 registered aircraft and, as a boutique registry, we are focusing on service and quality rather than building scale. The San Marino CAMO certificate process simplifies CAMO for our registered aircraft, frees up resources at the CAA, and ensures the provision of professional technical management, so it’s really a win-win.”

DISRUPTING DIAMONDS

Radar

Following on from a decade at the helm of Vogue Paris, Carine Roitfeld founded her own, self-titled magazine, CR Fashion Book. It became an instant hit, a creative fusion of fashion, photography and art that allowed Roitfeld to “discover a whole new world of talents and celebrities I had never had the chance to work with before.” Those people – everyone from cutting-edge photographers Sebastian Faena, Mario Sorrenti and Mert Alas to A-listers Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Kim Kardashian – feature in Fantasies: Carine Roitfeld Fashion Book, a chronicle of the best imagery published in the magazine’s ten-year history.

Fantasies: Carine Roitfeld Fashion Book, published by Rizzoli, is out now 18

Credit: Kim Kardashian & Cher, by Mert & Marcus

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OB JECTS OF DESIRE

OBJECTS OF DESIRE

Master craftsmanship, effortless style and timeless appeal; this month’s must-haves and collectibles

OB JECTS OF DESIRE

HUBLOT

CL AS SIC FUSION HIGH JE WELLERY Hublot has been steadily extending baguette-cut diamonds – 431 of them, the appeal of its collections into the to be precise, totalling 14.6 carats. The domain of high jewellery since first painstaking process of doing so took doing so with models such as the Big 120 hours for the dial alone, and yet Bang, the Spirit of Big Bang, and the you’ll find even more diamonds (36) Square Bang Unico. The latest edition on the buckle of the black, rubbersees a Classic Fusion model swathed in lined alligator strap.

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OB JECTS OF DESIRE

LOUIS V UITTON

TA M B O U R

When Louis Vuitton debuted the Tambour timepiece back in 2002, it was hailed for its modern elegance, shape, and timeless design. It remains so two decades on. But this new Tambour is very much an expression of how Vuitton’s watchmaking prowess has

since developed. Its two new versions – one with a silver-grey dial, the other a beautiful deep blue – feature an integrated bracelet and a new automatic movement designed by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, both firsts for the brand.

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OB JECTS OF DESIRE

LANVIN

SUMMER 24 Described as a heartfelt love letter to Jeanne Lanvin, the couture designer who rose from humble beginnings to establish her eponymous fashion house on Paris’ prestigious Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Lanvin’s summer collection takes its design cues from the interwar years of the 1920s

and 30s, when the codes of the house were established. Spanning tailored daywear, social and cocktail attire, and formal eveningwear, the collection’s sophisticated colour palette draws from the surrealist photography of Guy Bourdin, a feature of Lanvin’s advertising archives.

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OB JECTS OF DESIRE

M A G D A B U T RY M

F W23

Magda Butrym has established her eponymous brand by creating season after season of strong looks that are modern yet rooted in the timeless themes they often embrace, including floral and romanticism.

For her current collection, Burtym has drawn inspiration from Japanese culture,

visible in the silhouettes, colours, and prints. Burtym has always celebrated the power of femininity and here it’s overtly present in voluminous jackets, strong lines, and sculpted dresses. Elsewhere, oversized faux fur and shearling coats are winter styling at its finest.

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OB JECTS OF DESIRE

P O M E L L AT O

CARMEL A Comprising 31 one-of-a-kind rings, each in the shape of a scarab beetle, Pomellato’s colourful capsule collection features a wide variety of hardstones and gemstones – amazonite through to rhodochrosite. Considered a symbol of rebirth and defence, the scarab beetle has

a long history of being used in jewellery and first served as a creative muse for Pomellato in 1977. Here, rather than precise reproductions of the beetle, the rings are stylish interpretations, with elements like the insects’ legs transformed into jewelled pieces.

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OB JECTS OF DESIRE

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OB JECTS OF DESIRE

ROL L S-ROYCE

THE PEARL CULLINAN In a season synonymous with giving, Rolls-Royce has unveiled a unique gift from a son to his father on the occasion of his landmark 90th birthday. The son, a longstanding Rolls-Royce client, commissioned the one-of-one car in early 2022, tailoring myriad elements

of its design – many utilising intricate applications of mother of pearl – so that it is steeped in sentiment.

Reserved solely for this vehicle, the Pearl Rose paint finish is inspired by the colour of a prized pearl in the father’s acclaimed collection.

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OB JECTS OF DESIRE

FA B E R G É X G E M F I E L D S

CACTUS SURPRISE OB JE T The history of the Fabergé egg began in the late 19th century, when Emperor Alexander III commissioned an Easter egg from them as a gift for his wife. The turbulent decades that followed meant that it wasn’t until the 21st century, after Fabergé was acquired by

Gemfields, that the eggs were created again in any meaningful number. This latest egg, limited to 10 pieces, features 18k yellow and white gold with yellow and green guilloche vitreous enamel, along with a Zambian emerald.

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OBJECTS OF DESIRE

Critique DECEMBER 2023 : ISSUE 147

Film A Still Small Voice Dir. Luke Lorentzen A chaplain completing a year-long residency at a New York City hospital must swiftly learn how to provide spiritual care to people confronting profound life changes.

AT BEST: “A meditation on faith, loss, and professional sustainability.” — Hector A. Gonzalez, The Movie Buff AT WORST: “Dig deeper and that stubborn, white saviour complex begins to bubble up.” — Lauren Wissot, Hyperallergic

Poor Things Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos

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A fantastical tale in which a young woman is brought back to life by a brilliant but unorthodox scientist and is eager to discover her new world.

AT BEST: “It can be hysterically funny and incredibly disturbing, sometimes in the same beat.” —Brian Tallerico, rogerebert.com AT WORST: “The maximalist ride is mostly a confection, lacking the full political bearing of the novel.” — Elissa Suh, Literary Hub

The End We Start From Dir. Mahalia Belo A young family is torn apart in the chaos that follows London being submerged in flood waters, leaving a mother and her new-born baby to try and find a way home.

AT BEST: “It’s nourishing, frequently moving, and ends with heroic understatement.” — Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph AT WORST: “Fails to nail the human connection at its core.” — Rafaela Sales Ross, IGN Movies

Ferrari Dir. Michael Mann Set in the summer of 1957 when the threat of bankruptcy stalks his company, Enzo Ferrari wagers all on a treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy, the iconic Mille Miglia AT BEST: “Ferrari’s engines fire on all cylinders, packing an emotional punch that sneaks up on you.” — J. Don Birnam, Below The Line AT WORST: “The movie fares better on a technical level than an emotional level.” — Carla Hay, Culture Mix 22

Critique DECEMBER 2023 : ISSUE 147

Books

The Beautiful And The Wild by Peggy Townsend is a tale of survival in the wilds of Alaska, where a woman is being held prisoner by the father of her child. “The shifting perspectives and fast-paced plot will keep even the most avid suspense readers on the edge of their seats,” reckons Booklist. Fellow author Janet Skeslien Charles goes a few steps further in her praise: “Wow, wow, wow.

Townsend explores the lengths we go to keep loved ones safe as well as how memory and perception change over time. Filled with secrets, dark terrain, and hope, The Beautiful and the Wild kept me guessing until the end. Propulsive and addictive.” It’s a feeling shared by another author, Karen Joy Fowler. “Townsend has written a breath-stopping, heartthumping, page-turning, keep-youup-at-night story. Wild is the word.”

For The Heart of Innovation, four experts from the start-up world, large enterprises, non-profits, and academia come together to reveal the secret of uncovering authentic

demand to build successful innovations. “Provides unique insight into the process of innovation and the difference between ‘innovation’ and ‘invention.’ The authors give a new way to think about successful products and services as well as strategies for disrupting the status quo. More than just a book for businesspeople and entrepreneurs, it is a compelling narrative with lessons for anyone who wants to create change,” writes Richard Rashid, founder of Microsoft Research. “An insightful and thoughtprovoking book that highlights the importance of creating, free from internal biases, products and services that solve a problem or tension in consumers’ lives,” reviews Virginia Weil, President of Global Innovation and Product Development, Ipsos.

While Georgia Tech, former CTO at Hewlett-Packard, writes that, “This is a book filled with good advice and compelling stories to help hardto-launch start-ups get unstuck. A collaboration between celebrated academics, seasoned industrial

innovators, and high-risk investors, it will become an indispensable guide to unlocking the power of creativity.”

Set in Argentina, Cruz, by Nicolás Ferraro, tells of two brothers whose wish to follow the career path of their criminal father sees them pitched in a battle to save their family. “Cruz boldly examines the propensity for violent upheaval in the patriarchal and retaliatory system of cartels in northern Argentina.

Such systems often mirror the corrupt and tyrannical political systems with which they work hand in hand. But Ferraro also portrays the personal moral rot that such systems create even in those well intentioned not to participate,” reviews Oprah Daily.

“Ferraro’s portrait of a crushingly bleak hellscape where ‘hope and torture are the same word’ is unremittingly violent, but he writes about that world with unabashed realism, breathtaking power, and a narrative ferocity that never lets up,” says Booklist.

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Art & Design

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Creating A Scene How Richard Mille’s commitment to the region’s burgeoning talent has helped the Gulf’s art scene thrive WORDS: JOHN THATCHER 24

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e’ve come to expect the extraordinary from Richard Mille in the world of high watchmaking, timepieces that only push limits but reset the boundaries of possibility. Mille’s work in the art world may be less marked, but for some time it has, in partnership with Louvre Abu Dhabi, encouraged the Gulf’s emerging talents to explore their own potential, providing a solid platform for selfexpression with its annual Art Prize.

“Our goal was always to create a longterm partnership that champions regional artists,” says Peter Harrison, Richard Mille’s CEO of MENA. That partnership, a 10-year commitment made between Richard Mille and Louvre Abu Dhabi almost three years ago, underlines the dedication and commitment of both to artists in the Gulf and beyond. “What started as an Art Prize open to Emirati and UAE-based artists is now in its third year and has expanded its open call to Gulf residents and nationals. We are proud to discover such incredible talent,” says Harrison.

That open call for this year’s Art Here 2023 exhibition at the Louvre – from which the winner of the Richard Mille Art Prize will be selected – was made earlier this year under the banner of ‘Transparencies’, with the shortlist of entrants now whittled down to just seven. It includes artists from the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, India, and Syria, all of whom were tasked to propose new sculptures and installations which explore the dynamics of transparency, both as a material and signifier.

It has made for an eclectic selection.

Saudi Arabian architect turned art curator, Alaa Tarabzouni, has centred her work on the built environment, while Emirati painter and multidisciplinary artist Hashel Al Lamki has chosen to explore the relationship between humankind and their habitats.

Farah Behbehani, a Kuwaiti multidisciplinary artist, focuses on the Arabic letter – its layered meanings and the boundaries of its physical form.

Syrian siblings Sawsan and Bahar Al Bahar have replied to the call with multidisciplinary works.

“Selecting just seven installations was difficult but rewarding,” says Art Here curator Maya El Khalil, an independent curator and art advisor based in Oxford, England. “Together, the chosen pieces 26

Our commitment to art knows no bounds and has no expiry date

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Opening pages, from left to right: Foraminifera, by Hashel Al Lamki; Waterdust, by Sawsan Al Bahar and Bahar Al Bahar Left: Peter Harrison

offer an intriguing dialogue through their diverse mediums, interpretations, and concepts. I’m thrilled these artists have the opportunity to showcase their practice in one of the world’s most extraordinary museum settings.”

The standard of the exhibits at Art Here 2023 (now on show at Louvre Abu Dhabi until March 2024) are further proof of Harrison’s belief that, in terms of its artistic output, “The pace of development in the region is hard to articulate.” It’s a view he attributes in part to the work of The Department of Culture (DCT), which he says is going above and beyond to establish a cultural hub for the region. “It is fair to say that so far, they have excelled.

The artistry and creative talent that is generated and born in the region must not go unrecognised. The Gulf has made its support for the art world incredibly clear with the inclusion of various art foundations, galleries, and worldrenowned museums, paving the way for some of today’s biggest names in the art world to shed light on Arab talent.

“Art is intrinsically linked to the region’s heritage and has always been an area that is prioritised and championed. If you look back over history, locals have displayed a level of artistry that is truly masterful and I’m delighted that the wider art world is taking note. The thriving art scene in the Gulf is palpable, and this is undoubtedly thanks to the efforts made by DCT and others.”

An avid art collector, Harrison talks of how he would often find himself discovering contemporary art pieces that were created by Arab artists in the GCC. “This built a curiosity to further understand how these artists are being represented, and if their art is given the opportunity to flourish outside of the region. Richard Mille is wholeheartedly committed to supporting the talent in the region and, as a young brand ourselves, we view our craftsmanship as an art form of its own; therefore, it is crucial for us to be a champion of artists and emerging talent – be it in the form of an art book [the second version of which, Modern Icons - A Richard Mille Art Book, will be published soon] or an Art Prize, our goal is to always be present when art exists. Our commitment to art knows no bounds and has no expiry date.”

While the Art Prize sheds lights on the burgeoning scene, projecting it to a much wider audience, A Richard Mille Art Book goes deeper. “It is growing to become an incredibly informative book with contributions by some of the leading art historians and experts in their respective fields, who share their findings on the history and future of Arab modern art,” outlines Harrison. “In a way, the book has a mission to preserve modern and contemporary art from the Middle East and seeks to underline the pioneering art moments in history that really paved the way for all artists that came after.”

This page, clockwise from top left: Remember to Forget,

by Alaa Tarabzouni; Hiya (She), by Farah Behbehani; Softbank, by Nabla Yahya; Waterdust, by Sawsan Al Bahar and Bahar Al Bahar; Anthropocene’s Toll, A Planet Asphyxiated, by Zahrah Al Ghamdi

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RIVIERA CHIC Ever since the 1950s, when Brigitte Bardot set foot in St-Tropez to shoot scenes for And God Created Woman, the Côte d’Azur has been a magnet for the jet set, an enduring symbol of elegance and glamour that continues to captivate.

Capturing that same spirit, style, and sophistication, Plagette, a beautiful beach club, and Plagette32, the spectacular homes that surround it, bring a slice of the sun-kissed Riviera to Tilal Al Ghaf Dubai, granting its privileged residents an unparalleled lifestyle that delivers ‘La Belle Vie’ all year-round.

Comprising four Water Bungalows and 28 Club Villas, Plagette32 sets a new standard for residential luxury in

Dubai with its enchanting concept of barefoot luxury. Built over three f loors using eco-conscious materials, the Club Villas offer both a stunning sanctuary from the bustling city close by and instant access to myriad communal attractions – including lifetime membership of Plagette, soon to be the city’s premier beach club. That’s also true of the four architecturally masterful Water Bungalows, crafted to blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living, each replete with impeccable detail.

In Tilal Al Ghaf Dubai, Riviera Chic has an alluring new address.

ART DIRECTOR: KERRI BENNETT PHOTOGRAPHER: ZIGA MIHELCIC LOCATION: TILAL AL GHAF BY MAJID AL FUTTAIM

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Stylist Lindsay Judge Hair and Make-up Ola Model Mari Emanual mlnmodel.com Clothing Page 1: Mari wears: Dress: Bally Bikini: Hunza G Sunglasses: Alexander McQueen Sandals: Gianvito Rossi Emanuel wears Shirt: Loro Piana Shorts: Orlebar Brown Page 2: Mari wears: Swimsuit: Eres Emanuel wears: Shorts: Vilebrequin Page 3: Mari wears: Bikini: Hunza G Sunglasses: Alexander McQueen Emanuel wears Shorts: Orlebar Brown Sunglasses: Saint Laurent Page 4/5 Emanuel wears: Shirt: Sandro Shorts: BOSS Mari wears: Bra and trouser set: Noon by Noor Page 6/7: Mari wears: Swimsuit: Eres Emanuel wears: Shorts: Orlebar Brown Page 8: Mari wears: Swimsuit: Eres, Cover up: stylist’s own

Jewellery

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DECEMBER 2023: ISSUE 147

High Demand Hatching one of Cartier's nature-inspired high jewellery masterpieces takes years of training and thousands of meticulous hours WORDS: ANNABEL DAVIDSON

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n the anonymous Parisian building housing Cartier’s high jewellery workshops is a mineral library. A wall of shelves contains materials arranged by colour – deep blues, spotted greys and inky blacks, candy-hued pinks and brick reds, bright whites and striated creams. There is agate and quartz and malachite and lapis lazuli, petrified wood and fossilised dinosaur bone, coral and jasper. Some chunks are as big as a human skull, others as small as a quail’s egg.

The library serves as inspiration to the team of glypticians who coax panther heads, exotic flowers, or leopards from these hard stones, turning humble-looking materials into fantastical things to place in just a handful of the 300 high jewellery pieces the maison creates each year.

Glyptics (the art of gem carving), stone setting, lapidary (stone cutting), goldsmithing, polishing, pearlstringing, wax modelling – all these skills are the lifeblood of high jewellery, and it’s the job of Alexa Abitbol, head of high jewellery workshops, to make sure that it never dies out.

“Having apprentices and students is a very important part of the workshop,” Moroccan-born Abitbol says as we tour the many different workshops that make up the vast machine she runs. “High jewellery is an oral tradition, not one you learn from books – you learn the skills from masters. We have to make sure we always have students learning, so that in 100 years’ time, we still have the skills needed to make each piece.”

In the lapidary workshop, a cutter explains why it took 300 hours just to cut the stones that make up the glorious Distrysia necklace from the most recent high jewellery collection, Le Voyage Recommencé – and that’s not including the 13.78-carat fancy brown-yellow hexagonal step-cut diamond that anchors it. Every tiny sapphire and amethyst, every little triangular piece of lapis lazuli, every speck of obsidian, and all the fancy-shaped diamonds – hundreds in total – have been shaped by hand to precise measurements.

“We grade each skill from 1 to 4,” Abitbol explains. “Everyone starts at one. We say to become a four, it takes 15 years.”

Little wonder that apprentices start

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as young as 15 years old, then. “It’s not unusual here. It used to be that all the young apprentices were following in family footsteps. High jewellery used to be a very confidential field of work. But we’re finding it’s becoming more popular as young people are now seeing traditional skills as actually quite well respected, the ability to do something authentic with their hands.”

Those hands will spend the first two years of their career doing exercises on non-precious materials – wax, bone, stone and so on. Under the guidance of a master (or mistress), they’ll practise their skills – be that carving, setting or goldsmithing – “until it becomes automatic”, explains Abitbol. “Becoming a jeweller is about repeating a gesture until it enters your DNA, until it becomes second nature.”

As the setters bead set minuscule diamonds into gold under a microscope, pushing and shaping the tiniest amounts of metal to secure each stone in place with a speed and dexterity that defies belief, it really does seem like they’ve been doing it for ever.

To make the Distrysia necklace, as in most high jewellery pieces, stone setting came towards the end of the entire process. “You have to remember that from the moment we decide on the design of a high jewellery piece until the moment it is complete and presented to clients is three years of work, including stone research and production,” says Abitbol, who took it upon herself to do a vocational jewellery course in her own time. “I just wanted to know the fundamentals, to help me better understand the processes.”

After each high jewellery piece is designed, it is handed to the chefs d’atelier (workshop heads) to come up with an estimate of how long it will take to make. “They’ll provide a quote as to how many hours will be needed for each stage, from wax modelling to carving to goldsmithing to stone setting to polishing.”

Throughout the making process, which can take up to two years, they’ll meet with the designer at least every three weeks. “We need to make sure we’re always going in the right direction, and that if there are any issues, we can address them.”

Things can – and do – go wrong from time to time. Ornamental

It’s a permanent ‘search for the essence of every shape that inspires us, be it from Islamic art, geometry, or the natural world

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Credit: © Annabel Davidson / Telegraph Media Group Limited 2023

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I need to make sure that all the techniques used are linked to Cartier’s codes

stones (as opposed to precious gems) such as lapis lazuli or obsidian may break when being cut; colours that are meant to be homogenous could look wrong when set next to a different material; an unexpected hurdle might arise at any point. It’s Abitbol’s job to manage all this.

“I have a global view of it all,” she says of her role. “I need to make sure that all the techniques used are linked to Cartier’s codes, that we have the right workload spread out in the right way, that we have the capacity to carry the work out,

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but also that we have enough people in training, and that each person’s career is evolving like it should.”

If there’s one man who is the authority on Cartier codes, it’s Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s affable image, style and heritage director.

If Abitbol runs the orchestra that is the high jewellery workshops, it is Rainero who knows the music it plays – the entire songbook, actually.

“The name of this collection, Le Voyage Recommencé, is from a poem

by Paul Valéry,” Rainero says. “In The Graveyard by the Sea, he says,

‘La mer, toujours recommencée,’” meaning the sea is always starting and restarting. We thought it was a good metaphor for the way we work ourselves in terms of themes and inspiration, the way we create and recreate and push boundaries.”

The Distrysia necklace is named after a type of butterfly, but as Rainero explains, it’s not an exact likeness at all. “We push stylisation to abstraction.

When it comes to the flora and fauna that inspire us, it can be the tiniest detail of an animal that we focus on.

We like to blur the idea of perception.

We don’t want the viewer to only see one thing, but to open doors for them to see many, many things.”

And, the necklace, with as many as five white-gold components in each of the hundreds of sections comprising it, each tiny component set with custom-cut amethysts, lapis lazuli, sapphires, obsidian and diamonds, references the minute scales, invisible to the naked eye, that make up the colours on a butterfly’s wing.

“It’s a permanent search for the essence of every shape that inspires us, be it from Islamic art, geometry, or the natural world.”

When you factor in that each piece can have up to 10 individuals working on it and can take anywhere between 1,500 and 2,000 hours of work, and that it all must fit precisely within Cartier’s codes of fluidity, lightness and volume, Abitbol’s job is a daunting one, but she handles it with grace.

With seven years’ supply chain experience at French automotive supplier Valeo straight out of university, she joined Cartier in 2012, and has been there ever since. As she wanders around the workshops, she knows every one of the 210 employees under her wing, introducing people by name, explaining what they do, telling me this one is learning English, that one is their newest apprentice.

Her manner is calm and friendly, and she likes to give others the floor.

But she’s also something of a benevolent god here: all-seeing, allknowing. “We make 300 pieces a year here, so I know each one perfectly. I follow them all very, very carefully,” she says. And with that, she’s off, mistress of her sparkling domain.

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Timepieces

NOVEMBER 2023: ISSUE 146

WORDS: JOHN THATCHER

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Tales Of The Unexpected Philippe Delhotal, Creative Director of Hermès Horloger, on why Hermès likes to do things differently WORDS: JOHN THATCHER

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hilippe Delhotal has an imaginative way to describe how Hermès does things differently. He sets out the scene: July 14, Champs Élysées avenue, where an annual military parade is staged as part of festivities to celebrate French National Day. The tightly choreographed procession of armed forces personnel marches in step in one direction. “And then imagine one of the personnel walking off the Champs Élysées to head in a different direction to the others. That is Hermès.”

It’s this singular approach that drew Delhotal to Hermès Horloger, whom he joined as Creative Director in 2009, the post he also held at Patek Philippe for the five years prior to his move. ”Joining Hermès was a major and very important step, to come to a new universe, a flamboyant universe full of colours and designs.

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“The history of Hermès is so rich, we have 19 métiers d’art, and as a watchmaker I can go to any of them – to leather, or to silk – and will be able to integrate these different elements. It’s this that sets Hermès apart from the competition.”

We are speaking at the maison’s Crafting Time exhibition in Dubai, for which the artist Clément Vieille designed a series of enchanting, suspended sculptures to immerse each visitor in Hermès’ unique interpretation of time.

Set out before us is an orangecoloured tray laden with some of Delhotal’s own charming designs, including the new Hermès H08 models, released earlier this year at Geneva’s Watches and Wonders.

Aside them is a piece that showcases not only Delhotal’s watchmaking prowess, but also the direction he has steered Hermès in since arriving at the wheel: the Arceau Le Temps Voyageur, which last year won the top prize for both Ladies’ and Men’s Complications at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG).

“When I took on the role at Hermès, my initial goal was to develop the masculine line of watches,” he says, picking up one of the watches to consider it as he talks. “Hermès was initially making mostly watches for women. Now there are many technicalities and precious stones that elevate our watches, while the role of the métiers d’art in the watchmaking process is also significant in how we have developed.”

It is the role of the métiers d’art that is of particular importance to Delhotal. Speaking of the industry in general, he believes that, “When it comes to the technical side of watches we are seeing a lot of creativity. But when it comes to art, when it comes to aesthetics, there isn’t enough being done. The creativity is on the mechanical side, not on the aesthetic.”

At Hermès it is both.

“Hermès brings lightness to the serious environment of watchmaking.

The maison is so lucky. We have 4,000 artisans at our disposal, ready to reproduce anything on a watch. People come to Hermès to buy a watch because they know it has been inspired by, or has elements 38

Hermès brings ‘lightness to the serious environment of watchmaking ’

designed by the métiers d’art that you don’t see in other watches.

People like unpredictability and Hermès is very unpredictable.”

By nature, Delhotal’s role is also unpredictable, sometimes tasked with having to create a brand-new watch line – as he did most recently with the Hermès H08 – and other times reinventing existing models.

Does he prefer either task? “There is nothing more interesting than starting a project from scratch, coming to a blank piece of white paper to start designing something,” he says without hesitation. “However, it’s also interesting to try to modify, or to add something to an object or an article that existed before, like the Arceau or Cape Cod. It’s about reviving these objects, giving them a new life.

“But not only is it definitely more complicated to start something from scratch, it’s also riskier. Because when you revive something, the form is already there. It has already been accepted. You just have to give it a different perspective. However, when you start from scratch, it’s much more challenging because you have nothing. You have no basis, you have no roots, and there’s always an expectation, which brings this fear of, ‘is it going to please’.

The Hermès H08 certainly pleased, and its new iterations include a chronograph and a quartet of colourways. “You create a watch and it evolves over time, some elements of which are outlined from the outset.

But when it comes to Hermès H08 and the choice of new colours, we just followed our hearts,” reveals Delhotal. “If we feel like we need a new colour, we will just add it. I like the unexpected. It would be sad if everything in life was preplanned. It’s always good to have guidelines, but it’s even better to step out from them and be creative, to add an element of surprise.”

What is no surprise is that each of Hermès’ watches is imbued with a story. “An Hermès watch always has a story to tell. Every single object that you find at Hermès has a story to tell, and people come to Hermès to hear those stories.

You don’t create to simply create.

Creating to just create something makes no sense at all. When you create something, that something has to tell a particular story.”

The story of watchmaking at Hermès entered an exciting new chapter the moment Delhotal joined the maison.

What will be the next instalment?

“We have been very successful, but we must remain modest and humble.

We still have a lot to show, a lot to do, and we still have a lot of surprises to unveil. But this will happen the Hermès way, step-by-step. Just continue to expect the unexpected.”

Opening pages, from left right: Hermès H08 Chronograph © Joel Von Allmen; Philippe Delhotal © Pol Viladoms Opposite page: Hermès H08 This page, from top to bottom: Arceau Wild Singapore; Slim d’Hermes Le Sacre Des Saisons; Arceau Animaux Camouflés

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THE CHAMELEON How Vanessa Kirby’s need for a challenging role has propelled her onto the A-list INTERVIEW: JASON ADAMS WORDS: JOHN THATCHER

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ctors can often recall the precise moment they were bitten by the acting bug. For Vanessa Kirby, it happened while sitting in the balcony seats at London’s National Theatre, watching Corin and Vanessa Redgrave perform in a production of The Cherry Orchard. She was aged eleven at the time and had already grown bored of childhood trips to the theatre when she was, “suddenly there in the garden with them. And I understood the power of being transported to a different place and relating to someone who is completely different to you. I thought, if I can be involved in any way in what that is, it will make me so happy.”

Now on the big screen in the role of Empress Joséphine in Ridley Scott’s epic biopic, Napoleon, it’s not only herself she makes happy but audiences and critics alike, most notably when nominated for an Academy Award for her visceral performance in 2021’s Pieces of a Woman, which included a haunting 30-minute childbirth scene shot straight through with no cuts. “I was really looking for something that scared me because I find that those projects really challenge me,” she says of her first lead movie role. “I’m not a mother and I’ve never given birth before, so the intention was that we had to do a birth that was as authentic as possible.”

If that proved challenging, tougher still was having to access the level of grief her character experiences when her child dies so soon after birth. To do this, Kirby spent time with women who have been through this harrowing experience, listening to their individual stories. “I felt there was a duty to try and somehow include all the essences of the loss of all those unborn children and how they stay present, even though they are not physically here.

“I’m naturally quite an expressive person, quite emotional. So to try and just push it all down inside was really

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I was really looking for something that scared me because I find that those projects really challenge me

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challenging. The thing that helped me most was one of the women I spoke to, called Kelly. She had a very, very similar story of having a baby who died just after being born. And she said, to try to imagine what that feeling was of being that alone: ‘Just imagine that you are on the tallest mountain, on the top of Everest, and you are trying to scream and the wind is just pushing past you and you can’t make a noise. And you look down and all the people that you love and everyone else in the world are just carrying on as normal.’”

It was a remarkable performance that showed Kirby’s broad range, coming off the back of roles in action blockbusters Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019). But it was in the role of Princess Margaret (frustrated sister of Queen Elizabeth II) in the first two series of Netflix hit The Crown that first brought Kirby to our attention.

“I don’t know how I’m going to play this real person,” she recalls thinking, deciding to “immerse myself as much as possible in her life — who she was and what she liked. I tried to find endless stories about her and read every book I possibly could.

“By season two I suddenly felt like I knew her so well as a person that I felt you could put me into any situation as her and I would know how she would react. That’s when I felt such an affinity for and connection to her. I kind of felt at that point that I understood her, and that was an amazing feeling.”

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Born in London in 1988 to a magazine editor mother and prominent surgeon father, it was in the theatre that Kirby’s acting career began to flower. In its review of a Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire, Variety hailed Kirby as, “The outstanding stage actress of her generation, capable of the most unexpected choices.”

That last line certainly rings true of her decision to dabble in action movies. “In a way, it’s not really about the medium or genre for me, it’s more what will challenge me. I always look to do something really different to what I’ve done before. That’s always the question for me. I spent many years doing stage and then I hadn’t done a long television series before, so The Crown really challenged me to play an arc of a character over that time. And then it was a great challenge to do the Mission Impossible movies (in addition to Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Kirby also features in parts one and two of Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning) because I hadn’t done anything physical like that before, or been on such a big set.

“I always want to do things that challenge me and push me into places that I didn’t think I could go to, which 44

really is more about exploring parts of myself that I haven’t investigated yet, or something about life, or humanity, or other people. I think it’s also about developing empathy. Every time you play someone completely different, it’s ultimately the actor’s job to have absolute empathy and non-judgement of the person that you are playing. And therefore you have to really learn about a whole other way of life or a way of thinking. So it’s these areas that I feel really excited to explore, and that’s how I want to choose projects.”

So how does she approach playing the completely different personalities of Princess Margaret in The Crown and The White Widow in the Mission Impossible franchise? “You can’t really compare them. Mission was an extremely physical challenge and it’s a very different kind of character.

The White Widow is much more inaccessible; hard to work out what she’s thinking, whereas Margaret, you know everything she is thinking all the time; she can’t hide it. So that was the difference, really.”

Away from the screen, Kirby is currently an ambassador for the Panthère De Cartier watch and jewellery collections. Does she follow a

particular process to decompress after playing intense roles? “Being on stage taught me a lot about how you go on and do a show and then you go home and, as much as possible, leave behind what happened on stage. I definitely learnt that skill and it’s served me well, because if you have a really difficult day the most important thing is to try and have a laugh in the evening. To almost do the exact opposite.”

With her career very much in an upward trajectory, what does she consider to be the best decision she has made to get to this point? “When I left university, I was meant to be going to drama school, but was suddenly offered three plays with a director and the same company of actors. And I had to choose between drama school or the plays. I always wanted to train at drama school, so it was a really difficult decision and I was really worried about making it. But I chose the plays and their director, David Thacker, taught me everything about acting. It was training in itself. So I will be forever grateful for that experience and it lead me to where I am now.”

On the big screen, playing an iconic character, with her star power very much in the ascendancy.

Credit: The Interview People. Image credit: courtesy of Cartier

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always look to do something really ‘ Idifferent to what I’ve done before ’

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How seeing copies of Vogue while living in an orphanage inspired Michel Haddi to travel the world – from Saudi Arabia to New York and Milan – with his camera and an eye for the unconventional WORDS: CHRIS ANDERSON

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ilan has long been thought of as the fashion capital of the world, and photographer Michel Haddi has a clear fondness for the city, choosing it as the setting for his latest exhibition. “Yes, I started in Milan in 1985, working for Vogue Italia, and when I return to Italy I always feel at home,” he says, recalling the job that began a 10-year relationship with the magazine. “Luca and Eugenio at the 29 Arts in Progress gallery, who helped me put the show together, came up with the idea of calling it Beyond Fashion, and I think it represents my work very well.”

Exploring the gallery, with Haddi’s images now adorning its walls, the exhibition’s title does seem appropriate.

Some of his work is literally ‘beyond fashion’, as the photographer delves into the world of celebrity, snapping icons and legends from the last 40 years – David Bowie, Liza Minelli, Cameron Diaz, Debbie Harry, Jennifer Lopez, and Angelina Jolie, to name just a small selection. But his fashion work itself, for GQ, Tatler, Vogue, The Face, Harper’s Bazaar, and others, also moves ‘beyond’ what is traditionally expected of such

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a shoot, with photos taken in busy streets, or Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, and Linda Evangelista depicted with an unusual candidness, rarely seen.

It seems ironic, speaking to Haddi, that the French-Algerian’s surname translates from the Semitic to mean ‘the one who sees’. Does he feel he was destined to become a photographer?

“I do believe in destiny,” he smiles.

“On the inside of my wedding ring, I had the word ‘kismet’ engraved.”

Hearing Haddi talk about his upbringing, there is a sense that the allure of photography somehow saved his life. Born in 1956 in Paris, as the son of a French solider he never met and an Algerian-Muslim mother, Haddi endured a turbulent childhood. His mother struggled to raise him alone, and he spent time in foster homes, and later a Parisian orphanage, where his mother would visit, bringing him copies of Vogue to look at – a magazine he would later work closely with. “In life, you can’t help where you start out from, and some people have very few choices,” he says. “But my mother giving me those magazines was an escape for me, with these epic photos by such

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In life you can’t help where you start out from and some people have very few choices

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Opening pages, left to right: Jennifer Lopez, French Vogue, Malibu, 1994, by Michel Haddi; Tupac, by Michel Haddi These pages, from left to right: Marisa Berenson, Paris, 2015, by Michel Haddi; Marisa Berenson, Haddi & More magazine, Paris, 2005, by Michel Haddi; Naomi Campbell, British Vogue, 1989, by Michel Haddi

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He was a calm and quiet soul, with a side that was pure wild genius. Lee was a van Gogh of fashion

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The supermodels were just the girls about town, they worked hard and they partied

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amazing photographers. It made me dream that one day, just maybe, I could escape and become part of that world.”

Haddi developed a fascination with Helmut Newton in particular, known for his provocative black-and-white imagery, depicting strong, powerful women.

After spending time travelling in his 20s, following his Arabic roots to Saudi Arabia, and then to Dharan in Nepal, Haddi decided to begin his career in photography, travelling to London to work as an assistant, learning his art from the greats before branching out on his own.

By now it was the 1980s, with Haddi landing jobs for all of the top magazines – at the end of the decade, he was constantly on the move between New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London, and Milan. “My life was travelling the world and staying in five-star hotels, but it’s important to stay grounded,” he says. “Even when working with some very big names.”

Names that included Naomi Campbell, who can have a reputation for her diva-like behaviour. “Oh no, Naomi is a sweetheart,” Haddi laughs.

“Once she dropped off a birthday card to me at my hotel, so thoughtful.”

Haddi worked with many supermodels of the early 1990s, and was among the first to photograph Kate Moss. “The supermodels were just the girls about town, they worked hard and they partied,” he says. “And with Kate, I recently found some incredible early shots I did from 1991, that I thought were lost, so those are in the new exhibition.”

Haddi describes his way of working in the presence of major celebrities.

“You have to be detached, and not take on board who they are,” he says. “But as much as I have a gameplan, they do too, as they are artists like me, so I need to make them feel at ease. Like Debbie Harry – we actually became great friends,

These pages, from left to right: Mirabella magazine, Times Square, New York, 1993, by Michel Haddi; Isabella Rossellini, Vogue Hommes, New York, 1994, by Michel Haddi; Debbie Harry, British Vogue, New York, 1994,

by Michel Haddi

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and would often meet up in New York.”

Earlier this year, Haddi released a book, Tupac: The Legend, featuring his images of US rapper Tupac Shakur, who was famously shot and killed in the 1990s.

“I photographed him when gangster rap was at its peak, and I was struck by his elegance and politeness,” Haddi recalls. “I saw Martin Luther King in him, and when I took his picture his eyes were closed – a premonition for what would happen.

But what a poet and a gentleman.”

Haddi also photographed Malcom X’s daughters, Ilyasah and Gamilah Shabazz.

“I liked the idea of shooting one behind the other, and you can see both sets of hands in the image,” he says. “They liked it that I’m half-Arabic, as their father went on the pilgrimage to Mecca.”

When asked why Haddi split his exhibition into two parts, the answer is surprisingly simple. “The first part is black and white, it’s more provocative, and the other is colour,” he says. “I work in both, and these days I’m happy just shooting on my phone. But whether it’s Jennifer Lopez or a flower, all of my work has the same vibe, and I hope that the audience will feel intrigued and surprised in equal measure.”

As well as photography, Haddi is a keen martial artist, training daily, so has the subject come up with any of his subjects? “Maybe Nicolas Cage or Jean-Claude Van Damme,” he says. “But I shoot, I box, and I make NFTs, books and movies. I admit, I’m a private person.”

Looking at Haddi’s body of work in Milan, you can’t help but feel privileged to be allowed access to his world. And it all started with his mother bringing him magazines.

Michel Haddi: Beyond Fashion is at 29 Arts in Progress gallery, Milan (29artsinprogress.com), until March 16. Part 1 runs until December 22, with Part 2 commencing January 16 52

These pages, from left to right: Malcolm X’s daughters, Ilyasah Shabazz & Gamilah Shabazz, Interview Magazine, New York, 1992, by Michel Haddi; Debi Mazar, British Vogue, New York 1994; Veruschka wearing the ‘saharienne’ by Yves Saint Laurent, New York, 1998, by Michel Haddi

Credit: © Michel Haddi, courtesy of 29 Arts in Progress

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These days I’m happy just shooting on my phone.

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Journey into the mind of American filmmaker Spike Lee – a new exhibition in New York celebrates his life and influences WORDS: CHRIS ANDERSON

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o many, Spike Lee is a celebrated Oscar-winning director, rising to fame in the 1980s, and known for his focus on black American culture.

His early movies, She’s Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, and Malcom X, brought such themes as race relations, crime, poverty, and persecution to the mainstream, and made Samuel L Jackson and Denzel Washington household names. Even today, he continues to champion the cause, with BlacKkKlansman winning the Grand Prix at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, as well as Lee’s first Oscar, awarded for Best Adapted Screenplay.

To the people of Brooklyn, New York, however, Lee represents something more.

While he was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the 66-year-old grew up in Brooklyn, moving there with his family at age five. As an adult, he based his production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, in the borough, and became a local icon. Many of Lee’s movies are set in Brooklyn, with footage of him celebrating Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election in the streets with its residents quickly going viral. Earlier this year, his former Brooklyn residence, a fire station converted into a four-level townhouse, returned to the market with a $5m price tag.

Despite now living with his wife on the Upper East Side of Manhattan – close to New York University, where he serves as artistic director, and is a tenured professor – Lee maintains an office and studio in Brooklyn, as well as close ties with its inhabitants. No wonder the Brooklyn Museum was so keen to open an exhibition about his life and influences, with Spike Lee: Creative Sources running until February 2024, and no doubt a hit with the local community.

Lee has worked closely with the museum, donating more than 350 objects, collected throughout his life, arranged into sections, presenting the books, photos, album covers, paintings, and film memorabilia that have fuelled his creative vision. “Spike is synonymous with Brooklyn, he’s a big personality here, an icon, so we’ve wanted this to happen for a while,” curator Kimberli Gant reveals. “And he’s very enthusiastic about it, he was there at the opening night, he brought his family, invited celebrity friends, and a lot of people from Brooklyn came out to see him.”

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exhibition represents Spike’s ‘Thewondrous creative fuel ’

Opening pages: Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon in She’s Gotta Have It (Spike Lee, 1986). Photo: © David C. Lee This page, top to bottom: Scene from Crooklyn (Spike Lee, 1994). (Photo: © David C. Lee; Ruby Dee as Mother Sister and Ossie Davis as Da Mayor in Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989). Photo: © David C. Lee Right: Behind the scenes of Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989).

Photo: © David C. Lee

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This page: Spike Lee, by Jamel Shabazz, 2023

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Spike is synonymous with Brooklyn, he’s a big personality here, an icon

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Some of the items were displayed previously in Los Angeles at an Academy Museum of Motion Pictures exhibition, Director’s Impressions: Spike Lee, which gave Brooklyn Museum a starting point.

“We’ve organised our show according to theme,” Gant continues. “So there are sections on black American history and culture, Brooklyn itself, sports – with Spike being a huge baseball and basketball fan – music, cinema, and family. Through each of these, we see the individuals and influences that have shaped his body of work, celebrate his legacy, and honour his connection to Brooklyn. Each and every object is very personal to him.”

With Lee no doubt able to flex his Hollywood and showbiz connections over the years, some of the objects displayed are surprising. “Well, we have Prince’s guitar,” says Gant, when asked to name a standout item. “Or there’s Serena Williams’ tennis racket; a platinum disc of Stevie Wonder’s 1973 Innervisions album; a first-edition copy of Zora Neale Hurston’s 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God; an African National Congress flag signed by Nelson and Winnie Mandela; a letter written to Spike from President Barack Obama; and the custom double-breasted suit by Virgil Abloh, with Nike sneakers gifted by Michael Jordan, that Spike wore to the opening night of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. These items represent black trailblazers, and real icons to him.”

Photos and paintings celebrate black sporting figures, such as Jack Johnson, Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali, as well as rights activists Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. But just as Lee collects items showcasing black icons, through the photography of George Parks, and imagery and objects depicting dated racial caricatures, he also presents the tension and segregation that was rife in America until the mid-20th century. “I really love the painting of Toni Morrison by Tim Okamura, which was originally commissioned for Time magazine’s 100 Women of the Year cover in 2020,” Gant adds. “Of course, she died the previous year.”

Cinema has a huge presence too, with posters of the films that have influenced Lee’s style, such as Taxi Driver and On the Waterfront, as well as stills, costumes and props from his own movies. With family often a theme in his work, Lee

These pages, from top to bottom: Malcolm X (Spike Lee, 1992).

Photo: © David C. Lee; Portrait of Toni Morrison circa 1993, by Tim Okamura, 2020. Collection of Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee. Photo courtesy of Tim Okamura; Investiture of Bishop Harold as the Duke of Franconia, 2005, by Kehinde Wiley. Collection of Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee. © Kehinde Wiley. Photo courtesy of the artist

has donated photos of his grandmother, parents, siblings, his wife, his own childhood, and artwork by his children, along with images that document his rise to fame. Music is also important to Lee, with information on the black artists he collaborated with to create his movie soundtracks.

There is a lot to take in, as Gant is well aware. “It invites you in from all of these different angles,” she says. “If you’re a sports or music fan, that’s one way. Or if you’re from Brooklyn, interested in black history, or just love cinema, there are these touchpoints too. It’s a reminder of how nuanced and complex people are, and at the same time represents this wondrous creative fuel.”

Lee approves of how the exhibition appears, and according to Gant was a great collaborator. “He’s obviously very creative, and gave lots of direction and feedback, which we really appreciate,” she says. “It’s probably similar to working with him on a movie set.”

Spike Lee: Creative Sources is at Brooklyn Museum, New York, until February 4, 2024. brooklynmuseum.org 59

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Motoring DECEMBER 2023: ISSUE 147

Big Screen Hit The high-performance, high-luxury BMW i7 xDrive60 takes passenger comforts to a whole new level WORDS: JOHN THATCHER

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he very first patented drive-in movie is credited to Richard Hollingshead, who in 1933 set up a large theatre screen in an open area of New Jersey and invited people to watch it from the comfort of their own cars. It grew in popularity to the extent that by the 1960s there were over 4,000 drive-ins across the United States.

I mention the drive-in movie because until I sat, reclined in the impossibly comfortable back seat of the BMW i7 xDrive60, I had never come across a ‘driving’ movie – that is, a movie you watch on a genuine theatre screen as you’re ferried by your driver.

But it’s there, all 31.3-inches of it, delivering an 8K resolution panoramic picture in 32:9 format, with Amazon Fire TV built-in and surround sound courtesy of Bowers & Wilkins.

This unique entertainment feature drops (at the tap of one of the touch-screen remotes built into the panels of both rear doors) from the roof and extends across the width of the front seats’ headrests. At the same time, window shades rise to remove any possibility of glare, cocooning you in your own private cinema.

It is an extraordinary luxury for film buffs, particularly when work renders rare the opportunity to kick back and relax in front of a classic.

The only possible party pooper to your serene screening is the speed at which you’ll likely arrive at your final destination – this battery-powered, all-electric i7 xDrive60 is rapid, capable of zooming from 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds, quietly, effortlessly.

But this isn’t a car in which you should think about getting anywhere fast. This is a car you’ll want to spend time in.

A long time.

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Soothing sounds ‘come courtesy of Hollywood’s Hans Zimmer ’

That’s because it has been designed to make things not only comfortable for you but simple, too – not always the case in models that have more tech than Silicon Valley. Take, for example, the whole host of driver-assistance features. They include the Parking Assistant Professional, which utilises the very latest technology to enable you to get in and out of parking spaces via the MY BMW App. Struggling with a blind spot when trying to reverse into a particularly tight parking space at the mall (who hasn’t)? Simply get out and finish the job with your smartphone from a distance of up to six metres away from your car.

If only the app could also do the shopping.

What’s more, the Manoeuvre Assistant allows for controlling more extensive movements, whether you’re inside or 62

outside of the car. It does so by storing up to ten manoeuvres that you have the opportunity to record once you have finished performing a regular manoeuvre manually – say, the drive into your designated parking space at the office or entering your garage at home. The next time you reach one of these locations – from a maximum distance of 200m away – you will be prompted to begin the manoeuvre, whereupon the car will take control of the steering, braking, and acceleration, adjusting or stopping if something is in the way (like that blasted car that always parks in your space).

Obviously, then, doors also open and close automatically at the push of a button.

In the cockpit, you won’t find much in the way of buttons to press outside of the few on your steering wheel and it looks all the sleeker for it. The BMW Curved Display comprises a 12.3-inch information display and 14.9-inch control display behind a single glass surface.

Those controls allow for all manner of cool things to come your way, from massages to soothing sounds, courtesy of Hans Zimmer no less, the German film score composer whose CV boasts the likes of Gladiator and Interstellar. His exclusive compositions for your aural pleasure – which play at the start-up and shutdown sequences of your selected drive mode, and do so with an accompanying light show – sound nothing like the simulated engine sounds you’ll find in many other electric cars, which is far and away a step in the right direction for such vehicles.

Exterior wise you can see the design influence of BMW Group-owned RollsRoyce. It’s there on the car’s illuminated BMW kidney grille and beautifully proportioned front lights, but more subtly it’s apparent in the shape, particularly its prominent front end. It says much about the 7 series’ commitment to luxury.

This is a car that you’ll love, whether driver or passenger. And it’s the shape of things to come for electric cars.

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Gastronomy

AIR

DECEMBER 2023: ISSUE 147

Soul Food

Why Massimo Bottura’s cultural project to tackle hunger is far more valuable than his many Michelin stars WORDS: JOHN THATCHER 64

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AIR

M

assimo Bottura is an instant mood changer. He brings life, energy, enthusiasm, and humour to a room almost as soon as he’s stepped into it, seeking an audience for his mind to unload its innumerable thoughts and ideas.

Today, as we sit at a table set for breakfast at his Michelin-starred Dubai restaurant, Torno Subito, those thoughts and ideas extend from his childhood through to his latest restaurant concept which, in his engagingly expressive way, he describes as “Wow.” But first he wants to talk about Food For Soul, the non-profit organisation he founded with his wife, Lara Gilmore, which uses food waste to empower local communities and ferment social inclusion. Though, naturally, Massimo describes it best: “It's about sharing beauty. To give tragic souls a second chance at life.”

The seed for Food For Soul was planted in Massimo’s mind during the Milan Expo in 2015. He was, at the time, heralded as the world’s greatest chef, and countries participating in the Expo approached him to cook at their various functions. Yet only one, Canada, wished to discuss with him one of the key overarching themes of the Expo: feeding the planet.

Their conversation sparked Massimo’s original idea to create a soup kitchen at Milan’s central station, inspired by a scene from Miracle in Milan, a 1951 Italian fantasy film directed

by Vittorio De Sica. The kitchen was to be helmed by Massimo and other celebrated chefs, making use of the inevitable food waste from the Expo to feed those in need. But its proposed location was changed on the advice of Pope Francis, who wondered if the project could be sustained long-term if stationed on the city’s periphery, in one of its poorest quarters. “The periphery needs light because the periphery is the darkest place in Milan. If you bring light there, then life is going to come back. That idea was interesting to me,” remembers Massimo. “So we found this beautiful theatre in the most neglected neighbourhood in Milan and we transformed it with the help of architects, designers, and artists into one of the most amazing places in Milan. And this was our soup kitchen, full of beauty.”

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Food waste is something that is fundamentally wrong

That was Massimo’s first Refettorio (a Latin word meaning ‘to restore’). Now there are 14 of them in cities all over the world, from London, Paris, and Geneva, to Naples, New York, and San Francisco. Soon there will be one in Los Angeles and a second in Australia, when Melbourne opens. “We rescue 950 tonnes of food involving 105,000 employees and chefs from all over the world and transform it into 2,550,000 meals for people in need.”

’

Food waste is anathema to Massimo.

“We are a population of roughly 7.5 billion and we produce food for 12 billion people, yet 816 million people do not have access to food. And food waste right now is also a major cause of climate change.

“I grew up close to my grandmother, and she lived to work. She was extremely careful not to waste anything, because it was a necessity. When you have this kind of education, food waste

Opening pages, from left to right: Torno Subito; Massimo Bottura These pages: Torno Subito

is something that is fundamentally wrong; the worst thing you can do in your life.”

At Massimo’s three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana, in Modena, Italy, he instills in his employees this same attitude by having them utilise leftover ingredients in a unique way: tasking the kitchen’s commis chefs to transform them into dishes that showcase who they are and where they come from. A dish that tells a story.

Massimo’s own chef story began when he told his father it was his preferred career choice. Born into a family he describes as “kind of wealthy”, it was expected that he would be the lawyer of the family. “My dad said, ‘you only want to be a chef because you don't want to study.’ My mum convinced him.

I remember I said to my father in his office: you see, one day, you're going to see me with three Michelin stars.”

By 2012 Massimo’s 12-table Osteria Francescana had that trio of stars, which it has held onto ever since.

Like so many of the great chefs of our time, Massimo hails a stint at the legendary El Bulli in Spain as inspirational. So too the day he met his wife, Lara, when living for a short time in New York. It was Lara who introduced Massimo to contemporary art, and those combined influences led to Massimo developing a style of cooking that added an avant-garde twist to the traditional. Something unique in Italy at the time.

Osteria Francescana continues to go from strength to strength and Massimo has used its global popularity to turn Modena – once known only as the home of storied car manufacturers Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati – into a fully-fledged gastronomic destination, opening the beautiful country house hotel, Casa Maria Luigia, which now homes its own version of Francescana, and Franceschetta 58, billed as Osteria Francescana’s ‘little cousin.’

There is no chance, however, that Osteria Francescana will ever extend beyond those borders. “Osteria Francescana is not for sale,” he states.

“It opened in Modena and it will die in Modena. The moment I'm tired of doing it, when I don’t feel the life, the sparkle, we're going to close it, because it is a laboratory of ideas.”

Instead, Massimo’s global footprint

was made by the likes of Gucci Osteria, now in Los Angeles and Tokyo, and Torno Subito, the first of which was opened in Dubai. “I didn't want to replicate anything. I wanted to create something new. But when we had initial conversations with the people in Dubai they were asking me to open a place that was just like everywhere else in style – dark gold, silver, bronze. I was like, that's not me. So I said I am not going to open anything, thank you very much, goodbye. Then they came back and said, okay, do whatever you want.

And we created a place full of light, of fun, to reflect who I am and where I come from.”

That place is the region of EmiliaRomagna in the north of Italy, the country’s riviera, and it’s the inspiration for Torno’s colourful aesthetic. The food, meanwhile, is classic Massimo.

“Six years ago when we opened we were struggling to find the right ingredients,” he says of Dubai. “Now it's much easier.

There are farmers who really care about their produce. It’s grown a lot.” The restaurant’s most important products – the cheese, the vinegar, the flour – all come from Italy, from producers Massimo personally works with. “People think, oh, pasta is pasta. It’s not. Pizza is pizza. It’s not. It depends on what you want in life. I’m obsessed with quality.”

Last year, Torno Subito was awarded its first Michelin star.

“When you ask me what I do every day in my life, I compress into edible bites my passions.”

Massimo’s latest passion project, Al Gatto Verde, another restaurant opening in Modena, sounds like it may just define this. “It's a totally new concept, like, wow! You have to come and experience it because I cannot explain what it is.”

We’ll see you there.

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What I Know Now

AIR

Illustration: Leona Beth

DECEMBER 2023 : ISSUE 147

Daniel Del Core FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, DEL CORE The best piece of advice I’ve ever received is to choose life goals and work tirelessly towards reaching them.

Also, to keep your destination in mind and believe in your ability to reach it; to cherish your precious free time by investing it in the people you love, as they reciprocate that care; and to travel extensively to explore the far corners of the earth while it’s still possible.

I’m a creature of routine, especially in the morning, hence the affectionate nickname ‘American Psycho’ from close friends — if you haven’t seen the movie, it’s a good one. Taking time for myself each and every morning is crucial for me. Throughout the day I also indulge in solitary moments 68

of reflection and daydreaming, nurturing my fantasy world.

A lesson I learnt the hard way is that one cannot make it alone in this industry.

Team building is vital, but it also takes time to learn such skills. I took my time when I launched Del Core.

Nature is a profound inspiration for both my humanity and creativity.

From diving to hiking, immersing myself in the wilderness brings a sense of presence and connection to our planet. Additionally, I find inspiration in architecture and sculptures.

Personal success, to me, is achieving the goals I’ve set in life. Whether it’s scaling

a 6,000-metre peak or collaborating with people I admire, each accomplishment, big or small, marks a success.

If I could tell my younger self something, I’d advise them to revel in the joy of being a carefree child a bit longer — those days of no responsibilities, unconditional love, and absolute freedom were pretty cool.

My primary ambition is the organic growth of my label within the niche of invention and craftsmanship, what I term ‘mutant glamour.’ I aim to carve a unique space, creating a community around Del Core and the values of unbridled invention it embodies. I firmly believe that fostering imagination is among the loftiest of human qualities.

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