E-magazine Llamas' valley

February 2012 2(8)

perfect places - imperfect people

Cover story This cute Berry lady came to visit us straight from New York Fashion Week! Accompanied by her creator Hairy Sock or Rūta Kiškytė. Inspired by everydayness. Being part of the 5th edition called Nothingness.

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la famiglia blooming trees behind my windows new hat for you, new dress for me a rendezvous under the stars melting hearts and thoughts drinking tea on green grass fishing and picking flowers singing for the ocean travel planning magic time spring

Algė RAMANAUSKIENĖ

Editor

Website

Elas RAMANAUSKAS

Designer

Website

Blog

Augis Narmontas

Photographer FACEBOOK

Simonas ŠVITRA

Photographer Website

Enjoy!

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Milda BENDORAITYTĖ

Photographer, author Website

ROBERTAS RIABOVAS

Photographer Website

Blog

We’d like to hear from you: hello@llamasvalley.com advertising@llamasvalley.com

Kornelija ČESONYTĖ

Art critic

Website

Olga LEMPERT

Proof editor

Website

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A light 54 house Dexter Fletcher The director

Small spaces are cozier

The adventure on your plate 116

Elegant simplicity

8 in venice 34

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Glass, fashion and plant DNA

When your life turns around

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Strawberry and cardamom

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Shop the entire collection online

www.tinekhome.com

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Dexter Fletcher

The Director

Ask

yourself

Ask

yourself

- Your directorial debut “Wild Bill” is a film about a father-son relationship. Why did you choose this particular theme?

How much does this film reflect your personal experiences?

- The idea first came from “the man who is and a boy who is a man”. As the story developed I made them father and son and then a lot of my own experiences came into the writing. My father and I never learnt to communicate well and that is a strong theme of the film. By the end the characters have found a common ground and are closer.

- What motivated you to start directing movies?

- I have been an actor since I was 6 years old so after 40 years I felt the time was right for me to tell a story with the help and support of friends that I have made over the years.

- Have you written other scripts in the past? What were they about?

- “Wild Bill” is only my second script. I wrote one other short film called “Let the good times roll” which Dalia (Dexter’s wife Dalia Ibelhauptaitė) directed 12 years ago.

It was based on me when I was young and out of control and ended up living in my car for a while.

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- You’ve been in the cinema world since early childhood. How did that affect your life, and you as a personality?

- It is the world I know that best and where I feel most at home. The film set is my natural environment and so I had a great time directing my first film. I feel happy and safe there.

- What does it take for an actor to come back to reality after the movie is finished?

- The love of a good woman….

- You have worked with many famous directors. What did you learn from them?

- I have worked with David Lynch, and Guy Ritchie, and Mathew Vaughn, and Mike Leigh amongst many others. I can’t say what I learnt from each, but they are great collaborators and have the confidence to let people who are good at their jobs have the freedom the do their best work and contribute to the whole process.

- You have also worked with real cinema “Mohicans”: Mel Gibson, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Daniel Day-Lewis, etc.

Are there any particular moments you will always remember?

- Too many to mention; some amazing, some rude, but all great!

Dexter Fletcher Actor and director

Photo: from the movie “Elephant man”

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Ask

yourself

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- Actors are people who never stop traveling. Is it a privilege or a curse?

- It is part of the life we chose. I love it as there is no end to all the fantastic things you can see and experience.

- I’ve read about your wonderful travels together with your wife Dalia. What do you experience when traveling? What does it give you?

- Dalia and I travel to be alone together. The more remote from people the happier we are. We both work hard and sacrifice our time together so when we see the world it is something we have between just us two and it is very special.

- Where on Earth do you feel best?

- In my bed with Dalia! Or in Tahiti.

- What do you like about London? What are your favorite places in that city?

- It is the city where I was born and grew up. My friends and my world is here and so is my home. It is all my favourite…

- What is your favorite restaurant to visit?

- My friend Jamie Oliver has a great restaurant in St Paul’s called “Barbacoa”. It’s the best by far.

- Who’s your favorite writer at the moment?

- For my birthday my friend Kristina bought me Lucy Worsley’s book “If these walls could talk” which is a wonderful read.

- Where are you heading next?

- Glasgow in Scotland, then Vilnius for the film festival. See you there!

Photo: from the movie “Revolution”

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Must have

Salad Bowl Norm

Cushion Feathers

By Nord

Tea light holder Caroline Swift

Arrow hanger Design House Stockholm

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Brooch About the Moon Godushka

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Ball chair Finn Stone

take a break

http://llamasvalley.blogspot.com/

Style me Spring

We asked several creative individuals to style one picture with a Spring theme.

Anna Mård Stylist

Blog Facebook

- What do you like about Spring?

- The feeling of a new beginning.

- What is your favorite flower?

- My favorite flower is actually the peony, but in spring both ranunculus and hyacinths are lovely.

- Where are you heading this Spring?

- I’m going to get a studio with some friends. It’s going to be so fun to work together.

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Anna Mård

Style me Spring

We asked several creative individuals to style one picture with a Spring theme.

Judith de Graaff

Independent graphic designer and art director

www.joelix.com

- What do you like about Spring?

- I love the smell of blooming lilacs, the trees popping buds and the sunshine.

- What is your favorite flower?

- The poppy.

- Where are you heading this Spring?

- To my sister’s wedding.

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Judith de Graaff

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Style me Spring

We asked several creative individuals to style one picture with a Spring theme.

Desiree Blog writer

Blog

Portrait photo: Tim Collins, http://www.paulinaarcklin.nl/

- What do you like about Spring?

- I love to see everything coming alive again... not just nature, but also people. As soon as the Sun comes out a bit, we love to get some Sun and the city is filled with people sitting on terraces. Everyone is just more friendly and happy in Spring.

- What is your favorite flower?

- I don’t really have a favorite flower, but I always buy some branches as soon as they appear in flower shops.

And of course, being Dutch, I grew up seeing a good bunch of tulips at home as soon as Spring started.

- Where are you heading this Spring?

- I have no real plans yet, but I promised myself I’d go and see some of the interior design exhibitions this Spring like Salone e Mobile in Milan. And of course I will head over to my favorite city, Paris, for some new inspiration.

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Desiree Photo: Tim COLLINS www.paulinaarcklin.nl

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Style me Spring

We asked several creative individuals to style one picture with a Spring theme.

Dietlind Wolf

Visual designer and prop stylist

www.dietlindwolf.com Blog

- What do you like about Spring?

- It starts out of nowhere, dark brown branches burst out with this light fresh green. The leaves and flowers so delicate yet so strong. For me it is the preferred time of year, the time when after the Winter darkness new life breaks through, with this invisible power and at the same time letting us see the beauty of delicacy and lightness.

- What is your favorite flower?

- It’s so difficult to say. At the beginning of Springtime I love spirea - the ones in the photo. And peonies, and wild strange tulips, and all the blooming trees.

- Where are you heading this Spring?

- This time I will stay, I don’t want to miss the rebirth of green out of nowhere.

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Dietlind Wolf

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Style me Spring

We asked several creative individuals to style one picture with a Spring theme.

Dovilė Dagienė Photographer

http://bird.ph/ and http://doda.lt/ Facebook

- What do you like about Spring?

- I like Spring for that magic breeze that opens doors, windows, hearts and minds. It makes you feel right and happy for no reason at all.

- What is your favorite flower?

- I don’t have one favorite, but I do like carnations, lilies, and wild roses the most.

- Where are you heading this Spring?

- Anywhere my best companions will direct me to. One exciting destination is the World Photography Awards ceremony in London. Wish me luck!

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Dovile Dagiene

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Idea

everydayness philosophy

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Rūta Kiškytė

Visual artist Jewelry label “Hairy Sock”

www.hairysock.com

- What is your philosophy of creation work?

- Listen to yourself in a brutal way. Do what you want to do. It sounds simple, but takes a while to realize and demands daring.

- Why “Hairy Sock”?

- Because my friends, who have a great talent for words, didn’t help me, ha ha ha... In fact, one of my friends suggested to call my works “hair”, then I thought, that “hairy sock” would be a thrilling object.

And so it did.

- What expectations did you have for this year’s New York fashion week where your objects were presented? How did you manage to get there?!

- I had a dream to sell my collection. I took part in New York fashion week together with a good friend of mine who started creating clothes together with his friend. Their fashion line is called “House of 950”.

We had a practice in Paris together, at that time we thought that we will never be hired workers - we will create collections together! In New York we made a presentation (instead of a podium), and later we had a showroom, but it was not listed into the official program. To get in to it, one has to have a bit more experience and to be represented by more shops. llamas’ valley

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Photo: Rasa J. www.rasaj.com Model: Greta Rimšelytė (Baltic Model) Styling and post production: Rūta Kiškytė

- Who are other artists that inspire you?

- At the moment I can think about 3 of them: Tibor Kalman, Maira Kalman, Giorgio Morandi.

Assistant photographer: Audrius BUDRYS Assistant stylist: Rūta ČEPYTĖ

- Places that are stuck in your heart?

- Paris. Maybe. I lived there for half a year. It didn’t mean anything for me as a beautiful city, except that you could see and listen to your favorite music band every night. Now I start feeling nostalgically. But I miss those streets because of my wonderful friends, whom I trampled the streets with.

- What does your everydayness look like?

- I wake up and I work - just as a lot of workers, but till later than a lot of workers. I watch a movie sometimes in the evening.

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- What would you call your recent ultimate online findings?

- TED. Though I found it a long time ago, but it strongly affected me. Five recent books I brought were written by TED speakers. So that online experience got a printed shape. Now I read and I simply can’t stop admiring Daniel Tammet, who has two very rare conditions, so he feels the world through numbers. And of course, he can count anything, he can learn a new language in a week, and he sees it so immensely poetically. But at the same time he can explain how his mind and perception work, usually people with similar abilities can not do that.

I laughed a lot when I was reading how another

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TED speaker journalist A. J. Jacobs experiments with himself.

I also admire a website sidereel.com, it feeds me with series.

- What else, besides creating the objects, drives you crazy?

- There are two american things that drive me crazy: american series and Beyonce. I extremely like actor and stand-up comedian Zach Galafiniaki (most of all I like his talk show “Between two ferns”, and everything what he does). Also - actor and queen of improvisation - Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”), actor Danny McBride (“Eastbound and Down”), and every “Saturday Night Live” program, I sometimes can’t believe how professional those actors are, after all, the program is “live”...

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Time: March 17th, 18th Location: Vilnius Academy of Arts (Gothic Hall), 6 Maironio str., Vilnius, Lithuania Contact: hortusapertus@gmail.com

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elegant simplicity in

venice

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Chiarastella Cattana

Fabric designer www.chiarastellacattana.it Photo: Milda Bendoraitytė

Milda Bendoraitytė

C

hiarastella Cattana is a fabric designer who emanates creative energy. Love brought her to Venice many years ago.

She is now living and working here. Her cozy fabric store is usually chock full of chattering shoppers from Paris, London, New York and other cities, enchanted by the originality and quality of Stella’s creations.

A peek into the private space of a creative person is always interesting. Chiarastella welcomed me into her new, just-painted home in one of Venice’s most breathtaking realms – the Old Customs Triangle, studded with such gems as the impressive

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Baroque Salute Church, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and the old customs building, recently renovated by renowned French collector François Pinault and housing his modern art collection.

“My home is a space I share with my loved ones.

Here I can be myself. It is vital for me to have my books and paintings here, as they give me joy and inspiration. I’ve always admired beautiful homes, been interested in architecture, its details, décor elements. The inherent desire to decorate and adorn my home is natural to me. In creating my home, like my fabrics, I was looking for elegant simplicity, naturalness, and harmony. I was hoping to find a home which has retained the old spirit, one with a well-lit and authentic interior. Finally I discovered it, with its marble floors laid by old Venetian masters, tall ceilings, and a multitude of various windows through which unfolds the irresistible panorama of Venice. Every morning I take

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Finally I discovered it, with its marble floors laid by old Venetian masters

my coffee with a view of the proud Baroque dome of the Salute Church and the red huddled rooftops of the city. The windows of the house open up every which way, so I can watch the city while remaining unseen, which evokes a much-valued sense of intimacy.

I didn’t want to live in a modern loft, but I did dream of a space in which elegant elements of modern design would complement Venetian tradition. I let the interior take shape gradually rather than fill it with things at once. Let time sort them into places. Colors inspire me. The color scheme of the house is influenced by the hues of Venice, which I wanted to be reflected inside.

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My teenage daughter lives here with me, and she has her own activities and interests, so I am glad I could find a two-storied space. We each have our own intimate territories which come together in the living room, where we share dinners and stories of our day. Life in this city of unusual architecture is a constant creative inspiration.

If not Venice? I am charmed by the villages around Toscana and would like to live in one, surrounded by magnificent hills; or in Istanbul, a colorful, bustling city, which like Venice is full of architectural surprises, patterns, and colors, and surrounded by sea, without which I can hardly picture my life…”

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Colors inspire me.

The color scheme of the house is influenced by the hues of Venice , which I wanted to be reflected inside

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Diarist

When your life turns around

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Cristine Ezavin - Cez Lamp creator, interior designer Founder of Mechant Studio

http://mechantstudio.com Author of Mechant Design blog

http://mechantdesign.blogspot.com

- What an inspiring story! You had been working as a dentist for 20 years, but one day you decided to quit that job to be able to focus on your passions: traveling and design. What was it like to begin a new life?

- I always had passion for art, design and traveling. I’ve been drawing, painting, decorating, and imagining new houses since I was young. When I was 18, I enrolled at the famous Ecole du Louvre in Paris, but because of family problems I was unable to leave the family house. However, that passion never left my mind, and at 40 I decided to change my life and start doing what I really like.

At the very beginning it was all about painting. I spent hours painting canvases and did a lot of com-

missioned frescoes for private houses in Canada.

But deep in my soul I felt the need to start building objects and projects. I needed to create.

- And you started creating design objects and lamps from recycled materials...

- After a few years in Canada, I had the opportunity to move to Vietnam, Asia. It was like a revelation. Enjoying Vietnamese craft art, I started creating furniture, mainly tables, coffee tables, and chests of drawers. At the same time I started training online in interior design with a famous British school. Then I had the chance to realize some private commissions and restaurant design around Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. llamas’ valley

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And any lighting scenery I created was always a great success. I saw then that I had something to do with lamps and lights... It was the beginning of a new adventure!

/ atelier is quite full of items I’ve collected at construction sites or objects that I brought back from my trips and life all around the world. Finding junk is just like an obsession for me.

- Where do you find those materials for your objects?

- I love walking through the streets in cities where I’m living or visiting, always looking around me and finding stuff I can use for my lamps. You can find amazing items if you have enough time. I also love construction sites where I dig out planks, wood, pieces of metal... A real heaven! My house

- So where does the inspiration come from?

- The inspiration comes mainly from what I see abroad. It’s a way of life. When you see how people are able to live in poor countries and create amazing crafts out of junk... You just have to imagine what you can do yourself! Each object or piece of wood or metal has a past and a soul. I like to feel that and use it to make it tell another story.

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- Today you live between London and Southern France. What connects you to these two places?

- I love London because of the electric movement that city can generate... Everything is possible there, you can express your art without being judged... They trust you! And I feel nice in “my Provence”, in the south of France, because of the weather, the light, the smells, and the incredible Mediterranean food! This whole mix gives me energy and faith.

- What are the three blogs that inspire you the most?

- I read many more than three blogs a day. I read a lot of them, and many inspire me all day long.

It’s pretty difficult to choose... But if I had to, I’d say VosgesParis (a fantastic girl from Amsterdam, who loves exactly what I love: white, grey, concrete); La Maison d’Anna G (a french girl addicted to Scandinavian design); and perhaps Brooklyn to West (the blog of two amazing girls who collected junk, wood, and metal from all over the U.S. to build their own restaurant in California).

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Each object or piece of wood or metal has a past and a soul

the FIRSt euRopean blog conFeRence May 19-20th 2012 in Berlin

www.thehive-conference.com

Photo: Simonas Ĺ VITRA

a light house If there is such thing as love at first sight, it happened to me the minute I crossed the doorstep of Elena Endriukaitienė’s home in a closed neighborhood right next to Vilnius’ Old Town: it had rough textured snow-white walls, huge windows, Italian kitchen tiles, a perfect fireplace, cozy Scandinavian-style chairs, a sprig of lavender on the clothes rack, minimalist stained glass windows in the stairway, pieces by a young artist, an impressively shaped bathtub, balls of yarn in soft woolen baskets…

Elena had long dreamt of a house. This was the first interior she designed. “I wanted a warm and light home,” she says, “At the time, everyone went for smooth walls, but I’d always liked real, rough textures. Luckily, I was able to find a very experienced restorer, who told me that once, when they wanted to create a rough texture, they would use silica sand and quick lime. She showed the technique to my plasterers.”

Elena calls her home a modern classic. Most of the items found within have long-term value.

They are modern, yet timeless. “With furniture and items I care most about the shape. Often, the simpler it is, the more perfect. There were a few items of furniture I craved, but just couldn’t afford. So I tried to create something similar myself by restoring old furniture. For example, I found an old armchair tossed outside, re-stained and reupholstered it, and it turned into this cute, Scandinavian-looking chair,” Elena says.

Elena’s family enjoys sitting on these cute chairs by the crackling fireplace, discovered by the designer in a tile store. It is so expressive and exudes such coziness that the entire household is magnetically attracted to it…

You may not notice it at first sight, but every single detail matters in this home: every window or door handle, every little tile. Incidentally, for the kitchen are Elena fell in love with classical Italian square tiles, each like a tiny work of art.

In life, too, the designer prefers that which is original. “I once stayed at a lovely old house in Tuscany. The things, the colors, the realness…

Simply inimitable. I wanted to bring at least a touch of this warmth into my home,” says Elena, “I always admire tall ceilings, real wooden beams, old doors – real things from the past.” She adds that the key to creating a home is avoiding haste, searching, waiting, and then finally you will find what you need.

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Elena Endriukaitienė Interior designer

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Coffee with muses

Photo: Robertas RIABOVAS

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Designer Sandra Straukaitė dreams of Tokyo, but creates her collections far away from it, in a bright studio in the heart of Vilnius’ Old Town, in a several centuries old house. The studio is located above Sandra’s home. Her bedroom shares the story. The kitchen, her son’s room, and everything else is downstairs. llamas’ valley

e r a s e c a p s all

r e i z o c Sm

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The first time Sandra set foot in this house, some 20 years ago, it was entirely empty save for garbage and ashes, which the previous owners did not bother to take outside, and old roof tiles, piled here by workers while retiling. All she could do was roll up her sleeves and get to work.

In her studio, Sandra wanted as much light as possible. So she painted the dark beams white and bleached the old floor. There was room for a large comfortable desk, the shelves gradually got filled with books and fashion magazines, and black and white photographs settled on the red brick wall. The designer often stays in the studio until midnight or later. Stooped over her white desk, she sketches theatre costumes next to dozens of bolts of fabrics, the mannequin which is always first to test out the draping, and a press. There isn’t much else she needs.

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Sandra Straukaitė

Designer Organizer, Fashion Infection fashion festival

www.madosinfekcija.lt

Sandra is not one to dream of expansive spaces. She likes her home to be warm. To her, her son’s tiny room is the coziest. “To be honest, I wanted as small an apartment as possible, with the fewest possible spaces, so it’s warm, cozy, and nice, – she says.

– Here, in the studio, it is nicest in summers, when it’s warm, our friends come over, and we have birthday celebrations.”

wrestler riding the subway, or quite an extremely dressed young man… Fashion lives on there.”

For fabrics or fashion shopping, however, Sandra would travel to Italy or Germany. She values only natural fabrics: leather, wool, linen, cotton. Same as in her kitchen, where she also lets her imagination reign. Here, only authentic, exotic spices and flavors are welcome. “In my frequent travels I see the oddest dishes. I I am not at all surprised when like Vietnamese, Thai, and JapaSandra says she would never ex- nese cuisine, lots of spices and change the Old Town for a house creativity,” – Sandra laughs. in the suburbs. She likes it here, though she would enjoy more At the end of the conversation parks and public spaces, like Ber- the designer admits she hasn’t lin and Paris. But if one day she even begun working on her new had to pack everything up and collection for the spring session move to another city, she would of Fashion Infection in late March. surely choose Tokyo. “I love it Now that the event has become there. Tokyo is divided into rigid biannual, there is no time to zones. For example, a residential breathe. “I do everything but my neighborhood will be as quiet as collection. Interviews, meetings, a village, even if it is right down- taking care of the runway, the vitown. Recreation districts, on the suals, planning the program… other hand, are noisy and brightly Theatre, too… When am I suplit. You feel great everywhere in posed to design??” – Sandra Tokyo. It is also interesting to me waves her hands. Her collection as a designer. You can meet a Jap- will probably be born just a few anese lady in a traditional kimono weeks before the show. As it usugoing out for groceries, or a sumo ally happens…

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Nose on!

Strawberry and cardamom Kornelija Česonytė

Peter de Cupere

Contemporary artist working with fragrances Lives in Belgium

www.peterdecupere.net

Having already introduced you to a smell artist from Norway Sissel Tolaas (November 2011, No. 6), this time I’d like to present Peter de Cupere, contemporary artist from Belgium. Let it be another step into the world of smells. Considering how many people are creating scents these days, how many are writing about them, and how many are interested in them, I believe that not only beginners, but also those who have stepped deep into the world of smells must know and study this artist.

Peter and I met for the first time at the railway station. We agreed that I would smell like cardamom, and he like strawberries. This was the only way for us to recognize each other during our first rendezvous. It’s easy to guess it happened just like that. The two scents met each other. llamas’ valley

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- Peter, your art studio has the feel of an ordinary home: a bedroom, a kitchen... How much time do you spend in the studio and is it difficult for you to stay in there for a long time with so many smells around?

- Most of the time I work late at nights, so I thought it was a good idea to have a bedroom and a kitchen and not have to drive home. I love the silence of the night. The air is fresher and cleaner, less pollution in the environment. No sounds of cars passing by. Just me and my work. My office is also in my studio. I need to manage a lot of things. These days an artist is also a manager of sorts. Since I’m not working with a gallery anymore, it’s also important to keep in touch with my collectors, the press, and others. I design my own website, Peterdecupere.net, my project websites, I create catalogues and publications. Besides being an artist, I also teach New Media at the Madfaculty in Hasselt, and I’ve just begun writing a doctorate about smell activation and smell duration in exhibition models.

Working with smells might look difficult, but my work is not just the smelly stuff. I’m a visual artist working with scents, that’s not the same thing as a perfumer. I look for concepts with the right context and use the appropriate fragrance in combination with the visual aspect. Most of my works are made specially for exhibition projects.

So there’s also the environment of the exhibition place that I must keep in mind, as well as the concept of the exhibition program. Some of my works can only be shown in that specific place. I say “some” because most of the smell-installations can be recreated given the right occasion. For some installations I work together with labs, for others I create the fragrance myself.

My 400 sq. m. studio is divided into separate rooms. A project room, a creation room, 200 sq. m. of storage space, and my lab which also has a separate storage room for the fragrances to be held in the right temperature. I prefer to call my

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lab my VIBE because it’s actually more than a lab.

I work with fragrances not just in liquid form, but also in combination with materials, or with materials that incorporate a smell.

In my VIBE I do a lot of research with different materials in combination with fragrances. To experiment is necessary. I also need to write condition reports on using the work, activating the fragrance, and making sure that it will keep as long as the exhibition takes. It’s more than just adding a scent to a work. You must tend to so many different details like temperature, humidity, material and smell reactions through time, oxidation. Is the scent water based, oil based, synthetic? How much of the fragrance(s) do I need and how much will it cost? Most of the time an exhibition lasts at least 6 weeks, and depending on the location the fragrances I need to use can be huge in volume. I’m not talking milliliters, like perfumers do, but liters.

For example, in just one month an installation like peppermintduplicateballs PDTB Tree-Virus uses 23 liters of a mix of peppermint, black pepper, and a smell activator to make the fragrance stronger. And this is just when the temperature and humidity are at a good level.

So working with scents in my studio might look chaotic, but actually it’s more than mixing the fragrances, it is about doing research on different levels because it’s not like things are already laid out for you. You must make your own discoveries. It can be nastily smelly sometimes, but then I just close my nose, or go take some fresh air in my garden and have a cup of coffee, or a glass of nice red wine. I lay back and relax. An artist may be lazy…

- You mentioned that you are not merely a smell artist, but a visual arts performer who uses scents. Why is it that you choose not to work only in the olfactory world? What does visual artwork add for you?

- You can call it visual stimulation or olfactory stimulation through the use of the visual. I prefer llamas’ valley

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Peter and I met for the first time at the railway station. We agreed that I would smell like cardamom, and he like strawberries

both because it’s more than just stimulation alone.

I love to smell, but I love also to see. Actually, I started to play with fragrances when I was a little boy, because I was scared that I would lose my vision. In short, I would say: “Look at those smells”.

That’s also why I’m so crazy about the combination of the smell and the visual.

The older you get, the more advantages you see to the use of fragrances. And in visual work, this is what makes it even more interesting to me. For me, perfume can be an art, just like music can, just like some visuals, or a movie, but to be an artwork it has to be more than just the technical approach.

There must be a context, a good concept, a uniqueness. You must be saying something with it. It must be relatable. Beauty can also be a context, but only when it’s more than just the sum of the technical knowledge used to create it.

Creating smell-installations, scent sculptures, and scent paintings has nothing to do with saying more or less. It’s another way of communicating.

As an artist you can play with the combination. It’s not easy, but when you’ve found what you want to say and how you want to say it, it brings you satisfaction. I’ve made over 250 artworks with smell and I still love it. Most of my ideas are artistic smellinstallations and scent sculptures.

I often get offers to make commercial perfumes.

I would love to do that, and I actually have created several perfumes, but they are not commercial. Although some may really smell great, when it’s a

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concept perfume it stays that way and I’m not interested in commercializing it just for the money.

My love for smell is more than just smelling, it’s context, vision, ideas, thoughts, and memory. If I weren’t an artist, I would probably be a mad perfumer with a crazy approach to the use of perfumes.

- Do you wear any perfumes yourself, and do you like it when others wear perfume?

- I love everything that has to do with the olfactory and visual aspect of the body. So I love perfumes. I’m not the person to ask which perfume you’re wearing, because I don’t spend my days sniffing perfumes and little pots of fragrances. I must concentrate on the fragrances I want to use in my experiments and my visual work. So it’s a totally different way of working, but I love perfumes. I have more than 500 bottles of perfumes.

Most of the time I love to mix them and see how people react. I love to give people 1 or 3 kisses when I meet them, not for the sake of it, but to take a secret sniff of their body smell or perfumed skin.

It’s interesting how a smell can change a person, depending how they smell before dinner and after a dinner, coming home. It’s interesting how some people use perfume to hide themselves. It all has to do with society, culture and nature. This is why it is interesting.

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People want to be attractive, want others to like them. There is an underlying idea that perfume can make them more attractive. This idea alone is already interesting. These days it is not about hiding bad body odors anymore, but more about creating an identity and wanting to be remembered by a specific perfume or smell. Perfume is an interesting issue.

- In your artworks there is a kind of fantasy world featuring various alchemical, futuristic symbols. Does that mean current life does not interest you that much?

- Actually it is all about modern life. When I refer to the future, I am telling people that if they don’t change, the future might not be so great as we want it to be. My work is about nature, society, culture and of course senses. As an artist I stand with one foot in the world and the other outside it. I look, I experience and I reflect and react with my work.

- You are an artist, but also a researcher. Can you elaborate a bit on that?

- I have to be a researcher because there is so little readily available knowledge about the use of the smell in art or the visual approach of the smell.

As an artist, you are always kind of a researcher.

You study the field you’re working in. On the one hand it’s a pity that there is so little research about smell in combination with visuals. But on the other hand you can experiment a lot, sometimes giving a response that people are not used to. Actually most of my works have great success purely because of their dual aspect. This and the relationship of fragrance to society, the use of it in different cultures. That is also why I’m doing a doctorate.

I’m always researching. My latest sculpture was 9 m high and made of epoxy. The first scratch & sniff sculpture in the world. Normal scratch & sniff paint would evaporate very quickly off fixed materials like metal and epoxy. I researched ways to change that. Now the fragrance will stay on the sculpture at least 10 years. It only smells when you touch it.

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In my next solo exhibition in C-Mine Genk, Belgium, I show the Cultural Odor Generator, a 9 meter long smell-installation. I selected 40 fragrances, based on the 81 different cultures living in the city of Genk. People can activate them, make selections they like and take the smell home in a balloon. It’s about the way we like the scents of cultures. Scents make us different, but also show some common aspects we all have.

- You often collaborate with a distinguished producer of molecules. Why, in your opinion, is this collaboration so important for them? And what does it mean for you?

- I think it’s because I think differently about the use of the smell. I often get questions related to smell problems. For me it means that they find me an interesting person. I don’t know if they really care about art. I don’t think so. I don’t always agree to collaborate. Only when it’s interesting for my research, for my art, or if they pay well.

- Many of your projects are about cleanness, ecology, and dirt. Could you tell us a bit about these projects and the reasons why you turn your nose and eyes to these topics?

- The more we clean the more dirty the society will become. It’s a contradiction, but soap is not so good and we know it. With my work I can give alternatives or show the possible effects. Nature is an important context in my work because it’s our lung to the future. We must be careful.

With all the technology we know and what’s coming up, we really must be careful about what we do and especially what we decide to do. Let’s take nanotechnology. What we can do with it sounds great, but actually to the better informed it might seem like the next invention of gunpowder. There’s the danger of nanodust which we can’t see, it will just happen to us. As an artist I can’t stop the possible danger, and I’m also not skeptical. But I find it my duty to let people communicate about it and quesllamas’ valley

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tion it. I did this with the nanofume NanoLove. This concept of perfume on a nanoscale, I’ve created the name ‘nanofume’ for it, is the first perfume in combination with pheromones that makes people fall in love when the right setting is created. The same with nature. With a tree of 9 meters made of epoxy but looking so real and smelling like a real tree I want people to think about the future. Maybe there will only be plastic trees left.

In the Olfactory Tree you can look into the bulb of the tree, which is referring to cancer, the same tree as a droste effect (Droste is a repeating effect named after the Dutch chocolate brand Droste, which advertised with a picture of the chocolate inside another picture of the chocolate). The tree smells like a real one outside and in, but visually you see that it would not have been possible to get the tree into the gallery because of the size of it.

- You’ve created a scent movie – how is that possible?

- Smell-movies are not new. John Waters was a hit in 1981 with Polyester. My 2003 smell-movie Sniff Receptor was the first Belgian smell-movie, not that others have been made since then. Before making this movie I went to film school, but for the recording and editing I worked together with professionals, and the actors and dancers were professionals too. 150 figurants are involved in the movie. The main character was a pink bunny. The idea of making this experimental colorful movie started more as something I wanted to try out. It was a year of hard work. It’s also about a possible future and how we could evolve into hermaphrodites. Z33, where the movie was recorded and shown, is one of the most experimental exhibition spaces in Belgium. In Olfactormoviestudios, the solo exhibition where the smell-movie was showed and produced, people could walk and explore the settings by sniffing the decors of the movie. During the movie they could use scratch and sniff cards. It was a short movie, only 12 minutes long.

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- In your creative work, the topic of sexuality is recurrent. Could you tell us about all these projects: Kissing walls, mystical flowers, etc.?

- When you say smell, we can think about primary smells. An important one of these is the smell of sex. Without smell we couldn’t enjoy sex. It’s an interesting aspect and even more interesting when you can play with the idea.

In Kissing Walls people are allowed to smell the wall and give a kiss or several kisses to the smell they like. Most of the time there is more than one fragrance on the wall. People get a free lipstick, and in return they must kiss the preferred smell. After the happening you see which smells people liked the most. It’s not always about sex. The last Kissing Wall Happening was called Kiss Nature. People could choose between 33 different natural smells.

The first Kiss happening took place in the Free University of Brussels in 1998. The next one will be held on February 15th, about 500 persons will kiss a scented canvas.

The Flower concept is an important aspect of my work. It refers to nature, to smell, but also to love.

So I created an alambfleuric with thorns that made you very sexy during one year once you are pricked.

But after that year, you die. It’s a concept flower, like most of my flowers. But the name alambfleuric is a reference to the shape of an alembic, distillation equipment, mixed with a flower. I often use this kind of shape to create new flower concepts.

- During our meeting we talked about some pheromones. Is it another sweet myth in the world of perfumery? What do pheromones smell like to you and did you feel any effect?

- We know it works in nature, between animals of the same kind. But I guess you mean the use of pheromones to attract another person. There is much to say both for and against pheromones. For me it’s an interesting aspect. We detect pheromones unconsciously through our vomeronasal organ. I’ve used them several times in work or as part of a llamas’ valley

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concept. Here are a few examples. The kind of Alambfleuric Flower I mentioned before in this interview uses pheromones for attraction, like some other Alambfleurics. I want people to feel attracted to my work and I can even affect which gender will prefer it: males, females, or both. It’s a kind of child effect to the artwork. People love the work as if it were their own child or partner. They feel attracted to it, and because it’s not human, in a way they also feel responsible for the work’s well-being. All the collectors who bought artwork with pheromones love those pieces more than they love their other art. They also see the reaction of visitors, so they feel unconsciously at ease. As the symbolic father of the artwork, I want the owner of the piece to care about it. The best way is to let it give as much “love” as possible.

At the moment I’m working on an entire series of new pheromone flowers. In my work NanoLove, The NanoFumes are also pheromones. In a way this work is doubly unconscious, being made on nano scale and using pheromones. The nanofume worked in the exhibition place: on the first day we saw two people who didn’t know each other fall in love. One of them didn’t want their photos published because she was still in a relationship. Actually they didn’t understand that it might have been the NanoLove NanoFume that did the trick. But the main question of this love concept was “Can nano create love?” It was to let people reflect on the future aspect of nanotechnology and to start dialogues.

So for me the idea behind pheromones is very interesting. It is unclear whether this chemical attraction really works, and that is something that the future will answer. I personally think you must create the right settings. We think that we humans have little to do with pheromones, but in fact they are quite present in our lives. A mother can recognize her newborn by scent because of a signal pheromone that gives out a genetic odor print. Maybe pheromones are all about instinct? They can trigger

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many types of behaviors: besides the aforementioned mother-baby relationship, they are involved in territory marking, cause sexual arousal and behaviour, and can also warn against danger. The world of pheromones is an interesting one, and it gets even more interesting when you read about pheromones in the world of animals and even plants, so why not use it in an artwork? It’s love, real love made in Belgium! But I wouldn’t buy a commercial perfume based on pheromones, I prefer to make my own.

- Tell me about your other impressive projects: Olfactory Lab, Scent Piano (Olfactiano), Sweat...

How did you come to these ideas?

- Olfactiano is the first scent piano in the world, I created 7 versions of it. The first concert with the seventh Olfactiano was sponsored by IFF. It was also the first time that I played for an audience. They were all fascinated and amazed with it. So I did several concerts though the years following. I’m now working on the eighth version. When will it be finished? I don’t know because it has no immediacy.

SWEAT is a smell performance. Jan Fabre, a good friend of mine, asked me to do a smell installation in his dance lab Troubleyn. Every year he invites several artists. I created special plastic suits for the performance, which I called SWEAT. During the performance the dancers connect to each other by plastic tubes. The sweat of the dancers is distilled and put up on a wall in a glass box with a hole in it. A video of the performance is projected next to the box. The sweat is remade synthetically so we can always put it back on the wall if it might evaporate. Before the act I cook a special 5 course dinner for each dancer separately. On my website you can see photos of the dishes. I’m a good cook.

- I am standing here in front of you. What is more important: visual representation or the fragrance?

- Both, in combination with character, attitude, intelligence. llamas’ valley

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Boo’ tique

Photo: Robertas RIABOVAS, Reda MICKEVIČIŪTĖ, A.ŠIDLAUSKAS

Daili design and fashion studio in Vilnius is home both to fashion and glass: leather handbags with glass insets, striped dresses, gray skirts, cream-colored blouses and vests, dropshaped jewelry with the DNA of flowers, herbs, and wild strawberries trapped inside, cups and vases made of used bottles, carafe lamps, and the oddest glass shapes. Their author, glass artist Viktoras Dailidėnas, suddenly produces

a glass ring he made ten years ago out of a bottle neck for his future wife, costume designer Laura Dailidėnienė. Here they live, creating together, laughing often, learning from each other, and sharing their creations with others.

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Viktoras Dailidėnas

Glass artist

http://dailidenas.lt/

- What is most important to you when creating?

Viktoras: Naturally, we have principles. An artist would not be an artist without principles, a point of view, a mission.

Laura: We are very consistent in our work. I in my field, Viktoras – in his. Sometimes our work links together.

- What are these common points?

V: We have found harmony.

L: I see things in Viktoras’ work that I can use in mine. The idea can be Viktor’s sometimes, but I draw my own models. Watching him work is my everyday life. Glass is quite subtle.

V: As a glass artist I can see that Laura has a different view of glass – through clarity and re-

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fined shape. I noticed this when we met, I felt her clean aesthetic.

L: Inspiration often comes directly from nature. I transmit it even through the shapes of my clothes.

- Links to nature, ecology seem very important to you.

V: This is the way we were brought up. This is from our childhood.

L: I grew up in nature, surrounded by forests and fields.

V: I was a naturalist. My friend and I picked frogs for storks and drove around national parks.

L: Nature is reflected in my work, too, especially the jewelry. It is like a little part of Lithuania is stored inside.

Laura DailidÄ—nienÄ— Designer

http://daili.lt/

- How did you come up with the idea of placing these tiny plants in glass jewelry?

L: We were doing an exhibition of ice objects which melted with time. We wanted to show temporariness. Then came the opposite idea.

This is my own technology, I hand pick the plants. It is incredible how many different ones are to be found. These days, my friends even bring me plants from abroad...

- And you, Viktoras, probably get unused bottles from everyone?

V: Something like that. Especially since I have been making glasses out of them. I wanted to show what can be made out of an unneccessary bottle. I have made many things out of them: glasses, vases, rings.

L: When we met, Viktoras gave me a glass

ring made out of a bottle neck. Of course, it is a little heavy to wear...

V: I could modify it!

- How difficult is glass art?

V: When you are young and still learning, with excitement and desire to try everything, there can even be glass shards stuck in eyes...

Later, you understand what to do for this not to happen.

L: It is a very expensive art.

V: It is a charming, but monstrously expensive art. It is simply too expensive to be a glass artist today.

L: The Chinese have brought down the prices.

V: The work requires a lot of energy, in all senses of the word. Both human resources and llamas’ valley

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heat. This is not your normal heating: for glass to be hot, you need at least 1500 degrees.

- What kind of people are glass artists?

V: They’re open-hearted people. Friendly, always helpful, ready to meet. They are daring, and they are few. Real glassmen are few and far apart, we all know each other.

- Designers, on the other hand, are anything but few. How do you manage to remain original, Laura?

L: It takes time. There are many young and talented designers, but it’s not that easy to hang on with the competition what it is today.

Our jewelry helps us stay afloat. They are sold in Sweden, France, Spain, we had a presentation in New York several years ago. Of course, then came the recession…

- Where are your sketches born?

L: I am constantly thinking about it. An idea is not born easy, and when it does come, you must draw it, record it, otherwise it will float away.

V: Laura always carries a notebook.

L: Which, of course, fills up very quickly...

- Is there any unique place, especially good for drawing?

V: Laura is very universal. She can create even while driving.

L: Yes, sometimes you see something and it sparks an idea.

- What is it you have to see? Where does inspiration come from?

L: It can be a color, a photograph.

V: I was born and raised among creative people; my parents are painters, Laura is very creative as well. Her ideas have an interesting way of occurring. They are born of simple things which she can view from a different angle.

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Designer: Laura DAILIDĖNIENĖ, S/S 2012 „Visionaire” Photo: Reda MICKEVIČIŪTĖ Model: Dovilė D. „Supermodels” Make-up: Ugnė EŽERINSKAITĖ

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- Would you wear everything you make?

L: Perhaps not everything. My style changes, but usually I prefer clothes that are more sportswear, free-flowing, knits.

- Who are your clients?

L: Liberated, artistic ladies, although some businesswomen as well.

- Who do you prefer creating for?

L: People who come to you in particular. I don’t work much to order, I have example models which I can resize.

- How did you two meet?

V: It will sound trite...

L: Yes, it was a very banal date.

- February 14th?

V: Yes. You see… We were both studying in Kaunas. It must have been sophomore year, we were in some performance. I was Lady Valentine, and she was a salmon. That was when I first saw Laura, and then I got her phone number through friends.

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Designer: Laura DAILIDĖNIENĖ, S/S 2012 „Visionaire” Photo: A.ŠIDLAUSKAS Model: Berta Zubrickaitė

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Designer: Laura DAILIDĖNIENĖ, S/S 2012 „Visionaire” Photo: A.ŠIDLAUSKAS

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Model: Berta Zubrickaitė

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Designer: Laura DAILIDĖNIENĖ, S/S 2012 „Visionaire” Photo: Reda MICKEVIČIŪTĖ Model: Dovilė D. „Supermodels” Make-up: Ugnė EŽERINSKAITĖ

- Are you similar?

V: We do have things in common.

L: It would probably be difficult without them for two creative people with children waiting at home to boot.

V: I’ve always said that in order to keep a family, live and enjoy life, one must first have forgiveness, be capable of predicting the situation and seeing that the other person needs to be helped. Sometimes you must budge first, then there will be no friction. We don’t have any friction, because we don’t let it happen.

- But you still probably talk about the same things at home?

L: We can’t… There are two children at home. Though they are pretty independent by now: one is eight, the other three.

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Designer: Laura DAILIDĖNIENĖ, S/S 2012 „Visionaire” Photo: Reda MICKEVIČIŪTĖ Model: Dovilė D. „Supermodels” Make-up: Ugnė EŽERINSKAITĖ

- Artists as well?

L: One is a naturalist, a mathematician. He is wonderful at counting! We came home yesterday to a house full of origami butterflies.

He says, mommy, I’m going to sell them…

- What matters most to you in a home?

V: That it is safe and well-lit.

L: Maybe not so much safe as cozy.

V: Well, yes. This year I remembered my old passion, bought an aquarium, and started breeding African cichlids. They are pretty, colorful fish. Cichlids are somewhat cleverer than other fish. They build gardens out of pebbles and then guard them. They react to the environment and to humans.

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- What was the vision for this studio when you were creating it?

V: Our vision was the Old Town. We are now close to it. I imagined this ought to be both a shop and a workshop. It is now. We even have glass art classes here sometimes. Usually for foreigners, I teach them how to make

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stained glass. I’ve been involved in education for a while. I enjoy sharing. Our work is interesting. Sometimes people ask us how we relax.

This is it – we relax through work. It varies from stained glass to blown lamps, from handbags to dresses. So many different things can’t be boring.

Bon appétit

Photo: Melina HAMMER

The adventure

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on your plate

Melina Hammer

Food and still life photographer

- I remember the first shoot. It was of herbs and sausage, and tomatoes. I have learned a lot since that first time, but there are principals that still hold, even from then, for me. It’s really helpful to look back on that and see how my path has grown so.

- How did blogging change your life?

- Blogging gave me a voice – and an audience! – that I never knew I had. It gave me a reason to create editorials just for fun, and to make up recipes and share them. There is a world out there that I belong to now, and I see glimpses of how what I do has impacted others. That is meaningful.

- Your favorite dish and pastry?

- Ahhhh, I cannot say a favorite dish. There are too many! I would say I LOVE avocados, and oysters on the half-shell are one of my favorite things on the planet. And, I do love a good roasted meat. My favorite pastry is a little easier: I love palmiers to dunk in my coffee, and anything dark chocolate. Truly, I am easy to please as long as it is good quality ingredients, well made! (I hope that wasn’t the easy way out…)

Portfolio Blog Twitter: @melinaphotos Facebook

- What would your perfect kitchen look like?

- My perfect kitchen. Hm. It would be white and wood, with a deep soapstone sink. I would love a long counter on wheels in the center of the room that people could sit around while food gets prepared, that could also accommodate various - How did you fall in love with food? bowls filled with fresh fruit and veg. I think a nice - I lived with a roommate in college who made big window overlooking a meadow, or water, wothe most flavorful creations. We would visit inte- uld be pretty fantastic, too. resting markets to source his finds, and I was always inspired by the things he came up with.

- Do you have any other hobbies, besides That piqued my interest to try all kinds of things cooking and taking pictures?

I’d never done before. That, and working in ama- Well, I hope it is obvious that I love to cook. zing restaurants, being exposed to incredible ing- That, and I cherish my yoga practice. I have sturedients and new, dynamic cuisines. died yoga for many years, and I use it as a constant throughout everything else that I do. It ba- Do you remember the first food picture you lances a lot of the frenzy of the day-to-day; it took? affords me a sense of the greatest, strong calm. llamas’ valley

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Photo: Melina HAMMER

- What are your favorite places to dine in New York?

- I am fortunate to have friends who are either chefs at - or own - great restaurants. Their food is so satisfying, and the ambience at each is completely unique. I am lucky! Some of my favorites include “Il Buco”, on Bond Street; “The Castello Plan”, on Cortelyou Road; and “Stonehome Wine Bar”, on Lafayette Avenue. All food prepared is harvested humanely and honors the seasons (and is of course delicious!!!).

gastronomy was somehow involved. Now, I prefer simple and natural foods that are at their freshest, and masterfully prepared. Great combinations of textures and flavors, but not fussy, you know? One of my absolute favorites is “Al Forno”, in Providence, Rhode Island. Activity buzzes in its many dining rooms, the food is EXCEPTIONAL, and service, as you might hope, was super friendly. I cannot wait to return.

- Books, films, and songs that inspire you...

- The best restaurant you’ve ever visited?

- As a non-fiction lover, I am drawn to com- Gosh. My view of the best restaurant has pelling tales about our history that showcase changed so much over the years! I used to really events in a way not usually taught/shared. I was enjoy food that was “done up”, where molecular surprised by how cathartic The Autobiography

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Photo: Melina HAMMER

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Photo: Melina HAMMER

of Malcom X was – brought tears to my eyes. I also love Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States”. Why don’t school kids get this on their reading lists? Brilliant, witty, and truthful.

I love anything “Radiohead” – Thom Yorke’s moodiness and thought-provoking lyrics are just fabulous. Björk is lovely, and transcendant. She brings me to my fantasy self and encourages the other-worldly, here and now. And Nina Simone.

Her gritty and soulful presence brings chills and tears, and her overall story-through-song is about the “bittersweet”. Beautiful.

There are sooo many films to love! So, just a few – very different from one another – off the top of my head that I love... ”The Seagull’s Laughter”, from Iceland. It is such a sharp, darkly funny, and austere piece. The costuming is great, and so is the acting. You definitely must check it out! Another film I adore is “Avatar”. Though it was a Hollywood production,

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it offered this idea of infinite possibilities, and a strong, beautiful message. And of course, the visual effect from the new technology used in making it was astounding. I wanted to see it again, right after just viewing it!

One more film that I love is “Baraka”. There are other gorgeous films relating to nature that I thought to mention here, but this one shows – without any dialogue at all – humankind’s relationship to our incredible planet in a way that says everything. This beautifully-filmed piece highlights many incredible facets of nature on our beloved earth, as well as the violence human beings inflict on it, and one another.

- Is there anything you wouldn’t dare to eat?

- I am a pretty adventurous eater, but textures do influence me. I’m not that into viscous food, which I have discovered makes me hesitant to dive in… Eyeballs are not high up on my list, I can attest, either.

Photo: Melina HAMMER

- What could always be found in your fridge?

Some of my favorites include “Jamie”, from - Good butter, lemons, free range eggs, hom- Jamie Oliver; “Gourmet Traveller” and “Donna emade stock, and bunches of fresh herbs. And a Hay” from Australia, and “Whole Living” from bottle or two of bubbly.

Martha Stewart. Each is reliably gorgeous in their own way, showcasing dynamic ingredients in - How many cookbooks do you have, and their recipes. what’s your favorite one?

- I have loads of cookbooks, and I get something - Where else can we find your beautiful different from each one. I look through my Donna work?

Hay cookbooks for regular visual inspiration and - I have produced photography for the past never tire of leafing through their pages. I love my year with “The New York Times”, as well as Mark Bittman cookbooks for his wit and answers for various magazines, like “Gotham”, “Donna”, to everything food. I inherited the Ripailles cookbook “The Hamptons”, “Country Homes & Interiors”, from a friend, and the simplicity of its drool-worthy and “Food Arts”. I shoot regularly with Paul Lofood (at least in the way the images look) is genius. we, for his wonderful magazine “Sweet Paul”.

The naturalness of the ladies at Canal House speaks My images also appear at “Bloomsbury” publisto my spirit. You see, I could go on… hers and “Whole Foods Markets”, as well as a few gourmet start-up businesses, like “Agro- Five food blogs you adore and follow?

Dolce foods”, and “Four Tines gourmet”. Loo- I look at various blogs, but I more voracious- king forward to more great projects this year – I ly track magazine snippets. cannot wait! llamas’ valley

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Photo: Melina HAMMER

Baked Apples with Savory Stuffing Makes 8 4 tbsp (60 g) butter 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 ½ tsp fennel seeds 1 lb (500 g) ground pork A handful of parsley leaves 7 fresh sage leaves, chopped Leaves from a few springs of thyme Sea salt and cracked black pepper 1 cup (100 g) bread or cornbread crumbs 8 good-sized apples Heat half the butter and the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and fennel, stirring occasionally, and cook for 5 minutes or until onions are soft. Add the pork and cook, breaking the meat up with the back of a spoon until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs and toss together.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Cut off the top third of each apple and scoop out the center with a small spoon. Remove the core and seeds and enough of the flesh to make a nice hollow for the filling. Divide the stuffing between the apples, packing it evenly into each. Transfer the apples to a large greased baking dish. Dot each apple with equal portions of the remaining knob of butter.

Bake the apples until the flesh is tender and the stuffing is golden and crisped, about 45 minutes. Great as a main course or as a side with other Autumn treats. llamas’ valley

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Photo: Melina HAMMER

Mushroom Ragout and Polenta Serves 4-6 For the Ragout: 2 tbsp (30 ml) good olive oil 3 tbsp (40 g) butter 1 small onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 2 lbs (900 g) mixed wild mushrooms, brushed and sliced Leaves from several thyme springs 2 tbsp (30 ml) sherry 5 canned whole (peeled) plum tomatoes 2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock ½ bunch parsley, chopped Sea salt and freshly ground pepper For the Polenta: 1 cup (250 g) polenta 4 cups (1 liter) water 2 tbsp (30 g) butter Sea salt Cook polenta according to package instructions. As it cooks it will swell, so add more water as needed if it becomes too thick.

Stir in the butter and salt once the liquid is absorbed. The polenta can rest like this, covered, while the ragout is prepared.

Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until butter foams. Add onions and garlic and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes, or until they soften. Pour in the sherry. Add the tomatoes, pulling them into pieces as drop them into the mushrooms, and add the thyme. Add stock, parsley, and last of the butter. Simmer the ragout over medium-low heat until it has reduced a bit, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and ladle over the warm polenta. This is the perfect rainy day or chilly-crisp weather meal. llamas’ valley

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Photo: Melina HAMMER

Kahlúa Chocolate Mousse Makes 10-12 servings 1 3 ½ 3 ¼ 1 2 3

lb (450 g) dark chocolate, cut into pieces oz (100 g) butter, cut into pieces cup (60 g) sifted confectioners’ sugar egg yolks cup (60 ml) Kahlúa tsp coffee powder cups (500 ml) whipping cream egg whites

Melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler set over simmering water. In a large bowl, combine sugar, yolks, Kahlúa, and coffee. Blend chocolate mixture into this. In another bowl, whip cream until stiff. Gently fold into chocolate mixture and blend well. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into chocolate cream. Refrigerate overnight. Serve in goblets or bowls.

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Photo: Melina HAMMER

Sticky Vanilla-Orange cake For the cake: 1 1 4 1 5 1

cup (130 g) self-rising flour cup (110 g) almond meal pastured eggs cup (225 g) caster sugar 1/4 ounces (150 g) pastured butter tsp vanilla extract

For the topping: 3/4 cup (170 g) caster sugar 1/2 cup (125 ml) water 1 vanilla bean, split 2 oranges, sliced thinly on a mandolin if you have one Place sugar, water, and vanilla bean in a medium-small (about 20 cm across) lightly buttered cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add the sliced oranges and simmer for 12 minutes or until oranges become soft. Remove from heat, set aside.

Preheat oven to 320ºF (160ºC). Place eggs, vanilla extract, and sugar in a large bowl and using a mixer, beat for 8 minutes or until mixture is thick, pale, and tripled in volume. Sift flour over egg mixture and fold through. Fold butter and almond meal in. Pour mixture over the oranges and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked through when pierced with a toothpick. Put a platter on top of the skillet and overturn to serve. llamas’ valley

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Photo: Melina HAMMER

Cranberry Maple Bread Pudding Serves 6-8 Enough inch-thick (2.5 cm) slices of old bread to fill a loaf pan 6 pastured eggs ½ cup (100 g) cane sugar 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract 1 ½ cups (360 ml) crème fraiche 1 ½ cups (360 ml) milk ½ tsp Sea salt 1 ½ cups (150 g) fresh or thawed cranberries 2/3 cup (150 ml) good maple syrup.

Butter for loaf pan Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Toast bread slices on a baking sheet in the oven for 7 minutes or until golden and crisp. Butter a 7.5x3.5-inch (19,5x9 cm) loaf pan. Combine the eggs and sugar and beat until blended. Whisk together in a separate bowl the crème fraiche and milk. Add this mixture a little at a time to the eggs+sugar.

Add the vanilla extract and Sea salt. Soak each bread slice in custard and then place one-next-to-the-other, tidy in the pan. Slowly pour the custard over the bread, being careful not to overflow. Allow this to absorb for 10 minutes, and then pour the rest in (you may have extra custard – save for another use). Place onto a baking sheet and bake until liquid is absorbed and a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45 minutes or so. If the top browns more than to your liking, cover with foil and continue until done. Let stand for 10 minutes.

While the pudding bakes, in a small saucepan over medium heat, pour in the syrup and add the cranberries stirring occasionally.

Allow the syrup to warm a few minutes, until the cranberries have softened, but do not pop their skins.

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Photo: Melina HAMMER

Steak 1 thick-cut bone-in prime rib, preferably from grass-fed beef Sea salt and freshly ground pepper A knob of butter 1/3 cup (75 ml) dry red wine Prepared caramelized onion jam Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Scatter sea salt flakes onto the pan surface. When they begin to pop, throw the steak on top. Sear for 6 minutes or until nicely browned - you may want to open your windows or turn a fan on, as the room will become smoky.

Turn, and sear for another 6 minutes. This will produce a rare steak - add on 2 minutes for medium rare, and so on. Remove steak from pan, grind pepper on top of meat, and allow it to rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, swirl butter and wine in the pan, turning heat to medium-low, until wine is warmed and butter has fully melted. Serve steak in slices, along with the sauce and the onion jam. llamas’ valley

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Inspired by

melancholy Photo: Jens HAUGEN

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- Elisabeth, how would you describe the concept of Jumina?

- Environmentally conscious, ethical, natural, fun, and outstanding garments.

- What is the fairy tale behind the Spring / Summer 2012 collection?

- The fairy tale behind this collection are my own childhood experiences and my family. Just like last season I got very inspired by my grandmother, stories about her childhood and the effort, affection, and work she would put in the clothes she made as a young woman. This is a true fairy tale for me. She loved embroidery, and she made many wonderful embroidered pieces that made me want to put something “coming from the heart” into the Spring / Summer 2012 collection. So you will find embroidered details on some of the organic fair trade garments.

- What fabrics did you use?

- It’s 100% Fair trade certified organic cotton.

The inspiration for the patterns are Scandinavian folk garments. Stripes and checks have been used in Scandinavian designs for hundreds of years. I’m not ready to stop this trend. I will continue it, only in Jumina style.

- What about the colors? What inspired you?

- The colors are from the environment that surrounds me: Norwegian forests, berries, mountains, and fjords.

- Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you start creating clothes for kids?

- I have three children, all girls, and I just couldn’t get what I wanted for them. I am trained in sewing and I know everything about garment making. But the world of children’s fashion was new to me, so I have had a long learning process...

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Elisabeth GrØnning Rognmo

Designer behind the children’s clothing brand Jumina Lives in a small village in Norway Mother of three

http://www.jumina.no/

- By the way, what is it like, being a mom of three?!

- It’s wonderful! I had my children young, I was only 22 when my oldest daughter Julie was born. She is now 13, and she is a wonderful teen. There is a difference of 4 years between them, so we have all the critical ages simultaneously...

Mina, the middle child, is 9 years old, and our youngest daughter Viola is 5. They travel with me sometimes, because I travel a lot, and they have been modeling for Jumina from the get-go, so they are a part of the business. This is the way it has to be in this business when you have 3 girls. llamas’ valley

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- Your family lives in a small Norwegian village and Jumina shop is located in a straw bale house. Tell us about the uniqueness of this home!

- The Straw bale house is my workplace where I have a small Jumina shop, atelier, storage and showroom for Jumina. The house is uniquely made from straw bales, sand and clay. The air inside the house is lovely, because the walls breathe. I love it.

- Did you build the house yourself?

- Yes, we did. My husband did almost everything himself.

It took him 3 years and he told me that this was my diamond.

This is wonderful. I love my house, it was the best gift ever.

- What inspires you in everydayness? What is beautiful to you?

- My children and family, traveling to different places, and nature. For example, wood. I love old wood, I can find so many different shapes and colors in just a piece of wood...

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- Which designers, artists, creators inspire you?

- Tim Burton’s drawings are a great inspiration. They have had a strange impact on some of my collections. I also get inspired by melancholy: this may sound strange, but I can find so much beauty in it. And old book illustrations are also inspirational to me.

- How would you describe your own style? Where do you find unique pieces for yourself? Do you perhaps also create for grown-ups?

- I make many garments for myself. Some day I would like to create a brand for ladies. But I also love to buy vintage pieces and accessories; I still use clothes from my teens, just by changing some accessories. I always buy garments that I fall in love with, so I can’t ever throw them away, I simply refresh them. I am a person that knows how to stand out in the crowd, and I love it.

- What are your secret plans for this Spring?

- Hmmm... There will be a movie made, and I’m sure it will be amazing. I will also present some limited editions on our own webpage, but this is all I can tell you...

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Author: Noryar Simonian

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Scent jewelry

Fight the smell Kornelija Česonytė

Photo: Augis NARMONTAS

Enjoying smells is one of the more refined pleasures available to most, but how do we do it? Some take a morning shower, others rub on creams and oils or spray themselves with essences and perfumes. Women in ancient Rome would drink turpentine in order to have their urine smell nice, and they liked wearing scented jewelry. Today, few people are aware of this kind of jewelry.

The issue of cleanliness and hygiene was especially pressing in Mediaeval Europe where the streets flowed with blood let by barber “surgeons”, waste, and the stench of carrion. Smells in mediaeval times were perceived not only as pleasures, but also as a reprieve from pestilence and other plagues. Air full of odors and the “impure” exhalations of the ailing was the main cause of disease, so doctors often prescribed various fragScented jewelry could also be called smell je- rant substances as treatment or preventative welry. Called it what you will, you might be inte- measures. rested to know that there are several kinds: pomanders (from the French pomme d’ambre), viMost people in the Middle Ages despised the naigrettes (French: boîte-à-parfum), scent eggs use of perfume, holding it to be the way of va(daintily called Riechei in German), and many ot- nity and depravity. Some even purposely refraiher forms of jewellery with new ones created to ned from washing. Some, however, thought difthis day. ferently. llamas’ valley

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held view had to do with inhaled air, which was thought to cause disease when poisoned by evil spirits.

People tended to associate pleasant fragrances with godliness and sacredness. Frankincense and myrrh accompanied the believers at mass and sacraments. Rosaries were made of rose petals rolled into beads and tied together, symbolizing the purity and innocence of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are many testimonies of saints whose bodies let out pleasant smells not only in life, but in death as well.

The use of scents has to do with burial rituals as well. They would attempt to stifle unpleasant odors by placing fragrances in the coffins.

In other words, olfactory connotations were then quite clearly distributed. Nice smells were and still are related to life and godly emanations, whereas bad odors had to do with evil, disease, and death. There is a range of curious theories pertaining to the cause of the infections plaguing society at the time. A very commonly

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There were many ways of fighting bad odors and disease. Incense was burned in streets and infirmaries, while at home people would throw fragrant herbs on embers, line floors with lavender and other aromatic plants, spray rooms with rose water, and place sachets of fragrant herbs between clothes or sew them in.

Be that as it may, Europe’s cultural-olfactory conscience, which originated in the Orient, was mostly formed in the Middle Ages. Exaggerated use of perfume and fragrances sewn into clothing and headdresses created

a surrounding space of powerful scent, protection against pestilence and stench. Higher classes and the rich would carry around little balls of ambergris or other expensive fragrances. They also enjoyed wearing pomanders – ornaments containing such fragrances as herbs, resins, musk, rosemary, civet, ambergris, and various essences mixed with vinegar.

Although the word pomander originally meant a fragrant paste rolled into a sphere, but in the 14th century the word began to refer to special pieces of jewelry made of silver or gold, protecting and encasing fragrant pastes of ambergris, castoreum, and other substances. Some pomanders could be opened and smelled when needed, while others expelled the scent through their manders became the key accesopenwork walls and didn’t need sories of the time. Their sizes varied, though a typical one would to be opened. fit in the palm of a hand. Their Pomme d’ambre, or “amberg- designs varied as well. A pomanris apple” was worn as an object der could have compartments of jewelry, but served also as inside, each containing a different protection from infection or evil fragrant substance. The shapes spirits. As the fear of pestilence were different as well. There weand disease grew, s did the level re spherical pomanders, eggof interest in fragrant herbs, spi- shaped ones, ones shaped like ces, and resins. Gradually, po- ships or books. Some even re-

sembled skulls, as a memento mori symbol. Consequently the little balls of purely practical origins, meant as protection against malodorous streets, epidemics, or evil spirits, gradually became attributes of luxury for the higher classes.

Pomanders were filled with rare and expensive substances, one of which was musk, equal in

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Floristic composition by Antanas MAŽONAS

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Jewelry by Vilius VENCKEVIČIUS llamas’ valley

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Jewelry by Vilius VENCKEVIČIUS

value to gold. Naturally, the outer luxury of the pomander had to match the precious “treasure” inside. They were therefore made of silver and gold, inlaid with gems such as diamonds, rubies, and topazes, or splendidly enameled. Pomanders became heirlooms, handed down from one generation to the next. They were often featured in 16-17th century portraits of noblemen, emphasized as proof of belonging to the nobility.

tection against infection doubted. By the late 17th century pomanders became seen as frivolous objects, related to the metaphor of the “aromatic whiff” and the “symptoms” of the art of seduction.

Scent jewelry remained, however, although its shapes kept changing and so did the meanings it was “charged” with. Such jewelry-surrounded spaces filled with scents seemed to reflect the contrast between the exterior and the interior, man and society, high and low, or the balance of these It is important to note that pomanders became together. visible sources of smell. This fed into the belief of the time that visual smells work better. In later Today pomanders are making a timid comeback, ages, as medical science made its way through though more as decorative ornaments than funcinfirmaries reeking of incense, the importance of tional fragrant pieces of jewelry which give out the pomander began to wane, its powers of pro- pleasant scents while showing their source.

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Fight the smell.

Scent jewelry exhibition: 26 March - 31 March, 2012 Opening: 26 March, 2012 7.00 PM Location: ARgenTum jewelry gallery, 2 Latako str., Vilnius, Lithuania Contact: Kornelija ÄŒesonytÄ—, +370 610 29139