VENÜ #44 SPRING 2021 by VENÜ MAGAZINE

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE

Issue_

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

October, oil on canvas, 56” x 70”

www.julieleff.com

203.434.8655

julie@julieleff.com

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

SPRING Issue_44

SPOTLIGHT 12

Steelepointe’s Most Imaginable Yacht & Charter Show

Eto Otitigbe Commemorates Heavy D

Kahelia Smellie Voices Carry

A World’s Vue You got the Look

G-Star Decoding Technology

Cybersecurity guardDog your Assets

86 FEATURES

Jacques Pépin: From the Plate to the Canvas

86 92

Melissa Barbieri: Imagining Memories, Dreams & Archetypes

Donald Cohen’s ‘Inside Ride’ Collecting ‘Outsider Art’

Iconoclasts of Connecticut 4

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Cover Story Dror : Designing for Ecological Harmony

Chad Knight’s 4th Dimension

Anouk Wipprecht’s Timeless Creatures

TRAVEL 102 There’s No Place Like Rome

PULSE 108 Design MVRDV’S Heart of Glass

108

112

Art & Design Got Me Hypnotized: Desires of Dadaism

114

Film Nicholas Simon’s Indochina Productions

102 APPETITE 36

Blending Wine & Art with Fernando Silva

Golf Kitchen with Diana Delucia

Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen

49 Cocktail Culture The Cylinder story

VENÜ VINES

WineGame Play with your Wine

Cape Classics Wines Speak for Themselves

Domaine de la Rivière A Gem in the Russian River Valley

114

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SPRING Issue_44

118

124 WELL-BEING

128

118

Top Nine Wellness Trends for 2021

122

TRU47 The Silver Lining

TRANSPORT 124

122

Seakeepers Yachting Community on Board in Fighting the Plastics Problem

VENÜGRAM 128 Featured Abby Sesselberg IN EVERY ISSUE

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Publisher’s Letter

Masthead

GALLERY Greenwich

New York

Newport

RICK GARCIA, “Seating for Two”, Acrylic on Canvas, 52” x 72”

“Curating Art That Reflects Your Passions” cparkergallery.com

info@cparkergallery.com

409 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich, CT 06830

203-661-0205

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Last year at this time, just as we were putting the finishing touches on our annual Springtime issue – and our 10th Anniversary edi-

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

tion! – the whole world paused, paralyzed.

have made the most of the time we spent apart, you’ll be able to interact with their stories and talents as you like. We’ve included hot links to hot off-the-press places and

I remember thinking that our lives would be

welfare of our colleagues, correspondents

people you’ll want to meet when the time is

disrupted for a few weeks, maybe a month or

and communities suffered endlessly and the

right and you’re ready to roll. You can watch

two, as we took control of a rogue virus that

toll it took on us all and the heartbreak we

videos and hear audio that puts you in the

threatened to control us. Until then, I ratio-

ultimately experienced showed no mercy.

heart of the conversations you’ve missed

nalized, we could recharge, regroup and re-

Gratefully, we are beginning to see the

without missing a beat. Soon you’ll be able

focus our vision for the exciting year that lay

light again as new shots of hope and happi-

to tune in to VenüMag.TV to be a part of vir-

ahead for Venü. We were definitely on a roll

ness are bringing us out of hibernation – and

tual programs that make our contemporary

with our featured content and our plans for

Venü is here to celebrate in ways we’ve never

culture arts magazine come alive on your

a stellar line up of A-list events that put the

done or even imagined before.

phone, iPad, computer and more wherever

spotlight on the artists, organizations and in-

Welcome to our very first all digital issue

novators that have made Venü such a great

(our 44th), a labor of love and learning that

read about contemporary culture and arts,

goes hand in hand with our totally revamped

you all dearly since we last met in the pages

and a sought-after collectible publication for

and revitalized website, that will be making its

of this magazine or at our favorite boat shows,

the last decade.

debut now too. We were hard at work all year

art galleries, restaurants and travel destina-

Today, a year later almost to the day, we

to evolve with the new norms we are all read-

tions. And while nothing can take away the

have come through times so trying that it

justing to, and while it has taken us away from

pain and loss you may have endured, we are

virtually upended everything for everybody.

the face to face meetings and interviews that

looking forward to the future with happier,

At Venü, that meant that many of our favorite

are a mainstay of this magazine, we zoomed

healthier times ahead. You may recall that

restaurants and retailers shuttered their doors.

in on what’s most important and interesting

in the days after the Spanish flu of 1918 flew

Travel took an unwanted vacation. Shows

to you.

elsewhere, the twenties came roaring back

you happen to be. It goes without saying that we’ve missed

stayed back stage and openings closed for

In this issue, you’ll not only read about

with renewed optimism and an outlook on life

the unforeseeable future. The health and

timely topics and resilient influencers who

that celebrated good times. With well-earned wisdom and respect for nature and nurture, Venü is on track to honor a future filled with that we all hold precious. Time with each other. Thank you for staying with us. ☐

Tracey Thomas Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Venü — Where your passion is our venue. Cover Story Frequency of Genesis, digital, by Chad Knight, a collaborative with Dror Benshetrit for the cover story. Look for Dror & The Impact of Time on page 79, and Chad’s Time Passages on page 86 8

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PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tracey Thomas ART DIRECTOR Denis Oproiu MANAGING EDITOR Kamitha Sloan FEATURES EDITOR Cindy Clarke FOOD EDITOR Fred Bollaci FILM & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Peter J. Fox EDITORIAL & MARKETING Lisa Mikulski

At Literacy to Legacy Mentors,

DECORATIVE ARTS EDITOR Matthew Sturtevant

We Educate, Inspire, + Motivate

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Fred Bollaci, Judy Chapman, Cindy Clarke, Diana DeLucia, Philip Eliasoph, Nona Footz, Peter Fox, Ivonne Gamboa, Lisa Mikulski, Robin Phillips, Kamitha Sloan

People to Master Their Financial

PUBLISHING PARTNER Venu Media Company

Lives + Live Prosperously at Any Age Through Personal Finance Education + Mentoring.

VP OF SALES DEVELOPMENT Camille Giacomazza SALES Susie Earls ADVISORY BOARD Nona Footz LEGAL COUNSEL Alan Neigher, Sheryle Levine DISTRIBUTION Thomas Cossuto, Man In Motion, LLC OFFICE 840 Reef Road, 2nd Floor, Fairfield, CT 06824 ADVERTISING INQUIRIES advertising@venumagazine.com EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTION editorial@venumagazine.com

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SUBSCRIPTIONS subscribe@venumagazine.com THE SMALL PRINT: No responsibility can be taken for the quality and accuracy of the reproductions, as this is dependent upon the artwork and material supplied. No responsibility can be taken for typographical errors. The publishers reserve the right to refuse and edit material as presented. All prices and specifications to advertise are subject to change without notice. The opinions in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. Copyright VENÜ Magazine LLC, All rights reserved. The name VENÜ Magazine is copyright protected. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without written consent from the publisher. VENÜ Magazine does not accept responsibility for unsolicited material. This is a quarterly publication and we encourage the public, galleries, artists, designers, photographers, writers (calling all creative’s) to submit photos, features, drawings, etc., but we assume no responsibility for failure to publish submissions.

THURS-SUN MARCH 25 - 28

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SPOTLIGHT

THE STEELPOINTE

Yacht & Charter

SHOW P H O T O S B Y PAT R I C K S I K E S

Imagine leaving your home with the intention of going to a boat show, where you anticipate the same boat show that you have been accustomed to attending for the past 50+ years, that features boats, beers and hot dogs. Then imagine for a moment, leaving

your home and attending an unparalleled luxury lifestyle show where there is an abundance of gorgeous yachts, rare and vintage cars, helicopters, sea planes, live headlining music and beautiful art weaved throughout the fabric show. Imagine entering this show and being greeted with a glass of wine or

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

specialty cocktail and imagine being among

and luxury-focused consumers along Long

cive for networking and doing business all

a curated group of attendees that will spend

Island Sound and beyond. The show was

while having fun.

the weekend enjoying these experiences…

designed with guests, sponsors and exhib-

The Steelpointe Yacht & Charter Show is

complimentary. If you choose to imagine the

itors in mind and set out to deliver a luxury

set to kick-off again this coming June 2021

latter, then you would have been dreaming

show, in a gorgeous environment, condu-

over Father’s Day Weekend. A weekend that

of the Steelpointe Yacht & Charter Show, in

will forever be earmarked as the country’s

Bridgeport CT. Except – you would not be

most luxurious, invitation only, lifestyle event

dreaming - you would have been attending

in the US. With luxury partners in every cate-

one of the most bespoke luxury events in our

gory, guests will have so many things to see

country today. Showpiece Shows, the creators and visionaries of this lifestyle show set out to create an event that would speak gently to your every guilty pleasures. This fresh take on the lifestyle event experience in a stunning venue appeals to enthusiasts

THE STEELPOINTE YACHT & CHARTER SHOW IS SET TO KICK-OFF AGAIN THIS COMING JUNE 2021 OVER FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND.

and do throughout the 4-day show. Including a sneak peek inside the Sikorsky Airport in Bridgeport, CT where 250 invited guests will kick off the weekend on Wednesday, June 16th, at another level luxury event dubbed Wings, Wheels, & Water (and watches, and art, and so much more!) Invited guests will CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT

You are probably wondering why we decided to incorporate John Lennon’s infamous ‘Imagine’ into this piece, it is because there is one more element that makes this show so special that we have yet to mention – the music! With live headlining acts from LA, Nashville, NY, GA, and FL, the music (which, by the way, is on a floating barge in the center of the show) is the bow that ties the show all together. And, while Lennon sang that he was a dreamer and he hoped he was not the only one, and that hoped that someday you’ll join him, he isn’t the only one to share these sentiments. The water toys, like a Seabob, a Fliteboard, or

Showpiece Shows team is filled with dream-

even custom jet skis. It is true! The show

ers and visionaries that strive to create

was designed to allow exhibitors to show-

experiential events that may often be imitated

case their products and allow for trials,

but will never be duplicated. Like art, this

including sea trials on the yachts

lifestyle show is the expression of human

Their unique variation on a luxury life-

creative skills and imagination, appreciated

style event has the attention of not only

for its beauty, fun and the emotional power

the Northeast, but also several cities in the

with one small exception, their canvas is

US and several countries outside the US,

a 47 acre urban marina development. ☐

are actively courting Showpiece Shows to bring the lifestyle event to their city and country. It is not often that you get to

Save the date for the Steelpointe Yacht &

experience an event that touches all your

Charter Show, June 17th – 20th, 2021. It is an

have the opportunity to explore private

senses, like this event does. We can under-

invitation only show, but for inquiries about

aviation in a new way.

stand why other locations would want to

the show or to exhibit, contact:

have this style show at their locations.

Hello@Steelpointeboatshows.com

As John Lennon sang, ‘Imagine all the people sharing’, which is and will always remain part of both the Steelpointe Yacht & Charter Show, as well as Wings, Wheels and Water at Sikorsky. Both shows will have a charitable component including silent and live auctions where the proceeds are given to several local charities focused on education, health, afterschool programs and the zoo. If everything that we have shared so far does not get you to start counting down the days until summer and Father’s Day weekend, what if you were not only able to attend, but arrive by boat, helicopter or seaplane and while there you were also able to jump in the water and test out some 14

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT: Artist

Heavy D Goes Public Artist Eto Otitigbe Wins Commission for Monumental Sculpture Honoring Rapper Heavy D and Mount Vernon’s Hip-Hop History

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT: Artist

New York artist Eto Otitigbe is the winner of a commission for a significant sculpture in Mount Vernon celebrating the music of rapper Heavy D. Peaceful Journey is a monumental artistic creation that represents how harmony and balance can be achieved even in times of change. The artwork was one of fifty considered for this major commission through an open competitive process conducted by ArtsWestchester, a leading public art proponent, for 42 Broad. “Public art like Eto Otitigbe’s sculpture will enhance the downtown offering a bit of the unexpected, a bit of the extraordinary into everyday life, explains Janet T. Langsam, CEO of ArtsWestchester and public art partner to the project. “Investment in public art is investment in a community because signature artwork like this helps create more livable creative communities and more enjoyable communities.” Peaceful Journey is borrowed from the title of one of Heavy D’s hip-hop songs. “The artwork is inspired by various points of interest such as architecture, physics, and hip-hop music. Heavy D. was a native of Mount Vernon, NY who would go on to transform the music industry and global culture,” says Otitigbe who now lives in Brooklyn. The commissioned sculpture will be a landmark feature of the 42 Broad Street West, a mixed-use luxury rental development. It

is scheduled to be installed by year-end. Placed at a highly visible plaza at the corner

Angeles,” and that Heavy D’s music was transformative

of Broad Street and Fleetwood Avenue in Mount Vernon’s Fleetwood neighborhood,

for him in his youth. “This sculpture offers me a chance

the sculpture will be on view for pedestrians as well as drivers exiting and entering the

to pay tribute to Heavy D, R&B music, and hip-hop cul-

Cross County Parkway.

ture, all of which had an immense influence on me as I

ArtsWestchester and 42 Broad, (a joint venture of Alexander Development Group,

navigated my youth.” Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Pat-

The Bluestone Organization and institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset

terson-Howard is thrilled to have this new piece in her

Management), chose Otitigbe from a large pool of artists who submitted proposals

city. “Otitigbe’s abstract artwork will add a spectacular

for the site-specific sculpture commission. The cost of the sculpture is estimated at

focal point to a gateway to the City of Mount Vernon.

$100,000.

Heavy D was an integral part of making Mount Vernon

Growing up in Albany, NY, Otitigbe was a bit removed from the NYC hip-hop

the Jewel of Westchester; his influence in the creation

scene, yet he was always inspired when he heard about the popular genre coming

of this sculpture makes it more meaningful,” explains

out of places other than the five boroughs. “The sounds emanating from Mt. Vernon

Patterson-Howard. “Although Heavy D has begun his

with Heavy D, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth were really unique,” Otitigbe explains. He

‘peaceful journey,’ Mr. Otitigbe’s sculptural arch is a true

continues, “I wanted to pay homage to the Mt. Vernon community that had such an

testament to the pride, resilience and transformation of

important place in hip-hop with this work of art.” The artist explains that the song

Mount Vernon.”

the sculpture is named after “offers a thoughtful and complex picture of the lives

What was happening in the world, as well as his per-

of black and brown people living in places like Mount Vernon, the Bronx, or Los

sonal life influenced Otitigbe’s design. “When I started

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

this project, over a year ago, I set out to design an artwork that played with the theme of transformation… I was thinking about movement, departures, homecomings, and transitions. Fleetwood, as a community, is experiencing change as new development projects like this one attract people to Mount Vernon. Personally, I was experiencing a major life transition as I balanced the joys and challenges of being a new father.” As Otitigbe sees it, Peaceful Journey reminds us that the idea of taking a journey today is very different than it was a year ago; it now has a lot more risk in it. “This sculpture and its invitation for people to pass through its portal is a waymarker for a peaceful journey for people leaving the building or the community and for when they return,” he says.

When I started this project, over a year ago, I set out to design an artwork that played with the theme of transformation

Collaborating with architect Michael DiCarlo to design Peaceful Journey, Otitigbe’s sculpture is made of Vermont Fantastico Marble, stainless steel, and COR-TEN steel. The form cycles between stone and metal and appears to continue its path through the concrete. The hive-like steel structure references pointed archways that were in South East Asian and Islamic Architecture. This style of innovative building technology was later made popular in Gothic architecture throughout Europe. “The hexagon is a signifier for strength and harmony. As one passes under the archway and looks up the view of the sky is pixelated by a hexagonal grid. Even the surface of the metal will transform over time as the COR-TEN steel weathers and changes color. The stone monolith also conveys a sense of balance and affirmation while its surface carries an organic fluid

pattern; evidence of the stone’s transformation over time,” explains Otitigbe. Located at a prominent gateway to the city of Mt Vernon, this site-specific sculpture will be visible to thousands of people passing by every day. Mark Alexander, principal of 42 Broad, knows it will have an impressive impact. “Public art is integral to our development philosophy. In this particular Fleetwood project, we are allocating a sizeable budget in highly visible art to create a memorable place, promote community pride, and to raise the level of aesthetics and energy in the city,” explains Alexander. “Great public art should be transformational, and that is our intent with Otitigbe’s monumental sculpture. It compliments the metalwork and brick masonry of the building, while inviting the public to walk through its dappled lit archway.” The project is part of ArtsWestchester’s long-term commitment to public art and to the arts in Mount Vernon. ArtsWestchester currently has a Mt. Vernon grants initiative that provides funding for artists working in the city and they have been the recipient of two Department of Education grants that brought professional artists and arts programming into the Mt. Vernon Public Schools. ☐ CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT: Poetry

KOI POETIC

The Symbolic Tempo of Kahelia Smellie

Kahelia describes her poetic journey as “living vicariously” through her work. Just as the Koi, Smellie’s literary cadence symbolizes the struggles one has to confront and overcome in their own lives, society, and culture. When catechized about her inspirational artistry, “Images flutter across my mind like butterfly wings. A few of them simplistic in nature and others are complicated and nuanced. These images tell a story of character and object, personification, and how the emotions are being expressed. Once the images and emotions become enounced, I can clearly articulate the emotion and write it down before the frame fleets from my mind.” The prominence of Smellie’s opus is defined by her cultural heritage. “My identity as a Black woman, most importantly as an Afro-Caribbean woman, is how I navigate the world and compass my experiences.” Kahelia is also influenced by family and friends-The intricacies of their relationships, mannerisms, and tribulations of life. Her poesy tapestry is like a dream-weaver that invokes compassion, with an intense yearning for hope and optimism. “Isn’t that what we all dream and grasp for?”

Photos by Yanni de Melo

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Reconciliation Who are we to defy the reconciliation of humanity? As we spew hatred from mouths enraged Backs turned against each other in anger Despair and restlessness colours the air No sun shall set in a city While it is drenched in darkness and fear A child sits in the corner of the unknown Eyes glazed in wonder As the world she birthed into Prefers agony over joy Division over unity No more are we listening to our neighbor But dancing in the desperation Of others who cry out in mercy. How do we turn the tides to reconciliation? From marred bruised flesh To streams of golden glory Of descending suns From ancestors who fought for freedoms For our liberation Rendering it our birthright To be free. We navigate the complexities of humanity To fashion a world of continuous growth Tailored to each and every mankind Who dares to exist infinitely

Steeping in the knowledge and truth In which we are all but one So, we walk in the direction of the path laid before us Uncertain of the twist turns of the unexpected futures The past our lessons A guide for our land Where we not only see the similarities in our brother But the beauty of differences in our sister. Who are we if not humanity joining hands? Clenched and grasped Standing shoulder to shoulder Laughing joyously and profoundly In the daring wonder of humanity Rendering our mere land Brilliant in the blazing light of healing Unifying all who dares to hope Who dreams in the descending sunsets And rise together in the morning sunrise.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT: Poetry

Untaught Lessons No one warned us of the transformation from girl to womanhood From frilled white socks to needle thin heels gliding over polished wood Oh! How the days and years past by relentlessly Scraped bloodied knees in sand filled boxes transitioned into lonely heartbreaks Of tear stained eyes searching for the comfort of our youths Wishing of simpler times of unbridled and untamed innocence. Oh! Why our mother failed to warn us Of the world’s cruel intentions awaiting for us How willingly we traded goodnight kisses for scarlet bruises From assured love to complicated situationships From boy cooties to one-night stands in a stranger’s bed From early nights to late nights of anxiety. No one warned us of the lessons and pains we had to bear Of the fake smiles plastered masking intense insecurity And while we sit sipping delicately pinkies up under starlight We fear the walk to our cars and into our homes Because there awaiting us in the shadows Are the monsters which we were never told. And whilst the years relentlessly passes us by We evolve tirelessly but profoundly Clutching our girl-childhood fantasies And holding steadfastly of wisdom aged old pearls.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT

VUE SHIELD FACING THE FUTURE

“Making sustainability more desirable”- JOE DOUCET Driven by human compassion, the critical importance for personal protection, and design, the Vue Shield has become the industry’s pinnacle of fashionable facial prevention. Quoted by Forbes as “A Living Blueprint for the 21st Century Designer”, Joe Doucet was adamant about his responsibility to create a solution oriented product that would address the emergence of COVID 19 and the new lifestyle norm. Having a multi-disciplinary practice of my own that uses design as a tool to create opportunities, shares Joe, there was a comprehensible yearning within me, and Photo courtesy of Vue Shield

Model in Gunes Swim wearing Vue Shield Photo by Philip Talleyrand MUA by Jenna Ellegood Styled by Rosy Muto @jrprosllc

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

a “moral fiber” to be on the front lines of this societal challenge to help procure the safety of others.” Looking into Service industries where a shield was worn as a second skin and part of daily routines, Doucet noticed that most of the safeguards were not only cumbersome and bulky but incredibly fragile from environmental degradation and normal wear and tear. The real question, as Joe describes, “Is, how are you able to have people adapt to a behavior that is utterly alien to them and design a product based around a theory of contemporary utilitarianism? With a creation born out of necessity, there was no room for elitism to ensure mass availability. The perspicacity of fusing sunglasses practicality with its dome shape stability and enhancing it with technological features of UVA, UVB, SPF 50 blue light block, and anti-fog protection is what has made VUE SHIELD

Photo courtesy of Vue Shield

an indelible commodity. CEO of JR PROS, Rosy Muto, conjectures, “To create an image, you have to be seen. The new luxury by today’s standard is communication. Style is a smile you can see. My view is Vue Shield.” See the latest designs for men and women. VUE SHIELD – “Changing the face on how we see the world.” ☐ vueshield.com

The Weeknd’s Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show with choir wearing Vue Shield Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

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SPOTLIGHT

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Higher

Higher Learning Learning Learning

Elevating Education at the Intersection of Art & Technology Photography by YANNI DE MELO Written by KAMI SLOAN

The power of language has sustained and preserved our way of communication,

as a unique teaching approach to build self-esteem and

dating back from the age of the Neanderthal to the present time. Through our civi-

social skills. Classified as one of the most extraordinary

lization’s early years, visual and spatial learning has provided us with an existential

schools in the country, the immersion of strategic part-

map of knowledge that pushes us forward beyond the boundless mindset of our

nerships with influential forward-thinking intelligentsia of

imaginations. Can we truly harness the power of our creativity to obliterate prevail-

academia, directors, filmmakers, gamers, and musicians,

ing and deep-rooted social infirmities? Founder of G-Star School of the Arts, Greg

to name a few, ensures the student body to a hands-on

Hauptner, believes that the root of higher learning begins with empathetic education.

experience that lays the groundwork to the importance

G-Star High School of the Arts’ vision and mission were built out of an act of love and

of life lessons in learning how to excel in today’s world.

passion. Today, it has evolved into global dissemination of a multi-disciplinary curriculum

Wanting to give his son a chance for a great future,

that utilizes animation, artificial intelligence, film production, gaming, and graphic artistry

Hauptner built a 10,000 square foot sound stage and CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT

motion picture complex that’s rented out and equipped to handle productions from local commercials, music videos, documentaries, feature films and multi-million dollar productions which serves as operational funding for the school. Under the Studios insurance, the only prerequisite to renting out the stages on the property is that the student body works on set as active volunteer crew members conferring the children an opportunity to feed their artistic expression while learning techniques of critical thinking, leadership, and team building. “Our children need a vision of a compelling future, or they will

"Surrealism IS THE CONCEPT CAR OF THE FUTURE. IT WILL never look like that, BUT IT PUSHES OUR IMAGINATIONS FORWARD." – GREG HAUPTNER

be lost. Their brains are wired for the future of technology. When relevancy in what they are learning combines with a vision of a compelling future, there is nothing they cannot accomplish”, says Hauptner. Greg adds, “The antiquated system of teaching doesn’t apply in the augmented age. We’re getting further and further away from what our children need to survive in a world of critical chaos. They’re all alone, out in the Wild, Wild, West, so to speak, in an untrained advanced civilization that’s rapidly feeding their brains with information at warp speed manipulating the system. Who’s taking the time to teach them how to use the information? Are they using it to serve

the greater good or their own agenda? How can we help guide them? At G-Star, we curve traditional methods of teaching wrapped around constructive field participation that ultimately teaches morality in societal advancement and at the core human decency.” Instead of lecturing and telling children what to do, we ask them questions to drive them towards the answers to complete their courses.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

SAKURA came

technology Fashion Tech Innovator, Anouk Wipprecht

about when Ben

collaborated on an original screenplay, SAKURA with

Miller, Director of

G-Star and Fushu Daiko.

the Fushu Daiko Taiko Drummers, approached G-Star High School with the idea of giving Taiko drumming lessons and performances Known

the

Socratic Dialectic Method, it uses a

cooperative

argumentative dialogue to challenge perception and work cohesively among their peers. Looking at the ages of our evolution, people will always be the force behind creation and expression. In the advent of the Agricultural Age, humans cul-

for free in the interest of teaching students about this ancient Japanese art form. The story was written by G-Star Founder, Greg Hauptner. The screenplay will be

at Cherry Blossom Festival, along with

Carnegie, and Henry Ford revolutionized society in

a 20-minute film for

The Augmented Era will bring computation closer to our bodies, ingratiating the interaction between people and devices. “As a student that attends G-Star, I love the fact that it lets us express our creative fields and helps us understand our own creativity. It’s unlike any other high school and is quite different and unique. Having been able to attend this school is amazing and it shocks me that I get to work with other students like me that can express themselves”, shares Vashti Estrada. Coding is an eminent part of the program at G-Star, and what rules the world today. It’s as important as studying a foreign language. It not only expands exponential learning and mathematics, but brings the entire

showings at leading

notch soundstage and out of the box projects, you get steamed to be part of real world examples, instead of text books.”, adds Anouk. “It was really fun to work with G-Star and the G-Star students on this production, we merged technological novelties together with dance, Taiko drumming, and projection mapping- it was a very hybrid kind of project with a lot of amazing minds. And (will be…) definitely one of the coolest screenplays created so far.” ☐ For additional information about the school and studios, contact: gstarschool.org gstarstudios.com

DESIGNER Anouk Wipprecht MODEL Vashti Estrada

film festivals with

HAIR Melrose Telles

the continuing goal

MAKE-UP Brooke Fischer

to educate the importance of the arts and culture and allow history to be included in innovation and technology. The film is produced by Afflux Studios, a motion picture/multimedia company. fushudaiko.org

planet together. Under college course prerequisites, the

affluxstudios.com

partnerships the school makes with gaming companies

anoukwipprecht.nl

are beneficial to the network.

nationalcherryblos-

Elevating culture at the intersection of art and

software but also through the use of robotics, a top

the coming weeks

tivated plants, bred livestock, and formed permanent

generation to the practice of personal computing, and

as a whole: in places using new technologies both in

released during

settlements to improve well-being. Rockefeller, Andrew the Industrial Age. The Information Age introduced a

“I think the school is kind of cool and its very much interlinked with a new way of thinking about education

somfestival.org/

G-Star soundstage

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

WRITTEN BY KAMI SLOAN

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

ILLUSTRATION BY DANIEL ENRIQUE DE LEÓN

SPOTLIGHT: Cybersecurity

guardDog leaves others hangin’ in the dust

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

WILLIAM WISHER JR., AMERICAN SCREENWRITER

No one understands the need for security better than screenwriting legend William

Wisher of the movie I.T., “YOUR LIFE IS NOT SECURE,” released in 2016 starring Pierce Brosnan. Bill conveys, “Given how the world is becoming more and more digital with every passing day, having cyber protection measures in one’s own personal life is more than just prudent. It will need to become a part of everyone’s lives.” In a world full of connected collusion, innovative intelligence security mandates are needed behind the leading enterprise of threats to increase our well-being. Although there’s an increased number of field investments, we haven’t been able to keep up with the pace to mitigate the explosion of losses from cybercrime attacks and data breaches. Wisher ushers, “In the significant amount of films and programs that have been made about hacking and theft, I really don’t know as to whether art imitates life or vice versa, but any idea you throw out in a creative medium will likely give “bad actors (hackers and or cyber terrorists) some glorified inspiration. It can’t be helped, though.” “I believe cybersecurity is essential in the film and television business now more than ybersecurity has become the juggernaut of an elevated commerce culture spread among diversified industries that play a vital role in securing our most precious assets. In fact, privacy has become a “priceless luxury” in the modern age among creators & collectors, developers,

ever since streaming” is about the only way products can be consumed. Hacking and I.P. theft are therefore more of an issue than in pre-covid times. Films and television shows can be stolen and sold in black markets overseas (and even domestically), robbing artists and companies of vast amounts of income. Asia has been the worst offender, traditionally, but it’s probably global now.”

exhibitioners, and gallerists’ that ensues its relevance in B2B, private sector firms, gamers, high-end retailers, and individuals alike. Between a mass convergence of smart devices and the devised chaos that has infiltrated our everyday lives, technological warfare of our “human rights” is being stripped away second by second by a faceless enemy of predators paraded as a Superpower of Communication preying on our vulnerabilities and tracking our every move - inflicted with the sickness of exploitation, manipulation, and violation. It has become appallingly clear that the invasion of a disenfranchised “network” is highly frangible against criminal factions of nefarious activities from on-line tactics to propagated interrogation that compromise our safety and put us gravely at risk. Cyber trespass, a term many may not be familiar with, is defined as having network unauthorized access to all proprietary information of financial statements, patents, patient, consumer, and client data, accrued properties, to controlling the water supply. From the remote worker to purchasing a hot dog at a sports arena, complacency is the mindset of vulnerability. Venü speaks with figureheads across industries to gain their perspective on protection and creating global empathy in the “Modern Age” of Commerce. 32

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Peter Bookman has been leading teams and disrupting markets for the past 25 years. He is an expert in cybersecurity technology and is a seasoned executive who has launched many industry firsts with numerous successful exits.

SPOTLIGHT: Cybersecurity

How do we infuse value, purpose and implement a

headed towards a digitized jungle of chaotic discord.” Moishe goes on to say that it’s

solution into the cyber web of the world’s most connected

easier to harness anger and frustration than to harness compassion.” As a society, we

platform?

must teach humanity and uphold ourselves in high regard in what it means to be good,

MOISHE MANA, PRESIDENT AT MANA GROUP

to be ethical.” Mana considered questions of re-educating the connected 59% of the Earth’s

When query about enabling technology to have a ‘code

population in the proper use of the web and ethically extending the benefit of cyber

of ethics in cyberspace with the understanding that 59%

connectivity to the balance of our 41% Earths community that is not yet connected as

of our Earth is currently wrapped in the cyberweb of con-

loaded. “Capitalism has gotten the best of us, and with this comes fear and greed.

nectivity and 100% of the Earth’s inhabitants are totally

It continues to take a chunk out of our livelihoods. Corporations should have social

connected by sheer human fiber, magnate and real estate

responsibilities that are not only profit-driven. As far as connecting the rest of the

developer Moishe Mana gave us the down and dirty of his

world, we need to do so, but with commercialized consideration to build upon a

take on the matter.

commerce community. Otherwise, fast-tracking will have social unrest and severe

“The world is going through a new revolution similar to the industrial revolution. This can and will lead to similar consequences.” Democracy must declare legislative privacy boundaries to counteract the abuse and protect us

consequences in the end.”

PETER BOOKMAN, FOUNDER & CEO AT GUARDDOG

Moniker, “The Concierge of Cybersecurity,” what differentiates guardDog as a leader

from its strangleholds’ stigma. “The right of speech doesn’t

in the industry is between the duality of visibility and obscurity that targets the threat at

give you the right to bully, incite, or spread rumors. Tech

its highest peak and prevents it from happening.

media needs to show restrain and use their power wisely and effectively to stop abusive behavior. If not, we’re

Correspondent Glenn Merlin Johnson, President of Adaptive Design Group, speaks with cybersecurity expert, Founder & CEO at guardDog.ai, and bel esprit of Technology, Peter Bookman, about device and network challenges that we see today and what drives the intelligent security lane to success. “There are three valid points of protection that are the blueprint to our operational devices and countermeasure attacks,” deliberates Peter. Deter, apprehend, and conceal without interference to our clients’ daily practices. “Most solutions rely on professional services and know-how. We see a tremendous gap in the system today with white-glove professionals. Out of the 22K + solutions in the marketplace, we are the only device that disarms attackers without selling your data. “It’s a humbling experience to be able to offer for the first time complete visibility of scanned threats simply by just plugging

LEFT guardDog “Protected by Edge Territory building.” RIGHT On the set of I.T. with Pierce Brosnan & William Wisher

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Anouk programming a sensor using A.I. technology

into a router anywhere at any time.” Its automated protection at your fingertips which sees the potential danger coming from a mile away, sidesteps it, stops it, and then defragments it so that it can’t ever get to your network again. We work for you, so you don’t have to. It takes five minutes to install, and you’re up and running. They also cover “Edge Territory,” which means that any devices connected to the network, such as your smartphone or Alexa, need to be under watch against

Diving deeper into industries where privacy is the primary concern, Fashion Tech

Innovator Anouk Wipprecht shares the possibilities of implications that could arise.

threats because there’s a lack of visibility you’re able

In a field like ‘FashionTech,’ we often work with wearable electronics and different

to see. Lack of protection in the “Edge Territory” space

sensors to measure both your body and the world around us. For things to work well,

makes up a great deal of cyber pollution where once

these systems need data to thrive. It allows us to use technology comfortably and

the existing devices had undetected threats; you can

passively, as it can listen and recognize how your body operates to distinguish stress

now prevent them from happening. We augment and

levels, unlike a phone or device that you need to actively engage with. These sensors

serve other products in the arena to make them easily

can measure things like muscle contraction (EMG), heartbeat (HRV), Electrodermal

secure at surprisingly low costs.

Skin Activity (EDA), lung volume (RESP), and brain signals (EEG), amongst many other

Our devices go beyond cognition learning of auto-

symbiotic learning systems.

matic response to incident happenings and anticipate

Where ‘FashionTech’ is becoming increasingly relevant in different sectors of research,

an attempted threat’s next moves before one is made.

keeping up with the progression of Artificial Intelligence is going from the poetic sense

The problem with other devices is that they are

into a scary range of possibilities with doomsday scenarios of where our future lies

inherently at risk at any given point with a database

with insurance companies tracking your bad habits to personal information that can be

that’s being chained to their devices in multiple places,

breached. My answer to developers in this field is to keep things simple, secluded, and

and vendors that store their information and track

non-invasive; thinking of creative ways to gather the data you need without impacting or

potential leaks under the radar to cause commination.

circumventing anyone’s privacy or security measures without consent.

With guardDog.ai, we have the best of both worlds – having the range of vision to safeguard the device and preserving the network that may impact a device while fortifying them in between. “Our platform in itself is highly unique to the industry in which the importance of implementing

FRANK RINDERKNECHT, FOUNDER & CEO AT RINSPEED

As a professional lighting design, controls, and technology designer in the custom

home arena, it has always surprised Glenn that everyone embraces and expects the multiple technologies that are in today’s automobiles, but consumers are hesitant to implement these technologies into their homes.

cybersecurity with a lifestyle element brings forth a

Automobile designers and engineers have been ahead of their time making making

humanizing aspect to it. We refer to this process as

cars more intuitive, luxurious, and sexier than the custom luxury home. After all, there’s

a tailored assessment to address critical concerns

nothing like the bond you have between you and your car.

and see results in real-time. Our overall objective is

Frank Rinderknecht, Founder and CEO at Rinspeed in Switzerland is on the cutting

to provide you with the technical amenities to work,

edge of automobile design and prototyping that rivals any James Bond film or futuristic

play, and express yourself without the worry or hassle”,

jet setter affectations and space travel that would make Jane Jetson proud.

confers Peter. 34

ANOUK WIPPRECHT, FASHION TECH INNOVATOR

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Frank shares, “Intuitive Ai and onboard safety of internet connectivity and cybersecurity

SPOTLIGHT: Cybersecurity

filtering is a must as we move forward in this new world. I agree with you Glenn, we all understand that technology is supposed to simplify our lives without complexities to enhance a more seamless personal experience.” Just think, sit back and relax, read a book, work on a proposal, have a nice conversation with your passengers, enjoy the beautiful scenery, or take in a luncheon meeting all within the comfort of a vehicle that’s engaged in safety and delivering you to your destination. Frank continues to extrapolate, “Autonomous cars are the wave of the future with a human component. We still have a way to go in offering autonomous vehicles around the globe. It will take a while for us humans to fully embrace the level of controls by AI in our vehicles, but little by little, like everything else in our technological world, we’ll adjust.”

JAMIE OTTILIE, CEO OF TELLTALE GAMES AND LCG ENTERTAINMENT

Gaming is the new strategy for building corporate identity across the stratosphere. It

has grown into a business of epic proportion throughout every imaginable industry, but it also means that amplified security measures are needed. Jamie Ottilie, CEO at Telltale and LCG Entertainment, has a little heart-to-heart with us on growing security issues.

President and Owner at Ferrari-Maserati of Fort Lauderdale, Garrett Hayim, tunes into the conversation. At the forefront of this issue, we developed our

Games have gone increasingly digital, whether that means digital distribution –

own technology to protect our own interests and

games purchased and delivered via download versus physical retail goods; the use of

protect our clients. Our clients are like family, and they

in-game digital goods and micro-transactions; or games being played entirely “in the

trust us with confidential information and significant

cloud’ instead of being tied to a PC or console.

funds. We wanted to go beyond what any other dealer

Studies have shown that games help teach critical thinking, problem-solving, empathy, and understanding and develop quick reflexes. Research shows that some children

was doing. While I cannot detail our security protocols to protect their integrity, I can share a few details.

learn better and retain the information longer or more accurately through games in a

First off, we have limited fraud by creating a digital

play-based curriculum. In distance-learning times, teachers have been using games to

verification system that checks both inbound and out-

help keep students more focused during online school. There are, of course, games

bound wires in a way that is unique and very difficult to

explicitly designed to teach subjects such as math, reading, or coding, but there are

bypass. We also restrict the storage of our client’s per-

teachers out there using games like Monopoly or Axis & Allies to teach economics and

sonal information to our system, where it is encrypted

history. We know of a teacher who uses Batman: The Telltale Series to teach critical

and even limits access to most employees who do not

thinking, and he has a great blog dedicated to video games as teaching tools.

have the proper clearance level.

As players spend more time online and share more of their sensitive information, the

A brand that wants to thrive must embrace ethics

need for cybersecurity increases. As our technologies get more complex, hackers and

in its commerce. It’s not negotiable. Accepting an

cyber bullies get more competent, and we must stay one step ahead of them. “People

ever-changing technology is an equal necessity to

play games to relax, momentarily escape, and immerse themselves in another world, and

have security measures in place, or you will become

those players want and deserve a gaming experience where they feel safe and can trust

extinct. Most people don’t worry about cyberterror-

their information is secure”, cites Jamie.

ism until it’s a real problem.

Some of the types of cyberattacks our industry sees include phishing for personal

“Sustainability should not be reactionary.”

information and, of course, all-too-common cyberbullying. A variety of attacks that might

We really do not deal in cars that have AI systems.

be unique to games is the theft of someone’s digital goods and characters in which a

The feeling of the connection between such a highly

player may have years and significant funds invested. Our industry has recently seen

tuned and engineered machine and the driver is at the

the emergence of “deep fake” techniques used to spread false information or incite

core of what we provide and is simply indescribable in

factions in a community.

print. There is no other car in the world that creates that

GARRETT HAYIM, PRESIDENT AT FERRARI OF FORT LAUDERDALE

Automotive brands are increasing incident response capabilities to handle cyber-

security and privacy issues.

bond. “All I can say is —Come feel a Ferrari for yourself! When it comes to sniffing out the crime guardDog is the antidote to driving criminals straight off their tracks.! ☐ guarddog.ai CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

APPETITE: Sommelier Artist

Photo by Michael J. Fiedler, Working Journal

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

W I T H

F E R N A N D O

S I L V A

By DIANA DELUCIA

Wine & Art BLENDING

Fernando Silva is the Sommelier and Wine Director at GlenArbor Golf

Silva straight in the eye. “I don’t know yet, but I need help to stay in the

Club in Bedford Hills, New York. Silva grew up in Argentina. After working

USA,” replied Silva. They spoke about his love of fine wines and his

on cruise ships in the late ’90s, he decided that hospitality was going to

European travels. Mr. Gregory, impressed by Silva’s passion, stated, “I

be his lifetime career. Between the years 2003 and 2004, after some

am going to sponsor you and assist with your Green Card application;

tumultuous years in Argentina, Silva left the country for Europe. He spent

I see some potential in you,” he said. Silva was ecstatic.

time in England and Spain; He worked in Brazil in bars and restaurants.

The road was not easy to comply with the Green Card process,

During his travels, he was exposed to many different European cultures.

Silva had to leave the USA for a year. During this period, he traveled to

Coming from Latin America, he was barely a social drinker, but in

Germany, staying in Munich and Hamburg, where he began painting

Europe, he discovered the many types of wines that changed his palate

professionally, and then he moved back to Buenos Aires for a few

and sparked his interest. By the end of 2004, he immigrated to America

months. In 2012, the timing was right, and he returned to America and

and secured a job at BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens,

his beloved GlenArbor.

Florida. One evening, while working as a head waiter at BallenIsles, he was assigned to a VIP table during his dinner shift, little did he know that this table would change his destiny. Silva made a good impression on his guest Tom Lichtenstein who at the time was the General Manager

A tragic and triumphant two days.

In 2014, not long after his return, the staff quarters at GlenArbor burned down in a fire while Silva was preparing his first art exhibit in

at the new GlenArbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills, New York and the following day Lichtenstein asked BallenIsles if he could make Silva

Brooklyn Nights, 30x40 Acrylic Mixed Media, Gold Leaf

New Yorker, 30x40 Acrylic Mixed Media, Gold Leaf

an offer to come and work for GlenArbor. A month later, Silva moved to Bedford Hills, New York, to join the team. Silva attended English classes at Pleasantville University, Bedford Road, Pleasantville, New York, this helped him to progress quickly in his career. Silva is a people person and not intimidated by anyone. After about a year of working various roles at the club, the owner Mr. Grant Gregory struck up a conversation with him, “what do you want to do with your life? How do you see yourself?” he said as he looked CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

APPETITE: Sommelier Artist

TODAY FERNANDO SILVA IS IN HIS 15TH YEAR AT GLENARBOR, AND AFTER AN EXHAUSTING AND CHALLENGING COURSE LOAD, HE HAS PASSED THE CERTIFICATION WITH THE COURT OF MASTER SOMMELIERS.

the Gregory family, the staff, and the membership. They have come to rely on his expertise and are proud of him. He sits in on many New York Wine tastings and seminars and immerses himself completely. The wine cellars are forever changing at GlenArbor, the membership is not only golf-centric, but food and wine-focused as well. Silva works closely with Michael Ruggiero, the Executive Chef pairing menu items with his wine selections, “it’s a delicate balance,” he explains. “There are two main functions. One is entertaining, and the other is to compliment the food. I must carefully select the wine to ensure it is friendly with the menu. It can’t overpower the flavors of the food.” During the offseason, GlenArbor allows Silva to travel to wine regions in Europe and California. This provides valuable opportunities for Silva to research and organize different wine experiences for the members. Still, he has a particular interest in French wines, of which you will find many in the GlenArbor cellars. Champagne Mermaid, 30x40 Acrylic Mixed Media, Gold Leaf

Each year Silva has some prestigious events in which to showcase his flair: The Gary Player GlenArbor Golf Club 55 Invitational, The Golf Kitchen Culinary Excellence Awards, now in its third year, and the well-attended Traditions in Wine Excellence Awards. Well-known

a New York Gallery; he lost half of his artwork but thankfully escaped

personalities of the wine world are honored at the event, including Mr.

from the fire. The morning after, he received a letter from the Immi-

Laurent Drouhin from Maison Joseph Drouhin in 2018, and Mr. Jean

gration and Naturalization Service (INS) announcing that his Green

Charles Boisset, in 2019. Wine Enthusiast CEO Adam Strum and his wife

Card had been approved! It was a very emotional time, one of grief

attended the event last year.

and one of celebration. Today Fernando Silva is in his 15th year at GlenArbor, and after an exhausting and challenging course load, he has passed the certification with the Court of Master Sommeliers. It’s a rarity to find candidates for the Master Sommeliers courses and accreditations in the world of golf and country clubs. That function is usually between a food and beverage manager or through a board member who is the wine connoisseur of the group. It was gratifying both for Silva and the club. After many years, Silva has developed a strong, family-like bond with 38

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

An Artist and a Sommelier.

Silva’s passion I discovered is not just for wines, more a combination of art and wine. I was utterly fascinated by his many talents. “I consider myself an Artist and a bit of a story-teller as well as an entertainer, I am

The Essentials, 36x36 Acrylic, Gold Leaf, Mixed Media on stretched canvas

very passionate about life, and I love being around people,” he explained. I asked Silva how he discovered his painting style. He stated, “I combine both painting and wine; I will sit in my studio with a glass of red, and suddenly I find myself in a trance creating a new piece of artwork. Sometimes I will throw the wine onto the canvas and mix it into the paints. It is very colorful and dramatic!” Silva has recently begun to showcase both of his talents via social media videos on his Instagram page @artbyfersilva For inquiries about purchasing a Fernando Silva one of a kind painting, please email: jfs0234@ gmail.com ☐

I COMBINE BOTH PAINTING AND WINE; I WILL SIT IN MY STUDIO WITH A GLASS OF RED, AND SUDDENLY I FIND MYSELF IN A TRANCE CREATING A NEW PIECE OF ARTWORK. SOMETIMES I WILL THROW THE WINE ONTO THE CANVAS AND MIX IT INTO THE PAINTS. IT IS VERY COLORFUL AND DRAMATIC!

Spotted at Dumbo, Acrylic Mixed Media, Gold Leaf 36x36

Lady Q”, 40x40 Acrylic, Gold Leaf, Mixed Media on stretched canvas

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

APPETITE: Golf

Kitchen

Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City, New Jersey.

Golf Kitchen By FRED BOLLACI

WITH DIANA DELUCIA Inside the Kitchens of the World’s Finest Private Clubs

SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I WAS ENJOYING A GOURMET DINNER with my late uncle

a few minutes, we realized we had a lot more in common

Brian Bollaci, a retired golf pro, at my regular high top table in the stylish Styr lounge

than just food. Diana is from Melbourne, Australia, a

at the exclusive Addison Reserve Country Club in Delray Beach, Florida, when

cosmopolitan city I have very much enjoyed visiting,

something—rather—someone caught my attention. As a food connoisseur and

where my aunt Alice owned her famed Italian restau-

writer, I frequently photograph my food and find myself striking up conversations

rants, Luigi’s and Pappagallo.

with likeminded strangers, wanting to know—What are you enjoying so much? This

In showcasing the culinary scene in the golf and

particular evening I met a woman with a charming Aussie accent who was taking a lot

private club world as founder of Golf Kitchen, Diana has

of food photos at a nearby table. Within a couple minutes we were seated together,

explored some familiar places, including Winged Foot

enjoying some wine, and kibitzing about our shared passion.

Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, where my uncle

I learned that my new acquaintance was none other than the dynamic food

worked during his storied career as a PGA professional.

photographer and founder/publisher of Golf Kitchen, Diana DeLucia. After chatting

Growing up, my dad, grandparents, and I would travel to

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

APPETITE: Golf

Kitchen

renowned golf clubs across the country

. The magazine is seen in the best private clubs

when my uncle was in charge of mer-

in America and abroad. The second book in the Golf

chandising at US Opens and other golf

Kitchen series, titled Golf Kitchen America will launch

tournaments. Many wonderful memories

in the second half of 2020.

were made on our summer getaways to

“Swing into Action” with Golf Kitchen, the Finest

famous golf destinations that included

Private Golf Clubs, and Domaine de la Rivière Wines

epicurean adventures at the best area

to support an Iconic American Farm, The Chef’s

restaurants handpicked by my dad,

Garden

as well as meals in the members’ only

Venü Magazine is delighted to introduce Diana

dining areas of these storied clubs,

DeLucia to our audience as we welcome an exciting

courtesy of my uncle! I immediately felt

collaboration with Golf Kitchen and their partners to

a kinship with Diana, and toasted to the

bring the best of farm-to-table cuisine, wine, sport,

wonderfully familiar combination of golf

and camaraderie to our individual and shared audi-

and gourmet cuisine!

ences. In this challenging new world where travel and

Diana was at Addison Reserve, one

large events may not be possible or practical, we are

of the finest golf and country clubs in

working together to imagine new ways to celebrate

America that evening working on a

the gifts of great food, wine, and friendship virtually,

story for her Golf Kitchen Magazine

though we are all looking forward to the a time when

on the stellar culinary scene at our

we can collectively break bread together in-person.

club, which has garnered all kinds of

“I’m delighted for Venü Magazine to collaborate as

accolades, including a spot in my first

a media partner with Diana DeLucia’s Golf Kitchen to

book, The Restaurant Diet, How to Eat Out Every Night and Still Lose Weight, where Addison was featured among 100 top restaurants nationwide with healthy gourmet recipes. The Golf Kitchen concept was initially born at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, Long Island in 2010, where DeLucia created her first book, Golf Club World, Behind the Gates. The recipes and culinary stories proved to be very popular. Now living in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Diana sought to unlock the very special, private world inside of kitchens and dining rooms of renowned golf clubs, taking readers behind the gates and hedges for a tantalizing taste of this exclusive, privileged world. Since establishing Golf Kitchen, Diana has traveled the United States and the world to uncover some of the finest Private Golf and Country Club and Resort teams, which would be featured in her first Golf Kitchen book, a gorgeous 500+ page “coffee table” collectible that offers a sumptuous collection of recipes, photos, and interviews from the kitchens and fairways of 16 illustrious golf destinations, including Winged Foot Golf Club, The K Club (Ireland), Sebonack Golf Club (NY), Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge (Florida), Emirates Golf Club (Dubai), and The Greenbrier (West Virginia), among others. Golf Kitchen Magazine, a luxury, biannual collectible publication was the natural follow-up to the Golf Kitchen Culinary Excellence.

TOP: Addison Reserve Country Club, Delray Beach, Florida. RIGHT: Naples National Golf Club, Naples, Florida. Image: Evan Schiller, courtesy Naples National.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

APPETITE: Golf

Kitchen

Chef’s Garden has been delivering specialty products with optimum shelf life, quality, flavor and nutrition direct from the farm to the world’s most discriminating chefs for over 30 years, traditionally shipping exclusively to the very best restaurants and private clubs across the country, many of which were forced to close temporarily due to the COVID-19 crisis. This left The Chef’s Garden with literally tons of beautiful produce and nowhere to send it. With the COVID 19 shut down, the farm needs to pivot to move product due to its seasonality, dedication to the land, and to keep its 140 staff and families afloat. Diana DeLucia, who has known Farmer Lee Jones for over 15 years, immediately thought that the Private Golf and Country Club industry and members could not only help but also receive the finest quality, nutrient rich produce to experience in their homes. In response to COVID-19, Golf Kitchen Magazine launched its private golf and country club initiative, “Swing Into Action,” to support one of America’s greatest farms, The Chef’s Garden, in Huron, Ohio, Showcasing the Delicious Synergies Between Golf Kitchen, The TOP: Farmer Lee Jones left with Jamie Simpson, Chef Liason at The Chef’s Garden, Huron, Ohio.

Chef’s Garden, and Domaine de la

LEFT: Avocado Toast, recipe by Peter Zoole, the Executive Chef at Addison Reserve Country Club.

“From our farm to your table, we

Rivière Wines from Sonoma County, CA. are all in this together… We can use our talents to make a difference in

RIGHT: Domaine de la Riviere, Middle Reach Vineyards, Pinot Noir, 2017.

the world as we navigate challenging times.” –Farmer Lee Jones https:// www.chefs-garden.com Through the “Swing into Action” initiative, the exclusive Golf Kitchen family of

champion her initiative “Swing into Action” supporting

private clubs and their chefs collaborated to support The Chef’s Garden by bringing

The Chef’s Garden, the leading grower of artisanal

their superior product—used by the finest restaurants and Michelin Star chefs—to

vegetables in the United States.” said Tracey Thomas,

the tables of members, residents, and guests of the exclusive group of participating

President & Editor-in-Chief, Venü Magazine.

clubs. Exquisite produce from The Chef’s Garden can be on your table as well!

The family-owned Chef’s Garden farm in Huron,

Each week a different private country club chef in the Golf Kitchen family created

Ohio, was created three decades ago with Michelin

and shared one-of-a-kind recipes from ingredients that were included along with

starred restaurants and hotel destinations in mind. The

the recipe in the weekly Provision Pack.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

The renowned Liberty National Golf Club in New

the fourth and final club in this exclusive group. Addison Reserve offers its residents

Jersey lead the charge with talented Executive Chef

full service luxury resort-style amenities in a gated, park-like subtropical setting.

Shaun Christopher Lewis creating the first Golf Kitchen

Executive Chef Peter Toole oversees seven dining venues that offer something

Chef’s Garden plant-based dinner box, complete with

for everyone. Toole began his culinary career in Charleston, South Carolina at the

recipe and fine plating instructions. The iconic Liberty

Peninsula Grill before enrolling in the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Program in Paris.

National Golf Club, situated along the Hudson River in

Upon returning to the United States, Peter moved to San Francisco to work with

Jersey City, NJ boasts striking views of the Statue of

Michael Mina at Aqua and became a corporate chef for his restaurant group, then

Liberty, Ellis Island and the Manhattan skyline. www.

back to Charleston at FIG Restaurant before coming to Addison Reserve and being

libertynationalgc.com

named Executive Chef in 2019. www.addisonreserve.cc The recipes were all paired with carefully

"DURING THESE CHALLENGING TIMES, WE NEED THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE NUTRITION TO HELP BOOST IMMUNITY.” –Diana DeLucia

selected Domaine de la Rivière wines by Marla and Geoffrey Bedrosian. Domaine de la Rivière is a limited production family-owned winery in the heart of Sonoma’s famed Russian River Valley, producing less than 800 cases each year with scores of each vintage earning 90 points or above. “One of our goals has been to have our wines connect the dots between family and friends… A sense of community at a moment in time where we are all separated.” www.domaineriviere.com

The second stop on the Swing into Action tour was

We were delighted to participate in what have become some of the few positive

Naples National in Naples, Florida. The exclusive course

memories made during the COVID-19 pandemic. We enjoyed preparing the meals at

was named one of Golf Digest’s list of America’s 100

home and enjoyed them along with the beautiful wines virtually with friends via Zoom!

Greatest Golf Courses. Executive Chef Jason Voiselle

For more information about Golf Kitchen, visit www.golfkitchen.com. ☐

has worked in some of Southwest Florida’s finest clubs before coming to Naples National in 2019. Prior to that, he was the owner of Main Street Grill in Brevard, North Carolina, and had worked in some of Atlanta’s best restaurants, including the French-southern inspired Bacchanalia. www.nngc.net The third club in this elite group was GlenArbor in Bedford Hills, New York. The clubhouse was built on the site of the White Estate, which was one of the largest, historic estates in the Town of Bedford. Designed by Mark Finlay of Fairfield, CT., the GlenArbor clubhouse

TOP: Liberty National Farm Salad

is situated on a commanding site overlooking the

LEFT: Shaun Christopher Lewis, Executive Chef and Assistant General Manager at Liberty National Golf Club.

golf course, providing countless amenities in an intimate and comfortable environment. Executive Chef Michael Ruggiero, a CIA graduate who initially cut his teeth in his family’s Italian deli in Rosedale, Queens went on to work in top restaurants in Connecticut, New York and Chicago before coming to GlenArbor. www.glenarborclub.com Addison Reserve Country Club in Delray Beach, Florida, a legendary residential club community, was

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

APPETITE: Fearless

Chef

Photo by Ryan Forbes

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

José Andrés CHEF

By FRED BOLLACI

AND WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN Responding to the Worst of Times by Feeding Our Hungry One Plate at a Time IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT “THE TIMES MAKE THE MAN” OR IN THE ALTERNATE “THE

dined at one of his restaurants, there are a plethora of

MAN MAKES THE TIMES.” In the case of our newest Fearless Chef José Andrés, both can

options all across America, including in Washington, D.C.,

be said. Credited for introducing the Tapas or Spanish “small plate” concept to American

New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami (South Beach),

diners, and spearheading the “small plate movement,” the trailblazing Spanish-born

Orlando, and Dallas.

José Ramón Andrés Puerta is just 51 years old and has already achieved remarkable

Chef Andrés was born on July 13, 1969 in Mieres,

success in his career as a chef—29 restaurants—and counting, in addition to a dazzling

Principality of Asturias, in northwest Spain. At age 15, he

list of awards and accolades (four Michelin Stars in total—two for each of his avant-garde

enrolled in culinary school in Barcelona, went on to serve

tasting counters, minibar by José Andrés in Washington, D.C., and Somni in Los Angeles),

in the Spanish military as a chef, and continued working

in addition to recognition for the work of his World Central Kitchen (WCK), a not-for-profit,

in Barcelona, where he met Ferran Adrià and worked

non-governmental organization he founded in 2010 to provide meals in the wake of

three years at elBulli, which many considered the best

natural disasters, which was perfectly poised at the forefront to feed our hungry and

restaurant in the world. In December 1990, he was fired

first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

by Adrià and decided to venture to the United States.

Anyone who enjoys Tapas, or Spanish small plates in America owes a debt of gratitude

Andrés arrived in New York at age 21 with $50. He went

to Chef Andrés. In the nearly three decades since coming to America, Andrés has left his

to work as a cook in midtown Manhattan at an outpost of

culinary mark and has distinguished himself for his humanitarian efforts. If you haven’t

a popular Spanish restaurant, Eldorado Petit. During his time in New York, he also worked at The Quilted Giraffe. In 1993, he relocated to Washington, D.C., where he was hired to lead the kitchen at Jaleo, a new tapas restaurant. In the years that followed, he helped the owners of Jaleo open more restaurants: Cafe Atlantico, Zaytinya and Oyamel, along with two more Jaleo locations. In 2003, Andrés started minibar at a six-seat counter in Cafe Atlantico, where he served his most creative plates—reservations would fill up a month in advance. As his restaurants in America enjoyed success, Andrés became more famous back in Spain, where he starred in his own cooking show, “Vamos a Cocinar,” which debuted in 2005. He also published his first book, Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America, in 2005. In 2006, he and Robert Wilder formed ThinkFoodGroup,

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

APPETITE: Fearless

Chef

Thomas Fire in December. For his efforts, Andrés was named the 2018 Humanitarian of the Year by the James Beard Foundation, and he wrote a book about the experience, “We Fed an Island” The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time. Andrés was also named one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time in 2018. WCK set up operations to serve the Hawaiian communities affected by a volcanic eruption, in South Carolina following Hurricane Florence, and along with Chefs Guy Fieri and Tyler Florence and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company brought Thanksgiving dinner to 15,000 survivors of the Camp Fire in Butte County, California. In January 2019 WCK opened a restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. to feed federal workers

“Food is about making an interaction with ingredients. If you talk to them, they will always tell you a story.” making Andrés a co-owner in his restaurants. Together, they opened more restaurant concepts in Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Puerto Rico. Today, Andrés is one of the most successful and admired restaurateurs and chefs in the world, both for his cuisine and business success, as well as for his generosity and humanitarian efforts. The 29 restaurants that make up ThinkFoodGroup span cuisines and cultures, price points and service styles. José holds his identity close to his heart as a Spanish immigrant and an American citizen, placing upon himself the responsibility of both culinary ambassador and immigrant representing the United States and Spain. World Central Kitchen was founded by Chef Andrés in 2010. Its first mission was to prepare food in Haiti following its devastating earthquake. The organization’s modus operandi is to start as a first responder and then collaborate with local chefs to develop

that were furloughed during the government shutdown. In September 2019, WCK and Andrés set up kitchens in The Bahamas to feed people in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, and in October they assisted in Sonoma County, working along with local chefs including Guy Fieri during the Kincade Fire. In March 2020, WCK along with Bon Appetit Management Company fed thousands of stranded passengers for a week while the ship was under quarantine near San Francisco due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 50,000 meals were served. In mid-March, Andrés transformed eight of his New York City and Washington, D.C. restaurants into soup kitchens to support customers affected by the COVID-19 crisis. WCK collaborated with Frontline Foods in order to deliver meals to local hospital staff in the San Francisco Bay Area. In August 2020, Andrés set up operations following the massive explosion in Beirut.

solutions aimed at solving the problem of hunger immediately following a disaster. To

Despite the disruption to the entire world due to

date, the organization has responded to countless disasters in the United States, Domin-

COVID-19, Andrés continues tirelessly in his humanitar-

ican Republic, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Zambia, Peru, Cuba, Uganda, The Bahamas, and

ian efforts as new disasters strike—he was back on the

in Cambodia. Andrés was awarded a National Humanities Medal at a 2016 ceremony at

ground in Honduras and Nicaragua following Category 4

The White House by President Obama for his work with World Central Kitchen.

Hurricane Eta and then in the Colombia and Nicaragua in

Andrés gained even more notoriety as a leader of the disaster relief efforts in Puerto

November and December 2020 in response to Category

Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017. Despite encountering major obstacles

4 Hurricane Iota. This was after serving fresh meals near

from FEMA and the U.S. government, he organized a grass-roots movement of chefs

polling locations in 250 cities and towns during the his-

and volunteers to establish communications and food supply chains, and through WCK

toric 2020 election, believing that “a fresh meal is more

served over two million meals in the first month following the hurricane. WCK went

than a plate of food—it’s a sign that someone cares and

on to develop resiliency centers in Puerto Rico and a facility in San Juan to provide

there’s hope for the future.”

safe drinking water. Also, in 2017, WCK responded to assist the American Red Cross

in Houston following Hurricane Harvey in August, and to Ventura County, California

For more information, visit www.joseandres.com,

to assist firefighters and first responders and provide food to families affected by the

www.thinkfoodgroup.com, and www.wck.org

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

VENÜ VINES

WINE PLAY WITH YOUR

WineGame is a Fun, Multiple-Choice Blind Tasting Game Turn any bottle of wine into a party! With the free WineGame app, you can play with friends and enjoy learning about wine! As avid wine drinkers who enjoy a good time, we raise our glasses and toast WineGame, a wine lover’s dream come true! It started as “A little late night fun. Over 20 years ago” when José Andrés and Rob Wilder started daring partners, colleagues and friends – whoever was at dinner, or in the kitchen after hours – to late-night blind wine tastings. People soon rose to the challenge, showing up to supper with bottles of wine masked in foil or cloaked in a paper bag. Each guest would "host" a round with their wine, playing emcee as they

WineGame is powered by proprietary technology based on a database built to include nearly every bottle in the world, generating logical answers so players can learn even from incorrect choices, making the game a fun learning experience. How it works: Everyone downloads WineGame to their device. The game host conceals bottles in tinfoil or in paper bags. WineGame creates a code for the host to share. The host pours wine for each player and the game begins! Once started, players guess the grape varietal, country, region, and label, all via multiple-choice questions. Players get three tries per question, earning up to 12 points per round. For more information on WineGame, and to try the app, it’s free, visit www.winegame.com

poured tastes, giving tiny hints when asked– Old World or New World? Earthy or fruity? Players recorded their answers on a paper grid system. Scoring made it competitive and fun. Fast forward 20 years: Rob meets Gary Mendel through a mutual tech friend, and invites him to play the pencil and paper blind tasting game. That round, which included TFG Sommelier Andy Myers, was more than a little daunting. Nonetheless, Gary found himself correctly guessing a few, and laughing a lot. With gaming gaining ground among GenX and Millenials, the same folks responsible for much of the wine consumed today in the US, WineGame raises the bar for a fun, educational

BLIND TASTING FOR BEGINNERS 1

Blind tasting can be done anywhere.

With any wines.

Like most things, best with friends but also very pleasant alone.

No crystal needed — even paper cups work.

Relax. No matter your wine IQ, you can have fun and even win.

drinking game.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

VENÜ VINES

WineGame HOW TO BLIND TASTE WITH

SET THE TABLE

it has and therefore the more

Do the elements co-exist

Any glasses will do, no need to

viscous, or full, it feels in your

harmoniously? A balanced wine

break the bank. Go for a perfectly

mouth. Barrel aging can make

should be seamless.

clear bowl, preferably stemmed

a difference too. Tannins, which

as the warmth of your hands can

come from grape skins and

affect taste.

intensify as wine ages make

Avoid perfume or scented

your teeth dry, like black tea. Too

The more you taste, the more

candles. Gather paper and pencils

high a concentration can cause

you will understand wine

for each person to make notes.

bitterness. Acidity is a tartness

characteristics. As taste is more

Have a vessel to spit—saving

that makes your mouth water

finely tuned, your brain connects

the drinking for later improves

or pucker. All wines have it. Too

those clues to detect the wine’s

accuracy.

little and a wine is ‘flabby,’ too

country of origin, grape, region

much and a wine is undrinkable.

and even label. Learn to make

STEP 1

SEE IT

STEP 4

Candlelight and wine may go

ENJOY

educated guesses as to what you’re drinking. Keep a wine

together like cookies and cream,

Put it all together. Think about

notebook, jotting down what

but not when blind tasting. Turn

how long the taste stays on

you learn from each game.

up the lights and look at the wine

your palate: higher quality wines

WineGame stores your games

over a piece of white paper or

generally stay with you longer.

and favorite wines to recall even

a lightly colored surface. Note

The most crucial test is balance.

you’re not playing. ☐

depth, hue and clarity— they indi-

down: if it’s fruity, is that citrus or

cate the age and overall health

jam? Then go deeper —cherry, or

of a wine. Sediment can indicate

plum? Grapefruit or lemon? Then

a minimally processed or aged

sniff with your mouth open or

wine. Legs, or tears, streaking the

over the glass to add nuance to

sides of the glass can mean the

your sense of smell. The pros call

wine has heavier alcohol content

it ‘active inhalation.’

or more residual sugar. STEP 2

RINSE & REPEAT STEP 5

SMELL IT

STEP 3

SIP IT

Now you taste. A sip is one-to-

Swirl the wine in the glass; air

two tablespoons. Hold it in your

releases aroma molecules. A

mouth, then swish it around.

slow spiral will do. Take a short

Does it taste like it smelled? Is it

sniff, then a longer one, waiting

sweet? Dry? Both? Mouthfeel is

20 seconds in between to reset

a term wine geeks use to gauge

your nose hairs. (Yes, that’s a

body in wine. Think milk: is it

thing.) Jot down any impressions:

heavy, like cream, or thin, as in

Big? Buttery? Bright? Start with a

skim? In general, the heavier or

broad descriptor, then narrow it

riper the wine the more alcohol

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

APPETITE: Cocktail

Culture

THE CYLINDER STORY Bartender Inspired. Bartender Crafted.

Cylinder began with its founder, Stelios, the son of immigrant parents who was raised on the notion that resilience and perseverance were his keys to success. Instilled with a back-breaking work ethic from a young age, Stelios juggled multiple jobs while his passions pulled him in different directions. Coined with the phrase “jack of all trades, and master of none”, Stelios embarked on the mission to channel his love for bartending and master his appreciation and knowledge for distilled spirits. As a descendant of Mediterranean culture, where drinking in a social setting is a way to strengthen bonds among friends and family, and being a bartender by trade—Stelios quickly saw a gap in the taste and quality of the vodkas available at the time and was determined to create a spirit that would set the bar for the spirits industry. Thoughtfully crafted, through self-taught distillation and years of formulating to find the perfect balance of flavor and smoothness, Cylinder Vodka was born—by the trade, for the trade. You won’t find a smoother vodka. We promise. ☐

Coconut Lychee Martini Ingredients: 2 oz Cylinder .75 oz coconut cream .5 oz pineapple juice .5 oz lychee liqueur Pineapple slice garnish

Method: Combine all ingredients into a martini shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a martini glass and Garnish with a pineapple slice. Cheers!

Pistacia Vera Martini

Ingredients: 2 oz Cylinder .5 oz hazelnut liqueur .5 oz Irish cream .5 oz amaretto splash of blue Curaçao for color (optional) Method: Rim a martini glass or coupe glass with honey and dip the rim of the glass into a plate of crushed pistachios. Add all ingredients into a martini shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into your martini glass and enjoy.

Apricot Spritz Ingredients: 1.75 oz Cylinder 1 oz apricot brandy 1 oz simple syrup 1 oz fresh lemon juice Sage Club Soda

Method: Combine Cylinder, apricot brandy, simple syrup, fresh lemon juice and sage into a martini shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a collins glass, top with club, and garnish with a sprig of sage. Cheers! CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

APPETITE: Venü

Vines

TASTE THE ENERGY

Cape Classics Wines Speak for Themselves By ROBIN H. PHILLIPS

has expanded its portfolio to include French estates as well. The guiding force behind Cape Classics’ success is their meticulous selection of wineries—primarily family-run farms who hold the same values of quality and an unwavering commitment to sustainability. These are vineyards that they know will be committed, long-term partners. “In over 20 years of business, we’ve always let the wines speak for themselves,” says Bradshaw. “For us, it starts with authentic, passionate people who have a story to tell and vision to share. When that is the premise for everything you do, then you can focus on Excelsior Wine Estate in Robertson, South Africa

Classics wine you can actually taste something

wine enthusiasts know that many other coun-

special—the energy of the devoted farmer that

tries produce terrific bottles, but there is one

cultivated it. “What’s right for the land comes

that is a stand-out: South Africa—the world’s

through in these wines,” explains Bradshaw.

seventh largest exporter of fine wines. Bringing

“The acidity, freshness, tension. The palate

these magical wines to America has been the

has soul.” Indeed, South Africa was practicing

passion and business of the award-winning and

sustainable farming long before the rest of the

innovative Cape Classics for nearly 25 years.

world, and all of Cape Classics vintners earn a

CEO Robert Bradshaw explains that there is so

farms and our business, it’s been a revelation celebrating something that isn’t always found in the wine industry—authenticity and informa-

and by treating people with care and respect. It might sound silly but it is true: in a Cape

imagine Napa, Provence, Tuscany. Of course

harvesting grapes from ancient vines. “Our

ference by sharing these stories, great wines, In the end, that’s our true legacy.”

For most people, when you think wine you

much more to making a great wine than just

relationships, service, and ultimately make a dif-

Robert Bradshaw

eco systems around them. That, and so much more.” When South African native André Shearer

sustainability seal that marks how they handle water, alien vegetation, the wild land, and even how they treat their workers.” Among its plethora of recognitions recently, Cape Classics won the Wine Enthusiast 2018 Wine Star Award for Importer of the Year.

tion,” he explains earnestly. “Cape Classics is

saw a gap in the U.S. wine market for high

about agriculture, not agri-business. Grapes

quality South African wines, he created Cape

lists, including several Wine Enthusiast and

that are brought in by hand. Farmers who

Classics. Today, the importer employs 30

Wine Spectator prestigious picks. While fans

are religious about maintaining the delicate

people between the U.S. and South Africa, and

of Cape Classics stable of wines grow every

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Seven of their wines landed on 2020 Top 100

America stuck at home, it’s no surprise Cape Classics online wine sales at Wine.com rose 219 percent in 2020. “Cape Classics is a genuinely passionate team of people with a strong commitment to social responsibility,” explains senior Wine.com buyer Wendy Stanford. “South Africa’s vast and varied landscape boasts unparalleled natural year, some of their biggest devotees are their

beauty, from oceans to savannas to mountains,

most important ones. George Miliotes is a

it’s an incredibly unique terroir and the Cape

Master Sommelier and renowned restaurant

Classics portfolio takes full advantage. One

wine buyer. Currently he runs what Bradshaw

particular favorite is also a Wine.com top seller,

says may be the best, and perhaps most sur-

Terre Brulee Chenin Blanc. With the French

prising, wine bar in America: Wine Bar George

influence of winemaker Vincent Careme and

at Disney Springs.

the unique soils of the Swartland region, it

“We love South African wine at Wine Bar

elevates South African Chenin Blanc to a

George. Our love knows no bounds as we list

whole new level of quality and expressiveness,”

classics from South Africa like Pinotage from

she explains. “Another standout is the every-

Kanonkop, Chenin Blanc from Raats, Cab-

day-priced collection from Indaba, a brand

ernet Blend from De Toren and Chardonnay

that reinvests in education and sustainability

from Excelsior. This wide range of varietals

for underserved South African communities,

and styles keeps us infatuated. We also love

making it a wine you can really feel good about

Cape Classics as they are one of the original

stocking up on.”

importers to introduce wines from South Africa

Bradshaw is proud of his company and how

to the USA. Their passion and follow through

they have made the best of a difficult situation

in finding the finest producers is unparalleled.

and kept their staff intact. While 2021 isn’t

Cape Classic’s open mind to new producers

promising to have us back to normal anytime

and growing areas reflects the possibilities of

soon, Bradshaw feels we have all learned a lot

all of South Africa while still being true to the

and he certainly sees the silver lining. “Amidst

classic makers and areas,” explains Miliotes.

this hardship, many of us find that more than

While 2020 was a painful year for the entire

ever, we are treasuring our lives and our fam-

world, it rained heavily on the parade of the

ilies, and now so appreciate all those luxuries

wine industry. Restaurants and hotel shut-

of a non-pandemic world—like eating out and

downs—some 30 percent of Cape Classic’s

celebrating with friends. We can’t wait to get

business—along with South African banning

back to it.” ☐

DON’T MISS THESE CAPE CLASSICS WINES

Glenelly Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2018

Glenelly’s proprietor is May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, former owner of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in Bordeaux. The 2018 Estate Reserve Chardonnay is #34 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2020 list.

Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Excelsior was a Shanken News “Hot Prospect” for Imported Wines and the 2018 Cabernet landed on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Best Buys of 2020 list. The 2019 rivals the ‘18!

alcohol sales and shutting borders and retail stores operating at 25 percent capacity—all of this had an impact on Cape Classics, and of course, all luxury goods. But the ever-positive Bradshaw doubled down and found other ways to get his wines to the world, from Trader Joes to Wegman’s to Costco—to the best online location for wine—Wine.com. Bradshaw and his creative, hard-working team ensured Cape Classics made it to consumers through the channels that were still open. With so much of

Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2016

The 2015 Paul Sauer was South Africa’s 1st 100 point wine, as rated by Tim Atkin. The 2016 is off to favorable start in regards to reviews with 96 points by Vinous. CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

APPETITE: Wines

Post Harvest Sun Rise “Red Barn Block” Vineyard eleven. Photo by Molly Bonham McDonald

Domaine de la Rivière A GEM IN THE RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

By FRED BOLLACI

Domaine de la Rivière, in the heart of the famed Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California was founded by Marla and Geoff Bedrosian. In the early 1990’s Marla and Geoff began developing a palate for different types of wines. Geoff started to research different varietals to understand the areas where different grapes were grown. “Over the next several years we became California wine country enthusiasts and traveled frequently to Sonoma and Napa. It was during these trips we defined our passion for small crafted wines and the stories they told. We found that each bottle told its own story. The personal connections we made in Sonoma County, with the people, land and the wine, clarified for us, the Russian River Valley was where we felt a sense of home.” In 2011, Marla and Geoff jumped at the opportunity to purchase a small Pinot Noir

Marla and Geoff Bedrosian

vineyard, in the Middle Reach of the Russian River Valley.

“We believed we were the lucky ones to revive this precious gem, Vineyard

These limited production wines express the unique

eleven. After growing and selling our grapes for several years, we developed a

characteristics of the Middle Reach area of Russian River

passion for creating our own distinctive wines. So, in 2017, we launched Domaine

Valley, a narrow stretch of land that runs north-south along

de la Riviére (which means “vineyard on the river”), and hired our long-time friend

the Russian River’s banks between southern Healdsburg

Kale Anderson as winemaker. Our winery is exclusively focused on making wines

and Forestville and is focused on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay,

from the Middle Reach of the Russian River Valley.”

and Rosé. Known for its mix of fog and sun, the area

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

APPETITE: Venü

Vines

promotes a long, well balanced

Note: the similarly delicious 2018 vintage of Shoshana

growing season producing

Rosé was paired for the event, and has since sold out.

wines with rich, velvety fruit flavors that are distinctive to vineyards located in this region.

2018 Vintage Notes

The 2018 growing season in the Middle Reach neigh-

The couple released their first

borhood can be considered classic and ideal. The early

vintage, Rosé of Pinot Noir (135

Winter months were slightly warmer than usual with below

cases) in April of 2018, followed

average rainfall, but the lack of early rain was made up in

by the 2017 vintage of Pinot

February and March. The growing season had generally

Noir and Chardonnay (305 in

moderate temperatures resulting in a long hangtime that

total) in 2019. This vintage was

created optimal cluster maturity. A cool foggy marine

sold out shortly after release.

layer was prevalent most mornings but gave way to

“Our family’s goal is to craft

warm afternoons. Harvest began August 28th and end

unique, extraordinary limited

September 21st. Both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fruit

production, age-worthy Russian

quality was excellent and is characterized as generating

River wines that create memo-

intense flavor and well-balanced acidity.

rable experiences.” Great wines begin with high quality grapes. Domaine de la Rivière is focused on growing and sourcing ultra-premium fruit. Marla and Geoff invite you to visit them in wine country. For the ultimate in supple, sophisticated Sonoma wines, join the Wine Club!

Next Door Neighbor Chardonnay (2018)

The 2018 Next Door Neighbor Chardonnay exhibits aromas of white blossom, white pear, honey dew and a

“We look forward to sharing our experience with you in person, as well as virtu-

hint of tropical pineapple that supports flavors of lemon

ally—we are happy to work with you, your friends, colleagues, business, or family to

zest, yellow apple, stone fruits, wet marble and a hint

organize a virtual tasting for groups both large and small via Zoom.”

of butter scotch. Barrel aging has softened the youthful

Venü had the pleasure of participating in one of the Zoom tastings, which was a fun distraction and way to experience the very best of Sonoma wine country without having to leave home during COVID. Being able to offer this unique experience during these difficult times has resulted in many new friendships, great memories and a fun way to experience and celebrate food, wine, and togetherness. Let Domaine de la Rivière create an exclusive virtual wine experience for you and your family, friends, or colleagues!

FEATURED WINES

acidity adding balance and layers of minerality. This wine should age graciously for 7 to 10 years.

Middle Reach Pinot Noir (2018)

The 2018 Middle Reach Vineyards is a classic Middle Reach “Neighborhood” wine that exhibits dark fruit and silky elegance. The aromatics display boysenberry, candied cherry and hints of licorice and sage. The palate is driven by black cherry, red plum red current

We paired three Domaine de la Rivière wines with Golf Kitchen’s Swing Into Action

and pomegranate accompanied by touches of allspice,

initiative earlier in the summer of 2020 in support of The Chef’s Garden in Huron,

forest floor and cardamom. Balanced acidity supports

Ohio. The wines paired beautifully with the exquisite fresh produce that four top

a long silky finish. ☐

country club chefs developed mouthwatering recipes for consumers to enjoy at home with these three wines.

Shoshana Rosé of Pinot Noir (2019)

Our 2019 Shoshana Rosé displays bright energetic fruit. Harvested from Lone Oak Vineyard, the grapes were picked in late August at approximately 20 Brix. A perfect salmon color, the nose is fresh with hints of honeysuckle and other floral aromas. Light raspberry, strawberry, hints of orange and lemon zest expand in the mouth with the underlying minerality from a natural grapefruit or lemon-like acidity. — Kale Anderson CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

Jacques

FEATURE

From the Plate to the Canvas

Pépin

The creation of Pépin’s illustrated menus are what he feels connects his art to his cooking. The chef reflects back upon his career, and in the gatherings he has had for family and friends, and can trace these menus back through his 54 years of marriage. "I have twelve books of menus. I have memories from my mother and my two brothers. These books of menus are really my whole life.”

By LISA MIKULSKI

reativity resides in us all –– an ebb and flow of ideas and visions that come to us through inspiration or insight. The trick is in knowing creativity. In recognizing it, befriending it, and then in doing the work to bring an idea to fruition. Jacques Pépin’s creativity and expertise in the kitchen is internationally renowned. But it’s rare that creativity only visits one skill in those who embrace it. Many of us have followed Pépin over the course of his career. We might also have noticed the menus he’s created or the cookbooks he published with illustrations and paintings of flowers, herbs, vegetables, and charming barnyard animals. His artwork spans the representational to the abstract and it seems Pépin is not only creative with a dish but also on a canvas. Pépin has been painting sporadically for a half a century and he sees similarities in cooking and painting. He speaks elegantly, insightfully, and knowledgeably about both. Cooking and painting both require a certain amount of preparedness. “When working in a professional kitchen, you don’t necessarily measure the ingredients. You’re there, testing. You taste, adjust, taste, and adjust and then you find it’s somehow three hours later. You get on a high and don’t realize the time has passed,” said Pépin. “Similarly, I can get into a painting and all of a sudden it’s three hours later.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

“You don’t think about it. Things become automatic. You shouldn’t have to look for an onion. It has to be there, ready to be added. Likewise with painting, when I want to add indigo blue or cadmium yellow, I don’t go and look for the tube and open it and so forth. It has to be there.” “I have much more control over food than I do over painting because I know more about food and am technically trained much better in food than in painting. When I do a dish and start building, it starts usually because perhaps it’s lovely weather and I go out and see a beautiful artichoke or tomato –– and that will start the recipe. Here I have total freedom.” “In the painting process, it is similar. I start with an idea also, maybe I saw something somewhere. But in CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

FEATURE

painting I can sometimes end up with something entirely different from when I started,” chuckles Pépin. Many artists will talk about being in “the zone” –– that coveted place where all things come together, and one forgets time and space. For ten years Pépin wrote for the New York Times. He tells me that when faced with a blank page it can be quite frustrating and it’s sometimes difficult to begin. A new blank canvas can bring great inspiration, but also intimation. However, once you get started the thing takes on a life of its own and carries the artist along with it. Pépin finds inspiration in a variety of subjects. It can be something he’s seen at a museum, a tree outside, or on a walk with his dog. He attributes his mood to a majority of his paintings. Flowers also inspire him, and he finds the subject provides a great deal of freedom which can lead the artist to a representational work or to something quite abstract. He does not feel that he has any particular style and he’s not quite sure he wants to develop one. And yet, in looking at his oeuvre, one can see hints of France. “If I go to a museum, I might be influenced by a line from Matisse. Or a Picasso. I find him [Picasso] extraordinary because of the diversity of his work –– from the blue period to the abstract. I don’t think I have a style. I don’t really stay in one style and I don’t really want to, and I can’t really.” 56

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When looking at a piece of fine art from perhaps the 18th or 19th century, Pépin tells me that he admires the precision and the character in those works but he knows he lacks the trained skillset of a professional artist. “I am a cook,” he says. But still, art lovers can agree that sometimes we may view something that is technically perfect in execution and yet it lacks heart. It lacks emotion and fails to move us. Pépin’s art has heart. “I think, like in cooking, I’m trying to get the essential out of a painting. When I was younger, I would keep adding to a dish, and adding, and now that I am older, I find I need less embellishment. When I have a perfect tomato I don’t want a lot of embellishment and with painting also, I try to get what I feel is the essential.” Herein lies the uniqueness of an artist’s work. The interpretation of the individual. Having taught at Boston University for 38 years, he instructs the young chefs to learn, study, and adjust, but that ultimately they should find their own way.

“At BU, I used to do something called ‘the perfect meal’. I would ask the students to get some ingredients and then I would do something out of that –– maybe it was just a roasted chicken, a boiled potato, and a salad. The students would then have to duplicate that meal, but I’d say to them ‘I know you want to blow my mind and do something totally different. But don’t. Don’t.’ “I know I have twelve students there and I know I will have twelve different chickens. I’ll have two chickens that are overcooked, two that are undercooked, two cold, two too hot, but they will be all different.” Those same young chefs will go out into the world and work in different restaurants under different chefs. They will learn and absorb a vast amount of knowledge, and just like artists, just like you standing in your kitchen or at your easel, the end product will be different and uniquely your own. “You cannot escape yourself,” said Pépin. “You don’t have to torture yourself to be different because you already are different. But if you can make a living out of something you love to do … Well, that is the secret to life.” The creation of Pépin’s illustrated menus are what he feels connects his art to his cooking. The chef reflects back upon his career and in the gatherings he has had for family and friends. He can trace these menus back through his 54 years of marriage and can show his daughter, who is now 52 years old, what was served on her third birthday by pulling out the menu he created and illustrated. Not only is it a memory of the intellect but a memory of the senses –– taste memory –– which Pépin considers much more powerful. Menus: A Book for Your Meals and Memories, contains approximately 80 of his menus with illustrations. And leaves room for you to create your own menu memories. “This is the binding of my artwork and my cooking. I write the menu down and record the memory but there is some artistic value there as well. When we would have people coming to the house they might write down a funny thing as a remembrance. If we had a good bottle of wine we would glue the wine label in there. I have twelve books of menus. I have memories from my mother and my two brothers. These books of menus are really my whole life.” “I don’t know whether my painting has helped my cuisine, or whether my cooking has helped my painting, and I don’t know if one borrows from the other. All I know is that, certainly for me, cooking and painting can live in harmony together. Both are different expressions of who I am and both enhance my life considerably.” You can learn more about Jacques Pépin’s art at jacquespepinart.com where many of his drawings, original art works, and prints are for sale. Menus: A Book for Your Meals and Memories is available at your favorite book seller. ☐ CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

IMAGINING MEMORIES, DREAMS & ARCHETYPES By PHILIP ELIASOPH

Melissa Barbieri, Essex based artist with a fan base of collectors from Greenwich to Nantucket, presents her newest works at New London’s Lyman Allyn Art Museum, which opened November 21. Progressing beyond her nautical and marine life murals, her exhibition ‘Memories, Dreams, & Archetypes’ explores a free-flowing set of images inspired by Dr. Carl Gustav Jung. At mid-career, this show is a more than a milestone – it’s a pivotal breakthrough demonstrating her awesome talents. Her exceptionally fresh new works are largescale works on paper that focus, dance, and even disintegrate into ghost buffalos and ancient Indigenous spirits like miraculous apparitions. Working in watercolor and India ink, we see the influence of the desert of the American Southwest on Barbieri’s oceanic perceptions. Transcribing her visions in calligraphy and symbolism, Barbieri has recorded her stream of consciousness in an uninterrupted flow, often working late into the night. 58

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VENÜ sat down with the artist in her lovely studio/home in Essex, Connecticut for a chat. Barbieri’s stream of consciousness is well tuned as she navigates between her instinctive artistic vision and the ongoing challenge to put on a canvas the totality of her spirit. PE: You’ve been on an artistic journey now for over 30 years, but these new images are truly a career pivot and re-direction. What inspired you to create this new body of work? MB: These began purely by chance, when my husband Michael and I were out in New Mexico. The rocks and plateaus are all these amazing sediment layers of orange and violet and there is a lake in the distance that’s like a slice of turquoise. I came across some cattle bones that were all bleached by the sun under those twisty juniper

“Evolution”, 2019, 44-1/2” x 64”, Watercolor and India Ink on cold pressed paper

trees. We made campfires at night, and wolves were howling very close out on the Mesa… I could hear the ground under my boots when I walked, and everything

my studio floor and dipped my pen into some ink and

echoed. I stood in this spot this one afternoon and it all came flooding over me,

started transcribing... everything I saw and felt out there

the sheer beauty of it all, and how it all used to be covered by an ocean. The sun

poured into that piece. I was working for hours and hours

is blazing and everywhere. The silence has a very loud sound out there somehow.

late one night and I didn’t even know what I was doing,

There’s that feeling you get regarding the passage of time and everything seems to

really without thinking. Then I stupidly knocked over the

become very clear.

pot of ink onto the paper. — I’d been working for six

I always keep a journal where I make little notes and sketches and things, and

hours and I couldn’t bear tossing it, so I continued. —- I

then I make little notations and arrows over everything. When I got back to my studio,

worked on that for three more weeks every single night.

I took out that notebook and a big thick sheet of paper one night, I rolled it out on

That piece was “How the West was Won” and that was how it all started. PE: How has the wisdom of the ancients and 20th century mystics, thinkers and visionaries enhanced your visual thinking? MB: Well because I am forever reading dead authors and all kinds of strange obscure books and writings, they mean a very lot to me. I think I always resisted anything “New Age” as far

“Spiritus Sanctus”, 2020, 44-1/2” x 48”, Watercolor and India Ink on cold pressed paper

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as crystals, dream regression thinking “anything of the moment” I was always very suspicious of — But then I always had this very strong fascination with myths and spirituality in other cultures from the past, especially

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“Equus” , 2019, 24” x 18”, India Ink and Watercolor on cold pressed paper

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“Indigo”, 2019, 44-1/2” x 73-1/2”, Watercolor, Sea Salt and India Ink on cold pressed paper

Native American and also the Greeks. So much from poetry. Funny how you can go back to when you were a little child and see where your interests began, although I have no idea why. So I think words, more than anything, have fused my imagination, from books, dreams, philosophers, holy men, rogues, all of those are what are floating around in my brain at night when I lay down and go to sleep. I think words and the way they appear on paper and the sound languages make when spoken or linked together become visual works of art themselves. I still think we are extremely linked to the past more than we are aware of. There’s something very primal there... Visionaries saw things and poets wrote about them and artists painted them on the walls of caves. When I come across a petroglyph somewhere out in the desert, out there all on its own, I feel for some reason being very attuned to something there that can’t be seen. I find myself formulating plots and plans of a concept I have and how I will paint it as I drift off to sleep. Those things, and the books I read and the dreams I have all find 62

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I think words, more than anything, have fused my imagination, from books, dreams, philosophers, holy men, rogues, all of those are what are floating around in my brain at night when I lay down and go to sleep.

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MELISSA BARBIERI:

MEMORIES, DREAMS & ARCHETYPES

November 21, 2020 – January 24, 2021 (Click for a video discussion recapping this exhibition with Melissa Barbieri and Philip Eliasoph, courtesy Lyman Allyn Art Museum) This exhibition showcased the work of Connecticut artist Melissa Barbieri, highlighting a recent series of her large-scale works on paper. These calligraphic and diagrammatic works are transcribed visions that combine text, symbols, words, and imagery. Using watercolor, India ink, and aquarelle wash, this series of paintings was influenced by ancient scrolls, codices, hide and ledger paintings, and recorded in an uninterrupted flow of thought-stream consciousness. They explore the dichotomy and duality of the ocean and the desert as mirrors connecting them to one another while bringing the unconscious to the conscious realm. Born in Fairfield, CT, Barbieri paints out of her studio in Essex in the Connecticut River Valley. She studied classical painting in the Italian Renaissance manner with Frank Covino before attending the Ringling College of Art and Design. Her work is fueled by her life-long fascination of both the vast romantic desert of the West and the dark power of the deep sea. Employing comparative mythology, symbolism, and archetypes, she explores how these elements are interwoven in ancient, classical, and modern culture and reside in our psyche today. www.lymanallyn.org

www.melissabarbieri.com

their way into these paintings. It gets all jumbled up and comes out in some very interesting ways. PE: What are these artworks communicating at this time in your career? MB: This painting series has been complete freedom for me. It really comes so deep from within my unconscious that a lot of times I’m not even sure where these things have come from. For me it’s so different because when I’m starting a painting, I usually have a pretty fair idea of where I want to go as far as direction, but with these pieces they are more or less unplanned. Like maybe I have a word or a symbol I want to use, or a thought or an image that I put down and then I let the flow take hold. Kind of like you just try to empty your mind. You get into a sort of meditation when you’re alone in your studio working very late into the night. Sometimes I don’t really know exactly what I’ve done until I walk back in the studio the next day. I’ll be looking at something and then I’ll find a piece of verse from the music that I’ve been listening to among all the text and scribbles that I didn’t even remember putting down. So I think everything ends up bubbling up to the surface in different ways. I’m just gearing up to continue what I’m doing now, I have plans to keep working on these for a long time before I’m even close to exhausting the possibilities, if ever. And to keep going back out West to soak up as much as I possibly can. It’s really something I need to do. ☐

“Archipelago”, 2019, 44-1/2” x 44-1/2”, Watercolor and India Ink on cold pressed paper.

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DONALD COHEN’S COLLECTING “My fantasy life in my room and my interest in sports were my only means of feeling important,” admits Family Therapist Dr. Donald Cohen about his boyhood. Decades later those juvenile feelings sparked an unyielding desire to transform his love of “toy soldiers, cowboys, and other little men” into a massive collection of Outsider art. >>

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By Philip Eliasoph

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“My fantasy life in my room and my interest in sports were my only means of feeling important,”

admits Family Therapist, Dr. Donald Cohen about his boyhood. Decades later those juvenile feelings sparked an unyielding desire to transform his love of “toy soldiers, cowboys, and other little men” into a massive collection of Outsider art. “Outsider art”, sometimes thought of as untrained “Folk art,” are the creative expressions of humble, untrained artmakers who produce objects out of their own eccentric visions. Beyond the realms of highbrow, academic, or fine arts training, these common folk talents often shine in their primary, directness exploring their own fantasies and cultural icons. Ignited by his own clinical training in Dr. Carl Jung’s symbolic mythology, Cohen’s art collection vividly projects his memories and dreams brought to life. It intersects a living playground of cartoon characters, funky signage, sports legends with his own quest in transforming the banality of daily existence into a Pop art universe of fantasy statues, rock stars, and comic book super heroes. Nestled within the bucolic serenity of Weston, Connecticut’s woods, Cohen has resurrected Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s “Coney Island of the Mind.” Cheerfully, a real estate agent (like his successful wife Dee) might recommend for clients to tweak up a home’s “curb appeal” to “wow’em” for that all important “first impression.” So how about a fresh coat of white paint on the mailbox or upgrading the windowbox plantings? But who expects to wind down a quiet, leafy residential street and see overlife-sized metal cut-out sculptures of Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, and Jackie Robinson? Prepare yourself: pulling into the Donald and Dee Cohen’s untypical driveway, a visitor is immediately dumbstruck: “am I visiting a residential family home or a Disney-theme-park of the imagination?” No zoning restrictions or historic district prohibitions thwarted Cohen’s obsession of hunting/gathering/hoarding an art collection beyond any reasonable limitation. While more sedate backyards in Weston might include a bar-b-que grill, pool, umbrellas and chaise lounges – the Cohen property is loaded to the brim with fairytale characters, toys, murals, midway carousels, paintings, folk carvings, neon signs, totem poles and miniaturized models of every MLB home park from the historic NY Giants Polo Grounds in the Bronx to San Francisco’s now defunct Candlestick Park. If a tornado swept up most of the antiques-bric-a-brac/swap/barter/flea-markets 66

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like Brimfield, Massachusetts – you’d think most of it touchdown on Cohen’s property. And be certain – there is a total sense of cohesion and order in this eccentric, potpourri of lovingly curated Outsider Art artifacts. Some might be overwhelmed by its outlandishness. Others will respond in a state of “Namaste” tranquility in this mindscape garden chock full of wildly designed, folk art zaniness. Festooning every tree, hanging from every fencepost, installed across every square yard both

outside and inside of this property, Outsider Art sculptures, artifacts and objects leave visitors bewildered. Beyond the initial “WTF is this?” first jolt – one comes to realize that the man and the myth have fused into the organic totality of these mind-blowing-Salvador-Dali-psychedelic-colored-Peter-Max-hallucinatory-psycho-therapeutic toys. After the initial shock of an hour-long guided tour, Cohen smiles like a Cheshire cat taking pleasure like Mr. Natural in R. Crumb’s psychedelicized “Zap comics.” Cohen quietly quips, “it’s just a whiff of what’s going on inside my collective unconscious being transformed into pursuing lots of cool stuff.” If you are booked for an hour session with the good doctor, remember to “find your own archetype” among this all-star collection of sports Hall of Famers and superheroes for grownups. Cohen, the author of 7 previous publications Photo by N. Andrew Dent

including poetry and prose, has just published his latest meditation of self-analysis: The Inside

Ride: A Journey to Manhood, (Nicholas Hays Publishers, 2020). It’s a poignantly penned epistolary exchange between two therapists – Dr. Max Cohen, M.D. [father and son] and Donald, PhD. In this heart-warming study of compassion, empathy, and family dynamics – we come to appreciate how and why Donald Cohen’s “inside ride”

My earliest pieces were an Eskimo sculpture, a mother and child made in stone.

brought him into the archetypal realm of “Outsider art.” Exploring his inner thoughts while sharing a sense of innocence and wonder, VENÜ’s Philip Eliasoph sat down to interview Cohen giving time and space for him to escort us through a short stroll across the universe: PE: Donald, can you offer us some background about your early introduction to psychotherapy as a devoted student of Dr. Carl Jung? DC: My introduction to psychology and art began when I read Carl Jung’s, Memories, Dreams and Reflections, his autobiography. After seeing there was a man that cherished the journey of the soul, I began to appreciate the marriage of word and image. This inspiration led me to the last book he wrote, Man and His Symbols. His respect for archetypes and psychology was refreshing. I began to travel to different parts of the world and began seeing the universal ideas and different images being reflected in what I saw. PE: And how did Jungian theory then translate into acquiring ‘Outsider’ or ‘Folk’ art? CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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DC: My earliest pieces were an Eskimo sculpture, a mother and child made in stone.

was your first exposure?

Following that, I saw a piece that combined Lucite and bronze and began to appreciate

DC: When I traveled to Europe I visited some psychi-

how different materials in art objects can be integrated as one. My very first piece

atric hospitals and viewed the patient’s artwork. I felt

was an Indian hanging that had beautiful symmetry and order reflecting the spiritual

so inspired I began to collect outsider art and bought

wedding. It was at that moment in my twenties that I saw the power of the mandala

some artwork from many different types of patients

and the order of the universe manifested in all these archetypal images. As I began to have my own places to live there was a desire to surround myself in beauty and the comfort it brought to me. During this time, my wife and I, newly married, splurged on a Calder lithograph for $100. My mother-in-law introduced us to the magic of the art world on the Lower Eastside in Manhattan. My mother-in-law was an artist and a collector. She taught me how to sculpt in soapstone and was a major influence for me because of her passion for art. While visiting us in Mill Valley, California, she bought an outsider, Botero-like, woman eating an ice cream made out of ceramic. This was my first introduction to folk art. Later on, I was introduced to my first assemblage metal artist, Sonny Cardinali, from Milford, Connecticut. I was drawn to his humor and brilliant ability to tap into the creative mind. His masterpieces surround my yard with a life-size jester, a contemporary Coney Island sculpture, baseball players and many others; all whimsical and playful. His creative spirit lives on in his work and continues to make all who see his pieces smile. PE: The history of Outsider Art is often linked to some famous European psychiatrists of the early 20th century. Those early pioneers analyzed and interpreted the art – then called Art Brut or Raw Art – enjoying the inventiveness and creativity of these unsophisticated artmakers. What

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My books of poetry became a document for combining word and image.

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in the hospital suffering from disorders and of course drawn to Jung’s famous Red

is their favorite piece of art and why. Then, we discuss

Book when he was depressed he produced some powerful pieces. I also read books

the others that move them and the dialogue takes us to

analyzing Jungian interpretations of the artist Jackson Pollock and Henry Moore. It

their own inner dreams. The projections of my collection

was impressive how the power of their images reflected a way to express their inner

become their own private Rorschach. I did not need the

struggles. When I opened my private practice, I became aware of how much my office

inkblots because I had my own collection.

reflected so many pieces of my psyche and memories of my travels and my desire to capture the synchronicity of my inner dialogue, and how so often simultaneously I

PE: Whether one is collecting Old Master paintings

would find a piece of art that mirrored what was going on inside me at that moment.

or contemporary “unknown” up-and-coming art-

My moods governed my collecting. The outsider artist spoke to my own feelings

ists, everybody loves to hear stories about a great

of being different and was drawn to the originality and ability to assemble different

discovery – and very low-cost purchase! What are

materials to express a powerful statement about themselves and their individuation. In

your favorite acquisition tales?

my practice, I encourage my patients to draw and keep a journal. My books of poetry

DC: One of my favorite stomping grounds was Billy’s

became a document for combining word and image. My office is a universe of symbols

Antiques down in SoHo. It was the perfect marriage for

and memories of my personal experiences and reflections from travel, flea markets,

me of outsider artist with his outsider art tent pitched

galleries, backyards, art fairs and various unexpected surroundings. Remarkably, they

on the sidewalk of New York City. Billy was closing his

all found a place to live together in my office and home environment. It is as if the

gallery and my wife and I decided to say goodbye. When

pieces came to me knowing I had a place for them. As my indoor art evolved, I was

I walked into his gallery, I witnessed this amazing mural

organically starting to bring it outdoors as it now is a huge sculpture garden. It is as if

of a Coney Island hanging on the rafters and I went crazy

my childhood bedroom of privacy became an outdoor playroom to share my private

wanting to own it. He said it was $6000 and was painted

imagination with others. When my patients arrive in my office, I always ask them what

by Mimi Gross. I left frustrated knowing I could not afford CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

it. The next day like a true collector, I was determined to have it and called Billy finding him on a plane on the runway as he was about ready to takeoff for Europe. When he came back I persuaded him to bring it up to my house in Connecticut and bought it for $900. We placed it outside on my bottom deck, my own personal Coney Island boardwalk. I was excited about the process and story about the piece as much as the art; the classic experience of a collector. I knew exactly how to place it in my landscape. Installation is part of the fun and magic of it all. The stories and meaning are the essence for the collector. This mural is 20 feet long and tells the story of Coney Island, which is now the cover of my new book with my father; The Inside Ride: Letters between Father and Son. My father was from Coney Island and although I only remember visiting a few times it has left a deep impression on me. Mimi Gross’ mural was donated to Coney Island as were many known artists sponsored by a non-profit arts organization, Creative Time. It was hanging outside an Italian restaurant on the boardwalk of Coney Island and fell off the building rolling down Bowery Street during a hurricane. It almost got thrown out. The mural ended up in The Museum of Coney Island and Billy from Billy’s Antiques purchased it from there. Since being in my collection, the piece called, Mexico Plaza, was supposed to be the entranceway for the first Coney Island show in the USA, but transporting became too difficult. The piece of art is now published in the first Coney Island art book collection in the United States. The book is Coney Island: Visions of An American Dreamland. The value of the piece is unknown, but for me it clearly has value beyond my comprehension and is my most important piece of art. Coney Island art dominates my art collection as its meaning is much larger than I even know. The great mystery is that my body and soul respond to any art having to do with that place and particularly the Ferris Wheel, the mandala that takes me full circle back to my father’s roots. The color and joy of all that it encompasses, the diversity of Coney Island makes it my favorite playground. The carnival of life with all its archetypal significance found me, the outside art collector, just at the right time. PE: You have made it a point to seek out lesser-known artists in Connecticut. Tell us about your first encounters with these creative people? DC: One day a collector saw my collection and suggested I visit this artist, Joe DeMarco, in Shelton, CT. When I went to

My collection is a dream come true and is never taken for granted. Now I smile at a big assemblage eagle 20 feet high in the air sitting on tree stumps looking over my garden of ideas.

his studio I knew this artist spoke to my inner eye and fell in love. From that point on I became his patron and now own so many pieces of his work including a stagecoach, horses, Jimmy Hendrix, an orchestra, a basketball player, Jackie Robinson and so many others. His work was as if we saw the same humor, beauty and meaning in how art should be assembled. We became outsider art soul-mates. He took unfound 70

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DC: One Thanksgiving, I acquired a collection of paper mache Indians, made 50 years ago by a tribe. The Indian Trading Post in Connecticut sold them to me. The famous Indian Trading Post sign from Route 7 now is part of my collection. I have been drawn to Native American Indian culture for objects and made rough masterpieces. I became passionate and we began to collaborate and envision pieces for my outside sculpture garden. He took remains of a tree and carved two lovers dancing the Tango as it now embraces my living room. I never stopped owing him money for the joy of each new piece brought so much excitement that money became secondary… I had found an artist that understood my passion for beauty. His originality was what I would have imagined as my own way to express what lives inside of me. The other artist that had the same effect on me was folk artist, Bill Duffy. He carved everything in wood. My first discovery of Duffy’s work was at the Brimfield flea market. It was a life-size piece of Mickey Mantle, Wilt Chamberlain, then

years, after a trip with my kids when they were young. The southwest landscape and art as well as visiting Indian reservations heightened my sensitivity to their plight and celebrations. The colors and spirituality connected me to the current message of how “black lives matter” as well as all different races. Their vision of connecting the inner spirit with their art captivated me. That is when horses, the color turquoise, and totem poles entered into my collection. The irony here was placing them on what was once Indian land

Ebbetts Field and Wrigley Field. He made a Carousel that lit up and made me feel

that had been taken away from them. My collection

the magic and color of what inspirers my Coney Island mind. Finally, what made this

motivated me to tell the story of various cultures and

all so special was being part of the creative process and the give and take of sharing

give them the respect they deserve. These pieces in

a communal appreciation for our memories, dreams and reflections with these two

my collection capture a spirit of survival, inspiration

artists. I had seen their works many years before and then the synchronicity of finding

and appreciation for the importance of symbolism and

them both later on in my journey and getting to know them and how they felt about

myth. As Jung says, these images amplify the meaning

their art. The magic of synchronicity of a collector is seeing the signs of discovery

of the human spirit and our history which made me

along the way.

feel more of a oneness related back again to Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious. The mandala

PE: Why do we discover so many artworks about native tribes and Indigenous

for Native American Indians is the totem pole. There

peoples in your collection?

is no accident that on my property there are 7 totems CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

proudly standing up with a strong presence of meaning. My collection honors that all cultures demand respect. This was therapeutic for me to express that viewpoint through my canvas of art throughout my collection. All of my art is in harmony with where they are all placed. PE: Remarkably, you have translated your own inner psyche onto this art collection. We have to admire the way you have ascended into your own imagination through the hundreds of objects surrounding your home and professional office. Explain this evolution. DC: My journey started as I was collecting black light posters in my college home. Then my heroes journey transformed as I began to become aware that there was a force larger than me. When I entered a church in my young adulthood, the illumination of stained-glass windows, particularly the Chagall windows, impressed upon me my new-found awareness of illumination 72

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and purpose. The reflection of the light through the glass gave me an appreciation of the otherworldly. The symbols enriched with meaning inspired a new appreciation of glass and the reflection of colors brought about

own

increasing

self-reflection of seeing my own inner light. All of this enhanced my deep spirituality and joy of beauty, and what better way than collect the stories and memories of my life. My art collection became my own personal journey into the relationship of my own discoveries and a dialogue with the otherworldly. My experience widened

order in the disorder. From that we receive inspiration.

as I became more visual and sensitive to the connection and timing of what I felt was

The largeness of that discovery can be a great relief

emerging inside of me. In addition the true gift of meeting people that embraced the artist way and learn the stories and techniques that inspired all of their visions as well as mine. This turned me into a poet, a songwriter and therapist, who in the end had to put the word and image together to express what poet, Ferlinghetti referred to as his Coney Island of the Mind. Finally in the end, I realized that my art collection is a manifestation of my ADD. Interestingly what would be considered a therapeutic environment of distraction and chaos became a place of peace and order for my ADD patients. I think the reason is that my inside and outside office portrays an environment of beauty and that in chaos comes a reminder that we can find oneness and

that beyond us sits the magic of the imagination if we choose to see the synchronicity right at our doorstep. Joseph Campbell’s hero journey for me is all expressed in my personal environment where the memoryman finally comes home. My collection is a dream come true and is never taken for granted. Now I smile at a big assemblage eagle 20 feet high in the air sitting on tree stumps looking over my garden of ideas. My soul has been stretched and only now more appreciated because I can visually hug and share with others during a pandemic. Art is a reminder of how our mortality can become an extension of our immortality to be preserved and cherished embraced and never forgotten. Now my grandchildren have become the curators of the museum. We can pass down the stories, as I did with my father in our new book, “The Inside Ride.” If it is all about memories, dreams and reflections, I bathe in the smile of my ongoing visual wonderland. PE: Thanks Donald for being so candid, expressive, and illuminating with your thoughts. DC: Beyond all the intellectual and clinical talk – more importantly: when can we sit and watch a baseball game at CitiField or Yankee Stadium? That’s what I am counting the days for in this crazy, stressful Covid-19 nightmare we are currently enduring. Let’s hope for happier times to come soon! ☐ CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

IC ONO C L A S T S

.CON NECT ICUT O F

By NONA FOOTZ

After watching marathon episodes of HGTV’s Property Brothers, My Lottery Dream Home and Love It or List It during a pandemic binge, I discovered it’s easy to become obsessed by houses. There are the renovation addicts, the real estate fanatics; and then there are those who fall under the spell of a house in their town, making repeated drive-bys, exclamations of “If only we lived there!” and low and behold, a “For Sale” sign is spotted on said house’s lawn. The stalkers rapidly compose a letter to the owner explaining why they, of all possible buyers, should be the chosen ones and that they, and only they, will treasure the home as no one else possibly can and would they please accept their heartfelt offer. I admit, I wrote a version of a letter like that once. Hand written, hand delivered, the works. Only I knew it was a pipedream. Sure, I wanted to own 74

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Photo by Michael Bowman

FEATURE

that midcentury modern home in my town that was

Archive, known by the acronym “TOFT” - which consisted of over 8,500 recordings that

built by notable architect Richard Neutra. But I knew

preserved live theatrical productions and documented the contributions of distinguished

the $3.2M price tag was well beyond reach and what I

artists and legendary figures of the theatre. Over the course of her 50 years in the

really wanted was a story. “The” story – of the house,

industry, Betty Corwin’s list of accomplishments was impressive. She not only founded

its history and its owner.

TOFT but created and produced the League of Professional Women’s Oral History

Betty Corwin lived in that house. I’d heard about

Project, co-produced City University of New York’s Women in Theatre television series,

“that theater woman” and first contacted her in 2012

received an Obie Award, the Westport Connecticut Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement

in the hopes of landing an interview for this magazine.

and awards from the Drama Desk, Women in Communications and The Villager. Betty

She was the brainchild of The Theater on Film and Tape

also won a special Tony Award in 2001 and at the age of 96 received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the League of Professional Theater Women. She lived in a majestic art filled midcentury modern home designed by a famous architect and I was convinced she would make an interesting subject for an article. But my

interview request went unanswered. returned to the subject of Betty several years later upon noticing, with some surprise, that her estate

was for sale. “Own one of only two known properties remaining in Connecticut designed by famed modernist architect Richard Neutra” said the listing – and I had long coveted that house. It was located on storybook “Huckleberry Lane” and sat stealth set back on the road, a long rectangle of glass, brick and sharp angles overlooking The Saugatuck River. Richard Neutra was an Austrian-American architect, living and building for the

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Photo by Michael Bowman

majority of his career in Southern California. He was considered to be among the most prominent and important modernist architects, known for “reconciling humanity with nature in an exultant dance of interconnectedness.” Luxury art book publisher Taschen produced a tome written by Neutra Scholar Dr. Barbara Lamprecht, describing the architect’s design as “indoor-outdoor flow meets clean, crisp modernism in the structures …whose cool, sleek style synthesized technology with nature.” But this was quite a rare design for Neutra to produce in Connecticut, typically overrun with Puritan Saltbox and center-hall Colonials. Perhaps this was my chance to make another attempt at an interview with Betty and learn something about that unique house that was now

looking for a buyer. his time I delivered a handwritten letter requesting an interview with a little more emphasis on how I pined for The Corwin House. A week later I received a call which took me by surprise – “Is this Nina?” said the clear woman’s voice

on the other end of the line; “This is Betty Corwin – I got your letter.” “Oh Mrs. Corwin, I’m so glad you called!” I shrieked, grateful to be finally speaking to this legend. She graciously refused a formal interview saying, “I’m suffering from 98

going on 99-year-old ailments” but I kept her on the phone as long as I could. She didn’t miss a beat – catching my attempts at what I thought were well-honed interviewing tactics to lure a reticent subject into talking about themselves. She corrected a few of my architectural faux pas, and wished me luck after offering a few details about her life to whet my appetite. I was heartbroken to end the call fearing it would be the last

decided to continue my quest to learn about the Corwins, speaking with Betty’s family, her former colleagues as well as architectural experts at The

Neutra Institute for Survival Through Design. Betty Corwin grew up on NYC’s Upper West Side in the 1920s and loved the theater. She worked as a production assistant and script reader for film director and producer Martin Gabel, but once she became a doctor’s wife relocating from Manhattan into the depths of 1950s suburban life, Betty Corwin became an archetypal mid-century housewife,

time I spoke to her. Four months later I saw her obituary in the New York Times and

busy entertaining and raising children. By 1955 Dr. and

sadly knew my fantasy was gone. The house would never be mine and I would never

Mrs. Corwin had started to collect art, they appreciated

meet the great Betty Corwin.

design, and decided to take the bold (and pricey) move

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FEATURE

of commissioning the famed Richard Neutra to build their dream home. Neutra was known to be a demanding man, irascible yet could also be turn on a dime to be charming and solicitous with clients. He had an impressive track design record and a reputation on the upswing, achieving the epitome of stardom donning the cover of Time magazine in August 1949 showcasing his “astounding modernist houses.” Neutra had a unique approach in getting to know his clients. His draftsmen kept photographs of their clients in front of them while working to keep the owner’s interests top of mind but Neutra himself desired an even deeper level of insight into how his clients lived, ate, slept, worked, and moved about. He would request biographical

and a phone and within a year the first Off Broadway

essays from the family – some referred to them more like ‘client interrogations’ – often

taping was complete and the rest, as they say, is history.

asking the husband and wife to write separate summaries, attempting to evaluate their

Flying directly in the face of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s

physiological and psychological dimensions from each side of their relationship.

famous quote, “There are no second acts in American

As per Dr. Lamprecht, “The standard relationship between the client and Neutra

lives” Betty was in her forties, fit, fashionable and on her

was intense and manifested in thick sheaves of letters back and forth, sometimes

way to becoming one of the most notable second acts in

daily.” Noted in Neutra’s voluminous office files now housed at UCLA’s Library Special

the NYC theatre industry. She worked tirelessly building

Collections, Henry Corwin indicated that he and his wife were “a popular couple who

relationships and gaining the consent and cooperation

entertain frequently, are trim and athletic.” In the Corwin’s case the correspondence

of the various theatrical unions and production artistic

was particularly intimate and perhaps more akin to a medical intake – Dr. Corwin felt it was important to simply reveal all the details of his lifestyle and wrote, “While

defecating I like to read and would like to have a magazine rack next to the toilet.” enry, “Hank” as he was called, was proud of his Neutra home and took every opportunity to talk about it, eager to show it off to anyone who would listen, and openly express dismay if houseguests didn’t bother to inquire about its

collaborators. ustomarily well-coiffed, tastefully bejeweled and with a flowy silk scarf around her neck Betty was universally beloved. Despite the commitment

and myopic dedication it took to launch TOFT (not to mention managing the schlep from the Metro North

design and origin. Hank had unwavering pride in his home and always mentioned in

station in Westport to Grand Central and Shuttle to the

quasi-jest his desire to have a Viking funeral when his end came – a reference to the

West Side 4 days a week), run a household, raise a family,

burial custom of Viking Age North Germanic Norsemen who were cremated along with

manage a business, make social appearances – it all

a loved one or house on a funeral pyre. The Neutra house meant that much to him.

seemed rather effortless for Betty.

Once the Corwin’s three children were of school age Betty became restless in the

Her foresight and tenacity resulted in what today

isolating suburbs and looked for something to get involved in. She was volunteering

is an archive of over 8,500 Broadway and Off-Broad-

at a NYC hospital when her sister-in-law, a theatrical agent at the William Morris

way recordings that approximately 5,000 people use

Agency, suggested Betty consider doing something in the industry they both loved

each year, including actors, agents, casting directors,

and that taping and preserving theatre productions was an idea that had been talked

composers, critics, set designers, makeup artists,

about for years but no one had done anything about. Betty grabbed the idea, hatched

press agents, producers, choreographers and stage

a plan and pitched it to the head of the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts at

managers. The collection has also become a staple of

Lincoln Center in Novem-

the city’s universities and theater programs, offering

ber 1969. They agreed to

students of all ages access to recordings for insight,

let her “make a go of it” as

direction and ideas. Need to know what the original

a volunteer, giving the sub-

costumes, set design, or lighting looked like from

urban doctor’s wife a desk

early productions of The Glass Menagerie or Hello

Dolly? TOFT. can’t help but make the link between Richard Neutra’s legacy organization The Neutra Institute’s vision and dedication to “serve humanity and the

Richard Neutra showing Betty and her husband the house drawings - 1955

planet” with Netura home owner Betty Corwin creating a resource that will serve, nourish, and guide all who want to keep the spirit of the theatre alive. ☐ CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

PULSE: Design

&Time

The Impact Of

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Designing For Ecological Harmony CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

nternationally acclaimed artist, designer, and inventor Dror Benshetrit is known for designing a range of projects and products. Human interaction and Nature have taken a turn for the worse with each passing moment in conjunction with production and technology advancements. Studio Dror is at a turning point to reverse a widespread lack of information and consumption trend to establish a ‘New Normal’ across scales — it’s not about what we live with; it’s about who and how. The Studio’s renewed focus came at an essential time in Dror’s

personal life by becoming a father and recognizing society’s widespread interest in the “sharing economy” (e.g., WeWork, Airbnb, Uber, etc.), where everyday people have started to gravitate toward the human connection and getting back together (co-working, co-commuting) rather than being apart. For example, 80% of the infrastructure needed in India in 2050

has yet to be built — Who will design it? What will it look like? How will it operate? Will the systems we create stop the caustic pressure we put on the infrastructure to reduce environmental negligence or is the damage irreparable?

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COVER STORY

VENÜ delves deeper into Dror’s ecosophy to get a more comprehensible scope of his holistic lens in the pursuit to unionize us with Nature. “I grew up in the city all my life and moved to New York, where I had access to a melting pot of disciplinary creators that shared in the collective importance of relevant

we need to design for ecological harmony”, says Dror. This apperception became a catalyst for Supernature –a conscious methodology to connect humans and urbanization in Nature.

and impactful design endeavors. It was the second time in my life that I had a moment

The most significant disconnect is between the

of realization- a catharsis, so to speak, that our artificial landscape and the subsis-

contrived structures’ and compromised architecture

tence of our social structure alienates us from the human-environmental connection.

where our lack of empathy causes a one-sided relation-

Becoming a father at 40 years old, it was only out of necessity that we moved out of

ship with our natural surroundings that isn’t responsive

the city and into the country during my wife’s pregnancy. Sustainability isn’t enough–

to an ecological footprint. Where we are today in the

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COVER STORY

Our moral consciousness is the only indelible mark that will determine the true value of nature’s work. – KS

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context of where we were 100 years ago versus 30 years ago, 70 % of the human population are living in our cities, growing from a metropolis to a gigalopolis. Sprawl development must be the conjugative driver to think about a new re-urbanization. Startling, we consume too much of our natural resources; 50% are used for the built environment. The greatest enhancement one can adapt to quickly is to work with what is locally available and inclusive to the region’s flora and fauna. This will benefit other living things and give a sense of joy and belonging in celebrating the city’s culture. Where we live, work, and play should be as self-sufficient as possible. In our practice, we encourage people to step into Nature. There’s practical evidence that supports the positive impacts for the human-nature connection and the research on biophilic and regenerative design, but little guidance as to how to implement them into the built environment. In serving one another, those who wear the creative hat find creative ways to add value to urban planning. How quickly Nature recovers when we stop polluting it. Nature keeps giving to receive and receives to keep on giving. If we examine this closely, the only “exchange” is the act of giving, as there’s no separation or isolation within our ecosystem. How can Nature teach us to unite? Our moral consciousness is the only indelible mark that will determine the true value of nature’s work. Buckminster Fuller was one of our greatest futurists and mentors of all time. He challenged perceptions and made it his life’s greater purpose to find the extensive resources for malnutrition, renewable energy, homelessness, and disease. At the source, our shift is in how we apply circular innovation for the outcomes of the

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COVER STORY

Our DNA continues to blindly guide us, but as time marches on, we as a species have realized this change is critical for our survival. – CHAD KNIGHT

consequences we created. Humans make the decisions that influence biodiversity

“Our DNA continues to blindly guide us, but as time

and effect the well-being of others. Practical solutions adapt from Nature to create

marches on, we as a species have realized this change

an infrastructure to address localized needs. All-natural processes created are

is critical for our survival”, says Chad Knight. Time relent-

independent of the grid. The purpose is what you do for your corporate mission;

lessly drives humanity forward- mutating and optimizing

being one with Nature is a life’s mission that equates to mankind’s evolution. There

us based on our perception of the world. Surpassing our

are no boundaries to our disciplines except for the ones that we create.

own ego, we learn to live harmoniously with Nature.” ☐

“I’d like to dream in a world where we Design Without Boundaries. Studio Dror’s

strength is to rethink typologies and structures, finding new ways to improve well-be-

All images Courtesy of Dror/ SuperNature Labs

ing and create meaningful connections. Overall, I find the service-oriented model of

Dror Dreams: Design Without Boundaries

design is flawed, as it places restraints on the creativity that emerges when artists

Foreword by Aric Chen

and designers are given the freedom to experiment.” – Dror Benshetrit.

The Monacelli Press

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FEATURE

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C h a d K n i g h t ’ s S c u l p t u r e s o f I m m a n e n c e By Kami Sloan

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FEATURE

Differentiating the tangible from the intangible, Chad Knight’s embodiment of works is of dreamlike mindscapes, and otherworldly human-objects that examine the archaic and futuristic age’s dualities segue between the complexities of physical and social existence in virtual worlds that evoke a visceral response. Moniker, the “Digital Catalyst” of our generation, his artistic éclat is coveted by collectors and celebrated by his peers for his incarnate composition. VENÜ sits down with Knight for a personal interview that touches upon life, the cyclical leitmotif of his visual narrative, empathy towards nature, and the curated collaborative with Dror Benshetrit for our cover. VENÜ: Many artists find a genre and stick to it. You’re an artist that works in between illusionism, surrealism, sculpture, and simulation. Would you consider your art abstract? CHAD KNIGHT: I do have a genre; it’s virtual. I work in a 4D environment, which is simulated digitally, using computer languages. My hands interact with a physical

mouse/ tablet/pen, but in my head, I am obsessing my craft, whether virtual sculpting, virtual 3D modeling, particle simulation, virtual material design, physics simulation, and time manipulation. 3D modeling grew up. The wide variety of styles in my art is sometimes a reflection of new software, virtual design tools, and techniques I’m learning. I would consider my art occasionally abstract depending on my purpose and what I wish to communicate. I use symbolism frequently to represent personal challenges. VENÜ: How do you see Time? CK: Replicating terrenes of simulation between now and reality is tied to physics in the VR sphere of organized and constructed 3D technologies leading to a complexity of new discovery. I start loosely based on a one-to-one future in theory; lifelike- using physical reality to create a simulated virtual world space. The application of this process begins in creation mode, “setting the stimulation.” The outsets of lighting elements are frozen in time. When I hit the play button, time starts like an animation system, and each frame is considered Planck length. Each Planck increment provides the infinite opportunity for change. Every option in the universe exists and is answered by either a user or set of rules (Laws of Physics, DNA, RNA, i.e.) with a yes or no. Time exploration is limited to what we can perceive or interact, riddled with physical

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limitations. The human eye only sees at a rate between 20 and 40 frames per second

VENÜ: What in life drives you to create? Is there a

(FPS). How can humans go faster than light when we can’t even perceive things moving

moment that you try to encapsulate?

at speeds that exist on vast scales? And interact with it? Ultimately, time is perception

CK: What drives me is knowing potential exists. - Many

= relative to the scale of the system.

unanswered questions fascinate me. The percipience of information that would provide answers to these

VENÜ: What are your feelings toward your ability to master so many types of

mysteries exists somewhere out there in this universe,

expression?

and the fact we can’t find it drives me crazy. We missed

CK: It’s a blessing and a curse. The inability to shut up my head results from a relentless

something significant along the way. Everyone is too

influx flood of ideas that run through my mind all day and night. I believe my unconscious

deep in their respective areas of expertise to see the

thought moderator is super lazy or super excited all the time, and this should-be-filter

forest from the trees. Continually exploring and invent-

lets any old thought pass through to my conscious mind. I’m super competitive and

ing new virtual creation and manipulation techniques

have unrealistically high expectations for everything I encounter. My mind won’t allow

inspires endless ideas.

me to rest until I have accomplished what I really want to do. I’m incredibly grateful to have the abilities I’ve been given and take no credit for it. I’m not better or any different,

VENÜ: You have a deep interest in the human condi-

perhaps a vulnerable target of envy. I care, and I want people to like me, so I’m an acute

tion. Is there something within today’s society that you

observer of my own and others’ thoughts and emotions. I think that helps me learn things

wish to expose directly or indirectly through your art?

more quickly. One of my most potent genetic mutations is the marker for an enlarged

CK: I had to confront my alcohol addiction. In coming

hippocampus, the brain region responsible for learning. I have two sets of those alleles.

to terms with my demons, I had to stop drinking and be CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

FEATURE

minority communities that are waking up to and embracing the fact that no man or woman is any better or worse than any other man or woman. Everyone deserves an equal chance at life. My root approach to life was inspired by my dad at a young age, who instilled the ethic in me to never give up, and Danny Way, who continually redefined what’s possible. This effectuated the belief that I could do far greater things than I realized, and my faith was resolute. I want other people to feel this. VENÜ: How much perception and awareness plays a role in the timing of your work? CK: Perception is only part of the equation. Interpreentirely present to listen to the incessant negative patterns to reconfigure a positive

tation, assigning and associating meaning to what is

chain of thought. This was an unrelentingly cruel and, at times, terrifying time that

perceived, and then filtering it through experiences

took me through some unchartered territory of self-discovery and awareness that

directed by our DNA is when we have awareness.

led me to a place where I could get to the basement floor and the driving forces

When we are aware, we can identify our conscious and

of my life. To understand the mechanics of how thinking works, I learned how to

unconscious biases. We can then decide whether or

separate myself from the noisy chatter of my leaky subconscious and replaced old

not to act on impulse. This is what separates us from

patterns with a healthy, positive, and productive state-of-mind. I take comfort in

the animals. As we continue to evolve, we will further

letting others know that you’re not alone.

separate ourselves from the instincts that do not serve our goals. Ai has the upper hand here.

VENÜ: Who and what are the most significant influences of your art?

CK: I have no classical training in art. At two years old, I climbed out of my crib and

VENÜ: Your backgrounds appear as crucial as the

out the window onto the roof. I was insatiably curious and stubborn, “aggressive

sculptures themselves. Do you consider yourself an

but affectionate” is how my mother described me. Skateboarding provided the

environmentalist?

adrenaline I craved and introduced me to my first true creative outlet. However,

CK: I’m fascinated with the simplicity and complexity

skateboarding and 3D are both viably boundless in their freedoms of expression

of how units and systems increase in scale and how

that presented opportunities. My religion of influence is from the BAD ASSES and

human-created objects meld within the space without

underdogs of society. I’m deeply moved by the underserved and underrepresented

injuring the nature of the interaction. The beauty lies

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in our ability to coexist in harmony and elevate one another. We are the result of

our reality in the form of vibration through matter. Ideas

adapted environmental mutations we cannot begin to fathom. I love being in nature,

oscillate through our minds precipitating our existence.

but I do not fear for our planet. If we self-extinct ourselves, I think the earth will heal,

– A solidity we’ve awakened that brings to light our

and we will become the threads of a forgotten time.

moral conscience. Humans are cautiously orbiting enlightenment. We are drawn to its beauty and the

VENÜ: Recognizing that human beings are part of nature, three fundamental

opportunity to grow beyond our periphery, but we are

energies govern our inner and outer environments- Movement, transformation,

still only human.

and structure. We see this in your work. Can you explain more?

Chad’s depth of sensitivity allows the viewer to

CK: Our surroundings are perceivable; it doesn’t dictate what we feel or believe.

scope his transcendental expression through copious

Earth water, sky, fear, love & anger are all part of the palate with water’s recurring

eyes. In short, his visual milieu is a brain ride that bisects

themes. My use of color, form, frame, and light is utilized as a reflection to elicit an

human existence between primitive and advanced

emotional response. The universe is simply information, governed by a set of rules

futures that observe our conceivable courtship. Dror

that manifests our physical reality. What’s bright and colorful is impalpable. The

shares, “Knight’s narrative is an act of liberation that

corporeal sense is a start to geometry-a horse-a mountain, part of it not being a

inspires us all to do what we love and share what we

conscious decision. The context between the pragmatic and intuitive is made to be

are passionate about with others.” ☐

seen and purposeful, whether obvious or discreet. I do what feels right … It’s like building a collage. I try not to interfere with it, settling all emotional, physical, and

For further information visit: artplug.com @chadknight

intellectual debts. VENÜ: What’s symbolic about horses and carriages? CK: They are elements and a compass used to reference a juxtaposed timeline betwixt cyberspace with humanity’s previously analog society. Imagine how significant these structures would look to people of that eon. It would appear alien, much like how people of the modern era still marvel at structures like Stonehenge and Easter Island. Frequency of Genesis (Venü cover) is a synopsis of Dror Benshetrit’s oeuvre. Intelligence manifests

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D I S RU PT I V E F R EQ U E N C I E S o F T I M E

SurrealiStic SequenceS

PhoTogRaPhy by Yanni de Melo

DESIgNS by anouk Wipprecht

“Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.” — Salvador Dalí

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Changes in our lifestyle and behavioral patterns reinforce our next stage of evolution as a species. What will become of us if we forever enslave ourselves to the mechanization of this modern age? Will an industry of “improved convenience” destruct mankind or will technological advancements help to further a more humane and justified world? For what is to become of time? — An illusory dream or fleeting existence. C.I.T.E. your reality... 94

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“My fascination of non-materiality like smoke and ink are the uncatchable amorphous behaviors of dream worlds that are hard to explain, let alone visualize. Surrealism is often about giving new thoughts a form that ensues out of dream worlds subconsciousness.” — Anouk Wipprecht, Fashion Tech Designer

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“We see with the eyes, but we see with the brain as well. And seeing with the brain is often called imagination.” — Oliver Wolf Sacks, Historian of Science 96

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Despite the advances to further compartmentalize and order our world, there is still a savage, uncontrollable humanity lurking under the surface that will never be understood or tamed,” expresses John William Barger, Brand Ambassador of Salvador Dali Museum. Neuroscience aims to understand how the brain works and what’s fascinating about this is there are so many uncharted regions. “Brain Interface technology allows us to explore the unconsciousness of the brain in real-time, and the impacts of these results are dramatic. The brain decodes information in particular places –faces, color, and shapes, and art is activating them,” chimes Neuroscientist Christoph Guger, CEO of g.tec.

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“Anouk Wipprecht’s PANGOLIN SCALES BCI+Dress especially reminded me of this quotation, ‘The life of the future would be half-human, half-machine’ - bringing Dalí’s 1930s vision of cyborg fashion to life.” — Elliott H. King, Ph.D. Art Historian & Salvador Dalí Scholar

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Model: Lara Carter Agency: CGM-Caroline Gleason Management carolinegleason.com Muah: Sandy Maranesi eastcoastmakeup.com Conceptual Direction: Kami Sloan Accessories: Wired Metal Face Headgear VVB Design Studio Projections: Jeff Cacossa Location: G-Star Studios gstarstudios.com 100

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“By constructing time as we understand (24/7/365), we are only reinforcing the limits of the human mind and ignoring a parallel subconscious state of reality.” shares Barger. ‘Many have devised their interpretations of: The Persistence of Memory that the clocks might signify that ‘time is relative’ (sometimes it flies by quickly and other times it crawls at a snail’s pace); that the world has become overly obsessed by Time; or it could be a reference to the fourth dimension of Time.’ enunciates Dr. King.

Anouk Wipprecht anoukwipprecht.nl Christoph Guger gtec.at/about Elliott H. King spiralspecs.com John William Barger jwbarger3.com thedali.org Oliver Sacks oliversacks.com Joe Nuzzolo The Salvador Dali Society® Dali.com

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101

102

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Getting back to the Sweet Life at Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese

By CINDY CLARKE

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While being grounded for the last six months has been difficult for all of us, it has been especially hard for travel aficionados accustomed to jetting off to Europe in pursuit of a coveted cultural connection whenever the urge hits. That the current state of the world mandates that any and all outside encounters be crowd free, socially distant and uniquely intimate makes the idea of a trip away from home all the more elusive. Add the fact that your favorite “it” destination may have gained newsmaking notoriety as a COVID hot spot like Italy did this spring and your dreams of a Roman holiday may have been dashed indefinitely. But it doesn’t have to be so. Once the borders reopen, there is a home in Rome that promises those champagne worthy travel bubbles you’ve been longing for. Welcome to Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese, a quiet refuge in the epicenter of the city, steps from Rome’s best-known landmarks and Accor’s only hotel in mainland Italy. Located directly across the street from the Medici Palace and the storied villa of an American celebrity turned fairy tale princess, the chic Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese was born into royalty as a 19th century guesthouse belonging to the aristocratic Ludovisi Boncampagni family and transformed into an elegant Art Deco Roman residence by acclaimed architect and interior designer Jean-Philippe Nuel. The ground floor, once a nobleman’s stable and one-time escape hide-away for

TOP: Housed in a regal 19th century palazzo in front of Villa Borghese Park, this luxury boutique hotel is steps from Via Veneto RIGHT: Spacious guest rooms cater to your comfort with modern-day amenities, elegant accoutrements and Sofitel’s trademark touches

the controversial 16th century artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, today boasts arches, curved ceilings and mosaic floors, palazzo perfect. Dining is heavenly in

its rooftop restaurant, Settimo, blessing guests with fine regional cuisine, noteworthy wines and Holy Grail views of the park-like Borghese gardens and St. Peter’s Basilica. Its guest rooms are equally regal, discreetly paying tribute to its rich royal heritage with sumptuous French inspired amenities, contemporary in style, privileged in placement. Here balconied salons invite welcome relaxation. Floor to ceiling bookshelves speak volumes about high profile fashion and art icons with collector edition coffee table books and fine objets d’art tastefully displayed. Ceilings soar with soothing blue skyed Baroque beauty playfully Breakfast caters to every taste with an endless buffet of freshly prepared morning delights and amazing city views

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handpainted to enliven the space with mythical illusion. Generous bathrooms, marbled, meticulously designed, and perfumed with luxe Hermes fragrances, surprise with

FEATURE

TV-embedded mirrors that turn on at your personal command. And bedrooms? Think pillow cloud mattresses that embrace you with such a heightened sense of bliss with every toss and turn that the hotel trademarked them. Motion sensors near the floor light the way in the dark of night and touch button curtains usher in a new day when dawn breaks. Add an assortment of unexpected culinary

Once the borders reopen, there is a home in Rome that promises those champagne worthy travel bubbles you’ve been longing for.

treats – delicate melt in your mouth macarons dressed in palate pleasing pastels, artisan crafted chocolates, and

spades. Looking back on it now, I think the folks at Sofitel

fresh fruit and cheese plates, baguettes at the ready – all

were already well on their way to providing guests with

artfully presented, impossible to resist and surreptitiously

the kind of catered concierge experiences that will be

delivered by a staff who arguably can read your mind,

the new mandate in a post-pandemic world. It’s in their

and you might never want to leave your room.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE | QUARANTINED HERE?

Pre-COVID, this hotel catered to my privacy, palate, preferences and passion for one-on-one authenticity in

DNA. After all, hospitality, hospitium, has been practiced in Rome since ancient times, when it was considered a The panoramic Settimo, Roman Cuisine & Terrace, welcomes with a garden-themed décor reflective of nearby Villa Borghese Park

divine right of the guest and a divine duty of the host. The French took it to an art form, marrying la dolce vita with that indefatigable spirit of joie de vivre to come up with the kind of guest service that’s exemplified at this

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FEATURE

RIGHT: Architecturally rich public spaces were meticulously designed by French contemporary architect and interior designer, Jean-Philippe Nuel BOTTOM: Al fresco dining overlooking the Eternal City from the hotel’s 7th floor rooftop terrace promises memories that last lifetimes

boutique 71-room, 7-suite hotel. You’re familiar with the saying “When in Rome, do what the Romans do?” I think the staff here not only invented that phrase, they really take it to heart and soul when it comes to their guests. During my stay, they orchestrated crowd-free VIP visits with local experts to must-see places, from the homes and hang outs of literary giants, like Keats, Shelly and Goethe to the catacombs off the Appian Way. They arranged a chef-led market walk and private cooking class in Trastevere, complete with a convivial tasting lunch with the owner host, secured sought after tickets 106

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FEATURE

to a Bulgari launch party in the historic Palazzo Bonaparte and set up a tête-à-tête with a principessa who just happens to live across the street in a neighboring palace. My daily agenda overflowed with insider experiences that are difficult to replicate on your own and made me feel like a pampered part of the family. Along the way I met and mingled with the locals like

TOP: Business is pure pleasure in the hotel’s intimate meeting rooms and venue spaces TOP-RIGHT: The toast of the town, the hotel’s bar wows with cocktails creatively poured amidst views equally inspiring

I lived there. An impromptu glass of wine at jeweler Giorgio Cazzaniga’s family apartment near Piazza del Popolo turned into a social soiree I’ll long remember and led to a Sofitel-sponsored Valentine’s Day dream date that featured custom jewelry and a night on the town with Giorgio and Rome’s elite. A knock on the door of Villa Aurora revealed the private palazzo of Prince Nicolò Ludovisi Boncampagna and his widow, the former Texas socialite Rita Jenrette, who invited us inside with the graciousness of an old friend who shared her stories

and treasures with us along with a behind the scenes look at an original Caravaggio painting that graced a second floor ceiling. A blind wine tasting at the hotel opened our eyes to an impressive collection of wines from Italy and France personally curated by Sommelier Chiara Giannotti, recognized as Dame Chevalier de Champagne and the author of The Perfect Wine Cellar: The Ultimate Guide for Great Wine Collections, who hosted the experience. And when I ventured out for a short walk to the nearby Spanish Steps, Piazza Barberini and Trevi Fountain or headed out for dinner locally inspired, the hotel’s staff offered recommendations and reassurances that made my wanderings worry free, once again raising the bar with their personalized care and attention. Now that COVID has put the world on edge, this Sofitel hotel has ramped up their already high standards of safety, hygiene and guest care with preventative mea-

Now that COVID has put the world on edge, this Sofitel hotel has ramped up their already high standards of safety, hygiene and guest care with preventative measures that go beyond what is required.

sures that go beyond what is required. Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese has introduced enhanced hygiene and sanitary standards to ensure guest safety in accordance with Accor’s #ALLSAFE program. Verified by SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing, and certification company, the cleanliness and prevention certification label provides assurance that these elevated standards have been met. Is it any wonder that I’ve been dreaming of returning to Rome during my time at home? ☐ CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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PULSE: Design

HEART

glass OF

By KAMI SLOAN

MVRDV’S SEASONS OF CONCRETE PROPORTION

“Seasons change with the scenery; Weaving time in a tapestry Won’t you stop and remember me” - PAUL SIMON.

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The firm’s latest showstopper demonstrates how Detroit’s Eastern Market neighborhood can merge art and architecture at its core. For further information on the artists: enjoydenial.com sheefymcfly.com

As an emerging stalwart of residential and commercial development, FIRM Real Estate is the building block of commerce to Detroit’s historic Eastern Market. Their expressed dedication to the community and architectural memes transcend the urban landscape to the workplace’s future nexus with ‘Glass Mural,’ a distinctive, four-storey retail space and office building that marinates with the downtown vibe of the district’s vendors and local artisans. Home to the regions’ sprawling food hub epicenter, Eastern Market’s annual ‘Murals in the Market’ festival, recognized by the Smithsonian as one of the world’s best, serves as the inspirational backdrop to the effervescence of the new 40,000 square foot glass building located at the intersection of Russell and Division CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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PULSE: Design

Street, which currently presides as a two-storey brick structure whose key redeeming feature is a mural by an international artist DENIAL. To preserve and advance the national treasure trove of Detroit’s cosmopolis, designated UNESCO’s first City of Design in America 2015, John Patrick, founder of ABOVE THE FOLD, serves the Glass Mural’s undertaking as a strategic liaison to bring the globally acclaimed Netherlands-based architecture and design firm MVRDV on board. “FIRM Real Estate knew they wanted to work with a Dutch architecture firm that would create an empathetic relationship between aesthetic and the interpersonal experience of the vibrant counterculture. In understanding the crucial role that urbanism plays in our daily lives and the artistic pastiche needed to conserve history and give it a new-existence, MVRDV

MVRDV leads the way in creating central design facade concepts that gesture connection and deliver architecture with conversational sensitive contexts among integrated collaborations.

was the dynamic choice”, reveals John Patrick. Essentially, ‘Glass Mural’ is Eastern Market’s contemporary heartbeat to the larger agronomy that introduces a mixed-use working environment to catapult the industry and drive the economic value of existing and new businesses in the modern-day era. This sets the framework to expansive growth and encapsulates its timeless artist-centric charm built into the façade of its infrastructure. How do you pay tribute to such a historical landmark and give it a new pulse while keeping its sensibilities? MVRDV’s answer is to walk the line of the localities’ distinct character that constructs a proximal symbiosis between its subsistent hub and retail office space in a mnemonic manner. Just as the pairing of food-and-a fine wine, the materiality

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of glass and the ever-changing palate of panoramas

of the painting with brickwork images outstretched on

create indelible ambrosia of the region’s narrative that

all four sides of the building.

reflects its past and charters its new path forward in

Much technological advancement has widened the

the 21st century of architecture and design. Maintain-

scope of glass fenestration that strikes a harmonious

ing the mural’s visual integrity and the brick pattern

balance between the structural and interior environ-

requires using sheets of glass to recreate a singular

ment. This project’s conceptual aspects allow for a

image that combines a more extensive interpretation

simulating invitation amid the courtship of the inside

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and outside surroundings to optically communicate different dimensions of observation that symbolically embody the fragility of preservation, new construction, and commerce endurance. Marking MVRDV’s third mixed-use project in the United States and the first in the Midwest, their einfühlung comprises a stack of shifting blocks that build upon the substructure of the area’s colorful verve. Winy Maas, the first “M” in MVRDV, gives voice, “the proportions of the blocks refer and connect to the Eastern Market’s humanscale.” Maas adds, “We loved the idea of celebrating the artists who contribute to the heritage and bring so much depth of this area to life. It allows us to interact with the spirit of the neighborhood that’s playful and unexpected. Our decision to do this with glass is a practical choice that allows us to incorporate windows from the original works recreated, as well as the greater artistic freedom for an interlude of new artwork without an obstacle for other artists to work around.”

GLASS FARM was realized in Schijndel, The Netherlands. In collaboration with artist Frank van der Salm all the remaining traditional farms in the area were photographed and an image of the ‘typical farm’ developed. This image was printed onto the glass envelope that forms the entire façade of the 1600m² building, which is entirely covered by a glass facade consists primarily of a series of public amenities such as restaurants, shops and a wellness center.

artworks. The building can accommodate a single or multiple tenants, yet to be determined. The third block will house circulation cores and access to the roof deck, a fully occupiable amenity for office tenants. In slight contrast with DENIAL’s work on the first block, the second block will present a newly com-

Operationally, Glass Mural will have a ground-level retail

missioned mural by SHEEFY, one of Detroit’s top

storefront, with three floors of office spaces dispersed

emerging artists. Unlike the other glass facades, the

throughout the two primary glass blocks with permanent

third block will feature a “flat façade finish” canvas that will change with the season’s tides. It will provide an opportunity for alternate artists over time to come and paint murals. “Exemplified by MVRDV’s ubiquitous influence and technical ingenuity, Glass Mural shows how united post-industrial cities and clients across the world are in utilizing an innovative language of architecture and design that cultivates a progression of forward change”, reiterates John Patrick. “Architecture can blend in, make its mark, or do both. I think the best architecture does both.” GLASS MURAL is more than a lifestyle, it’s a blooming destination. ☐

GLASS MURAL

All images courtesy of MVRDV For further information mvrdv.nl CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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PULSE: Art

+ Design

HITECH HYPNAGOGIA A Mind’s Eye View on Art & Design

“Surrealism continues to have not only a vibrant afterlife but an enduring contemporary existence” —Elliot H. King, Art Historian and Salvador Dali Scholar

freeing it is to delve into the subconscious where we can guiltlessly frolic, dream, be unapologetically creative, and unhindered by practicality and utility. Whether it’s a table, or a pool slide sculpture, what all of our lifestyle accents have in common is their playfulness. Toying with reality is our signature style.

Splinterworks “Inspiring people to re-imagine the conventional to the unconventional is inspiring within itself.” —Miles Hartwell, Co-Founder at Splinterworks For additional inquiries on custom home accents and furnishings contact: glenn@lightagencygroup.com splinterworks.com

OpenSeed “Voyage to Higher Planes of Consciousness” The meditational pod allows you to journey beyond space and time, creating a pathway to enhanced well–being and sensory mindfulness. There’s a correlation between its Daliesque womb shape design powered by sound, lighting, and aromatherapy that coheres to cognitive patterns, providing a sacred space to melt away your worries and spiritually connect with your inner-self. In light of the oppression that has worn on us today, OpenSeed is an emotional incubator that frees the mind and nourishes the soul, making this innovative product of significant relevance today. – A real synesthetic encounter. openseed.co 112

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Photos by Robert Young McKenzie

We see the reemerging surrealist style as an opportunity to be released from our boxes of consciousness. How

The incendiary gallerist Marcel Katz gives us his Dadaistic introspective on today’s climate’s thriving countercultural movement. The connection of space and time is relative. Possible futures and distant possibilities are more real and present than one would think. If you can imagine it or feel it, it’s real because it’s living in your mind. Thankfully I’ve had the pleasure of implementing technology into new ideas and concepts that have been brought to life through the skilled

RINSPEED

“Surrealism is what our inner eye sees in a future time and space. Sometimes more subtle, sometimes more beyond the normal.” —Frank Rinderknecht

Photos by Giano Currie

are coinciding. – At least for me, at this time. Realities we thought would never come to fruition are here now. We’re all struggling to find balance in a world we never thought would cease to exist, evolving and ever-changing to its adaptations. Finding happiness and acceptance in the unknown isn’t easy, but there’s always a moment of impact that we can’t predict- a potential for different outcomes, bearing in mind that reality is just a fold in time. You never know what’s around the corner unless you allow yourself to wonder what’s over the horizon.

For further information contact: artinquiries@artplug.com artplug.com

For more than 40 years, Founder and CEO of Rinspeed Inc., Frank Rinderknecht, has been a leading emancipator of the automotive industry that designs ingenious mobility and sustainable emotional concepts. Frank’s passion for creativity remains a revolutionary vehicle for an impact of change and the human connection at the heart of his designs. One of Frank’s favorite quotes by John Lennon, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.” rinspeed.eu

Photos courtesy of Rinspeed Inc

Art Plug

roster of talented V.R. artists, brands, and partners of my network, taking out-of-the-box ideas and turning them into capricious realities. You were able to view this clearly at my exhibition Dalí, The Real Surreal, where we took massive 3D Salvador Dalí sculptures and made them appear as if you were standing next to colossus structures. Art is a subjective and personal experience; it can affect you in a specific way based on what you are going through at one moment and effect you entirely differently in another. I feel incredibly connected to this sentiment, as I consciously evolved as an individual during this showcase. It’s been one of the most enlightening moments of my life. Just as in the famous work, The Persistence of Memory, many realities

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PULSE: Film

Photos by Nattaya Anurak

A TIME LIKE NO OTHER 114

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Nicholas Simon’s Indochina Productions: Quietly, Yet Boldly Leads The Industry Through Its Most Challenging Period By PETER FOX

he etymology of films has always been a subject

and limitations of on-set protocols made necessary by

that has piqued my interest. The why, the when,

the virus.

and how they happened. When I was relatively

But great producers always find a way to get it done.

young, I fell in love with James Bond movies.

The first runaway hit film of the Covid era, The

The Vietnam era evening news, juxtaposed with Sean

Extraction, produced in part by Napa based Producer

Connery and his deadly, casual elegance, made them all

Nicholas Simon, was completed before the virus turned

the more impactful. Scenes from the war and the death

the world upside down. However, its place in film history

totals would routinely run over the evening news’s closing

is secured not only because its Netflix release occurred

credits on Sunday evening. Bond’s otherworldly presence

during the depths of the first lockdown but by the fact that

was provided an escape, even for a few hours, from the

this raucous and very entertaining shoot ‘em up action

inescapable reality of the moment. Producer Albert Broccoli

film was just the right film at the right time.

recognized the vacuum, the unspoken hunger of American

What makes Nicholas Simon’s connection to The

audiences, and plodded forward. Great producers possess

Extraction worthy of a closer look is not just the film itself,

the uncanny knack to see the landscape’s scale and scope and then make films that

but how he has plodded forward in the height of the

audiences want before they are even aware that they want them. Amid the turmoil, be it

pandemic with more projects since then. His company,

social or political, no producer wants to be part of the group that stands on the sidelines,

Indochina Productions, is based in Bangkok, Thailand,

scratching their heads, figuring out what film to make next. The great ones are always

and works with the most prominent producers, stars, and

ahead of the curve. Looking back at the nineteen sixties, the Bond and Hitchcock films

directors globally. With production conditions in South-

provided audiences with precisely what they wanted without them having to say so: The

east Asia relatively favorable to those here in the United

chance to breathe and forget for one hundred and twenty minutes.

States, Simon has quietly-and undeniably- established

At no other time in the history of film production has the climate for film production

himself and his company as a force to be reckoned with

been more challenging than today. As Covid-19 and social and political upheaval continue

as the film industry moves through the numerous changes

to rage out of control along with the California wildfires, most industries are upside down.

forced upon it by Covid-19.

The picture business was hit particularly hard, with dozens if not hundreds of notable films

I met with Nicholas Simon recently at his stylish home

shut down, canceled, postponed, or re-positioned to allow for the exorbitant expenses

in Napa on a hot day during a momentary relaxation of CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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Photos by Jasin Boland/Netflix

PULSE: PULSE: Film Film

project with the Russo brothers (Extraction’s Executive Producers) in Morocco, and so, the world goes in circles. We then convinced someone who was the regional head of an advertising company that we knew how to produce. This was 1995, and Southeast Asia was really like the wild west back then. So, with dumb luck and luck and good fortune, we figured it out. the lockdown (Stage 1? Stage 2? Is anyone keeping track anymore?). With jeans

PF: I guess the pitch being that you could get things done

and a blazer, Simon’s demeanor is humble and sage-like, not a sniff of Hollywood

over there more quickly and for less cost?

arrogance in the air. In his bucolic backyard over wine and cheese, we talked

NS: They had to make a TV commercial for the Vietnam-

about his projects, how he got his start, how the virus has impacted the film

ese market, and it hadn’t been done before on the scale

industry, and of course, the future of his company.

that they wanted. We thought it was huge, but it was three TV commercials for thirty thousand dollars. When you’re

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PF: If I may-as a kind of a jump-off point, how are you handling Covid testing

twenty-two, and you’ve never done it before, you’re like,

on your productions?

“so much money!” We ended up delivering. Our company

NS: We offer for people to come to Thailand or to Vietnam and quarantine either

was called “Sud-Est” productions. It’s still going on, but

at a five-star hotel which (which the government film office does not publicize) or

we sold it, and it’s a Vietnamese production company

at an Army base, which does have Wi-Fi. (we both laugh). So, we are promoting

now. But before we sold it, we produced hundreds of TV

the five-star hotel, and in Japan it’s the same thing.

commercials over the years.

PF: How long has your company existed?

PF: Are all of your facilities over there? Or do you do your

NS: I can go back to the origins. In 1994 I studied East Asian history at Columbia

post-production here? How does it work?

University in New York, and I thought I wanted to be a journalist. I thought I would

NS: Every project is different. Our main business for Indo-

get a job at the Cambodia daily, but I found out the person who’d hired me had

china is production service. In the past, when productions

given the same position to like ten other people and, I was lower down the

like The Avengers or Kong have come over and said, “OK,

totem pole or the friendship pole. So, I ended up going to Saigon instead, and

we want to shoot in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, or Ban-

a bunch of crazy things happened there. I met someone (Tran Anh Hung) from

gladesh,” and then I answer, “Yes, it’s possible, and these

a film production called Cyclo, which is the second movie of the guy who did

are the ways,” I become their on-the-ground producer

Scent of Green Papaya. Cyclo was set in post-1975 Saigon. In the 90s in Saigon, it

and production company. So, getting their permits, film-

ended up going on and winning at Venice, and I caught a film bug there. I talked

ing permits, import permits, helping with the logistics, my

with the UPM, Benoit Jaubert, and we ended up starting up the first joint venture

company does all of those things. It’s grown so that we’ve

with Liberation film studio. Ironically, we then went different ways, and then I just

become more involved on smaller to mid-size projects;

hired him back, and he was our line producer on Extraction. He just did another

we’re much more engaged in the creative side. There was

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

a project called A Prayer Before Dawn that we ended up producing with James Schamus.

NS: Every one of them were paid extras. We have systems

It ended up going on to Cannes.

in place where we pay the extras directly. Our casting department was stellar.

PF: When you say that you are now more involved in the creative side, do you mean in terms of development?

PF: Just by viewing the film, it occurred to me that the

NS: In terms of development, yes. We cannot yet talk about certain things, but we are

production had to be grueling, especially in that heat,

getting different project’s rights. We’re working with writers and directors and actors in

with so much cast and crew.

the early stages and then leveraging our expertise in that part of the world.

NS: Originally, we were going to shoot in Australia, and then India, but then that was changed too, so as time

PF: In terms of theme and story, are most of these projects based in Indochina?

moved forward, we were left with only twelve weeks

NS: Most of them are based there, yes. But because of all of this crazy climate with Covid

of prep. On a movie of this scale, there’s usually a lot

and the restraints it’s placed on production worldwide, I don’t know how soon a big show

more time. I’d say the grueling part of it was doing it

like Extraction will be able to shoot with all that’s going on now. They (the producers of

on time, doing it well, and doing it within our budget

Extraction) brought in 100 people for the cast. The first unit crew was like 450 people.

($65,000,000). If you look at the budgets of what films

The second unit was 200. It’s going to be a while until you can do that again level of

in this genre usually run, Mission Impossible or Bourne

production again. So, I’m looking at what we can do in the interim. It looks like there will

franchise movies, you’re looking at $200,000,000 plus,

be projects of $35,000,000 and below, which are more doable. Sometimes they come

apiece. With what we were able to get, traveling between

from the directors, sometimes from the studio, or the project itself, but what I’m looking at is what size of production would be one that we can contain? The size of the crew, etc., so that it’s more Covid friendly? But that’s what we’re doing right now. There were a couple of projects in the back of my mind and thinking about pitching in a year or so from now. But now, we’re thinking of moving them up. There are also projects that we can do in one country, and if we need to fly people in, we can certainly do that. There’s another series that I’m trying to set up that would take place in five to eight countries around Southeast Asia basically from Korea to Thailand. But we’d be able to produce it. Hence, each country is its own segment so we don’t need to fly people back and forth, because we have crews in each place. They can take care of it, and then with that in mind, there are also projects that we’re starting to pitch here in the states which work in the same ways. Whether it’s Oklahoma or Los Angeles, you can do it on a smaller scale and in self-contained units.

WE SHOT THREE DAYS IN BANGLADESH, FIFTEEN DAYS IN INDIA, AND THE BULK OF IT, EIGHTY TO NINETY PERCENT OF IT WAS DONE IN THAILAND.

PF: Tell me a little bit about Distraction. How long ago did production begin? Was production impacted at all by Covid? NS: It was pre-Covid, but it certainly benefitted from Covid. A lot of bored people at home with Netflix. The story is set in India, which is a significant market for Netflix. We shot three days in Bangladesh, fifteen days in India, and the bulk

three countries, the picture still provided an authentic,

of it, eighty to ninety percent of it was done in Thailand. It was initially hoped that they

worldly experience for the viewer. It was a challenge,

could shoot the whole thing in India, but then came the reality of shooting an action

but I’d say that it was a rewarding shoot. The local crew

film in India with heavy stunts, explosions, gunfire, and helicopters. India has not been

worked really hard—the art department; same thing.

production-friendly. The logistics and importation are just too tricky there.

There was no division between the foreign crew and the Thai crew. It might sound corny, but I’m a real believer that

PF: When looking at these scenes in The Extraction on the street, specifically when

the harmony between the departments on the projects

they take the kid and throw him in the van, you’ve got all those people around,

shows in the final product. We can’t change the script or

hundreds of them. I’m assuming all of those were hired actors? How did you manage

the acting performances; that’s up to the director and the

so many of them?

editor, but we gave them a lot, and they used it. ☐ CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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WELL-BEING

Trend The Future of Immune Health: Arctic Bath

9 WELLNESS TRENDS FOR 2021 By JUDY CHAPMAN

Each year, the Global Wellness Summit releases

there was accelerated fatigue with a wellness

unprecedented access and affordability. The

its top nine wellness trends that provide impact

industry overly focused on elitist, hyper-trendy,

trend? Wellness will become a bigger, more

on the multitrillion global wellness industry. It’s

evidence-free wellness solutions—which sud-

meaningful programming focus as Big Media

the only wellness forecast based on the insights

denly feel “so 2019.”

digests the huge cultural force wellness has

of hundreds of top executives of wellness

Wellness is now a booming trillion-dollar

companies, economists, doctors, investors,

market. These trends reflect how wellness

If wellness programming on TV (whether

academics and technologists.

is poised to take a bigger seat at the health

Oprah or the Goop Lab) has been about well-

While nobody could have predicted the

care table. It predicts a future industry that will

ness as a topic you passively consume, the

2020 pandemic, the positive news is the entire

be more inclusive, accessible and affordable.

future is TV content and platforms that involve

world woke up to wellness. Yoga saw a stag-

How it will basically “get real” and more evi-

and impact you. Smart TVs are baking wellness

gering 25% global increase while the interest

dence-based - and tackle tougher and more

“channels” onto their home screens: Samsung

in meditation rose by 2,900%. Outdoor fitness

crucial human pain-points…

TVs launched Samsung Health, letting people

saw a massive spike and governments around the world are developing cycling paths to boost wellbeing.

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become.

Hollywood and the Entertainment Industries Jump into Wellness

binge 5,000 hours of free fitness/meditation classes from the buzziest brands. The future: smart TVs (like Apple’s) that connect to your

There’s no doubt that the pandemic made

For wellness purists, any trend about Goliath

health wearable (like Apple Fitness+) to serve

wellness radically more important to people

TV, music and tech companies moving into

up personalized wellness/fitness experiences

overnight, while COVID-19 exposed the terrible

wellness programming can cause eye rolls; it

right on your TV. Wellness companies are

human cost for not controlling chronic, underly-

must be…inauthentic. But for anyone serious

becoming full-blown TV studios: Mega-med-

ing conditions, radically strengthening the case

about “wellness for all,” more wellness expe-

itation-apps, Calm and Headspace, recently

for preventative wellness. At the same time,

riences at Big Media platforms is a story of

scored TV shows (HBO Max and Netflix),

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

translating their meditative experiences into immersive television. Meditation apps with TV series? Unthinkable just two years ago. China is perfecting the marriage of wellness TV programming and e-commerce, and Waterbear Network is a new “Netflix” for climate activism. The ways that music is being created for stress, sleep, focus, a better workout, or just trippy, ambient bliss…has kicked into high gear. It’s a paradigm shift: If music has always been consumed around artist, song and genre, now it’s “serve me music-as-therapy.” Meditation apps are becoming big wellness music “record labels,” and more apps are launching, specifically focused on music-for-wellbeing. Generative music technology—where your biometrics meet neuroscientist-designed sound—will take sound-as-precision-medicine to radical places. And not surprisingly, celebrities are now all over wellness, not just as spokespeople but as company founders, execs

Spiritual Architecture Trend: Therme Vals by Pritzker Prize winning Architect Peter Zumptho

and major investors. The future: more collaborations between Big Media (who know a few things about high-quality, immersive content) and the wellness world (who has done a far better job than doctors in getting people obsessed with health). A trend that could impact billions of lives and feels awfully overdue.

The Future of Immune Health: Stop Boosting, Start Balancing We join many forecasters in naming immune health a 2021 trend, not only because we agree that it will remain a consumer obsession post-vaccine but because the main ways the

Spiritual Architecture Trend: Buddha in Gardens (photo Courtesy of John D Wood).

wellness industry has been addressing it are…

trendy quick-fixes in trendy bottles, but

flat-out wrong. In 2020, people were blitzed

they’re ready for more. A wellness industry

with “immune-boosting” supplements, foods

newly focused on the hard—and fast-evolv-

and therapies, but the idea that you can

ing—immune science could extend and save

“boost” your immunity is unscientific nonsense,

many lives. And help its own reputation along

and “more boosting” is precisely the wrong

the way.

approach. The future: approaches that lead to immuno-stabilization, immuno-balance. We will see more evidence-backed

Spiritual and Numinous Moments in Architecture

approaches to immune health, with metabolic

In recent years, a storm of studies has demon-

health, the microbiome, and personalized

strated the powerful connection between the

nutrition becoming crucial—along with more

built environment and our physical health, and

experimentation with everything from “positive

a new “wellness architecture” sector has taken

stress” experiences to intermittent fasting for

off, heavily focused on functional design moves,

immune resilience. And immunity programs at

whether circadian lighting or air purification.

travel destinations will go deeper, more med-

What has been glossed over is design

ical, with interventions that matter more than

that can tap into and nurture our spirituality.

“immune-boosting” menus and IV drips.

In 2021, we will see new attention paid to

After a long 2020, people are aware that

creating everyday spaces that can incite

their immune health is a holistic affair, that

sacred and numinous moments, that elevate

food and the microbiome are lynchpins, and

our consciousness and potential, and ground

that “slow” not “hyper” strategies are the

us in gravitas in the midst of a mindless, con-

difference-makers. People will keep gobbling

sumerist society. Architecture and design will CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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WELL-BEING

move up Maslow’s Pyramid, from our recent

Practitioners are bringing breathwork to

era of look-at-me, visually ostentatious fads

ever-larger audiences and pushing it into fas-

like luxury McMansions to a new architecture

cinating new territories, including rehabilitation,

reaching for the “Self-Actualization” tier—a built

fitness, community building, and relief from

environment that can move our souls.

chronic stress, trauma and PTSD. Cool, clubby

Spiritual wellbeing is an inextricable part of

breathwork parties and festivals are rising.

a well life and rightfully deserves more design

There are even studies that point to breathwork

consideration and designated spaces in our

as a possible therapeutic for one of the world’s

homes, workplaces, communities and urban

deadliest diseases: hypertension. Perhaps the

landscapes. The full report gives rich detail

best part of all—this drug-free medicine costs

on examples, including thin places, ancient

absolutely nothing.

revivals, “nudge architecture,” and creating spiritual homes.

Just Breathe! Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need

The full report explores the people, the techniques, the places, and the new breathtech pushing the practical magic of breathwork into exciting—and important—new directions.

didgeridoo sounds like to do breathwork. An

The Self-Care Renaissance: Where Wellness and Healthcare Converge

increasing number of clinical studies from

Over three hundred years after the first Medical

major universities like Harvard, Stanford and

Renaissance, we’re undergoing a new kind of

Johns Hopkins are putting science and data

medical renaissance where two complemen-

behind something we’ve actually known for

tary yet often competing entities—healthcare

centuries—the way we breathe has profound

and wellness—will converge. Wellness is learn-

effects on our mental and physical health and

ing to lean into science, establish standards,

abilities. It might even help us strengthen our

and hold itself accountable. At the same time,

immune systems.

healthcare is beginning to borrow from the

to know where your chakras are or what a

Resetting Events Trends: MB Summit of Minds Workshop

wellness playbook—transforming a once sterile and strictly curative industry into a more holistic, lifestyle-oriented, and even pleasurable one. In this new era, hospitals will take inspiration from five-star resorts, yoga studios might measure improved telomere length, and prescriptions may be coupled with hyper-personalized guides to optimal health. As we look to a future where healthcare and wellness converge, an excellent example in the full report is Octave’s Sangha Retreat in Suzhou, China, which presents what we believe is next for healthcare and wellness. A kind of yin yang approach where two seemingly opposing forces finally discover that they can—and must—work together. As Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier puts it, “Medicine is realizing that its roots have come from wellness traditions, and the wellness community is recognizing that not all doctors are evil.”

Adding Color to Wellness Graphic videos and the protests of last summer prompted many businesses to voice support for anti-racism. While diversity and inclusion have become a popular topic in the wellness industry, this trend argues that to generate substantive change, the wellness industry must recognize and address the false narrative that wellness is for affluent white people. It discusses how the industry can add color to wellness by valuing Travel Reset Trend - Los Tres Lagoon

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Black consumers and wellness professionals and describes the different ways that Black

people actually experience wellness offerings and spaces, highlighting racial inequalities. This full report also provides insights into the future, illustrating how companies are changing the wellness narrative, and gives suggestions for how the wellness industry can add color to wellness. And it demonstrates that companies that value wellness for all racial groups and income levels will thrive as they expand their consumer markets and increase business innovation and profitability. Wellness enterprises that value diversity, respect Black wellness needs, and work to support more equitable access, represent the future of wellness.

Resetting Events with Wellness: You may never sit on a banquet chair again

Travel Reset Trend; Ice Hiking

Around mid-March 2020, the pandemic brought in-person events to an abrupt halt.

politics. But it’s 2021, and transparency is trend-

near-complete brake on travel in 2020. The

And no matter the power of technology and the

ing. A culture craving authenticity is breaking

pause gave everyone—consumers and suppli-

gratitude we felt for Zoomed Wi-Fi connectivity,

the money taboo—transforming finance from a

ers—the opportunity to think about rebooting

the world hungered for personal interactions.

hush-hush, one-size-fits-all, cut-and-dry indus-

travel for the better by correcting overtourism,

try to one that’s more human, empathetic, and,

becoming more conscious of where our money

dare we say, fun.

goes, and how to use the enormous power of

But there was a silver lining: A new trend that will forever change meetings and events

tourism to sustain cultures and environments

was born, with wellness at the core. New

This growing openness is being driven by

hybrid events (in-person and virtual gather-

a much larger mental health awakening. And

ings) sprouted like mushrooms after a spring

with research linking financial stress to anxiety,

Looking ahead, the year 2021 may be the

rain. Technology companies raced to be the

depression, high blood pressure, respiratory

year that all travel becomes wellness travel.

platform for hosting hybrid meetings. Investors

conditions and more—it’s about time money is

From the manic travel of 2019, which was the

threw money at tech companies, and within

put under the microscope.

ninth year of record-setting growth in travel, out-

and perhaps even leave them better off.

months of the pandemic shutting down most

This growing financial wellness movement

pacing global economic expansion, 2021 will be

in-person-only gatherings, new companies had

is moving money talk far beyond the bank.

the year of the travel reset, going slower, nearer

taken hold, and a new world was emerging.

Financial therapists are tackling the intersec-

and more mindfully. But travel will reset fitfully,

As the full report explains (link below),

tion between money and mental health, and

mirroring the vaccination rollout, which has

the trend reinforces top-of-mind topics like

the three billion views of #personalfinance con-

prompted optimism as well as tentativeness.

health, safety and immunity and employs new

tent on TikTok prove that finance influencers

protocols and technologies that mitigate risk in

are officially a thing.

engaging ways. In 2021 and beyond, creativity

In 2021 and beyond, we’ll begin to see the

is driving connection—and how we gather is

end of financial systems designed to profit from

taking on new—and healthier—meanings.

our failure and the start of financial wellness awakening. Money talks. It’s time we start using

Money Out Loud: Financial Wellness Is Finding Its Voice

a language everyone can understand.

Money has topped the “do-not-discuss” list

2021: The Year of the Travel Reset

for decades—right alongside religion, sex and

The coronavirus pandemic acted as a

Readers can access the full report at www.globalwellnesssummit.com ☐

JUDY CHAPMAN is the former Editor-inChief of Spa Asia magazine and a Harper Collins author of 4 books. She provides a highly sought after end to end client service, specialising in spa and wellness design, brand and product development. www.judychapman.com.au CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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TRU47

T H E

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S I L V E R

L I N I N G

The adage that great ideas, products, and services are often born of out a challenge or a crisis to solve a problem or fill a need, rings true for an innovative USA based company, TRU47®. Such an AHA moment came about in just this way for this five-year-old enterprise focused on natural, safe, and effective wellness products made of 99.99% pure woven silver or ones infused with colloidal silver. All with the purpose of enhancing people’s lives. In 2017, TRU47’s founder, Sharon Whiteley, started to feel sick after a great evening at a popular local restaurant. She thought it was just a case of mild food poisoning until she woke the next day and couldn’t walk. Off to the emergency room she went, a tad scared she admits. After assuring the doctors she didn’t have burst appendicitis (their initial call) she did accept that she may have contracted a bacterial infection. The medical team convinced her she needed to get on antibiotics which she reluctantly agreed to ingest knowing she always had a bad reaction to them – nausea and even sicker was par for the course. Sure enough, the next day she was nauseous and sure enough, felt even sicker. It was then she remembered about “silver” and it’s reported effectiveness in staving off viruses, bacteria, and fungi. This led to a year of independent scientifically protocoled research at a major university lab in Arizona and the creation of the company’s “hero” product, an ionically plated pure silver cloth called Stellarcleenz. Studies from that research showed

the chemical and alcohol-based antimicrobial products on

that 8 to 10 robust wipes with the cloth – wet, dry, or damp – is all it took to inhibit the

the market build up resistance after repeated use, as well

growth of pesky bacteria (studies are posted on the company’s website, www.tru47.com)

as dry out and crack the skin exposing one’s body to vul-

So, what about the name Whiteley is often asked. “The ‘47’ honors one of nature’s

nerable gateways into internal systems. Some companies

most noble elements – silver, which is known in scientific circles as Ag47. It’s renowned

try and get by this by saying “organic alcohol” which is

for its naturally effective antibacterial properties” she explains. “As for the TRU, all our

hollow marketing speak. Truth of the matter is in essence

products are “true” as to the integrity, care and quality that is behind their creation”. As

all alcohol is effectively “organic”.

someone fortunate to be very healthy, she added, her unexpected restaurant ailment was the calling card that led her to embark on a passionate study of silver.

TRU47 today continues to innovate products that support people’s overall health and wellness, and not

It was a well-known fact, although new to Whiteley at the time, that over the past six

only with silver. Some of their masks and new facial

thousand years, many civilizations had recognized the healing properties of silver, starting

shields also have Copper outer layers. Copper is

with the Macedonian culture. The documented traditional medicinal uses of silver started

reported to be an excellent antiviral natural element.

to disappear as antibiotics were introduced and the pharmaceutical industries started to

With silver on the outer and inner facings, these masks

evolve and flourish in the 1940’s. Silver is also reported to be a time-tested solution to

offer a very robust covering. All TRU47 products clearly

many of life’s daily ailments; for instance, it is still used in wound care today. Pure silver

state they are “for social distancing only” and are not

is fast becoming more popularized and reported to inhibit the growth of germs, fungi,

medical or surgical grade. A bit of controversy exists

and viruses, as well as bacteria that can cause odors.

about the breathability and therefore bottom-line

The world since TRU47’s first early days has passed – a time when leading disruptors

efficacy of some silver mesh Masks, their top seller, as

like Dave Asprey of Biohack fame, and a major positive renown institution, The TED

alternative plain cloth coverings or disposable ones

Conference, first featured pure silver woven cloths. “The pandemic has forever altered

that are wasteful and environmentally unfriendly. This

the state of the company’s world” states Whiteley. “We were here before the pandemic

woman owned company, given we just have celebrated

and will be here after the crisis abates; however, Covid 19 did inspire us to escalate our

Women’s day and month, delivers on their caption they

creation of silver-based products that would contribute to people’s well-being safely and

very often use – there is a silver lining in social distanc-

naturally”. TRU47’s social distancing silver masks, scarves and face shields are among

ing. Many of TRU47’s silver face shields and scarves

the company’s innovative and distinct product offerings.

are quite stunning when worn -- and sparkly”, Whiteley

What is unique and further distinct about TRU47’s silver products are even more timely today as bacteria and viruses are “smart” and becoming more pervasive. Many of

smiles. “We do believe feeling pretty is a wellness benefit”. Therein lies our “silver lining”. ☐ CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

123

TRANSPORT: Seakeepers

Yachting Community On Board In Fighting The

PLASTICS PROBLEM The International SeaKeepers Society build a global movement to help restore and protect the world's oceans By IVONNE GAMBOA

The world’s oceans are under invasion by a virtually indestructible enemy – plastic. Every year, an estimated 8 to 12 million tons of plastic make their way into the sea. From coastlines to the middle of the sea – floating along the tops of waves and hidden in the deepest depths – it’s there in its many forms. The International SeaKeepers Society and, Florida International University College of Arts, Education, and Science (CASE) have joined forces to combat this problem. Founded in Monaco in 1998, The International SeaKeepers Society began as a group of yacht owners who realized they shared more than just a passion for yachting and were also concerned about the deteriorating condition of the world’s oceans. They wanted to advance oceanographic research with the help of the yachting community – in a way that would utilize resources they already had (vessels) to support ocean research. Because the yachting and sailing communities are

Dr. Mark Bond analyzing water sample

constantly mobile their unique capabilities for at-sea research and education are extremely valuable. This led to the creation of the SK1000 unit which was a data collection device that was installed in larger vessels. The SK1000 technology provided near real-time oceanographic and meteorological measurements from the yacht’s position to scientific databases and operated from 1998 to 2012. The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System made the data available to several regional centers, including the NOAA National Data Buoy Center, the

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TOP: Tony Gilbert, SeaKeepers Program Director and Dr. Mark Bond, Florida International University Scientist carrying S.A.R.A.H. Net aboard DISCOVERY Yacht Shredder RIGHT: Photograph by Reilly Strand

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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SPOTLIGHT: Seakeepers

Dr. Mark Bond and Tony Gilbert aboard DISCOVERY Yacht Shredder tying knot

Tony Gilbert and Dr. Mark Bond shuffling through water sediments

Southeast Coastal Ocean Observation Regional Association, and the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System. Through these entities, the data was made available to scientists, universities, and research institutions at no cost. Today SeaKeepers’ mission is focused on the DISCOVERY Yacht Program which is comprised of scientist-led expedition’s, citizen science trips, educational outreach events and community engagement activities. The degree of participation can vary from a 10-minute instrument deployment while en route to the next port, to an afternoon outreach trip with children, to week-long expeditions with a team of expert researchers. Programming is led by Tony Gilbert who works with experts in the marine science and oceanography fields along with vessel owners, crew, and marine professionals to activate yachts in support of all areas of programming. Whether you donate your vessel

126 1 18

as a floating classroom or you tow a net during your next voyage,

University have designed a kit which

the positive impact and worthwhile outcomes count towards making

yachts can now independently use

a critical difference. SeaKeepers most essential piece to the puzzle

to collect samples while they travel

is continually identifying vessels to assist scientists in all corners of

around the globe.

the world. DISCOVERY Yacht Programming opportunities range from

The SARAH Initiative is part of

deep-sea deployments and water sampling to cetacean study, as well

Seakeepers’ Citizen Science pro-

as shark tagging and coral reef research.

gramming. Citizen Science offers a

Since 2017 SeaKeepers has partnered with Florida International

valuable opportunity for vessel owners

University (FIU) on shark and ray research, and more recently devel-

to get involved in smaller-scale marine

oped the S.A.R.A.H Initiative (Sample, Aggregate, Return, Analyze and

research initiatives. These expedi-

Help) in 2019, a program to address plastics pollution in our oceans.

tions do not require scientists to be

The aim of the S.A.R.A.H Initiative is to collect water samples for analysis

on board, and permit vessel owners

of plastics contamination. SeaKeepers along with Florida International

and crew to participate in ongoing

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

TRANSPORT: Seakeepers

research projects which depend on the participation of non-scientists.

More locations are soon to be added.

The project engages the yachting community by providing com-

“If we can paint a picture of what kind

prehensive onboard kits to allow yacht crews and owners to conduct

of plastics are being found throughout

plankton survey-style transects to describe and quantify the presence

the world’s oceans, we can help in the

of marine microplastics. Microplastics are extremely small fragments

regulation of certain industries,” said

(smaller than 5 millimeters) of plastic debris, resulting from disposal and

Gilbert. “This has already happened with

breakdown of consumer products and waste. Marine wildlife often ingest

sunscreen. Some states have banned

microplastics as they filter seawater. This poses a risk to both marine

the sale of sunscreens with chemicals

animals and eventually humans since the toxic chemicals are passed

that are bleaching and killing our coral

up the food chain.

reefs.” Data can be the foundation for

From captains to crew to yacht owners and their families, participating

future policy decisions that can ensure

in this program with no prior knowledge of instrument deployment or

the ocean is home to more marine life

marine science is not an issue, and collecting scientific data has never

and less plastic. To become a SeaKeeper

been easier. “Our relationship with SeaKeepers opens up access to

and participate in a S.A.R.A.H. Initiative,

areas of the ocean our researchers wouldn’t normally have access to

contact Tony Gilbert via email at Tony@

because of the cost,” said Dr. Mark Bond, an FIU marine scientist and

SeaKeepers.org or by telephone at 305-

lead on the SeaKeepers partnership. “This means we can spread our

281-1497.

research dollars further and get more data to better map the type and scale of contamination.”

SeaKeepers is proud of an extensive fleet that has provided support around

In the first step of the program, SeaKeepers sends boat owners

the globe. However, to match the

a sampling kit, which includes a bin-like net to tow behind the boat.

demand for oceanographic research,

With each net tow, the contents of the net are rinsed into sample filters,

we are still in need of more support to

labeled and sealed. After each voyage, the samples are packaged and

satisfy the demand. Begin your search

shipped back to SeaKeepers. SeaKeepers then ships the samples to

for an ideal vessel to host an expedi-

the S.A.R.A.H. Initiative research team at FIU where they are cataloged

tion or submit your project for vessel

and analyzed for density, type and size of plastic particles. The oceano-

support, by visiting: https://vessels.

graphic data is then archived in the database, to provide information to

seakeepers.org ☐

Dr. Mark Bond aboard DISCOVERY Yacht Shredder removing sample collections

policymakers and other researchers on how to properly map the plastics problem globally and possibly push for more legislation. “For yachts wanting to participate, it is not time consuming at all,” Gilberts says. “We ask that they tow the sampling net once a week for twelve weeks. This of course would be contingent on sea and weather conditions. But each tow would literally take 15-20 minutes of their time per week. It is easy to deploy and training is done with a field guide, how-to video, and remote guidance from me.” The word International in the name and the participation of vessels all around the world, comes with a common misconception that only superyachts can participate in this citizen science initiative. “I want to dispel the notion that we’re a superyacht-only club,” Gilbert says. “It can be any boat, any size.” A total of ten boats have participated in the S.A.R.A.H. Initiative, with six vessels qualifying as “superyachts”, two motor yachts and two sailing vessels on long international voyages. We have collected samples off the East coast of the U.S., the waters en route from French Polynesia to Australia, the Florida Straits between Florida and Cuba, all along the East Coast of Australia, the waters off the Pacific side of Costa Rica as well as en route from there to Florida, and finally off, the southern and eastern coasts of France and Spain, respectively. CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE

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VENÜGRAM

“SNOWY OWL” PHOTOGRAPHY BY ABBY SESSELBERG

Snowy Owl, Coastal CT, January 2021, Abby Sesselberg

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed and to have my senses put in order.” – John Burroughs –

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