Ferrari has unveiled another spectacular event after the stunning world premiere of the latest LaFerrari in the Geneva Motor Show 2013. This time, the new V12 travels back to the Mesueo Ferrari in Maranello to join other limited editions at home in the “Ferrari Supercar. Technology. Design. Myth” Exhibition.

The show retraces the story of all of limited editions and special series models built by Ferrari, starting with the 1964 250 GTO and continue with the 1984 GTO, the F40, the F50 and Ferrari Enzo. Also, special track and competition-oriented models such as the GTO Evoluzione, F40 Competizione, 599XX and FXX are displayed alongside Formula 1 racing cars, which inspired Ferrari’s design and development in various eras.

A large section of the exhibition is devoted to the development of the 12-cylinder LaFerrari, illustrating both its technical content and styling. The entire process from the car’s initial conception to the approval of the final car is traced. Visitors also have the opportunity to see two full-scale models in addition to the various stages the car went through in its design and development.

FERRARI SUPERCAR. TECHNOLOGY. DESIGN. MYTH
Date: from now until September 30th, 2013
Venue: Museo Ferrari, Maranello, Italy
Time: from 9:30 to 18:00 (close at 19:00 from May 1st onward)

ferrari.com.hk

museoferrari.com (Online Ticket Booking)

Text & Translation | Norman
Photo | Italian Motors Hong Kong

One of the 20th century’s greatest photographers Ansel Adams (1902 – 1084) grew up in an upper class family. His childhood ambition was to become a pianist, but that dream changed after a family trip to Yosemite National Park. Upon seeing the great American mountain terrains and forest branches that shone brightly under sunbeams, Adams was simply astounded by the beauty of nature. His gut reaction was to take out his first camera; a Kodak Brownie Box Camera his father gave him to capture the amazing scene in front of him. From that day on, Adams passionately immersed himself in the world of photography. He begun to learn the ropes of dark room photography, as well as reading photography magazines every chance he could. Later on, he joined a number of photography clubs and conferences, and often attended exhibitions on photography. All this experience allowed him to pick up the necessary techniques and insight of professional photography within a short amount of time, which expanded his field of vision.

The strict piano training he went through during his youth, also allowed Adam to gain different perspectives on things ranging from the material, disciplinary, to organizational, which greatly impacted him. Joining the Sierra Club, an organization that promotes the protecting of the natural environment and resources at seventeen, Adams was supportive of the club’s mission to spread information about the serious detrimental impact of logging practices on forests areas and natural habitats. Gifted in the way he could speak to nature through his photography, Adams goes to great lengths for his art, climbing up steep mountains to capture brilliant photos of majestic landscapes. His work showcases the imposing charm of nature, and was highly influential and instrumental to the development of photography, lifting it into the realm of art forms such as painting and music.

NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM
Romney Road, Royal Borough of Greenwich, SE10 9NF, UK
rmg.co.uk/visit/events/ansel-adams

Text | oioi
Edit | iemi
Translation | Edwin Lo

White Cube is currently showcasing Damien Hirst’s series of cabinet and painting works. The exhibit includes pieces from “Entomology”, “Scalpel Blade Paintings”, and “Colour Charts”, which is his most recent work. By utilizing unorthodox materials throughout the exhibition, deeply challenge our sense of existence, and delve further into his lifelong pursuit of thematic dualities such as life and death, desire and fear, and beauty and horror.In the “Entomology Cabinets and Paintings” which is made up of over a thousand butterflies, insects, and spiders, Hirst show-offs the fragility of people through butterflies. The message to take is: “even when we are dead, we still retain our rainbow colored like beauty.” Places beetles, butterflies, and other insects on stainless steel framed cabinets in an almost mechanical vertical and horizontal manner.

Every type of species is placed individually in a row; which visually represents an almost scientific like sequencing, which also reminds one of the rigidity of industrial production. For this Damien Hirst deliberately places a portion of the bugs in a random order, which creates a contrasting visual effect. In the “Entomology Paintings”, he uses a large amount of colorful insects and places them in an intricate symmetrical pattern. Through this he hopes to visually showcase the hidden patterns and symmetry that naturally occurs within nature, it harkens to the strong decorative visual effect of Victorian-era Natural History displays, which at the time were as important as scientific categorization. The “Entomology Paintings” relate closely to his earlier work “Kaleidoscope Paintings” – a piece that featured over 1,000 butterfly wings and arranged to emulate the look of gothic stained glass windows. In comparison the “Entomology Paintings” are far darker in subject matter. In his “Scalpel Blade Paintings”, Hirst introduces scientific and medical imagery, placing over a 1,000 different styles of scalpel blades in an order that resembles incredible mandala like patterns. On certain pieces he paints them in striking monochrome, while others are covered in a bright shiny coating; combined with the deliberate placing, increases the light refraction from the Scalpel blades, and conjures psychedelic imagery and colorful folk art.

Since the 1990’s Damien Hirst has started using professional medical tools, and has showcased their beauty in their original format ever since. The message he hopes to convey is that though we feel comfortable knowing we have healthcare around us, when we are faced with inevitable death, all these positive attributes seem to fade away. While both “Entomology Paintings” and “Scalpel Blade Paintings” are rigid in their structural presentation, “Color Charts” utilizes color theory as its theological framework. Like his famous “Spot Paintings”, he uses the juxtaposition of color and employs a systematic approach to enhance the power of the work. Effectively using primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, these immediate paintings showcase the power of color and transform the canvases into a destination for vibrant energy.

WHITE CUBE HONG KONG
50 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong
+852 2592 2000
whitecube.com

Text | oioi
Edit | iemi
Translation | Edwin Lo

London brand Folklore is run by wife and husband duo Danielle Reid and Rob. Their vision is clear and simple – they believe a beautiful life can be achieved through pairing and finding the right design. Their items aim for practical use in everyday life, and the brand often invites outstanding designers and brands for cooperation. They strive to keep the quality of the products sold at their store to the highest degree of quality and durability. Items they sell range the gamut from household items such as furniture, lighting, to art pieces…etc. In addition to their taste for high quality, the environments is important to Folklore as well; therefore the store carries a number of items and brands that are environmentally conscience. Outside of handmade items and antiques, they also provide a number of designer recycled products; after all, “recyclable after use” is one of their big buying considerations.

American designer Victor Vetterlein is the brainchild behind the Trash Me Table Lamp, using recycled wood material combined with aluminum, textile threads, and pulp, gives off a strong retro video game vibe. With over eighty years of experience in making chairs, French household furniture brand Nicolle Chair is another brand carried in the store, one of their big selling point is the utilization of a special metal wielding method to make the chair structurally more strong and durable, while being ergonomically sound. This improves the comfort level of the chair, and is perfect for people who work in the mechanic, science lab, textile industries, as well as working professionals. Another highlight is the Vintage Lineu Table Mat, created by a wife and daughter combo. Their brand vision matches that of Folklore perfectly, as they exclusively use natural and recycled materials for their products, such as Cheesecloth, linen and cotton. Each mat is handmade, and individually numbered, making each product unique.

FOLKLORE
193 Upper Street, Islington,
London N1 1RQ, UK
+44 (0) 207 354 9333

shopfolklore.com

Text | oioi

Edit | iemi
Transaltion | Edwin Lo

Creating items that are durable and can be used forever has been a mission for lifestyles home store Labour and Wait located on Redchurch Street in London. The products sold at the store keep to a simple aesthetic and lean towards practicality, since the storeowner keeps to a belief that items that are pleasing to the eye and also practical will eventually become classic items. Whether it is placed in a traditional or modern house setting, these item blends together naturally.

The two store founders Rachel Wyth-Moran and Simon Watkins, were originally men’s attire fashion designers. But due to being bored with the mechanical method of designing from season to season at their workplace they come to the realization, if you would like to create a mature brand image for products, the only test is time. Both of them gravitated in this direction, and in 2000, opened Labour and Wait on an old fashioned Victorian style balcony, in the market district Cheshire Street of East London. The interesting store name comes from a sentence “Learn to Labour and to Wait” from the work by 19th century poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This subtle yet weighty phrase has been the guiding track for Rachel and Simon while creating the store. Both of them have looked all over for items with high functionality and quality, allowing customers to be able to find different interesting products during each visit.

One of the items is the Orange Enamel Milk Pan, which has a shallow depth, allows milk to heat up quicker, and ensures it does not spill out easily. The pan is suitable for gas burners, ceramic hobs, and electric cookers; they sell the exclusive colorway only in Labour and Wait. Another popular item The Canvas Tote Bag, featuring a tough cotton material used by the Swiss army as the main body, the bag is topped off with a leather strap, which is adjustable and can adapt to different situations. To prevent damage, the corners of the bag are reinforced with leather. In addition to the actual store, select Labour and Wait items can also be purchased at Dover Street Market in London and Bshop store in Japan.

LABOUR AND WAIT
85 Redchurch St, City of London, Greater London E2 7DJ, UK
+44 20 7729 6253
labourandwait.co.uk

Text | oioi
Edit | iemi
Translation | Edwin Lo

Serialized since 2009, Shogakukan Publishing’s manga offering “I am a Hero” has been on our radar for some time now. The story follows the life of Hideo Suzuki, a down trodden middle aged manga artist with strong ideals towards manga, life, and society in general. After finishing work late one night, he prepares to proceed with his usual shooting range practice, but notices something strange on the streets – people have bite wounds, some are screaming and running in terror, while others are being hit by cars, and jumping off buildings. Hideo slowly realizes that a horrible zombie epidemic has broken out in Tokyo; will he be able to survive or die in the process?

“I am a Hero” has a strong cinematic feel, and is very good in the way it presents psychological tension, bringing out an overwhelming sense of dread and terror. The drawings resemble the ridiculous caricatures of Minoru Furuya and strong realism of Minetarō Mochizuki. And the story itself brings out author Kengo Hanazawa’s feelings towards society and its moral principles. For example, in the first issue, the main character details his thoughts on the post war product of manga culture, and expresses his passion and conviction towards the art form. He also explains how he disdains the way some people climb the social ladder through manipulation of the manga form. As he feels those people only use it as a tool, whereas for Hideo it is a way of life. These constant psychological arguments help portray the character’s identity and motives, and help align the reader with Hideo’s stance. We feel that this defining of character, gives “I am a Hero” a depth that not many manga can rival.

The story has now reached its second arc – due to increasing spread of the virus, the amounts of zombies are increasing, and the people of Japan have banded together into smaller groups for survival. Hideo’s story now takes a backseat, and the arc introduces a new character called Kurusu, who seems to be immune to the zombies. In Japan, the series has just reached its 10th volume ongoing; and the Chinese version is up to the 7th.

Text | BEBOP
Photo | Kimio Ng
Translation | Edwin Lo

Looking off of Star Street in Wanchai, it’s difficult not to notice the bright lights shining from Ted’s Lookout. The restaurant deliberately mimics apiece of old style Americana with its walls covered in gray cement, along with industrial window frames and steel piping. Below the glowing neon signage outside, are three antique wood chairs that bring a sense of vintage revival. The copper brown sofa, wall mounted deer sculpture, shelved antique telescope, and American flag knit woven wood chair that decorate the space, were purchased from all around the world. Particularly worth noting is a portrait on the wall showing a girl hugging a teddy bear, of which strongly resonates with the restaurant’s namesake. Ted’s Lookout’s menu consists mainly of Latin American dishes with touches of influence from Mexican cuisine. To cater to the different taste of the customers, in addition to serving lunch, part of the restaurant transforms into a Cocktail Bar at night. One of the highlights on the menu is Ted’s Grilled Spring Chicken, which is baked in a 65-degree oven for four to five hours in the chef’s signature sauce. The chicken is crispy on the outside, and kept moist and tender on the inside. The bar also includes an assortment of low alcoholic cocktail selections, such as the Breakfest Daiquri that mixes orange marmalade with fresh limejuice, as well as the Cloud de Jalisco made from wine soaked grapes, gives out a refreshing and pleasing taste.

TED’S LOOKOUT
G/F Moonful Court, No. 17A Moon Street,
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
+852 2520 0076

Text | Caridee

Edit | iemi

Photo | Kimio Ng

Translation | Edwin Lo

Chanel’s success today is much contributed by its iconic and innovative designs; and the sole purpose of establishing inside-chanel.com, is to archive those valuable information about Chanel, organize them and make them available to the public. Besides numerous precious antique pictures of the brand, the most special feature of the website is that it tells the history of Chanel through a series video clips, starting with the story of the well-known Chanel No. 5 perfume. The film begins with how they have developed their first perfume, and it is taken in a creative and refreshing manner where they have put animated transitions between every notable moments and scenes. In the subsequent chapter (Chapter 2: MARILYN AND No5), it then tells the story between Chanel No.5 and the famous actress Marilyn Monroe through the use of different news stories from newspapers and magazine cover photos, which also includes a valuable recording of the famous quote by Marilyn where she said, “What do I wear in bed? A few drops of Chanel No.5.” This chapter leaves people a very deep impression as it completely reveals the interception between the most notable fashion brand and actor of that period. In the third chapter that has been released recently (Chapter 3: CHANEL AND THE DIAMOND), it records the birth of the first Chanel jewelry series, the Bijioux de Diamants, that was designed by Coco Chanel in 1932. The black and white film from the same year, with French narrative in the background and bisque dolls wearing the jewelry brings out a sense of French nostalgic feeling, which goes perfectly well with the theme and the other video. At the same time, it also tells the world that the elegant Bijoux de Diamants will always remain as Chanel’s first and only, timeless jewelry series.

inside-chanel.com

Text | iemi
Photo Courtesy | Chanel
Translation | Nathan Cheng