FIRST June 2020

JUNE JULY 2020

THE INTELLIGENCE OF EMOTIONS How emotions shape our reality

EDITORIAL

VENTURES INTO CHILDLAND

The Ickabog

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King Fred the Fearless, one of the main characters in The Ickabog, set in Cornucopia. If anybody “in the whole kingdom of Cornucopia had been told that terrible troubles were about to engulf Cornucopia, all because of the myth of the Ickabog, they’d have laughed.

They lived in the happiest kingdom in the world. What harm could the Ickabog do?”

Illustration by FIRST Magazine.

nce upon a time, there was a tiny country called Cornucopia, which had been ruled for centuries by a long line of fair-haired kings. The king at the time of which I write was called King Fred the Fearless. He’d announced the ‘Fearless’ bit himself, on the morning of his coronation, partly because it sounded nice with ‘Fred’, but also because he’d once managed to catch and kill a wasp all by himself, if you didn’t count five footmen and the boot boy,” writes JK Rowling in the opening to Chapter 1 of her online serialised fairy tale, The Ickabog. “King Fred the Fearless came to the throne on a huge wave of popularity” continues Rowling, “and looked awfully handsome in the portraits that were distributed throughout the kingdom, to be hung in town halls.”

Written over ten years ago as a bedtime story for her younger children, Rowling decided to share the personal family favourite to help entertain children, parents and carers confined at home during the Coronavirus lockdown. The story serialisation launched at the end of May on a dedicated website theickabog.com, with 34 daily instalments appearing in total, each weekday, up until Friday 10th

July. Written to be read aloud, The Ickabog is not a Harry Potter story, nor does it live in the Wizarding World. It is a one off story in the fairy tale tradition, but containing themes often explored in Rowling’s writing.

Rowling has described The Ickabog as “a story about truth and the abuse of power. She has stressed that the idea came to her well over a decade ago “so it isn’t intended to be read as a response to anything that’s happening in the world right now. The themes are timeless and could apply to any era or any country.” However like any fairy tale there is an element of the truth that is frighteningly realistic. The insidious nature of evil and power that seems to get away with so much, with good being the underdog, is something we can all ponder when seen in the context of global current affairs.

Read The Ickabog online now. Following the free online serialisation, The Ickabog will be published in November this year and Rowling has pledged her royalties from sales to projects assisting groups particularly impacted by the pandemic.

ON THE COVER. Niche of the Madonna and Child, early to mid-eighteenth century, Għarreqin Gate, Mdina. June 2020. Photographed by First Magazine.

EDITORIAL CONTENT AND SALES MANAGER SEAN ELLUL SELLUL@INDEPENDENT.COM.MT DESIGNER CONRAD BONDIN CBONDIN@INDEPENDENT.COM.MT PRODUCTION MANAGER ANDRE CAMILLERI ACAMILLERI@INDEPENDENT.COM.MT PUBLISHER STANDARD PUBLICATIONS, STANDARD HOUSE, BIRKIKARA HILL, ST JULIAN’S. TEL: 00356 2134 5888, WEB: WWW.INDEPENDENT.COM.MT FACEBOOK FIRSTMAGAZINE PRINTER PRINT-IT. FIRST IS PUBLISHED AS A COMPLIMENTARY MAGAZINE WITH THE MALTA INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY AND IS NOT TO BE SOLD SEPARATELY. NO PART OF THE PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE PRIOR AGREEMENT OF THE PUBLISHER. FIRST MAGAZINE SINCE 1993.

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CONTENTS

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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE The I Believe Hill.

The intelligence of emotions.

How emotions shape our reality.

1O ART

Christo Unwrapped.

Monumental environmental artist Christo dies aged 84.

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PHOTO DIGEST

Around the World in 12 Frames.

Global reaction following the death of George Floyd in the US.

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PRIDE MONTH

The history of coming out.

From secret gay code to popular political protest.

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PRIDE MONTH

Malta's Parliamentary Secretary for Equality and Reforms, Rosianne Cutajar on Malta's LGBTIQ+ Equality.

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DESIGN TRENDS What’s in store now.

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ENVIRONMENT PROMOTION

The Journey of a Cigarette Butt.

Cigarette butts are the single most littered item on our world’s beaches.

28 The I Believe Hill. “We’ve got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.” D. H. Lawrence

PRESERVING HERITAGE

EU funds preserving Maltese heritage.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

Couch Wars.

Get over Covid19 and get moving, writes Richard Geres.

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MAKEUP & BEAUTY

Chanel. Eyes Collection 2020.

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COFFEE TABLE

Cabana Anthology.

Drawn from the pages of the sumptuous and highly sought-after, London based Cabana magazine.

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FOOD TO SHARE

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Monumental environmental artist Christo dies aged 84. Christo at The Floating Piers, June 2016.

Photo: Wolfgang Volz. © Christo.

Simple Fare.

Stephen La Rosa prepares beautiful uncomplicated dishes that can be made ahead.

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ARTIST THOUGHTS

René Magritte’s L’Arc de Triomphe.

“Pushing up from the earth towards the sun,” Magritte said “a tree is an image of a certain happiness.”

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JUN E /JULY I S SUE [2 020]

Photo Digest - “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King, Jr. (LONDON, June 20. Trafalgar Square.

Photo Alberto Pezzali/AP)

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42 Stephen La Rosa‘s Simple Fare. Roast Cauliflower Barley Salad with Spiced Yoghurt Marinade, Peanuts and Golden Raisins.

Christopher Street Liberation Day, Sunday 28 June, 1970. Screenshot from Stonewall Forever - A Documentary about the Past, Present and Future of Pride, a documentary from NYC’s LGBT Community Center directed by Ro Haber. Source: YouTube.

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32 From the pages of the sumptuous and highly sought-after, London based Cabana magazine – Cabana Anthology.

Photo by Miguel Flores-Vianna, courtesy of Vendome Press.

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Design trends. What’s in store now!

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EU funds preserving Maltese heritage.

Valletta’s Tal-Karmnu Church.

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Couch Wars. Get Over Covid19 and Get Moving writes Richard Geres. Photo by Lennon Cheng.

46 René Magritte’s 1962 ‘L’arc de triomphe’ could fetch £9.5 million at auction this July.

Photo © Christie’s Images Limited 2020.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

THE I BELIEVE HILL “We’ve got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.”

D. H. Lawrence

THE INTELLIGENCE OF EMOTIONS. HOW EMOTIONS SHAPE OUR REALITY. Photography First Magazine.

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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among the ruins, we start to build up new little habitats, to have new little hopes. It is rather hard work: there is now no smooth road into the future: but we go round, or scramble over the obstacles. We’ve got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.

This was more or less Constance Chatterley’s position. The war has brought the roof down over her head. And she had realized that one must live and learn.

She married Clifford Chatterley in 1917, when he was home for a month on leave. They had a month’s honeymoon. Then he went back to Flanders: to be shipped over to England again six months later, more or less in bits.

Constance, his wife, was then twenty-three years old, and he was twenty-nine.

His hold on life was marvellous.

He didn’t die, and the bits seemed to grow together again. For two years he remained in the doctor’s hands. Then he was pronounced a cure, and could return to life again, with the lower half of his body, from the hips down, paralysed for ever.

Overleaf and this page: Howard Gardens, Rabat.

June 2020.

D.H. Lawrence, extract from the opening of Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

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n the book Upheavals of Thought - The Intelligence of Emotions the philosopher Martha Nussbaum’s shows how storytelling rewires us and why befriending our neediness is essential for happiness. “Emotions are not just the fuel that powers the psychological mechanism of a reasoning creature, they are parts, highly complex and messy parts, of this creature’s reasoning itself.”

Leaving Mdina through Għarreqin Gate, leads you directly to the hill towards the old train station and Mtarfa. This has been affectionately coined as the I Believe Hill by Dorothean Borders from the Convent, who would recite the Creed on instruction by the nuns passing a niche of Christ on the hill on their recreational walks in the 1950s.

Sometimes things have memories and whether factual or anecdotal have a life of their own, which unless handed down by word of mouth are lost in time.

The way we deal with situations is far more important than the reality of things themselves in getting through both good and bad times. While obviously schooling systems are geared towards knowledge per se, social intelligence, how we interact, and how we deal with others and treat ourselves, may have far more reaching consequences on whether we live happy and content lives, both individually and collectively.

Nussbaum stresses that “the understanding of any single emotion is incomplete unless its narrative history is grasped and studied for the light it sheds on the present response. This already suggests a central role for the arts in human self-understanding: for narrative artworks of various kinds (whether musical or visual or literary) give us information about these emotionhistories that we could not easily get otherwise.

This is what Proust meant when he claimed that certain truths about the human emotions can be best conveyed, in verbal and textual form, only by a narrative work of art: only such a work will accurately and fully show the interrelated temporal structure of emotional “thoughts,” prominently including the heart’s intermittences between recognition and denial of neediness.”

Emotional intelligence is essentially the way you perceive, understand, express, and manage emotions. And it’s important because the more you understand these aspects of yourself, the better your mental health and social behaviour will be, and part of this is built not just on financial or economic well-being, but the culture, history and natural environment that surrounds us. The way we nurture and preserve this is equally important towards creating a sustainable and better world.

In 1733 Bishop Alphéran de Bussan built the Mdina seminary, now the Cathedral Museum. He most probably also commissioned the Madonna and Child niche in Għarreqin Gate, Mdina. This can be assumed from the plenary indulgence inscription below the niche. Born in 1686 in Aix-en-Provence, when he was 19 the ship on which Alphéran was travelling was caught in heavy storms and had to seek shelter in St. Paul’s Bay where he came ashore. On March 8, 1728 he was appointed as Bishop of Malta, and later in 1752 he financed the printing of a Maltese translation of Cardinal Bellarmino’s Catholic Catechism which was distributed to every parish in Malta.

According to Dr Christina Meli, stylistically the high relief sculpture of the Madonna and Child points towards the early to mid-eighteenth century. At the time, a number of regional scalpellini (stone workers) were active in Malta, foremost among them Pietro Paolo Zahra and the Fabri family of sculptors. It is possible that this work of art belongs to one of these scalpellini families but there were also other more provincial stone workers about which we do not yet have any concrete information without documentation, it would be imprudent to attribute the work to a particular scalpellino.

Special thanks to Professor Conrad Thake and Dr Christina Meli at The University of Malta.

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ART

For two weeks in May 1983, Surrounded Islands, spreading over 11.3km, was seen, approached and enjoyed by the public, from the causeways, the land, the water and the air. The luminous pink color of the shiny fabric was in harmony with the tropical vegetation of the uninhabited verdant islands, the light of the Miami sky and the colors of the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay. Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida, 1980-83.

Photo: Wolfgang Volz. Š Christo.

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CHRISTO UNWRAPPE

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ART

Bulgarian monumental environmental artist Christo, passed away this May at his home in New York City. At 84 years old Christo lived his life to the fullest, not only dreaming up what seemed impossible but realizing it. He worked in collaboration with his wife Jeanne-Claude.

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ART

After a struggle spanning the seventies, eighties and nineties, in June 1995 Christo and Jeanne-Claude covered the German parliament building in Berlin, less than six years after the fall of the Berlin wall. For two weeks, the building was shrouded with silvery fabric, shaped by the blue ropes, highlighting the features and proportions of the imposing structure. Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971-95.

Photo: Wolfgang Volz. Š Christo.

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From June 18 to July 3, 2016, Italy’s Lake Iseo was reimagined. The Floating Piers consisted of 100,000 square meters of shimmering yellow fabric, carried by a modular dock system of 220,000 highdensity polyethylene cubes floating on the surface of the water. Visitors were able to experience the work of art by walking on it from Sulzano to Monte Isola and to the island of San Paolo, which was framed by The Floating Piers. Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The Floating Piers, Lake Iseo, Italy, 2014-16.

Photo: Wolfgang Volz. © Christo.

ART

orn Christo Vladimirov Javacheff in 1935 in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, Christo studied in Sofia and defected to the west in 1957, stowing away on a train from Prague to Vienna. He then moved to Geneva, Switzerland. In 1958, Christo went to Paris, where he met Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, who would become his wife and artistic partner in the creation of monumental environmental works of art until her death in 2009.

In a 1958 letter Christo wrote, ‘Beauty, science and art will always triumph‘, and from early wrapped objects to monumental outdoor projects, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s artwork transcended the traditional bounds of painting, sculpture and architecture.

Some of their work included Wrapped Coast, Little Bay in Sydney, Australia (1968– 69), Surrounded Islands in Miami (1980–83), The Pont Neuf Wrapped in Paris (1975–85), The Umbrellas in Japan and California (1984–91), Wrapped Reichstag in Berlin (1972–95), The Gates in New York’s Central Park (1979–2005), The Floating Piers at Italy’s Lake Iseo (2014–16), and The London Mastaba on London’s Serpentine Lake (2016–18).

Christo and Jeanne-Claude have always made clear that their artworks in progress be continued after their deaths and as per Christo’s wishes, L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (Project for Paris, Place de l’Étoile), is on track for September 2021. Additionally, a major exhibition at the Centre Georges Pompidou about Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work and time in Paris will open this July 1 until October 19.

Christo, The Arc de Triumph (Project for Paris, Place de l’Etoile – Charles de Gaulle) Wrapped.

Drawing 201830, 77.5 x 66.7 cm. Pencil, charcoal, pastel, wax crayon, enamel paint and tape on brown board. Photo: André Grossmann. © 2018 Christo. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Christo, the Centre des Monuments Nationaux and the Centre Pompidou have jointly decided to postpone L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, initially planned for autumn 2020 to September next year.

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PHOTO DIGEST

AROUND THE

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WORLD IN 12 FRAMES Nations around the world this past month have watched in horror at the civil unrest in the United States following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer pressed his knee on his neck until he stopped breathing. Floyd's death on May 25 in Minneapolis was the latest in a series of deaths of black men and women at the hands of police in the U.S. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.�

Martin Luther King, Jr.

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PHOTO DIGEST 1. TOKYO, June 14. People march to protest during a solidarity rally for the death of George Floyd.

(Photograph Eugene Hoshiko/AP) 2. HOUSTON, June 9. Roxie Washington weeps with Gianna Floyd, the daughter of George Floyd as they attend his funeral service at The Fountain of Praise Church.

(Photograph David J. Phillip, Pool/AP) 3. LONDON, May 31. Police officers on horseback stand next to demonstrators blocking the road outside the Houses of Parliament, to protest against the recent killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, USA. (Photograph Matt Dunham/AP) 4. BRAZIL, May 31. People protest against crimes committed by the police against black people in the favelas, outside the Rio de Janeiro’s state government. The protest, called “Black lives matter,” was interrupted when police used tear gas to disperse people. “I can’t breathe”, said some of the demonstrators, alluding to the George Floyd’s death. (Photograph Silvia Izquierdo/ AP) 5. C SWITZERLAND, June 13.

People demonstrate against racism during a protest in Bern.

(Photograph Peter Klaunzer/Keystone via AP) 6. LONDON, May 31. A woman holds up a banner as people gather in Trafalgar Square to protest against the recent killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis that has led to protests across the US. (Photograph Matt Dunham/AP)

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PHOTO DIGEST

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11. BRUSSELS, June 10. A statue of Belgium’s King Leopold II is smeared with red paint and graffiti. With the protests sweeping the world in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, King Leopold II is now increasingly seen as a stain on Belgium as demonstrators demand he disappear from public view and authorities take heed. Statues of the late king have defaced in at least a half dozen cities across Belgium.

(Photograph Virginia Mayo/AP) 12. WASHINGTON, June 7. Black Lives Matter painted in bright yellow letters on 16th Street near the White House.

(Photograph Maya Alleruzzo/AP)

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PHOTO DIGEST

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7. MINNEAPOLIS, May 28. A protester carries a U.S. flag upside down, a sign of distress, next to a burning building. Burning cars and riot police in the U.S. have featured on newspaper front pages around the globe. (Photograph Julio Cortez/AP) 8. LONDON, June 12. A protestor poses in front of the WWII women memorial holding a placard, during a Black Lives Matter rally. (Photograph Alberto Pezzali/AP) 9. STUTTGART, June 13. Protestors show posters as they attend a demonstration against racism under the motto ‘Solidarity with George Floyd’. (Photograph Christoph Schmidt/DPA via AP) 10. PARIS, June 9. A demonstrator clenches her fist as she stands on a statue on the Place de la Republique during a rally against racism. George Floyd’s death has resonated especially loudly in many suburbs, where poverty and minority populations are concentrated in France. Floyd-related protests against police violence and racial injustice have been held around France. (Photograph Francois Mori/AP)

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PRIDE MONTH PRIDE MONTH IS CELEBRATED EACH JUNE TO HONOUR THE 1969 STONEWALL UPRISING IN NEW Y ORK, A TIPPING POINT FOR THE GAY LIBERATION MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES AND GLOBALLY . IT WAS A FIGHT AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY THAT HELPED IGNITE THE LGBTQ-RIGHTS MOVEMENT. IRONIC TODAY WHEN THE WORLD IS PROTESTING AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY AGAIN - THAT IN JUNE 1969 THIS EX PLOSION WAS SPEARHEADED

BY LGBTQ BLACK WOMEN AND WOMEN OF COLOUR LIKE MARSHA P. JOHNSON (PICTURED BELOW) AND SY LVIA RIVERA.

THE HISTORY OF COMING OUT From secret gay code to popular political protest

You probably know what it means to “come out” as gay. You may even have heard the expression used in relation to other kinds of identity, such as being undocumented. But do you know where the term comes from?

Or that its meaning has changed over time? In my new book, “Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are,” I explore the history of this term, from the earliest days of the gay rights movement, to today, when it has been adopted by other movements, writes Abigail C. Saguy

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elective sharing. In the late 19th and early 20th century, gay subculture thrived in many large American cities. Gay men spoke of “coming out” into gay society – borrowing the term from debutante society, where elite young women came out into high society. A 1931 news article in the Baltimore Afro-American referred to “the coming out of new debutantes into homosexual society.” It was titled “1931 Debutantes Bow at Local ‘Pansy’ Ball.”

The 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s witnessed a growing backlash against this visible gay world. In response, gay life became more secretive.

The Mattachine Society, the earliest important organization of what was known as the homophile movement – a precursor of the gay rights movement – took its name from mysterious medieval

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figures in masks. In this context, coming out meant acknowledging one’s sexual orientation to oneself and to other gay people. It did not mean revealing it to the world at large.

Such selective sharing relied on code phrases – such as “family,” “a club member,” “a friend of Dorothy’s,” “a friend of Mrs. King” or “gay” – that could be used in mixed company to designate someone as homosexual.

The term “gay” was originally borrowed from the slang of women prostitutes, when they used the word to refer to women in their profession. Of course, “gay” was ultimately “outed” when the gay rights movement adopted it following the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969.

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ut in public. Coming out took on a more political meaning after the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion, in which patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York City fought back against a police raid. The rebellion included riots and a resistance that lasted for days. It was subsequently commemorated in an annual march known today as “gay pride.”

At the first Gay Liberation March in New York City in June 1970, one of the organizers stated that “we’ll never have the freedom and civil rights we deserve as human beings unless we stop hiding in

closets and in the shelter of anonymity.”

By this time, coming out was juxtaposed with being in the closet, conveying the shame associated with hiding. By the end of the 1960s, queer people who pretended to be heterosexual were said to be “in the closet” or labeled a “closet case” or, in the case of gay men, “closet queens.”

By the 1970s, mainstream journalists were already using the term beyond sexual orientation – to speak of, for instance, “closet conservatives” and “closet gourmets.”

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rite of passage. By presenting coming out as a way to end internalized self-hatred and achieve a better life, the LGBTQ movement helped to encourage people to come out, despite associated risks. It also showed how coming could be used to build solidarity and recruit other queer people.

For instance, in 1978, in his campaign to defeat a California initiative that would have banned gay teachers from working in state public schools, openly gay elected government official Harvey Milk urged people to “Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are.” Milk gambled that if queer people told their friends they were gay, Californians would realize that they had friends,

Originally published on The Conversation. Abigail C. Saguy is a Professor of Sociology, at the University of California, Los Angeles.

PRIDE MONTH

coworkers and family members who were gay and – out of solidarity – would oppose the proposition. The campaign helped defeat the initiative.

In the 1980s, the gay and lesbian rights movement radicalized in response to the Christian right and AIDS epidemic.

Activists used the mantra “Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are” to demand that people declare their homosexuality. The coming out narrative became a rite of passage, something to be shared with others, and the centerpiece of gay liberation movements.

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n your face. In the 1990s, the radical organization Queer Nation took coming out to a new level. Its members wore T-shirts in Day-Glo colors with slogans such as “PROMOTE HOMOSEXUALITY. GENERIC QUEER. FAGGOT. MILITANT DYKE.” Wearing these T-shirts, they entered heterosexual bars in New York and San Francisco and staged “kiss-ins.” They visited suburban shopping malls outside these same cities and chanted, “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re fabulous – and we’re not going shopping!” Through these tactics, they not only came out, but forced heterosexuals to acknowledge their presence.

The politics of coming out has helped make LGBTQ people more visible and

better protected by law. As testimony of this shift, today, marriage equality is the law of the land, the popular TV comedy “Modern Family” features a gay couple and one of the leading candidates for the Democratic presidential ticket, Pete Buttigieg, is a gay man.

To be sure, homophobia and transphobia are still alive and well. Still, LGBTQ people have made clear strides in the past half-century and coming out politics has been part of their success.

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oing bigger. The success of the LGBTQ movement has inspired other social movements – such as the fat acceptance movement and the undocumented youth movement, among others – to also “come out.”

As I show in my new book, coming out has become what sociologists call a “master frame,” a way of understanding the world that is elastic and inclusive enough for a wide range of social movements to use.

For example, just as Harvey Milk urged queer people to come out for “youngsters who are becoming scared,” so too the undocumented immigrant youth movement has urged undocumented youth to “come out as undocumented and unafraid.”

As one of the immigrant youth

movement leaders quoted in my new book explained, Milk’s speech had impressed upon her and her peers that, “If you don’t come out nobody’s gonna know that you’re there. … They’re gonna say or do whatever they want because nobody’s standing up, and you’re not standing up for yourself.”

This campaign has been effective at convincing undocumented youth to be visible, which has been crucial for political mobilization.

The specific language of “coming out, which is so closely associated with LGBTQ rights, allows other social movements to liken their experience to that of LGBTQ people.

For instance, when fat liberation activist Marilyn Wann speaks about how she “came out” as fat, she is not just speaking about a turning point in her personal biography. By using the term “coming out,” she implies that being fat is like being gay – and that, just as homophobia is morally wrong, so too is “fatphobia.” In this context, coming out as fat means owning one’s fatness and refusing to apologize for it.

As my book shows, the multiple meanings of coming out – including coming into community, cultivating selflove, and collectively organizing to promote equality and justice – offer a productive way for social movements to move forward.

Screenshots taken from Stonewall Forever – A Documentary about the Past, Present and Future of Pride, a documentary from NYC’s LGBT Community Center directed by Ro Haber.

The film brings together voices from over 50 years of the LGBTQ rights movement to explore queer activism before, during and after the Stonewall Riots.

Source: YouTube.

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PRIDE MONTH

“Same person.

No difference at all... just a different sex.”

Virginia Woolf’s hero who becomes a heroine, who loves women and men. Orlando.

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aken from the cult 1992 film Orlando, written and directed by Sally Potter, starring Tilda Swinton as Orlando, the period drama is based loosely on Virginia Woolf 's 1928 novel Orlando: A Biography. Beginning in the Elizabethan era, on her deathbed, Queen Elizabeth I (played by Quentin Crisp) bequeaths the androgynous Orlando a large tract of land as well as a generous monetary gift only if he assents to an unusual command: “Do not fade. Do not wither. Do not grow old.” Orlando accepts and two centuries later travels to Constantinople as the English ambassador to the Ottoman Empire where he is almost killed in a diplomatic fracas. Waking up seven days later Orlando has transformed into a woman and standing naked before a mirror proclaims, “Same person. No difference at all... just a different sex.”

Image screenshot from Kim Baillargeon / Instagram.

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PRIDE MONTH

MALTA’S LGBTIQ+

EQUALITY

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The Stonewall Riots were crucial in respect to where we stand today. So why is it still important to hold a Pride March every year? Stonewall was a cornerstone in the global movement for LGBTIQ+ equality. Spearheaded by trans women of colour in response to overt discrimination and police brutality in the United States, the riots changed and boosted the movement forever. While both issues remain painfully evident in 2020, what happened in a tiny Inn in Greenwich led to the bolstering of social – and legal – acceptance for the LGBTIQ+ community worldwide, explains Malta's Parliamentary Secretary for Equality and Reforms, Rosianne Cutajar.

ride Marches remind us of the struggles of the past, the realities of today, as well as our vision for the future with respect to full LGBTIQ+ equality.

While the LGBTIQ+ community has made considerable inroads in terms of law and policy, huge systemic obstacles remain, which effectively bar individuals from living a life free from discrimination or hate.

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ow has Malta kept its top position in ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Index? The short answer? Commitment to the cause, and a true belief in equality for all. The more detailed answer is by continuously improving Malta’s legislative and policy framework, and the adoption and implementation of the LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy and Action Plan, comprising of a number of measurable and grounded initiatives which impact our day to day lives.

Government maintains a healthy and active debate with civil society activists, making sure their input is sought in every change that could in some way impact the lives of LGBTIQ+ individuals.

Unfortunately, while Malta rises, it is pertinent to note that the LGBTIQ+ community in other countries is suffering from a very evident backlash, with the stripping of fundamental rights and protections led by conservative movements.

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oes Malta still experiences discrimination and prejudice based on sexual orientation or gender identity? The results of the

second LGBTIQ+ survey conducted by the Fundamental Rights Agency earlier this year reveal that 33% of 15 to 17year-olds in Malta hold back from being open about their identity at home due to fear. 47% still feel unsafe holding hands with their partner in public, and 17% still experience discrimination at the place of work.

Clearly, we have our work cut out for us in addressing these concerning figures. Nonetheless, it is heartening to note that the LGBTIQ+ experience in Malta is often a more positive experience than in other EU countries, with an overwhelming majority (83%) asserting that Government is working effectively to fight prejudice and intolerance.

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hat do you envisage achieving in the years to come in relation to LGBTIQ+ rights? The passing of the Equality Act, currently being discussed in Parliament, will be yet another breakthrough moment, ensuring that discrimination is eradicated from all spheres of life.

Beyond legislative efforts, I also aim to provide adequate training to educators, healthcare workers, police officers, and other frontliners to ensure that we are all treated with dignity and respect – irrespective of our identity.

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DESIGN TRENDS

WHAT’S IN STORE NOW

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Find Via della Pietra at Halmann Vella, www.halmannvella.com

Victoria. New Classic Charm.

Marca Corona‘s new series of 40x80 white-body 3D wall tiles, Victoria, takes its inspiration from the elegance and rigour of Victorian London, focusing on material, colour and 3D patterns. The contemporary and versatile range of colours include 7 nuances which embrace pastel tones (white, pink and turquoise), neutral shades (vanilla and silver) and theatrical saturated touches (obsidian grey and carnelian terracotta). The expressive force of Victoria is underlined by 3 surfaces which can be laid both horizontally and vertically: the base tile Wall and 2 innovative three-dimensional alternatives, Art and Panel. Both designed to be combined with the base tile, Art focuses on 3D geometries with an eccentric design, while Panel is reminiscent of the elegant wood panelling of the late nineteenth century.

Find Victoria at Halmann Vella. www.halmannvella.com 24

Surfacing the most beautiful spaces

SILESTONE® BLANCO ZEUS

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HALMANN VELLA LTD, The Factory, Mosta Road, Lija. LJA 9016. Malta T: (+356) 21 433 636 E: info@halmannvella.com

ENVIRONMENT PROMOTION

THE JOURNEY O A CIGARETT BUTT

The majority of cigarette waste collected from the environment, including beaches, is the result of improper disposal. Many people, even smokers, are not aware that the cigarette filter is comprised of thousands of little particles of plastic which takes years before it even starts to disintegrate.

Photography Brian Yurasits. fter a long day’s work, there is nothing like indulging in some guilty pleasures that help you unwind and enjoy the rest of the evening. A nice cup of tea or a smooth glass of wine or even – if you’re a smoker – a cigarette on the balcony.

Five minutes pass and you inadvertently toss your cigarette butt down into the street, thinking that it will disappear into thin air or that someone will eventually take care of it.

In reality though, your cigarette butt will remain in the streets for 1 to 5 years before it even starts to disintegrate. It is composed of cellulose acetate, a single-use plastic that never fully-degrades. Instead, it breaks down into smaller pieces known as microplastics.

Your cigarette butt may also be swept elsewhere into the environment on a windy day, or possibly, it may be carried away with runoff into drains, or downstream during heavy downpours. At this point your cigarette butt can take two different courses. The first path consists of your cigarette butt ending up in the local waste-water treatment plant, where it is intercepted during the water cleaning process. However, it is highly likely to release micro-plastics and toxic chemicals, although these are likely to be intercepted by the fine screen. Still, the smaller and microscopic micro-plastics may still pass through, ending up in the sea with the polished water.

In all probability it will eventually leak microplastics and hazardous chemicals into the environment, together with the polished water.

The second path consists of your cigarette butt ending up in valleys, on beaches or into the sea, at which point, all hell breaks loose!

At this stage, your cigarette butt is either seen as food to a parent bird trying to feed its young 26

hatchlings, it is picked up by the occasional unsuspecting toddler building a sand castle, or left in the sand, it will break down at a faster rate into micro-plastics due to wave action and sunlight exposure.

Your cigarette, therefore, your micro-plastics and the toxic and carcinogenic substances that these carry, are as a consequence ingested by fish and other marine organisms, resulting in serious repercussions like fish poisoning and death. The toxic chemicals and micro-plastics eventually start to bio-accumulate up the food chain, eventually ending up in your own family’s plate when consuming fish and seafood.

To put matters into a more realistic perspective, let us rewind to the point where you were smoking your cigarette on your balcony. Let us now imagine not just one cigarette thrown from the balcony, but the average number of cigarettes you smoke daily.

Fast forward and sum up the environmental impact of all those cigarettes - smoked and thrown away.

Now try to imagine the same scenario but this time with numerous smokers around the globe throwing away their cigarette butts irresponsibly, not only from balconies but from other places as well, such as beaches, tourist areas and even in the countryside. What do you see?

If you take into account the additional repercussions that these cigarette butts have on the surrounding environment the reality becomes rather overwhelming.

Repercussions include the contamination of the countryside with toxic chemicals, the spread of pathogens, and beaches and other tourist frequented places rendered unattractive, resulting in poorer revenues for various businesses. Other repercussions include a reduction in the fishery stock that will affect the fishing industry and an increase in clean-up costs, which can otherwise be used for other projects.

In fact, during last year’s edition of the Saving Our

ENVIRONMENT PROMOTION

OF TE

Blue Campaign, the Ministry for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning collected a staggering 25kg of cigarette butts during the 5 local beaches littering awareness events which only lasted 3 hours each.

Cigarette butts feature at the top of the list in marine litter found on European beaches, something which can simply be prevented by properly discarding the cigarette butts in adequate

bins or by using appropriate ash-trays, including those portable pocket ones when smoking outdoors.

So, next time think ahead before you smoke on your balcony; a little bit of thought goes a long way!

Be part of the solution, not the pollution!

For more information follow the Saving Our Blue Campaign on facebook and Instagram.

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PRESERVING HERITAGE

EU FUNDS PRESERVING MALTESE HERITAGE

Malta has a rich culture of its own, which gives us great pride, and funding from the European Union plays an important role in preserving our heritage. In fact, the funds received are not just a means to preserve our treasures but help to bring them alive, to be enjoyed and appreciated by Maltese and visitors to our islands.

hat is so close to us can easily be taken for granted, but when we take a step back and pause, we get to wonder at the superb heritage we have, from Mdina's golden walls to majestic cathedrals and areas of outstanding beauty. €75 million have been invested in more than 30 localities around Malta and Gozo for the restoration of various historical palaces and buildings, coastal watchtowers, churches, as well as for the creation and refurbishment of museums and art galleries.

Our capital city has seen many projects, including the restoration works at Fort St Elmo, Auberge de Baviere, and Auberge d’Aragon, the conservation of the Valletta skyline, the ongoing restoration works at the Grandmasters’ Palace and the development of augmented reality applications which will feature the history of Marsamxett and the Sacra Infermeria at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, using the latest technology to bring our past alive.

The crypt and basement at St John’s Co-Cathedral are currently being turned into exhibition spaces and the

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restoration of the adjoining premises will see the creation of a Caravaggio Centre, to increase awareness on the renowned artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.

Alongside all the essential restorations are new creations, such as the MUŻA Museum of Fine Arts, a green project, which has benefited from retrofitting and meets its energy requirements through renewable sources.

PRESERVING HERITAGE

Valletta's Tal-Karmnu Church (top left), Teatru Manoel (above), MUŻA Museum of Fine Arts (bottom left), and Auberge de Baverie (bottom right). €75 million have been invested in more than 30 localities around Malta and Gozo for the restoration of various historical palaces and buildings, coastal watchtowers, churches, as well as for the creation and refurbishment of museums and art galleries.

The safeguarding of heritage also means the preservation of natural heritage. Important work at Chadwick Lakes will help preserve this special site, through the identification of endemic vegetation and the restoration and cleaning of rubble walls, dams and valley embankments.

The revamp of the Gozo Citadel has won numerous architectural awards. The project was extensive, involving the restoration and rehabilitation of internal structures within the Citadel’s walls. The rehabilitation of the Cathedral square and the conversion of an unused water reservoir into a visitors’ centre has added to its attractiveness. Ensuring accessibility is a challenge in such historic treasures but the replacement of stairs with ramps and the installation of lifts has made it a place which is accessible to all.

This summer, after the Covid-19 emergency, many Maltese will decide to holiday at home. It presents an opportunity to rediscover what is on our doorstep, and to witness the skill and dedication that has helped preserve our historic assets. Also, as we open our doors to tourists again, we hope many more people will get to see what makes Malta a place like no other.

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MINISTRY FOR EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

EDUCATION HELPLINE support line for all your education inquiries

2598 1000 Follow us on social media facebook.com/edukazzjoni twitter.com/edukazzjoni #movingforward

EDUCATION UPDATE

my journey, your journey, our journey

HEALTH & FITNESS

COUCH WARS

Get Over Covid19 and Get Moving!

One may wonder if stopping an exercise habit for a few months is such a big deal after all? Surely one could just resume exercising once the green light is given from the authorities? Well it's not that simple. By nature, getting people who are not used to exercising to exercise regularly, long-term is already extremely difficult, writes Richard Geres, Fitness Consultant & Registered Nutritionist.

F

or many adults, getting the minimum recommended exercise of 3.5 hours per week is already very challenging. In the United States, data shows that only 25% of Americans meet these recommendations. In Malta, it is unlikely to be any better. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions have only worsened this problem. We are sitting more and looking at screens more. In a sample of about 3,000 U.S. adults, people who were meeting exercise guidelines before the pandemic reported an average 32% reduction in physical activity once social-distancing measures went into effect. Those who were sedentary before tended to stay that way.

One may wonder if stopping an exercise habit for a few months is such a big deal after all?

Surely one could just resume exercising once the green light is given from the authorities?

Well it’s not that simple. By nature, getting people who are not used to exercising to exercise regularly, long-term is already extremely difficult. The classical Health Club membership boom in January is proof of that.

More than 50% of new members who enrol in January quit attending before end March. And when you’re already doing something halfheartedly because you “should”, the slightest obstacle can be enough to justify cessation of such activity. Admittedly, COVID-19 is more than a slight obstacle, and figures from activitytracker manufacturers back up this claim.

Data from Apple, Fitbit and other fitnesswearables manufacturers shows a decrease in step count between 7% and 50% in various regions in the United States. Urban areas like Washington D.C and New York show a much steeper decline than less densely populated areas like Alaska, New Mexico and West Virginia. A possible explanation for this is that

cities have imposed stricter lockdown conditions than rural areas. Malta is both densely populated and has had strict lock-down measures, therefore the likelihood of significant decreases in physical activity among Maltese is also very high. The mix of uncertainty regarding safety and Covidinduced lethargy are likely to be the main reasons the Maltese are still struggling to get back into their usual physical activity routine.

USE IT OR LOSE IT

Physical fitness, earned through months or years of hard work, can diminish very fast.

After just a few weeks, fitness parameters like aerobic fitness and strength decline significantly. It can also take longer to get back in shape than it took to get out of shape. A 2015 study found that it took about six weeks to regain muscle strength after just two weeks of inactivity. To make matters worse, it’s much more of a struggle to do exercise when you are unfit than when you are fit.

Psychologically it is also much more difficult to motivate oneself to restart after a layoff, especially for people with lower ‘self-efficacy’, which is their belief in their ability to do something. In addition, extended periods of lockdown and lack of physical activity can challenge mental health by negatively affecting mood, anxiety, stress levels and sleep quality.

HOW TO GET MOVING AGAIN

First of all, you need to stop finding excuses for why you should delay becoming more physically active again. Arguments like “I’ll wait to see how the situation evolves” are simply unfounded.

There are plenty of ways to engage in physical activity, and you don’t have to wait for the perfect situation to get started. Just Do something. Making a commitment to dedicate at least 30minutes to physical activity several times a week is a prerequisite to regaining your fitness. This involves planning the days and times when you intend to engage in your chosen physical activity.

There are plenty of options available, like outdoor walking, preferably in low-traffic areas, running, cycling, using indoor cardio equipment like treadmills or stationary bikes or following an online workout on YouTube. During this summer period, swimming in the sea is also an excellent exercise choice.

Here are 5 tips to help you commit to an exercise programme and stick with it: 1. BOOK IT IN YOUR CALENDAR Make sure to pre-plan and block out the time for your exercise session, so that no one and nothing can override that time-slot.

2. PLAN EVERYTHING YOU NEED Prepare your sports clothes, shoes, towel and water bottle in advance.

3. DO WHAT YOU ENJOY Engage in exercise that you enjoy and that you are likely to keep up long-term.

4. GET A WORKOUT BUDDY Exercising with a friend increases motivation and fun factor and makes it more likely that you keep your exercise appointment.

5. BOOK A TRAINER If you don’t have a friend to exercise with, or if you are not confident about what exercise and how much to do, hire a fitness trainer. Enrol in a longerterm programme to be committed for several months, so that you can actually see and feel the results.

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MAKEUP & BEAUTY

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EYES COLLECTION 2020

MAKEUP & BEAUTY

LE VOLUME STRETCH DE CHANEL Two years ago, Chanel shook up the beauty world with LE VOLUME RE ́ VOLUTION DE CHANEL mascara, equipped with the first 3D-printed brush marketed on an industrial scale – a first in the mascara world. It was an immediate hit with women worldwide and hasn’t dropped out of the Top 5 bestsellers in Europe since its launch.

Photography courtesy of Chanel. oday, Chanel uses innovation to enhance beauty once again with LE VOLUME STRETCH DE CHANEL. It reveals a new mascara brush, protected by four patent applications, that visibly extends lash length while offering perfectly controlled volume. With 3D printing by ERPRO 3D Factory, a start-up specialized in this technology, the frontiers of product design are pushed even further. By precisely crafting a unique, tailormade brush, this was the only approach that could technically translate Chanel's creative concept in order to respond to new awaited makeup benefits.

ABSOLUTE AFFINITY The numerous trials carried out to finalize the brush also made it possible to adjust the most important factor: the affinity between the mascara formula and the tool. Thanks to this perfect balance, ensuring an ultra-effective tailor-made result, LE VOLUME STRETCH DE CHANEL unites volume and length without compromise. The formula is based on a perfect balance between naturalorigin waxes for impeccable glide, stunning curve and a stretch effect.

Candelilla wax coats lashes, while carnauba wax ensures magnetic shine.

Jojoba esters guarantee the suppleness of the stretch-effect formula and beeswax promises perfect adhesion all day long. Like a latex film, the polymers spread out the lashes in a fan shape. Finally, cellulose coated with ultra-dark “carbon black” pigments envelops lashes and improves their density. Perfectly

shaped and covered in black, lashes are extended to the max for eyes that look more wide-open than ever before.

LE LINER DE CHANEL A PERFECTLY CONTROLLED LINE New to the eye makeup family, LE LINER DE CHANEL comes in seven shades, including four limited-edition colors. In a simple and understated black tube, this liquid eyeliner hides a soft, extra-thin felt tip. With this flexible tip, this precision advantage helps stylize eyes in a single step with no risk of smudges. It’s never been so simple to show off eyes that look bigger and more wide-open than ever! Its formula contains a polymer, inspired and derived from latex technology, that sets in the blink of an eye. It guarantees impeccable smudgeproof hold and a waterproof effect that lasts until evening.

LA PALETTE SOURCILS ENHANCED STRUCTURE It is often said that eyebrows structure the eyes and LA PALETTE SOURCILS unites two textures and four accessories to precisely groom each hair. On the left, a matte wax sculpts and colors the brow line. On the right, a powder softens this result for a more natural finish. Two brushes are included, as well as a spiral brush for more definition and mini tweezers to adjust brow shape hair by hair. It comes in three harmonies for all women, offering a natural makeup result.

Chanel is distributed by Alfred Gera & Sons Ltd. 33

COFFEE TABLE

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COFFEE TABLE

Left: Milan Residence. Cabana Issue 1. SpringSummer 2014. Photo Guido Taroni. Above: Bedroom detail, Wardington Manor in Oxfordshire. Cabana Issue 5. SpringSummer2016. Photo Miguel Flores-Vianna. Below: Santo Domingo Residence. Cabana Issue 9. SpringSummer 2018. Photo Bjorn Wallander. Right: Front cover. Cabana Anthology, edited by Martina Mondadori Sartogo. Published by Vendome Press. Hardcover with real cloth case cover.

CABANA ANTHOLOGY Drawn from the pages of the sumptuous and highly sought-after, London based Cabana magazine, founded by global tastemaker Martina Mondadori Sartogo, Cabana Anthology celebrates the most extraordinary personal statements in interior design, lifestyle, architecture, and related specialties.

In this outsanding collection with over 400 pages of full-sized, colourful photographs and illustrations Martina Mondadori Sartogo shares favorite design moments, with contributors such as Manolo Blahnik, Lauren Santo Domingo, and Justine Picardie. Photography courtesy of Vendome Press.

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COFFEE TABLE Below: Antique’s Dealer and Master Plaster Caster Peter Hone's London Residence, Notting Hill. Cabana Issue 2. FallWinter 2014.

Photo Tinko Czetwertynski. Bottom: Upton Wold, a striking garden and estate in the North Cotswolds. Cabana Issue 7.

SpringSummer 2017. Photo Miguel Flores-Vianna. Centre: Sir John Soane's Museum, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London – the Private Apartments. Cabana Issue 2. FallWinter 2014. Photo Ashley Hicks.

Right: Mellow Yellow on the Hill, Piedmont Residence, Turin.

Cabana Issue 2. FallWinter 2014. Photo Guido Taroni.

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COFFEE TABLE

artina Mondadori Sartogo was born in Milan in 1981 and represents the fourth generation of the Mondadori publishing family. She launched the mold-breaking design magazine Cabana in 2014. “I have often been asked, How did Cabana start? “, she writes in the book’s introduction. “I must admit, I sometimes asked myself that question, too. It did not start in a rational way. It was more the result of an intuition, a feeling - or should we call it a sensation? - that something in the general taste was ready to change, ready to move on from rigid minimalism, an intuition that the creative world was eager to embrace “visual imagination” or a cultural eclecticism.”

Showcasing the very best stories, profiles, and interviews from Cabana’s first five, formative, years, this anthology offers an incredible photographic journey through a unique and timeless mix of visual essays from contributors ranging from Manolo Blahnik and Alessandro Michele to Patrick Kinmoth, Christopher Gibbs, and Annabelle Selldorf. The text is accompanied by artful photography by Miguel Flores-Vianna, François Halard, Tim Beddow, Guido Taroni, and other internationally renowned interior photographers.

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COFFEE TABLE

Above: Mellow Yellow on the Hill, Piedmont Residence, Turin. Cabana Issue 2. FallWinter 2014. Photo Guido Taroni. Below left: Russian countryside interiors, artisanal creations and gorgeous fabrics. Cabana Issue 6. FallWinter 2016. Photo Charles Thompson. Below right Colorado Residence. Cabana Issue 8. FallWinter 2017. Photo Miguel Flores-Vianna.

C

abana magazine is a biannual publication that is based in London, printed in Italy, and distributed worldwide. Thanks to its unique printing techniques, limited-edition production, fabric covers, and graphic design, Cabana is perceived as an authentic collector’s item, with each issue forming a piece of the overall collection.

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Also AvAilAble At

Gio. Batta Delia ESTABLISHED 1901

MOB: 9989 6286 FACEBOOK GIO. BATTA DELIA 1901

COFFEE TABLE

Top left: Lisbon Residence Drawing Room. Cabana Issue 3.

SpringSummer 2015. Photo Miguel Flores-Vianna.

Top right: Detail in the18th Century Palazzo Grosso, Comune di Riva Presso Chieri, Turin. Cabana Issue 6.

FallWinter 2016. Photo Ottavia Casagrande.

Below: Details inside a Milan Residence. Cabana Issue 1.

SpringSummer 2014. Photo Guido Taroni.

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rom the simplest object to the rarest collectible, from rural huts to cosmopolitan dwellings, Cabana explores the intellectual and emotional intimacy that creative people share with buildings and their surroundings, while also celebrating the passion and endurance of artisanal creations.

In only a few years, Cabana has gathered an enviable group of international, like-minded contributors and aesthetes that includes Alessandro Michele, Ashley Hicks, Lee Radziwill, Patrick Kinmonth, Carolina Irving, and many more. Cabana’s photographers and writers are given the enviable freedom to explore the off-beat and the unknown beauties in overlooked parts of the world, all with the support of Cabana’s talented editor, Martina Mondadori Sartogo, who champions interiors that are authentic, layered in history, and deeply personal.

With astonishing production values, including multiple paper stocks, interior stamping and lamination, and three facsimile inserts, Cabana Anthology is a must-have item for regular subscribers and those who wish they subscribed, as well as for any art and design aficionados.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR. Martina Mondadori Sartogo, born in Milan, grew up surrounded by her father Leonardo Mondadori’s eclectic collection, featuring everything from ancient mosaics to old master and Impressionist drawings. The Mondadori home, decorated by Renzo Mongiardino in his typically lush and extravagant style, prepared Martina to write The Interiors and Architecture of Renzo Mongiardino: A Painterly Vision (2017). She lives in London with her husband and three children.

Cabana Anthology, edited by Martina Mondadori Sartogo. Published by Vendome Press. Hardcover with real cloth case cover, 488 pages with three inserts, 450+ colour illustrations, 23.8 x 31.4 cm, GBP £75.

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FOOD TO SHARE

SIMPLE FARE Mediterranean Culinary Academy’s Stephen La Rosa prepares beautiful uncomplicated dishes which can be made ahead and are perfect for unfussy summer entertaining.

Photography by Stephen La Rosa.

PANCETTA, LEEK, AND MUSHROOM FRITTATA WITH A TOMATO AND ROCKET SALAD Frittatas are a perfect weeknight dinner when you want something on the table quickly and have veg and charcuterie in the fridge you’d like to use. Pancetta can be replaced with any other cured meat and the cooked vegetables can be adapted to what you prefer. Feel free to grate plenty of cheese over the eggs before popping them into the oven if you have some at hand. The frittata is delicious served either hot or cold.

SERVES 2-3 6 eggs, cracked into a mixing bowl 75g pancetta, cut into 1cm cubes 1 whole leek, white and pale green parts only, chopped* 150g button mushrooms, cut into 1 cm slices 10 cherry tomatoes, halved large handful rucola olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice or vinegar to taste 1. Preheat oven to 180C. Place pancetta in a frying pan over medium-high heat to render the fat.

Allow the pancetta to become crispy, remove to a large bowl leaving the rendered fat.

2. Add mushrooms to the pan, season with salt, cook until nicely browned, 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat if colouring too quickly.

Once cooked, remove, add to the pancetta.

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3. Add leeks to the pan.

Season with salt and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with pancetta.

4. Whisk eggs and add to the other ingredients while they are still warm.

Line a baking dish or heatproof frying pan with baking paper, rub lightly with oil or butter, pour in the egg mixture. Bake 15 minutes.

5. While the frittata is baking mix a splash of olive oil, a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice, and some salt and pepper in a mixing bowl or small jar, combine quickly. When the frittata is cooked, toss the rucola and cherry tomatoes in the vinaigrette and serve on the side. * Reserve the green from the leek for stock or soup.

FOOD TO SHARE ROAST CAULIFLOWER BARLEY SALAD WITH SPICED YOGHURT MARINADE, PEANUTS AND GOLDEN RAISINS A perfect salad for the warmer months approaching summer.

Equally delicious served warm or cold, this makes an excellent meal all by itself or a side dish to fish or chicken.

SERVES 2-3 ½ head cauliflower 50g yoghurt 1tsp smoked paprika 1tsp ground cumin 1tsp turmeric Ÿ tsp chili powder 200g barley 50g peanuts 1 lemon 40g sultanas 2 sprigs parsley olive oil and salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Combine yoghurt and spices with a generous pinch of salt.

Zest lemon, set aside zest. Juice half the lemon, add to the yoghurt with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. (For a dairy-free alternative omit the yoghurt and rub cauliflower with oil and spices). Combine the yoghurt marinade and set aside 1 tablespoon. Rub and completely cover the outside of the cauliflower with the

remainder of the marinade.

Season with more salt and bake on a lined baking sheet for 1 hour. Turn the temperature up to 200C for the last 10 minutes for a deeper, charred flavour.

2. Bring a medium pot of water to the boil over high heat. Season liberally with salt.

Add barley and reduce to simmer. Cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Strain and transfer to a bowl with the

reserved yoghurt marinade.

Coat with the marinade as well as additional salt, pepper and olive oil to taste.

3. Place peanuts in a small bowl, season lightly with a few drops of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Lay out onto a lined baking tray and roast in an oven preheated to 160C until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove, cool to room temperature, chop into small chunks, and set aside.

4. Once cauliflower is ready, remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes until you can handle it. Remove florets with a knife. Chop stem into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and olive oil as needed. Roughly chop parsley, add to the bowl.

5. Add florets and chopped stem to the barley. Combine with lemon zest, sultanas and peanuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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FOOD TO SHARE PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS STUFFED WITH CHARD, BLISTERED CHERRY TOMATOES, AND GOAT CHEESE ON BASMATI This may be a light vegetarian offering but it packs an enormous amount of flavour. The umami from both the mushrooms and the blistered tomatoes will make even the most dedicated of carnivores forget that there's no meat here. You can also use the recipe to stuff smaller chestnut or button mushrooms to make very simple to prepare canapés that are sure to please your dinner guests.

SERVES 2-3 portobello mushrooms 4 each, remove stems and gills 100g goats cheese 150g chestnut mushrooms, chopped roughly into small pieces 6 stalks chard, stems removed and chopped cherry tomatoes 8 each, halved 150g basmati rice 1 medium onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, finely minced olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

1. For the mushrooms.

Preheat oven to 200C. Season both sides of the portobello mushrooms with salt and olive oil. Place on a lined baking tray with gill side up. Bake until tender and lightly coloured, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature to be stuffed.

2. For the rice. Bring a small pot of water to the boil over high heat with a generous pinch of salt. Add rice and reduce to simmer. Cook 13 minutes or until tender. Strain and transfer to a mixing bowl to be combined with the remaining ingredients.

3. For the filling. Place a frying pan over medium high heat.

While the pan is getting hot, pat the tomatoes halves dry on paper towel. Place in the pan cut side down. Cook 2-3 minutes or until lightly charred. Add a few drops of oil to speed up the process but if your pan was hot enough it shouldn’t be necessary. Once coloured, turn tomatoes over and season lightly with salt. Once the undersides are lightly blistered, remove and put 44

aside.

4. Wipe the pan with paper towel and return to the heat.

Add a tablespoon of olive oil and allow it to get hot over medium high heat. Add diced mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Cook 4-5 minutes or until nicely coloured on all sides.

5. Add onion with an

additional teaspoon of olive oil if necessary. Season lightly with salt and cook until lightly coloured and softened. Add minced garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.

6. Add chopped chard and coat with the other vegetables. Reduce heat to medium and sauté for 5 minutes until softened and

tender. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and transfer mixture to a mixing bowl.

7. Lay the mushrooms a baking tray and spoon in a tablespoon’s worth of mixture into each. Place 2-3 cherry tomato halves onto each mushroom and either crumble or top with slices of

goat’s cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until the cheese has softened slightly.

8. While mushrooms are cooking, add remaining vegetable mixture to rice and combine. To serve spoon the rice onto a plate, top with remaining tomato halves, goats cheese and the stuffed mushrooms.

FOOD TO SHARE TOMATO AND WHITE BEAN SALAD WITH SAUTÉED ZUCCHINI, PARMESAN AND BASIL A simple recipe with all the wonderful fresh flavours that we attribute to summer.

The real star of this dish is the tomato - be sure to pick the best quality you can find. This recipe showcases how seasoning with a little bit of salt, pepper, good extra virgin olive oil and vinegar can elevate the already delicious Maltese tomato. It makes for a wonderful side salad or the perfect bruschetta topping.

SERVES 2-3 200g dried cannellini beans 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 sprigs rosemary 1 red onion, halved, slice outer 4-5 layers, reserve core 300g tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, chopped 3 sprigs basil 2 medium zucchini, remove tips, cut in half through centre 30g parmesan salt, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil to taste red wine vinegar, other vinegar or lemon juice to taste

1. Place beans in a large bowl with bicarbonate of soda. Add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Let beans soak overnight.

2. Drain and rinse beans. Place in a medium sized pot. Add rosemary sprigs and enough cold water to cover by 2 inches.

Add onion core for flavour.

Season well with salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to an hour, until beans are tender but hold shape. Drain beans and remove

rosemary and onion. Cool to room temperature.

3. Combine tomatoes, sliced onions, and roughly torn basil in a bowl. Refrigerate.

4. While beans are cooling, season tomato mixture liberally with salt, good quality extra virgin olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice (ideally good quality red wine vinegar). Marinate tomatoes 10-20 minutes at room temperature.

5. Combine beans with tomato mixture and marinate for 10 minutes.

6. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a sauté pan over medium high heat. Season zucchini well with salt and place flat side down into the pan. Colour well, pressing down with a spatula to ensure contact with the pan.

Once well coloured, flip and colour the other side. Once both sides are well coloured, remove and drain on paper towel. Slice into bite-sized pieces.

7. Spoon tomato and bean salad onto a plate (or onto a few pieces of toast like bruschetta).

Top with warm zucchini and plenty of parmesan, grated or shaved into thin strips, and a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

These recipes were produced for Mediterranean Culinary Academy’s new concept: Recipe Box. Recipe Box contains everything you need to prepare delicious food, conveniently delivered right to your door. Just like their hands-on cooking classes, most of the ingredients are locally sourced and each box contains most ingredients (except pantry basics like olive oil, salt and pepper) to prepare 3 recipes feeding 2-3 people each. If you want the ingredients for 3 different recipes delivered to your door each week for just 30 euro, visit mcamalta.com for more information.

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ARTIST THOUGHTS

RENÉ MAGRITTE’S L’ARC DE TRIOMPHE “Pushing up from the earth towards the sun,” Magritte said “a tree is an image of a certain happiness. To perceive this image, we must be still, like a tree. When we are in motion, it’s the tree that becomes the spectator. It is witness, equally, in the shape of a chair, a table, a door, in the more or less restless spectacle of our life”.

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his July René Magritte’s 1962 painting L’arc de triomphe will be offered as a highlight at Christie's London session of ONE: A Global Sale of the 20th Century, with a presale estimate of between £6.5 to 9.5 million. L’arc de triomphe features one of the most familiar pictorial elements of René Magritte’s postwar oeuvre – the tall, imposing boughs of a verdant tree, meticulously rendered and here, superimposed upon an expanse of its own leaves.

"The choice of title suggests Magritte believed that this composition was a triumph in his quest to answer the problem of how to represent trees whilst also revealing the mystery of reality. Magritte certainly has succeeded in capturing the essence of the tree in this work, and, as usual, he brilliantly subverts our expectations, playing with perspective by juxtaposing a massive and distant tree against a background of meticulously depicted leaves seen in close-up,” said Olivier Camu, Deputy Chairman of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s, in a statement.

Magritte was a deeply cerebral, intellectually motivated artist and the tree was an important symbol in his imagination, representing the ultimate affirmation of nature as an essential theme in his perception of reality and vision of worldly existence. Magritte celebrates in this painting the triumph of a harmonious, transcendent unity, a wholeness of wondrous design, creation, and perpetual renewal that is manifest in nature only - the sublime beauty of absolute synergy - to which humankind can only aspire in its works.

Above: René Magritte’s 1962 ‘L’arc de triomphe’ could fetch £9.5 million at auction this July. Photo © Christie’s Images Limited 2020. On July 10, Christie’s will present ONE: A Global Sale of the 20th Century, a new auction event offering Impressionist and Modern, Post-War and Contemporary art and Design. Utilizing streaming technology, the first of its kind relay-style auction will take place in real time across the time zones from four of the art world’s major hubs: Hong Kong, Paris, London and New York.

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