Belgium Big Consoles Lifestyle Techno Techno Techno Fashion

Do not throw on the public domain. Belgium Design Studio Job Are Older Than Jesus Big Consoles Lifestyle Neighbourhood Life Neighbourhood Techno Techno Techno +Global Style Culture Culture volume 02 — issue 06 —issue 02 volume Boy Guards Fashion Fashion + The Bling Special Mason’s Apprentice WWW.ESSENTIEL.BE

MATHIAS SCHOENAERTS PHOTOGRAPHED BY MICHEL DE WINDT you.automatic you.automatic 6 EDITOR’S LETTER THE FIRSTS

The Word Magazine Is ‘US’ is a word that gets used a great deal in The Word offi ces – as in “I think Nicholas Lewis you’ll like her – she’s very ‘us’ ”. We’ve never sat down and defi ned what US Benoît Berben really signifi es, but I guess it’s understood that we’re talking about someone with a creative, interestingly skewed vision, a risk taker, an arguer, someone on the Editor-in-chief move, hungry for experiences. The baseline for US, however, is something that Hettie Judah we sometimes refer to as a new internationalism: not the international vision that comes from being a business traveller, rather it's a worldview that seems to come Design hand in hand with an interesting, mixed up heritage. Face to Face + pleaseletmedesign Asking The Word team to think about heritage, then, was always going to produce a fair few surprises. Thinking about heritage tourism, we ended up Photography/Illustration looking at the way the music industry simultaneously cannibalises its own infl u- Benoît Banisse ences, then attempts to resurrect crumbly old cult bands and push them back Jean Biche onto the touring circuit. And we took a daytrip down to Charleroi, and looked Ulrike Biets into the bleak roots of the city’s even bleaker present. Pierre-Philippe Duchâtelet Sarah Eechaut Heritage can be as much of a burden as it is a blessing – particularly if you grow Vincent Fournier up in the shadow of the family business. We talked with a group of entrepreneurs Sarah Michielsen about how they balanced the weight of expectation against their desire to strike Opération Panda out on their own, and asked whether having a background in the business really Yassin Serghini gives you a head start? Guy Van Laere Much as some of us may want to forget about our roots, the one part of our heritage Writers we can never escape is the physical manifestation of it that stares back at us from Alex Deforce the mirror every morning. After years spent trying to chart the diaspora back along Rozan Jongstra our own faces, it’s been interesting to get an insight into the various international Hettie Judah ancestors that lent features to some other very distinctive faces around us. Nicholas Lewis Yves van Kerkhove There’s nothing like a baptism by fi re – my fi rst issue as editor in chief is also the Randa Wazen fi rst issue where we’ve experimented with taking the magazine monthly. My rookie errors have all been committed precisely when the rest of the team has been slam- Thank Yous ming hard up against our tightest ever deadlines. Not ideal – sorry guys! I’ve prob- Veerle Frissen ably had to lean on Nicholas through the transition period rather more than he Melisande McBurnie expected, but I’m hoping that this month has set the form for us working as a really Irena Petkovic good team in the future. As I said to him when we fi rst talked about me taking over Virginie Van de Casteele as editor – I’m not interested in a dictatorship. The Word is defi nitely ‘us’.

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for more information. © Kris De Smedt

The Word is published six times a year by JamPublishing, 107 Rue Général Henry Straat 1040 Brussels Belgium. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without prior permission is strictly prohibited. All information is correct up to the time of going to press. The publishers cannot be held liable for any changes in this respect after this date. STORES: STEENHOUWERSVEST 61 & 65, 2000 ANTWERP | RUE ANTOINE DANSAERTSTRAAT 42, 1000 BRUSSELS 8 THE HERITAGE ISSUE THE CONTENTS

01. The Firsts 04. Fashion

The Cover The Heritage Issue p01 The Fashion Word Becoming us p56 Ad Essentiel p02 Ad Swatch p04 Editor's Letter Volume 2 – N° o6 p06 05. The Bling Special Ad Filippa K p07 The Contents You're looking at it p08 Ad Kenzo Parfums p66 Ad Burberry p09The Cover The Bling Special p67 The Contributors It's a Word's world p10 The Way Adorning men p68 Ad Bell & Ross p11 The Flash Watchmen p72 The Diary Post-its p12 The Encounter Show me the gold p74 The Diary Belgium p13 The Special Showst… All mine when she shines p76 Ad Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen p15 Ad The Word Magazine p79 The Diary Belgium + United Kingdom p16 The Diary France + Holland p18 Ad ING p19 06. Design The Diary Concert picks & other things to do p20 Ad Cameleon p21 The History A matter of life and death p80

02. Belgium 07. Culture

The Heritage Papers Title page p22 The Shelf Shelf life p84 The Heritage Papers The mix to drop p23 The Pencil The lost art p86 The Heritage Papers Rewind, play, revive p24 The Talent Tivoli gardens p88 The Heritage Papers Old school kicks p25 The Voyage Far east p92 The Heritage Papers Serious baggage + Impressive specs p26 Ad De Greef p27 The Guide My guide to superstition p28 08. The Lasts Ad Hoet Design Store p29 The Stockists Stockists p95 The Round Up Advertisers p96 03. Lifestyle What's Next The Morning After Issue p98 Ad Ristorante Bocconi p99 The Business Business genetics p30 Ad Rado p100 The Institution Drop a coin in the slot p34 The Local How Belgium beat the danceﬂ oor… p36 The Face Off My other car's a Golf p38 The Trace 2000 years of modern p40 The Word On Heritage in my face p42 The Other Word On Console nation p44 The Trip What is left of industry p48 The Showstoppers Back in the day p52 Ad Delvaux p55 !41!$1183'$!$ 3".,

-$6%1 &1 -"$%.1,$-%1., 10 THE ORIGINS ISSUE THE CONTRIBUTORS

It’s a Kris De Smedt Photographer Word’s ¤ Getting the right photographer world for this issue was always going to be a tall order: we needed someone who was simultaneously sensitive to architecture, men’s fashion, and could create a story with a narrative that ﬁ tted with our heritage theme. We approached Kris and he just took the idea and ran with it, creating an exceptionally beautiful menswear story against the backdrop of a 1930s Masonic temple. Kris works with Stephanie Van Maele as the Septantesept photographic production team.

www.septantesept.com Rozan Jongstra — Writer Pages n° 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, ¤ 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 Rozan’s currently juggling three jobs, but we like to think that her heart is really with us here at The Word. She’s happy to rise to a challenge and we’re always interested to see what she’ll make of our project proposals. Rozan has a love/ hate relationship with writing: she hates boring copywriting, Sebastiaan Van Doninck loves expanding her mind as a Illustrator journalist. This is one writer

¤ © Daniele Tedeschi that deﬁ nitely likes being taken We met Sebastiaan at a book pub- outside of her comfort zone; just lisher’s party, and when he told Pierre- Yves Marquer how we like them! us that he used to illustrate chil- Stylist dren’s books but his imagination ¤ — had become too dark, something The 1930s feel of our fashion Pages n° 30, 31, 32, 33 went ‘click’ for us, and we knew story required a stylist who this would be the start of a beau- appreciated rich textures and tiful relationship. He’s inspired complex combinations of print by music, dusty old museums and textile. Pierre-Yves got off the and the movies of Tim Burton – Thalys from Paris with a wicked which means he ﬁ ts right in. This sense of humour and armfuls issue, we invited him to do of beautiful pieces, including a Guide to Superstitions. vintage accessories from his own collection, and borrowed from www.sebastiaanvandoninck.be friends in the know. We were so — inspired by the Cazal frames he Pages n° 28 brought that we ended up writing them up in the Papers section. He, in turn, was so inspired by Brussels that he’s thinking of buying a loft here.

— Pages n° 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 A tribute watch to the US Airborne paratroopers in memory of D-Day

BR 01 AIRBORNE . 46 mm . Carbon finish steel case . Photoluminescent dial . Automatic movement Information and e-boutique: Benelux +32 (0)2 268 79 53 . Europe: +33 (0)1 55 35 36 00 . www.bellross.com 12 THE BLOOD ISSUE THE DIARY THE FIRSTS 13 The next few weeks’ agenda fi llers Belgium ( 01 → 09 )

01. Old and new 03. Boot camp 01. ¤ You get a sense, ¤ McCorkle’s work when looking at Adrian Ghenie’s sits between that of a crafts- work, of an artist split between man and a nutty professor. two worlds: the past or the His minute attention to detail, present, the old or the new, the combined with his ability to see explicit or the abstract. Indeed, subject matters where others the painter approaches his would merely see everyday life, subject with all the nostalgia makes for compelling viewing. of old masters, depicting what Consider March, his 10 minute appear to be contemporary movie on the Knickerbocker situations in a decidedly un- Greys, America’s oldest after contemporary fashion. Some school activity for New York’s might say you’d be forgiven Manhattan elite. In it, the artist for thinking that Rembrandt’s takes the necessary distance to darker side came back to life and reveal an unobstructed account decided to make a career out of of one of the country’s oldest it. The resulting body of work is routines – namely, the disci-

somber and subdued, sometimes plining of Park Avenue’s rich © Tim Van Laere Gallery even unsettling – consider, for and famous. Contrasting the example, the canvas showing stiffness of the video, McCorkle 02. Hitler, backed by his German also presents Seven Woods, a Shepherds, watching over what collection of seven gold-plated seems to be a woman fast asleep. wooden canes.

Adrian Ghenie Corey McCorkle À Until 16th January 2010 À Until 9th January 2010 ☞ Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp ☞ Stella Lohaus Gallery, Antwerp www.timvanlaeregallery.com www.stellalohausgallery.com

02. Gloom 04. Glass candy © Debbie Fleming Caffery and doom ¤ Glass never ceases ¤ American photogra- to amaze, such are the myriads 03. pher Debbie Fleming Caffery’s of possibilities it provides. And lens always seems to be gazing this is exactly the premise of rather than full-frontal facing, Artonivo’s exhibition: to cel- more of a sneak peek than a ebrate the intrinsic versatility of close-up look. With something this most supple of wares, contex- of a feminist streak to her work, tualising it within other practices, Fleming Caffery’s photographs namely ceramics and textile are gentle yet evocative, indirect design. Drawing on the works yet explicit. Before anything of experts in the field – from else though, despite somber Finnish professor Oiva Toikka’s settings and gloomy situations, Birds collection to Italian artist she always manages to capture Giorgio Vigna’s schizophrenic a luminosity which would creations – the showcase attempts otherwise have been lost. With to inject some youthful exuber-

this exhibition at Brussels’ ance into an art form otherwise Gallery Lohaus Stella © Box Gallery, entitled Timeless relegated to artisans’ workshops South, the artist presents a body and grandma cabinets. Added 04. of work close to her heart: the to the mix are works by Belgian South is where she hails from, ceramist Crien Van Looy and and what she knows best. textile designer Ria Bosman.

Debbie Fleming Caffery – Infinity – The Sky Within Reach Un Sud Intemporel À From 5th December 2009 À Until 9th January 2010 to 17th January 2010 ☞ Box Galerie, Brussels ☞ Gallery Artonivo, Bruges

www.boxgalerie.be www.artonivo.be © Artonivo Gallery 14 THE RACE ISSUE THE DIARY

05. 05. Reflective 07. L.A miniaturised violence ¤ Oakland-based ¤ Isabelle Lévénez artist Tracey Snelling immor- acknowledges that her work talises places, key moments might at times have something of and turning points in popular a violent streak running through American culture through her it, although she attributes this downsized sculptures count- not to an inner violence, but ing tales of a Hollywood of the rather to the current global state past set in a Hollywood of the of affairs, one she manages to now. Meant as a soft critique of translate through her body of America’s fascination for the big, work. You therefore ﬁ nd an bright and brash, her miniatur-

©Aeroplastic Contemporary extremely somber approach ised renditions of everything (drip-dropping brush strokes from liquor stores and sex 06. and vivid, near-murderous shops to beachfront skyscrap- colours) combined with a comers and the ubiquitous highway pelling contemporary narrative motel offer vivid and impec- (animal masks being the most cably produced small bouts of recent example). Although ﬁ rst Californian reality. This is the impressions might be unsettling, artist’s second exhibition in a closer look will reveal a world Brussels and one which we can of deep-rooted meaning and only urge you to catch. unashamed brashness. Tracey Snelling – Greta Garbo Isabelle Lévénez - Masques slept here À Until 23rd December 2009 À Until 19th December 2009 ☞ Aeroplastics, Brussels ☞ Taché-Lévy Gallery, Brussels www.aeroplastics.net www.tache-levy.com

06. Layer cake 08. Tongue ‘n cheek ¤ Manor Grunwald ¤ Mekhitar

© Gallery Fortlaan 17 observes, decides, creates and Garabedian takes his role as the then destroys. Taking as a start- court’s clown seriously. 07. ing point the people, cultures The Syrian-born, Ghent-based and realities that surround artist dabbles in everything from him, the former graffiti artist photography to written words builds upon his observations, and drawing, constructing a layer-upon-layer, using textures, narrative which places memory, mazes, patterns and a wide history and identity at the centre palette of colours to confuse and of it. The DIY nature of his

© Taché-Lévy Gallery conquer, interest and intrigue. oeuvre – magic pen on paper, On an eternal quest to redefine pencil on paper – as well as its 08. the meaning of the canvas as we unavoidable self-referential know it, Grunwald’s approach meaning lends it a rather appeal- is one of trial and error (he is an ing fragility and intimacy. autodidact artist), which some His personal insight is formi- might consider “laisser-aller” dable – take, for example, his although let this not misguide simple sentence “Life is great, you. His is a well-calculated, without it you’d be dead” – intuitive and, in the end, as is his attention to detail and refreshing body of work. his obvious sense of humour. Essential viewing. Manor Grunwald À Until 30th January 2010 Mekhitar Garabedian ☞ Galerie Fortlaan 17, Ghent À From 6th December 2009 www.fortlaan17.com to 24th January 2010 ☞ Hoet Bekaert Gallery, Ghent www.iets.be © Mekhitar Garabedian Brussels. Palais des Beaux-Arts AMIS DE PARIS Monday 21st of December 2009. 20:00

F. Mendelssohn. Overture The Fair Melusine R. Schumann. Introduction and allegro appassionata for piano and orchestra F. Mendelssohn. Concerto for piano n° 2 R. Schumann. Symphony n° 2

Frank Braley. piano Paul Meyer. conductor

reservation & tickets www.symfonieorkest.be

Met steun van de Vlaamse gemeenschap

United Kingdom ( 10 ¤ 15 )

09. Animal instinct 09. 10. The Test Run ¤ British photogra- ¤ At fi rst glance you’d pher Nick Brandt doesn’t do be forgiven for thinking you wildlife photography. He pho- were looking at someone’s trash. tographs animals, the animals of In many ways this is what Eva East Africa more particularly. Hesse was questioning. Born in Credited with having brought 1936, she managed to redefi ne the subject of wildlife photog- what was at the time consid- raphy into the realms of fi ne art ered a very “male” discipline, photography, Brandt doesn’t bringing to it a feminine touch. simply document animals in Refl ecting on the internal, their habitat, but rather seeks to her work always remained capture that single, most dramat- human. Using materials such as ic moment, getting sometimes wire, latex, metals, cloth and dangerously close to the chosen wax, she constructed sculptures animals in order to contextualise to resemble something reminis- them within their environ- cent of everyday objects, things ment. This gives a postcard-like one would perhaps normally

impression of the continent, one © Nick Brandt discard. An exhibition that will which places animals in all their deﬁ nitely leave the viewer with full-blown glory. 10. more questions as to the meaning of art. Nick Brandt À Until 13th February 2010 Eva Hesse - Studiowork ☞ Young Gallery, Brussels À From 11th December 2009 www.younggalleryphoto.com to 7th March 2010 ☞ Camden Arts Centre, London www.camdenartscentre.org In Betweeners

¤ Designr. rdv 11. Split from 11th to 13th December 2009 personalities @ The White Hotel, Brussels ¤ SaLon Gallery – In its fourth year, the Designr. invites Ben Young for his rdv unites 50 fashion, product, London debut solo exhibition. jewellery and accessory designers Describing himself as a self- for a weekend-long sleepover at taught artist despite his Masters The White Hotel. Each designer in Fine Art from St Martin’s, is given a room to present, Young introduces us to his promote and sell their wares artistic alter ego Contemporary around this year’s overriding Man, a character which inhabits theme: Spicy Imperial. Amongst a world of experimentation, the international cast of talent, where “the real” world’s rejects we particularly look forward to become his playing ﬁ eld, his Michael Guerisse’s leather-clad points of reference. Layered, creations and Les Filles a Papa’s fast-paced and chaotic, his

unashamedly spoilt-brat essence. © Eva Hesse paintings reveal the many www.designr-rdv.be inﬂ uences derived from Young’s 11. vagabond nature (his youth was spent travelling through India, ¤ Matthew Crasner, Australia and the States) and, Clyde Knowland and Jihef ultimately, proves a refreshing- until 20th December 2009 ly-pleasing body of work. @ Chausée de Wavre 220 Wavresteenweg, 1050 Brussels Contemporary Man – Part of a wider artistic regen- À Until 10th January 2010 eration project, this trio of paint- ☞ SaLon Gallery, London ers and installation artists with www.salongallery.co.uk roots in Brussels’ street art scene occupy a disused retail space in the neighbourhood south of Porte de Namur / Naamsepoort,

showcasing their latest works. © Ben Young THE NEXT FEW WEEKS' AGENDA FILLERS THE FIRSTS 17

12. Homecoming 14. Street 12. ¤ The artist who sale needs no introduction, Damien ¤ Walking through Hirst has made a living – a very Amsterdam’s red light district comfortable living – out of his can be unsettling enough, but multitalented practice, express- imagine encountering it within ing himself through installa- the pristine surroundings of tions, sculptures, paintings and The National Gallery. Using drawings to construct a distinct everyday objects to construct narrative of love, life, death, their shocking duplications, loyalty and betrayal. With Ed and Nancy Kienholz’s

human nature at the core of his full-scale reproduction of a © Damien Hirst - White Cube work, he exploits its many uncer- red light street questions art as tainties, divulging an uncanny we know it, breaking down the 13. and visceral dialogue between barriers between art and the art, science and popular culture. “real” world. Monumental and Steeped in historical references opinionated, The Hoerengracht yet always to be taken with a (which translates into Whore’s pinch of salt, this exhibition at Canal) conﬁ rms the couple’s White Cube promises to reveal reputation for their politically yet another facet of the man’s virulent artistic vision, vision. one which inﬂ uenced everyone from Tracey Emin to Mike Damien Hirst – Nothing Matters Kelley. À Until 30th January 2010 ☞ White Cube, London Kienholz – The Hoerengracht www.whitecube.com À Until 21st February 2010 ☞ National Gallery, London www.nationalgallery.org.uk 13. OK computer ¤ London’s V&A once again stays ahead of the pack 15. Bean 14. with its exhibition on the follies counting of digital and interactive art. ¤ Tatsuo Miyajima’s Curated together with digital work inhabits the sometimes arts organisation onedotzero, grey area between physical art the showcase is sectioned in and science. Creating installa- three parts. Code as a Raw tions using LED digital counting Material presents works which devices, the Japanese artist use codes as raw material in explores everyday traumas the same way a painter might through the combination of use oil, or water-based paint. geometric patterns and organic

Interactivity showcases pieces shapes, revealing poetic and © Kienholz © Danny Brown which are shaped by interacting soft works which are, before with the viewer (a human-size anything else, always pleasing to 15. eyeball which blinks one second the eye. The exhibition presents after the viewer blinks, for several series, of which one example). And The Network – Pile Up Life – observes the explores works which exploit human devastation left behind the digital trail left behind by by natural disasters. Meant as a everyday communications. requiem for lives lost to nature, the œuvre is a collection of Decode: Digital Design towers made of natural stones Sensations encrusted with LED lights. À From 8th December 2009 to 11th April 2010 Tatsuo Miyajima ☞ Victoria & Albert Museum, À Until 16th January 2010 London ☞ Lisson Gallery, London www.vam.ac.uk www.lissongallery.com

France ( 16 ¤17 ) Holland ( 18 ¤ 19 )

16. Plastic 16. 18. Court painter world ¤ Portrait specialist ¤ It’s hard to overstate Elizabeth Peyton has painted the significance of Playmobil’s anyone and everyone that effect on playing patterns the matters in today’s high society, world over. Indeed, the 7.5cm from David Hockney to Prince figurine, created by German Harry and Marc Jacobs. Her Hans Beck back in 1974 as a distinctive brush stroke, char- counterweight to the ensuing acterised by timid dashes of oil crisis, innovatively allowed paint and a certain distance kept

toddlers to bend their play pals © Les Arts Décoratifs from her subject, is eloquent to their every demand (it was yet simple, often painting her the first time that toys could be 17. subjects in lights they nor- shaped and adapted). For this mally would never be seen in. retrospective documenting the Although some have accused toy’s many evolutions, Les Arts Peyton of blatant celebrity-seek- Décoratifs roll out the red carpet ing, the poetry and nonchalance to cowboys and Indians, pirates prevalent in her works as well as and Vikings, space heroes and her ability to capture a fragility football players, contextualis- not usually associated with her ing them within sets specifically many subjects makes her the created for the exhibition. perfect heir to Andy Warhol. © Courtesy Robert Kusmirowski & Foksal Gallery Il était une fois Playmobil Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton À From 10th December 2009 18. À Until 21st March 2010 to 9th May 2010 ☞ Bonnefanten, Maastricht ☞ Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris www.bonnefanten.nl www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr

19. Blood in 17. Leave blood out me alone ¤ Canadian photog- ¤ The act of retrieving rapher Edward Burtynsky is oneself from reality, to escape well-known for his damning and curl-up is the premise of visual verdicts on the industr- this exhibition at Paris’ Palais ialised world’s many shortcom- de Tokyo. Drawing on the works ings – from mining in China of many artists – Gardar Eide to ship breaking in Bangladesh Einarsson’s penciled robot- – culminating in the mesmeris- portrait of Theodore Kaczynski, ing documentary Manufactured America’s most elusive terrorist, Landscapes. He has also, for art collective Dora Winter’s over 10 years now, focused his reproductive installations, Paul lens on the rise (and rise) of the Laffoley’s paintings (the ﬁ rst world’s dependence on black time the well-known American 19. gold, taking his many fans on a recluse’s work is shown in voyage to Azerbaijan’s oil ﬁ eld Europe) to name but a few – the through to Detroit’s decaying exhibition celebrates desola- automotive factories and Los tion and lonesomeness. Despite Angeles’ sprawling highway the dark nature of the exhibi- network. Engaging, thought-pro- tion’s theme, the fragility and voking and visually-arresting, beauty of the works on shows is this is one exhibition we strongly impressive. urge you to catch.

Chasing Napoleon Edward Burtynsky – Oil À Until 17th January 2010 À Until 28th February 2010 ☞ Palais de Tokyo, Paris ☞ Huis Marseille, Amsterdam

www.palaisdetokyo.com © Edward Burtynski www.huismarseille.nl © Elizabeth Peyton All you need to know about banking services on arriving in Belgium

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Concert picks ¤ High Needs Low ¤ PouDude & other things to do on 12th December 2009 (Poupi Whoopy 4 release party) @ Congres Station on 19th December 2009 — In its third edition, High Needs Low @ Scheld'apen, Antwerp ¤ J to the C & Nag distinguishes itself by bringing a regimental — Celebrating the release of the fi rst ever on 5th December 2009 approach to throwing parties, led by the male edition of the country's best under- @ Kavka, Antwerpen steadfast artistic vision of inceptor Soumaya ground pin-up book, the Poupi Whoopy — MC and producer Nag celebrates the Dancemachine (also one of the parties’ DJs). naughties put on a night of perform- release of his latest LP with a get together of Known for its creative pulling power, this ances (Jean-Biche, Creamy Caro), playlists sorts, with on-point affi liate and funk-reve- edition boasts fi rst-time Belgian appearances (Naughty Nathan) and projections. lation-of-the-year J to the C enlisted to hype by the likes of Lawrence of Dial Records www.poupiwhoopy.com ‘em up before the lights go out. fame, a heady mix of projections, light works www.kavka.be and photography as well as a participative ¤ Dr Lektroluv stenography (read party-goers-generated fun). (+ Le Le, Fredo & Thang, Jules X & Nondejul) ¤ A Mountain of One on 19th December 2009 on 10th December 2009 ¤ Da BlueFunk District presents @ Petrol, Antwerpen @ Vooruit, Ghent Slum Village — It doesn’t get any trashier, dirtier and raun- — Dreamy, dark and captivating, A Mountain on 13th December 2009 chier than Dr Lektroluv, the green-masked of One’s debut album’s blend of alt-rock @ Le Tavernier, Brussels father of electroclash with sets that never fail echoes that of Pink Floyd and Depeche — Whilst the death of their ringleader might to pack a serious dose of whupass. Mode, with a hint of Deep Purple. make other bands call it quits, Slum Village www.petrolclub.be www.vooruit.be haven’t let their game slip, ensuring Dilla’s legacy lives on. Don’t miss this opportunity to ¤ The Temper Trap ¤ Mr. Oizo catch the Detroit duo heat up and tear up the on 19th December 2009 on 11th December 2009 intimate settings of Le Tavernier. @ Botanique, Brussels @ Het Depot, Leuven www.le-tavernier.be — A mixture of rock with some tween love. — Although some might consider Mr. Oizo’s Makes us think of worlds spinning and con- productions overly chaotic and complex, ¤ Wax Tailor fetti falling from the sky, with the almighty the Ed Bangers fl ag-waving Frenchman still on 17th December 2009 love embrace at the end. manages to pack a punch when it comes down @ Botanique, Brussels www.botanique.be to getting the dance fl oor pumped up. — Rarely does a French rapper command www.hetdepot.be such authority amongst his US counterpart, ¤ The Joy Formidable although happy hip-hopper Wax Tailor holds on 19th December 2009 it down as easily in Bedstuy as he does in Les @ Botanique, Brussels Halles. — Punchy vocals, speedy guitar riffs with www.botanique.be good “woos" in the background and even some male/female duets. Imagine Blondie surfi ng on speed. www.botanique.be

What We’re Giving Away

Two pairs of tickets to the following concerts: th ¤ Mr. Oizo on 11 December 2009 at Het Depot, Leuven th ¤ Da BlueFunk District presents Slum Village on 13 December 2009 @ Le Tavernier, Brussels th ¤ Dr Lektroluv on 19 December 2009 @ Petrol, Antwerpen

What you need to do. Send an email to [email protected], specifying which concert you wish to go to in the subject line. The ﬁ rst readers to do so will each win a pair of tickets to the concert of their choice.

Conditions. Only one pair of tickets permitted per reader. Tickets not for resale. Until tickets last. Applies to Belgium only. Normal conditions apply. WOLUWE

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WWW.CAMELEON.BE 22 THE BLUE EYES ISSUE THE HERITAGE PAPERS

— We don’t keep a diary, instead we track our life back through high points of passion and emotion; the music that provided the backdrop to a great night, epic football matches, the sunglasses we wore on the best holiday ever, getting to see a band we never thought would play again, or those special encounters that suddenly make the improbable possible.

Writers Alex Deforce, Hettie Judah, Nicholas Lewis, Randa Wazen THE MIX TO DROP BELGIUM 23 © Veerle Frissen

The series “is meant to give an insight into artists. Once an agreement is reached, mixes The mix [fans]’ favourite band”. So, for example, you tend to reach the stands four or fi ve months later, discover Hot Chip’s smooth mixing abilities although some take much longer – “I’ve been and eclectic tastes – ranging from Marek Bois speaking to Burial (about his mix) for 18 months to drop to Joe Jackson – or that The Raptures head now” he says, with a hint of frustration. nod it to Ghostface Killah’s Daytona 500 It’s evidence of DJ Kicks’ cachet that so Art school dropouts and bourgeois bad boys – essential intelligence when you’re a fl ag- many bands approach the label with listen to 2Many DJs’ infamous mashed-up waving, t-shirt-wearing, fl y-posting devotee. requests to have a go, but not all artists the mixes. Pill-poppers eternally trying to recap- “They (the fans) feel they need to have the mix label approached want to come on board ture their chemical coming-of-age religiously in their collection,” says Juan, partly because (Portishead and Danger Mouse both appar- collect FabricLive. Nerdy crate-diggers get the label encourages the artist to “use it (the ently declined). Others answer the brief with off on the epic Blue Notes collections whilst series) as a platform to do something they surprising professionalism, as was apparently Parisian boho hipsters rack-up Kitsuné Maison wouldn’t normally do on their artist album” the case with Booka Shade. The series’ most digital downloads. Even tweenagers have the but really, because most mixes contain an successful run came from Austrians Kruder deathlessly naffery Now That’s What I Call exclusive track - be it a demo, a collaboration & Dorfmeister; Juan attributes the success of Music! to bop along to. or an unreleased remix - adding collecting the mix - which reputedly sold almost around High priests of the music world, indus- clout to the compilations’ desirability. a million copies - to “timing and name rec- try insiders and even musicians themselves, Launched in 1995 by !K7 Records’ Stefan ognition”. Top of Juan’s wish list are Aphex however, all swear by one series, and one series Struver, DJ Kicks was a playground initially Twin, Kraftwerk and Boards of Canada. All only: the now classic DJ Kicks series which has reserved for DJs, but the label decided, about three have apparently all said no too, but he attracted some of the game’s biggest produc- three years ago, to “move towards producers remains undeterred. ers, musicians and DJs, from The Glimmers, and artists who don’t DJ so often.” While the On future releases, !K7 Records’s pick- Thievery Corporation and Tiga to Stereo fi rst ever mix saw Belgian CJ Bolland setting and-mix man is “very excited” about Flying MCs, Rockers Hifi and a Massive Attack’s the tone, the imprint’s latest release comes Lotus and The Juan MacLean’s upcoming Daddy G. !K7 Records, the German label from Canadian prodigy producers Chromeo series, saying of Lotus’ Kicks compilation “it’s behind the series, has made it its raison d’être (reviewed on www.thewordmagazine.be ). The more than just a mix”. No shit. (NL) to work with “up-and-comers about to break” selection of which artists get to mix the series according to Juan Vandervoort, the A&R who seems to be more personal than anything, the www.dj-kicks.com has headed the project for the last fi ve years. result of informal discussions Juan has with 24 THE RED HAIR ISSUE THE HERITAGE PAPERS © Pierre-Philippe© Duchâtelet

time was a revelatory moment for him. He The Horrors, the UK’s attention grabbing Rewind, play, even named a track of his Mutations album ‘it’ band who admitted that The Sonics were Tropicalia; an obvious wink to the Tropicalist a major infl uence on their sound, supported movement the band was part of. Os Mutantes them during their London shows, putting four revive only released four albums between 1968 and decades of rock heritage in perspective. 1972, yet have seen their legacy perpetu- Hardcore enthusiasts – Flea and John History has proven that the music industry’s ated by various hipster devotees including Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers among perpetual cultural recycling knows no limits Devendra Banhart, Sean Lennon, the Flaming them – got nostalgic when Initial Records or expiry date; contemporary styles of music Lips, David Byrne and even Nirvana. Kurt released a compilation of Black Flag covers in are deeply infused with references and nods Cobain was such an admirer of the group 2002. A year later the iconic punks – who dis- to those that preceded them. You can hear it, that when his band played in Brazil in 1993, banded in 1986 - played three reunion shows to defi ne it and there sure is no point denying it. he sent a fan letter to Arnaldo Baptista, packed audiences. Modern artists rightfully make it their duty the Mutantes' keyboard player and bassist Countless other not so under-the-radar to pay verbal tribute to those who infl uenced begging him to perform with them, an offer he bands have made fl amboyant comebacks them, namedropping every single obscure declined at the time. However Os Mutantes recently, including The Sex Pistols, The Who, band they might have drawn inspiration from. fi nally hit the road again in 2006, 34 years The Police, Pearl Jam, The New York Dolls, But great as such homage is for enriching one’s after their last concert. What used to be one of Guns ‘n Roses and Faith No More. As success- iTunes library with hidden gems, they are a the best-kept secrets of psychedelic rock then ful and heart warming as it may be, reviving frustrating gift – there’s no chance of seeing delivered the highly anticipated album Haih cult bands is tricky. Returning decades after these bands live or waiting for a new material; or Amortecedor in September. having left on a high note is of course risking sharing obscure music references with fans is Garage rock owes a great deal to The ruining the legend. Certain acts age like fi ne rarely more than an offering of dead entities Sonics. Even though the Tacoma based band wine, others turn sour like vinegar. But in any to the masses. Yet sometimes, such tributes never had a Billboard 100 single, they left event, the original will always have that more from the currently successful actually manage a profound mark on three generations of authentic – if perhaps not more appealing – to bring these musical ghosts back from the punkers and screamers, from The Cramps fl avour than their heirs. (RW) underworld. to The Stooges and more recently The Hives Beck never made a secret of his massive and The White Stripes. Nearly 40 years after regard for Os Mutantes, and has admitted splitting up, three of the fi ve original members that hearing the Brazilian band for the fi rst reunited and toured Europe for the fi rst time. OLD SCHOOL KICKS BELGIUM 25 © Sarah Michielsen

for visitors; the building has been closed off team was unbeatable on its own turf. The Old school for over a decade amid fears that the roof and team’s strength at home was equalled by their stands might collapse. Showers and dressing weakness on unfamiliar grounds; Schaerbeek rooms gather dust, and the terraces are dark has only ever won one away match. kicks beneath the severely decayed concrete roof. After four glamorous years in fi rst divi- “Would you believe that I've seen Bob sion, the tide changed. In 1973 the club was There’s still a sign that reads ‘Crossing’ at the Dylan play here? Right here, in our stadium,” an relegated to second division. There was one 23 bus stop on the north side of Schaerbeek's enthusiastic football fan exclaimed, back at the more legendary moment before the glory days Parc Josaphat, but until recently, rumours had bar. It’s true; in June 1984 Dylan chose the then- faded for good. A packed stadium watched the it that this might soon be the only reminder of charming venue for his Brussels concert during team battle Standard Liège a fi nal time for the a glorious part of Brussels' sporting heritage. a European tour alongside Carlos Santana. title. After a nerve-breaking 90 minutes, the Schaerbeek’s once majestic Crossing Stadium, Crossing has seen many legendary derbies; team was defeated with a close 0-1. After that, for years crumbling and disused, seemed des- loyal supporters still remember the day Crossing’s home team slid year after year, tined to rot into the ground as the debate about Anderlecht beat Schaerbeek with a devastat- ending up in the Provincial league, where the what to do with it stretched across years. ing 6-1, and how the scoreboard didn't have team fused with Elewijt in 1983 and continued Entering the Crossing stadium, the pessi- a number six. The club put up a fi ve with a under the name of Royal Crossing Elewijt. mistic rumours were soon forgotten as home one next to it. When the footballing force of FC Kosova currently count over 400 side FV Kosova beat Kappelle-Op-Den-Bos Crossing Molenbeek and Royal Cercle du members and RC Schaerbeek over 600; with to a 2-0 victory, moving up to fi fth place in the Sportif Schaerbeek merged, the club stood the latest rumours suggesting that the state 2nd Provincial league. Kosova shares Crossing its ground in the fi rst division for four years has fi nally committed to start refurbishment with RC Schaerbeek, a 3rd Provincial league in the early 70s as Royal Crossing Club de in 2010, it seems the future of football is at team. The atmosphere in the supporters’ bar Schaerbeek. last assured in the 1030 commune. Some folks below the dilapidated stadium had the warmth The club was so renowned for the passion even have their fi ngers crossed that one day of a family reunion, with long-lost sons step- of its supporters that national television RTBF they’ll get to watch another rock concert in ping in one after the other, refreshing beer chose to broadcast its fi rst live colour football the shadow of the Josaphat trees. (AD) awaiting them on arrival. match from Crossing. Filled to the brim, some The contrast to this familial warmth couldn't 15.000 supporters watched Schaerbeek crush have been bigger when we snuck into the aban- Standard Liège with a devastating 3-1 victory. doned stadium above. It’s forbidden territory Until this day the legend stands that the local 26 THE EVOLUTION ISSUE THE HERITAGE PAPERS

Serious baggage

“I made him suffer in the beginning,” says Ralph Baggaley (pictured left), giving Maarten De Ceulaer (pictured right) a playful punch in the arm. “He was one of those stu- dents who think the world is their oyster, but we get along well now; it’s like a marriage.” It’s a marriage that comes with a pretty serious trousseau – or rather a very large pile of leather-clad suitcases, designed by Maarten and meticulously hand stitched by Ralph at his atelier in Rhode Saint Genèse. The ﬁ rst edition of Pile of Suitcases was indeed Maarten’s graduation project from Antwerp

Academy, and he admits that he may have © Yassin Serghini underestimated the technical problems that came with his design. “Everyone else I spoke to said that the piece was so big that it was with handbags in Amsterdam in 1972 after seems pleased as punch by the recognition his impossible to make it in a perfect way, I had he ‘dropped out’ of his job as an electrical skills are now getting through this collabora- no idea it would be so difﬁ cult,” he recalls. technician in the US. “I like leatherwork, it’s tion. “Maarten is schmoozing around while “Then someone at the tannery in Anderlecht in the American psyche,” he explains. From I’m slaving here – but he’s very fair: most saw the project and said that if anyone could Amsterdam he moved to a commune in Ghent people who had an artisan like me at their make it, it was this guy Ralph.” where he kept up with the leatherwork in disposal would be very secretive.” (HJ) To Ralph, it was the right challenge at the between stints milking the cows. After three right time. His career in leatherwork began decades of bags, he moved onto furniture, and www.maartendeceulaer.com

Impressive specs

Stylist Pierre-Yves Marquer arrived off the train from Paris for our fashion story this month with a very special delivery – three pairs of way out-there vintage glasses lent by his friend Aida Abdelouhab of Selima Optique. The picture featuring the vintage Cazal sunglasses ended up being one of our favourite images of the shoot – the frames are wild, almost scientiﬁ c-looking, but with a curious allure. Cazal’s idiosyncratic frames are seriously durable, manufactured according to exact- ing technical speciﬁ cations and painted by

hand. In production since 1975 Carl Zalloni’s Pierre-Philippe© Duchatelet designs hit the big time during the 1980s when the attention-grabbing styling and solid construction made them favourites on the US Hip and 80s have a very particular look – people price; the tag of €250 for non-designer vintage Hop scene. If you’ve ever seen a Run DMC really know you’re wearing them.” Aida and frames zooms to €800 for the most desirable clip, you’ve likely seen a pair of Cazal shades. her sister Selima sell unworn vintage frames stock. “Many fashion shops do vintage now, Cazal recently re-issued some of its classic alongside their own handmade spectacle col- but we’ve been doing this for 20 years,” says frames, but for fetishists, nothing beats the lection from their stores in Paris’ Marais dis- Aida. “What you see here is all the fruit of our real stuff from back in the day. “For collec- trict and New York’s Soho. As the only spe- passion and research.” (HJ) tors, Cazal is a brand apart,” explains Aida. cialist vintage optician in Paris, it has become “They are beautiful, they have a history, they the destination for fashion industry insiders www.selimaoptique.com are very rare, and the ones from the 1970s in search of something different, albeit at a www.cazal-eyewear.com Rue au Beurre 24-26 I 1000 BRUXELLES I Tél : +32 2 511 95 98 I Fax : +32 2 511 47 48 I www.degreef1848.be I [email protected]

degreef_210_295.indd 1 24/04/09 15:53:51 28

30 THE SPERM ISSUE THE BUSINESS

Business genetics

— When your livelihood also happens to be your passion, it’s inevitable you take part of it home with you. You discuss it over dinner with your partner, over drinks with your friends, over Christmas with your family. It’s often at the kitchen table that a spark is ﬁ rst passed on to the next generation. The Word spoke with ﬁ ve successful entrepreneurs about how their parents’, grandparents’ and even great grandparents’ experience shaped their business nous.

Writer Rozan Jongstra Photography Ulrike Biets (except when stated otherwise)

01.

“It was a natural process,” says Esfandiar me to pick up speciﬁ c knowledge and exper- Eghtessadi, creator of the clothing brand tise. It deﬁ nitely helped me in the sense that Essentiel. “My mother took me everywhere I was somewhat prepared for the challenges along with her; it was in the factories, the I later took on.” He does caution that while shops, the ateliers that I fell in love with growing up in the business may offer a certain fashion.” With a mother like Nicole Cadine, head start, you won’t get far without talent or one can only imagine. Looking back on a knack for the job. For Esfandiar, this talent his childhood, he sees it as having been an was design; he sees his attention to detail and in-depth training for his career, calling it his ability to tell a story through clothing as a hands-on opportunity to develop skills a key strength, linking the storytelling to his such as creativity, vision and clarity of mind. Iranian heritage. Ten years after its launch, “Growing up in those surroundings allowed Essentiel’s own story is a triumphant one. BUSINESS GENETICS LIFESTYLE 31

What started out as a line of t-shirts quickly grew into an entire clothing collection complete with accessories. “My love for style in general as opposed to one particular style also stems from my background, and I think Essentiel reﬂ ects that. As a designer, who you are shines through in what you do.”

" As a designer, who you are shines through in what you do. "

Esfandiar and Inge Eghtessadi

Staying true to who you are was also important to Paul Haelterman, Carlsberg Importers’ Managing Director. After spending four years at Coca Cola and seeing how restructuring clashed with his ethical stance, he decided to step into the family business in 1994 where he felt he could not only make a difference in the company’s future, but would also have a hand in his own. As another youngster who grew up amidst business talk, people and deals, in retrospect his choice of career seems obvious. “I inherited my entrepreneurial zeal and my propensity for risk-taking directly from my father. Joining the company my grandfather started would allow me to put these to use as well as pursue my dream, which was to launch new products.” His dream became reality in 2002 with the launch of Tao. Envisioning an alternative to classic soft, sports and energy drinks, he came up with a well-being drink, made with natural ingredients. Not only that but he got to work with the people he chose – according to Haelterman, another clear advantage of a family ﬁ rm. A background in business offered him two other important 02. factors that aren’t easy to come by: consistency and stability. “My job is to be a kind of guard- ian to the brand. I take ﬁ nance, marketing and IT for my account, whereas my brother handles logistics and the commercial aspects – we complement each other perfectly.” Complementary skills from within a family also converge at Café Costume, where the two-piece suit is given a tailored twist. Clients can customise their suit by selecting the cut, fabric, lining and buttons that tickle their fancy. The concept was dreamed-up by Bruno Van Gils whose family have owned the Van Gils menswear brand for three generations. While his main responsibilities include

creative input and brand positioning, his © Yassin Serghini 03. 32 THE EGG ISSUE THE BUSINESS

nieces Saskia and Angélique take care of the commercial and ﬁ nancial aspects. “We make a good team. The hard thing about a family enterprise is keeping your business and private life separate – let’s say you can forget about that. But at the end of the day, it’s worth it. We’re a small yet very organic company,” Bruno says. He feels that the company’s ﬂ uid structure also allows them to adapt to change easily, preferring to see it as an opportunity rather than a necessary evil. “We’re sensitive to changes in both the industry and in cus- tomer demands. If necessary, we’ll adjust our services just as well as our seams.”

" We make a good team. The hard thing about a family enterprise is keeping your business and private life separate. "

Bruno Van Gils

Bruno attributes his taste for innovation and passion for the job to his grandfather, who even at 83 can still be found in the factory. As for the advantages of growing up in the business, he is unequivocal: “Yes, you have a certain knowledge and credibility to back you up and yes, you always have someone to turn to for advice, but my career was never handed to me on a platter. To be able to do my own thing, I’ve defi nitely had to fi ght.” Wanting to throw off the yoke and create his own identity, he spent his adolescence rebelling against both the legendary family and brand he had been born into. “I wanted to do something different and to show people that I had ideas of my own. We created Café Costume for a totally different generation than Van Gils – a generation we 04. can identify with and understand.” Steven Van Roy, fourth generation and current owner of VR Embroideries, agrees that it takes more than background alone to with the designers Katrien Strijbol and Vicky If anything, they tried to warn me about the set up and maintain a thriving business. VRE Vinck, creating Just In Case; a high-fashion diffi culties the industry could pose.” But he was founded in 1876 by François Van Roy as brand that showcased the company’s expertise knew what he wanted and after graduating as a company producing work clothes, and after in embroidery and lacework. “This collection a stylist, he stepped into the family business. introducing the weaving mill and a collection was something completely different for VRE. As for the success of Just In Case, he credits of men’s shirts, ladies’ blouses were added to Apart from production, we had to start from the design and fi t. “It’s a well thought through the repertoire in 1965. When Steven and Els scratch - we rebuilt the entire structure. The and worked out collection.” Van Roy took over in 1999, they decided that commercial side, for example, is like day and Arnaud Wittmann’s parents also cautioned in addition to the embroidery department night. It’s been hard work to get where we are him about the diffi culties inherent in the family and contract work, they wanted to develop a today,” Van Roy explains. “My parents never business. Wittmann is one half of Brussels- separate women’s collection. They teamed up tried to convince me to take over the company. based jeweller De Greef, a family company BUSINESS GENETICS LIFESTYLE 33

stemming back to 1848, which he runs together with his brother Jacques. He remembers how his father tried to juggle the pressures of the jewellery shop with family life. Though he tried to keep work and home separate, jewels and watches were always a big part of Arnaud’s childhood, whether helping out in the shop as a teen or during family visits to other jewellers on holiday. “I had a strong love for creation and design, but it was some time before I realised I wanted to take part in the business,” he admits. “My brother and I worked together with our father for almost 10 years. It wasn’t always easy, as he found handing over responsibility rather difﬁ cult, but we learned a great deal from him. He taught us to be independent in our choice of brands and banks, for example.” Wittmann also learned the importance of cus- tomer service, seeing how the attention his father paid to customers even after a sale would inspire loyalty.

" My brother and I worked together with our father for almost 10 years. It wasn’t always easy, as he found handing over responsibility rather difﬁ cult. "

Arnaud Wittmann

Sometimes, however, opinions on the creative approach did clash. His father comes from a Protestant background which inspired a certain modesty in his collections, whereas Arnaud wanted to include some bolder pieces. “We sell dreams,” he explains, “which meant we needed to combine that 05. modesty with an element of fantasy.” The passing of their father meant the end of an era for De Greef, but it also gave Arnaud the pos- sibility to express his creative side. The result I’d like to have a new minimalist collection was De Greef Creation in 2000, a collection out by June 2010.” So does the future look designed by Wittmann himself. “It’s a big and bright and sparkling or is he a little worried? bold collection, which was right for the time.” “I don’t think so,” he laughs, “As long as there Previous pages But times are changing in the land of silver are women, there’ll be jewellery.” 01. Essentiel's Esfandiar and gold too, and the crisis has also affected and Inge Eghtessadi 02. Tao's founder Paul Haelterman people’s taste in jewellery. “The new keyword www.essentiel.be 03. Café Costume's Bruno Van Gils is subtlety. It’s quite challenging to have to www.taodrinks.com adapt your creations, but it’s a question of www.cafecostume.com These pages 04. De Greef's Jacques and trying. It’s about taking a step back, ﬁ nding www.justincase.be Arnaud Wittmann the right balance, yet keeping your identity. www.degreef1848.be 05. Just in Case's Steven Van Roy 34 THE PREDECESSOR ISSUE THE INSTITUTION

Drop a coin in the slot

The home-away-from-home vibe, vintage jukebox, exquisite blues and memorabilia make the Booze ‘n’ Blues one of the ﬁ nest places to inﬂ ict damage on the liver while delighting one’s ears. But more fascinating still is Eddy, the man at the helm of this underrated institution

Writer Randa Wazen © Ulrike Biets

The gloomy raw brick façade is not very called because of their outfi ts”, he explains. welcoming. The thick, dark, wooden door, A friend from New York suggested the name, usually closed, isn’t either. Not much gives " … even though Eddy and even though Eddy didn’t know what it away, apart from a small sign that reads didn’t know what ‘booze’ ‘booze’ meant, he was instantly compelled “Booze ‘n’ Blues”. Yet the brave few that dare by the way it sounded. Located only a dozen to venture beyond are immediately rewarded meant, he was instantly meters away from the very lively Place Saint- with the intimate atmosphere, cosy, dimmed compelled by the way Gery, Eddy reminds us that while the area is lighting and sound of classic blues music home to the buzziest bars in town today, it was fi lling the air. And there’s the man. Eddy it sounded. " pretty dead back then. “I was alone here. Only (pictured above), a thin, tall, lanky dude who the Bizon and the Java were around.” is cool as a cucumber and mysteriously quiet, Lost souls, expats, music lovers and regu- slowly gliding back and forth behind the mile- lars form the core of the eclectic clientele. But long bar to serve his clients, chain-smoking the most interesting brew of folks can be found rolled cigarettes in the process. After he was forced to shut it down, Eddy in the early hours of the morning, once all the He’s no stranger to the business, having took a three-year break. When he spotted nearby joints have closed their doors and worked in bars for the past 30 years, and even the “for sale” sign at Rue des Riches Claires kicked out the last men standing. Those keen used to run the mythical Blues Corner. That 20 Rijke Klarenstraat, he knew he had to go on pursuing their nocturnal recreation further small venue right off the Grand Place was a for it. This old corner building was actually fi nd refuge in the Booze ‘n’ Blues, which almost true reference, hosting concerts every night of part of the church right across the street and serves as a Noah’s Ark for downtown’s inebri- the 14 years it stayed open, attracting blues dates back to the 16th century. “It used to be ated night owls, for the house policy is that fanatics from the four corners of the globe. the cloister of the ‘black sisters’ who were so there is no closing time. A man of the night, DROP A COIN IN THE SLOT LIFESTYLE 35

Eddy stays up for as long as the clients do, on the window if the place is closed, begging know exactly what will tickle their fancy.” It which is undoubtedly one of the secrets of the to come in because they want to fi nd out how seems to work, since not even the most radical place’s success. “People know that this is often the rest of their evening will unfold.” music snob could ever possibly complain the last place open and that I’m not going to The true heart and soul of the Booze ‘n’ Blues about his choices. Not surprisingly, custom- throw them out. That’s why they feel so much however lies in its jukebox, a stunning 1958 ers are always asking who’s playing, and Eddy at home. There is no pressure here”. The bar Rock-Ola, which Eddy refers to as “his usually obliges, generously passing along opens around four or fi ve pm and the party Cadillac”. His impressive collection counts six this priceless heritage to absolute strangers. can go on until seven or eight am, depending priceless vintage machines, but this baby is his Although he cheekily admits that he’ll some- on the crowds and the mood. Don’t expect too pride and joy. Hearing him rave about it makes times deny them an answer, just for the fun of much action on Sundays or Mondays though, it even more astonishing that he entrusts it to it, or because he’s tired of relentlessly being as those are the quieter nights. drunken fellows who have a go at it all night quizzed. His dedication to setting the right Blame it on the booze or on the blues, there long. Packed with blues classics and old hits, its soundtrack to the night goes as far as operat- is defi nitely something in the air that makes power goes beyond the tunes it boasts. It serves ing as a full on DJ while serving. Whenever this place very special. Despite the premises’ as a fairly effective social lubricant, bringing someone selects a track from the jukebox, he scruffy style and mix and match appearance, the crowds together as soon as the needle hits manually turns down the volume of the HI-FI few details were left to fate; everything has the vinyl. Folks will have a chat about the songs set and always does it spot on. When asked its own logic and reason for being here. The and holler in unison during epic sing-alongs. how he manages to get the timing right he common link is rather simple: these are all The discs available were all carefully picked mischievously replies “I hear the coin drop.” things that Eddy loves. Whether it’s the music by Eddy, who rarely modifi es the selection, Pretty impressive, considering he works memorabilia, artwork, or old objects. Posters allowing regulars to come back confi dent that alone. Part choice, part necessity, he admits of Frank Zappa animate the ceiling, Eddy’s they’ll fi nd their favourite Otis Redding, John he isn’t short of offers but knows very well favourite concert stubs are pinned to the wall, Lee Hooker, Gary Moore, Nancy Sinatra, that only he can pilot his ship. “I left for a one alongside photos depicting people whose Jimmy Rogers or Luther Tucker tracks. Which week holiday recently, and when I came back names start with a B – Jacques Brel, George means he’s been hearing the same songs over it was a disaster. People were complaining. It Brassens and Buddy Guy – funny drawings and over again, every single day of the week just wasn’t the same.” made by regulars are framed. There is also for the past eleven years. Could he ever get More than just an owner, Eddy is the an omnipresent lizard theme going on, either fed up with it? “Never. How could you possi- Booze ‘n’ Blues. He offi cially lives in the obvious – the reptile miniatures behind the bly get fed up of such timeless songs?” he asks apartment located right above the bar, but counter – or more discreet – the tone on tone back. Granted. that’s just his second home; he spends his paintings all over the place. “It all started entire life downstairs. “Sometimes when with this lizard brooch I always wore on my there’s nothing on TV, I just come down and jacket. I wanted some around here. Friends listen to some tracks by myself. It’s like my and customers brought over little lizards that living room.” One naturally couldn’t help but I put behind the bar. Suddenly I got fl ooded " When someone comes in, feel worried when he unveils his ideas for a with them. There’s an army of lizards stashed all I need is a glance new project : a lounge bar. It almost sounds upstairs.” Even the colour and texture of the sacrilegious, but he justifi es this choice by the walls was carefully studied. One wouldn’t at that person or group “need for a challenge, something different.” expect Eddy to pay such attention to details to know exactly what However, rest assured, it will all be done “à given his beyond-nonchalant demeanour. la Eddy”. Minus the blues, maybe, but with The truth is that his philosophy is pretty will tickle their fancy. " the same attention to detail and skills when it much that of a deeply committed artist taking comes to setting the right tone. He also plans care of their masterpiece. It’s a philosophy on teaming up with renowned designer and that pays off, since people who set foot in the architect Antoine Pinto – the mastermind bar inevitably come back. If not for Eddy’s behind the sumptuous Belga Queen and Midi impeccable taste in music and wide selection Religiously picky about music, he only Station restaurants. An improbable duo that of artisanal Belgian beers, then maybe for the enjoys certain types of blues and hates it sounds promising, even if it might mean the “submarine” – a shot of schnapps in a glass of when the French mess with a genre that “was death of our favourite watering hole. beer - the house’s speciality. Or the restrooms, born in America and should stay there.” But whose gritty state could make Booze ‘n’ Blues we’ve got to hand it to him: the man knows his Rue des Riches Claires 20 the direct heir of the CBGBs. Or perhaps stuff. His years spent at the Blues Corner have Rijke-Klarenstraat, 1000 Brussels maybe for “The Fakir”, an ancient fortune- allowed him to forge an astounding knowl- telling machine that goes back to the 50s, dis- edge of the repertoire and he’ll only play the played on the counter. “People believe in it,” best in his bar. More impressive is his ability Eddy assures us, straight faced. “They do. to read people. “When someone comes in, all Sometimes I’ll even have a group knocking I need is a glance at that person or group to 36 THE ADAM & EVE ISSUE THE LOCAL

contest in the Hague. With the song ‘Eurovision’ How Belgium beat their sole aim was to fi nish last in the competi- tion. But they failed miserably; Portugal voted 12 points and bumped the group up to 17th place the dancefl oor down out of 19. With it, however, Belgium was the fi rst country to send a fully electronic band to the contest, making a clear mockery of the playback — From Popcorn to New Beat, Belgium has serious (and style of the 'live performances’. not so serious) electronic heritage Bring in the machines The early 80s saw Brussels evolve into the Writer Alex Deforce epicenter of the electronic music scene. With Telex on one side of the spectrum, another band was rising swiftly to stardom. When Billboard Encyclopaedia listed Front 242 in The Slowdown Driven by a couple of dedicated DJs who'd its list of ‘500 Best Producers in Rock History’, For at least a decade and a half, Belgium held play obscure vinyl gems they'd scored on sta- it came as no surprise to the fans. an international reputation for stripping dance teside travels. It was Popcorn that paved the If Telex were dedicated to their reputation music from its soul, letting machines reign in way for future electronic genres. Most clearly as jokers right from the start, Front 242 was the discotheques and for adding an abstract by slowing the dancefl oor down. equally serious about its military image, to tongue-in-cheek humour to the dancefl oors. The key fi gure in this mini-movement was the point that rock journalists spread rumours From Paul Oakenfold to Marilyn Manson, Freddy Cousaert, the same promoter who res- about nazi sympathies, much against the polit- the infl uence is still felt to this day. urrected Marvin Gaye’s career and who fl ew ical convictions of the band members. over Muhammed Ali after the boxing champ scored a Popcorn hit with Stand By Me. Back in Ostend, Cousaert would play records in his club ‘The Groove’. Already a retro movement in its days, Popcorn is still out there thanks to the enthusi- asm of jive-dancing enthusiasts. Decelerating the dancing audience by pitching records down would push dancers’ skills to impossible heights with their slow bop moves. Classes are still taught in Popcorn Jive.

Joke around, seriously The year is 1978 and while international politics are boiling up, Brussels is slowly but surely discovering the realm of electronic sounds. Synthesizer devotee Dan Lacksman teamed up with jazz veteran Marc Moulin and designer Eric Moens to form the group that’s often referred to as Belgium's answer to Kraftwerk: Telex. Aside from its visionary use of synthesizers and rhythm boxes, it's mostly the trio’s irreverent humour that sets them apart. Infectious and effective on the dance- ﬂ oor, Telex poked fun at the serious, politi-

cally turned-on rock music of the time. © All images courtesy of Ludion 01. Of their debut album Twist à Saint-Tropez 02. came the single Moskow Diskow, a train-driven disco anthem with percolating beats and ice- The roots, however, go way back to a small cold vocals that became an immediate inter- Closely related to the avant-garde ideas movement of soul and funk aﬁ cionados, going national hit. The lyrics displayed a trademark of the ‘musique concrete’ school, it is often mental over what was then known as ‘Popcorn’ mix of belgicismes: 'Au café usually so mild stated that Front 242 put the noise in music, music, named for Club Popcorn, a small bar / Tonight’s sound is really wild / All the boys and music into noise. With the machines at between Ghent and Antwerp that played soul look super chic / All their songs are fantastic / the forefront of their music, their sound was music on Sunday afternoons. From the late Moskow Diskow / Moskow Diskow’. particularly aggressive and minimal. With 1960s to the mid 70s, while English dancers Though seriously conceptualised right from the release of their second album, the group were getting their groove on to Northern Soul, the start - the members wouldn’t show their faces coined the term ‘Electronic Body Music’, Belgians did the exact same thing, but crowned in public - the group wouldn’t chicken out when and, in 1984 hit the States for a 10-gig live the tunes Popcorn instead; a hotch-potch of facing a challenge that could have made them tour that blew the socks off the American soul, doo-wop, modern jazz, ska and latin. lose all credibility: the 1980 Eurovision Song audiences. HOW BELGIUM BEAT THE DANCEFLOOR DOWN LIFESTYLE 37

New Beat lasted for a mere three or four years, after which the joke still stood, with tasteless spoofs and pastiches still trying to hit the charts. So the movement did what it had to do: move on. New Beat fans quickly discovered 'a sped-up version' of their favourite music: house.

R &S records With people in discotheques responding to sounds more than melodies, as NME’s Graham Sherman explained to a Flemish television crew in 1992, the Belgian sound can be described as a hard, hypnotic, electronic feel. UK DJs and promoters at the time began chasing Belgian producers to get their share of that hardcore sound. Much in contrast to the sounds coming out of other European coun- tries at the time, Belgium almost neglected the soulful origins of dance music and quickly represented a raw, repetitive 4-on-the-ﬂ oor sound that would soon spread all over the world. 03. 05.

New Beat " Until this day Pitched down music, a style and image you it seems unclear can hardly take seriously and the reign of hard machine rhythms? Belgium had it all where the strange habit going on when New Beat saw the light of day of vandalising graves halfway through the 80s. Twenty years after its birth, discussions still light up over the fi rst came from. " DJ that accidentally started playing records at a slowed-down pace. Looking back at it, it is an impossible task trying to catch the new Beat Vibe. Fact is, New Beat paved the way for house and techno. Its Electicism/stoemp vanguard discotheque - Boccaccio - felt ‘… like Though originally a UK phenomenon, the a dislocated version of life in slow-motion. Two- world hadn’t gone crazy over the mash-up and-a-half thousand dancers swinging at robotic phenomenon since ‘The Adventures Of half speed to a soundtrack of deconstructed, Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel’, underground Eurobeat.’ (i-D magazine) 04. when 2 Many DJs hit the charts with their mix In 1989 it was said that people were album ‘As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt.2’. By hunting for the - so far - obscure New Beat taking the vocals of one well-known hit and releases from London to Detroit. Flemish The label that showed the way for many blending with the instrumental of another, they DJs were asked to play in London clubs and now-classic tunes was R&S Records - short managed to open up the ears of many listen- English bands labelled their records ‘Mixed for Renaat & Sabine, the founding couple ers, who were until that time locked in clearly in Belgium’ to spark the interest of DJs. behind it. With its headquarters in Ghent, defi ned genres. The R n’ B princess amongst It wasn't all about music though, at the height R&S was the leading label during Belgium’s your friends had never really paid attention to of the New Beat craze, in came the New Beat early techno heydays and quickly gathered a 10cc record until she heard Destiny's Child fashion extravaganza. New-Beatsters would a global cult following. Out of their ‘Techno laid over Dreadlock Holiday, and it all made arrive for club nights in outrageous outfi ts, Island’ headquarters came internationally sense, didn’t it? It was 2002 and the Flying most notable was the use of the yellow smiling acclaimed club classics such as Jaydee’s Plastic Dewaele Brothers had fl ipped the DJ'ing game, face, a logo taken from the rave scene. More Dreams as well as the fi rst releases of a then- leaving plenty of Soulwax fans confused. infamous though, was the grandma- or grave- unknown Aphex Twin, who got his fi rst major Call it the art of Belgian stoemp, as you may yard-badge, printed on t-shirts, and often worn exposure on the seminal label. fi nd the ingredients all over, but it never tastes as a full-fl edged fashion accessory, literally R&S still exists and is still releasing records as good as it does back home. coming straight from the graveyard. Until this from its back catalogue as well as new artists that Do you remember the time? day it seems unclear where the strange habit celebrate the sounds of the past, such as Brussels’ 01. Acid Angels at Vaudeville (1992) of vandalising graves came from. But together Mugwump. Though now under the wings of 02 Bois de Boulogne at The Villa (1990) with the use of images of King Baudouin and Sony, label founder Renaat still pulls the strings, 03. Mad Club (1996) 04. Cherry Moon (1992) Queen Fabiola, this stands as the most unique closely monitoring everything that comes out 05. Chemical Club Konzept and most Belgian of fashion statements. under the Ferrari-style logo of the imprint. at Lamborghieni (1996) 38 THE KARMIC ISSUE THE FACE-OFF

My other car’s a Golf

— The one on the left’s been our trusted little helper since launching the magazine. Banged up, barely road-worthy yet still ever so faithful. The one on the right’s its modern- day version. Since ﬁ rst rolling out of its factory back in 1974, over 25 million varying versions of Volkswagen’s Golf have hit the road, culminating in this latest edition, the Golf 6 Blue Motion.

Photography Sarah Michieslen. MY OTHER CAR’S A GOLF LIFESTYLE 39

Golf 2, stylist’s own. Golf 6 Blue Motion, from € 21,730 ( www.vw.be ) 40 THE LINEAGE ISSUE THE TRACE

2000 years of modern

— “Society is superﬁ cial, and art will reﬂ ect that,” say Studio Job, who wonder whether the dark, bloodthirsty and psychologically twisted works in old museum collections are more than the viewer of today can handle.

Writer Hettie Judah Photography Vincent Fournier

While previewing the opening of Damien Hirst’s No Love Lost, a group of snotty British art pundits discussed the setting in which art’s great entrepreneurial showman was about to hang his canvases. The general consensus was that the Wallace’s collection was composed of outstanding works on canvas, and an embar- rassingly naff collection of Sèvres porcelain. It was agreed that, whatever the merit or otherwise of his canvases, Hirst had done a great deed in pulling a new, large audience in through the doors of a rather traditional museum. Walking around the slandered Sèvres and not-once-mentioned collection of extraordinary furniture pieces at the Wallace during Hirst’s opening, I wondered what Studio Job would have made of it all. Well before the Hirst show had been announced, I’d already asked Job and Nynke to talk about museums for our Heritage issue. Almost every conversation I’ve had with the pair in the past winds up on the subject of great museums and art collections; Grünes Gewölbe in Dresden, the Vatican museum in Rome; and about the twisted imagery that crept around the margins of their exhibits. important public and private collections in Amidst the confusion about the distinc- The well-behaved visiting public are gener- Europe and North America,” explains Job. tion between design and art that dogs Studio ally too busy looking at neatly labelled can- “What Nynke and I get inspired by is the Job’s output, the pair’s understanding of the vases to notice the naked goat-legged women total weirdness and craziness of the pieces; historically blurred roles of craftsman and painted onto the window shutters or the the artists had extreme ideas which are much artist seems immensely signiﬁ cant. “In the freaky animals chasing each other around the more expressive than today – it’s like they 16th century, artists were much more applied inlayed tabletops. were all on opium. Industry made us poor in artists than they are now; it was normal for a “We don’t visit museums every day; that way – democratic function and the mass sculptor to work on other people’s work for now we are more into cathedrals, but there reproduction of applied arts made pieces bread,” explains Job. “I think that we have lost was a period where we went around all the simple and dry.” rather than gained; people are conservative 2000 YEARS OF MODERN THE FIRSTS 41

the producers of these works were creating in the context of mass production; we understand where they are coming from. I saw one of Studio Job’s Perished cabinets – a wooden piece inlayed with hundreds of the images of animal skeletons – displayed alongside this sleek vintage furniture at a recent design fair, and it looked risky and outrageous; ornamental, dark and political. The contemporary design market is so cut off from its heritage that it seems to have lost any sense that Perished is part of a long tradition of highly communicative, decorative and even narrative works (in which, of course Sèvres porcelain has an important position). Job is not sure that it is such a bad thing that people don’t realise where they’re coming from; “Ignorance is better in some cases,” he suggests. “It’s maybe better not to know how much human culture is endlessly repeating. For some people I think it’s better to be ignorant than shocked.” Far from feeling at the modern end-point of a long history of designers and makers, immersion in the works of the past has given Job and Nynke a more soupy, circular view of time and creation. “People make such a clear line between what is now, what’s future and what’s past,” says Job, casually. “For me the last 2000 years of our creative culture is still very actual, compared to the length of time the earth has been spinning. To Nynke and me the future and past feel very fi ctive; apart from the present all the rest can be made up. It’s stupid to talk of ancient and modern art; I don’t think in these kind of terms.” They cite Jean Fouquet’s almost psychedelic 15th century Madonna, hung in the fi ne art museum of Antwerp, by way of example. “It looks like it was done this year on a computer program with silicone tits and fl uorescent colours,” enthuses Job. “We are fascinated because it is so contemporary.” But when I launch a knee-jerk complaint about young designers’ lack of historical knowledge, Job begs to differ. “Designers are not brain surgeons – we’re just carpenters who put ourselves on a pedestal. Yes, it’s a pity that some don’t have the baggage and knowledge, and it will show in the work, but I don’t know if we should be sad about it.”

today, and insist on making ghettos between in part because it has robbed us of our vocab- Studio Job’s new exhibition space professions.” Accordingly, the pair read con- ulary. History of art focuses on the ‘ﬁ ne’ arts, opens on 19th of December temporary work in the way that they would and contemporary reactions to them; very few at Begijnenvest 8, 2000 Antwerp the output of 500 years ago; their admiration people now know how to respond to porcelain, for Jeff Koons is rooted in the perfection of his glass, metal or cabinetwork. It is notable that With thanks to the Royal Museum production quality. Hirst they admire for his the commercial appetite for top-end furniture of Fine Arts, Antwerp honest and earthy response to art as a business, pieces has swung heartily towards works pro- rather than as obscure and mystical practice. duced concurrently with the industrial era Industrial production of furniture may – 20th century furniture is often more highly have damaged our regard for the applied arts, prized than earlier works. Like the purchasers, 42 THE LEGACY ISSUE THE WORD ON

Heritage in my face

— Your face tells a story that goes back generations ; the result of a family that stayed in one place for centuries, or great grandparents that travelled Soumaya Abouda the world to fall in love ; born in 1983, lives in Brussels it’s the one part of your DJ & graphic designer heritage you can never lose. Her dad comes from the south of Tunisia, her mother from the North. He has dark skin, she is rather pale. Soumaya is a perfect mix of both, Photography Ulrike Biets a full blood Tunisian, but she also calls herself a brusseleir. When she looks out of her window, she sees the hospital where she was born 26 years ago. But, when you ask people to describe Soumaya, they talk about her roots only after they mentioned her big glasses. She started to wear them from the age of six, and through the years they have become a part of her face. There is no Soumaya without the glasses.

Lina Germo born in 1985, lives in Gent photography student

Lina's mum is Japanese and lives in Osaka, her dad is from Aalst and lives in Belgium, they have a long distance marriage. Lina has her mum's eyes and the rest she inherited from her Belgian family. Sometimes people don't even notice she has Japanese roots, but she is proud to be a mix, she has tattoos all over her body that refer to the oriental blood that runs through her veins. HERITAGE IN MY FACE LIFESTYLE 43

Björk Óskarsdóttir Valeria Siniouchkina born in 1986, lives in Brussels born in 1977, lives in Brussels violinist fashion designer

Björk is originally from Akureyri, a small town in the north of Valeria was conceived in Kazan, born in Switzerland, raised in Iceland. She comes from a very pure bloodline, her parents, grand- Canada and Moscow and now she lives in Belgium. But her heritage parents and great-great-grandparents are all Icelandic. Her dad´s is Russian; her father is from Omsk (close to Kazakhstan) and her family were ﬁ shermen for centuries (in Siglufjörður) and her mum´s mother comes from Artem (close to the Japanese Sea). Valeria also family were all farmers (in Fnjóskárdalur). She moved to the capital has some Polish and Ukrainian blood in her background, but feels Reykjavík when she was 18 to study music. Last year, at age 22, she Russian above all; she even named her brand after her roots. came to Belgium to complete her studies.

Rodrigo Fuentealba Palavicino Toon Aerts born in 1972, lives in Ghent born in 1977, lives in Brussels musician director and photographer

Rodrigo was born in Chile, but because his parents were left wing Toon got his hair colour, skin and freckles from his dad, who got it activists, the whole family had to ﬂ ee in 1975 and ended up in from his dad, who got it from his mother. And so on. He is convinced Belgium. Rodrigo has the same personality as his mum – who has that by 2050 redheads will be extinct. People all over the world Italian roots - but he sure inherited the Indigena looks from his dad. travel from one country to another, make babies with each other, which will ﬁ nally result in one type of human, which he describes as a white Spaniard. 44 THE BROWN EYES ISSUE THE OTHER WORD ON

Console nation

These are diffi cult days for the recording industry. CDs and legal downloads are now seen as an unprofi table prop for more lucrative live shows. Accessible software means that artists can record and mix material themselves at home (a development that music labels with an eye on dwindling profi ts have not been slow to take advantage of). Every few weeks news reaches us of another legendary studio being closed down in London or…

Photography Guy Van Laere Writer Hettie Judah

01.

Brussels has a special recording heritage of its “The studio business in the whole world twisters! We know how to record and mix own and its studios have catered to hosts of is not as it used to be, that's a fact,” agrees music, we have electronic skills, we know artists from overseas who still take advantage Christophe Tonglet of Caraibes Studio, blaming how to run a business, we know some music of the lower studio rates and expert sound not only home recording and lower budgets but theory, we know how to operate those big engineering. The latter is hardly surprising; as also a rash of bogus sound engineers that come consoles, we know what a microphone is and we pointed out earlier in this issue, if there’s into the industry having only worked with home how and when to use them. The job of sound one territory in music that Belgium can really software and who are so bad that they put artists engineer is disappearing because nobody is lay claim to, it’s electronics. Dan Lacksman of off the whole studio experience. trained correctly anymore. That's really sad, Telex, one of the stars of our article on Belgian “Those guys are ruining the business!” and it's not helping the situation.” techno, actually owns Syn Sound, one of the fumes Christophe. “We are true profession- studios portrayed on these pages. als, we know our job! We are not just knob CONSOLE NATION LIFESTYLE 45

02.

" No need for a room and good microphones: a cracked recording program and plug-ins are easy to ﬁ nd on the web. Ask daddy for a couple of Chinese mikes and you can say you have your home studio. With some creativity (I mean: just do what people are waiting for; something easy they're already used to) and with the help of an efﬁ cient distributor, you can get a good return (mostly for the production company). "

Michael W Huon Studio Odeon /Studio Dada

03. 46 THE CURLY HAIR ISSUE THE OTHER WORD ON

04. 05.

06. CONSOLE NATION LIFESTYLE 47

07.

" Good studios usually have high-end equipment that today is mainly required for mastering, to ﬁ x anything that’s odd about a recording. (It's wrong, but it's the way things are going). "

Michael W Huon Studio Odeon /Studio Dada

Previous pages 01. Jet Studio 02+03. Synsound Studio 04+05. Studio Dada

These pages 06. Studio Molière 07+08. Studio Caraïbes 08. 48 THE DNA ISSUE THE TRIP

What is left of industry

— Last year, the Dutch elected Charleroi the most ugly city in the Benelux. Since the coal industry disappeared and the city lost its attraction, it has become anonymous and grubby. Charleroi still wears many scars from the smokestack industry; slag heaps, silent witnesses of the former industrial 01. grandeur, surround the city centre. On Friday afternoons, the smoke from the Cockerill Sambre steel plant still enters the suburbs, making everything reek of carbon, just like in the old days.

Photography Sarah Eechaut Writer Yves Van Kerkhove

02.

The urban infrastructure is chaotic, with fl y- The vast coal basin of the Pays Noir once over roads and the deserted metro stations attracted thousands of Italian, Turkish and from the unfi nished underground transport even Flemish miners. The fi rst generation of line. The fl ashy fast food shops’ neon signs guest workers are still living in their houses and fl uorescent whorehouse lighting, graffi - built on the coal debris. It is in these neigh- ti-sprayed walls and colourful playgrounds bourhoods that people continue their cough- gloss over the grey cityscape. But the bright- ing life as if the clocks stopped ticking 30 years ness is as superfi cial as the 20 square meter ago, when the last mines closed down. Their photograph of a kite-fl ying kid that covers the children and grandchildren opened a small horror house of Dutroux in the city’s satellite electronics shop, or – best-case scenario – left town of Marcinelle. the city to get a proper education. WHAT IS LEFT OF INDUSTRY LIFESTYLE 49

03.

05.

01. Young grafﬁ ti artists try to colour the grim neighbourhood 02. The cleaning lady arrives at her job in the lawyer’s ofﬁ ce 03. Garbage man in action 04. Typical Charleroi street images; a bizarre mixture of small electronics shops and night shops, used cars and vacant street lots 05. Bar des Anges, a whorehouse guarded by a feisty German Shepherd 04. 50 THE CUSTOMS ISSUE THE TRIP

06.

07.

06. Arrow to the 'social hotel', a home for the homeless 07. People returning from the bus stop, heading home. You can read the sadness in their faces 08. An innocent, joyful picture covers Dutroux’s atrocious cellar cage house 09. Colourful playground in the grim neighbourhood 10. "Have a break, have a Kitkat" 11. An old woman is waiting for the bus, ready for the weekly grocery shopping trip downtown 12. A ﬁ rst generation guest worker goes for a walk on an exceptionally sunny morning 08. WHAT IS LEFT OF INDUSTRY LIFESTYLE 51

09. 10.

11. 12. 52 THE TRADITIONS ISSUE THE SHOWSTOPPERS

Back in the day — Nothing gives you that almighty mnemonic kick like hanging out in your grandparents house – it’s that odd way that nothing seems to have changed, from the old- school cigarette brand, to the cologne in the bathroom, the smell of the cracked leather ﬁ lofax or worn texture of an ink pen held by the same hand for decades. Nothing to make you feel like a kid again, like getting back in touch with your roots.

Photography Benoît Bannisse Art Direction and Styling Face to Face

01. Cut throat

Remember Sharon Stone’s ice pick in Basic Instinct? Well, were the cult movie to get a modern remake, she’d most probably be wielding one of these bad boys. Created by master-illusionists ATYPYK, Paper Knife is one-half of a pair of scissors and comes in a slick, black platted steel. We suspect you’ll now ﬁ nd it less daunting to open those end-of-the-month bills or, worse yet, that dreaded termination contract – not that we’d wish either of these on you.

ATYPYK Paper Knife (€ 30) Available amongst others from Bozarshop Rue Ravenstein 15 Ravensteinstraat 1000 Brussels www.atypyk.com BACK IN THE DAY LIFESTYLE 53

02. Can you sync it ?

Remember the time when all you needed to do to back up your data was take your Filofax to the corner shop and photocopy the little bugger? No? Well believe us, young folks, it was mighty less stressful than worrying you’d accidentally drop your new iPhone down the toilet before remembering to sync it. Ignore the self-important über-twat associations of the 80s – these babies have been around for 90 years, and look ripe for a comeback.

www.ﬁ lofax.be

03. Madam, if I may…

The oldest cologne still in production provides a weirdly satisfying déjà vu; you recall all the products that are trying to smell like this (handwipes, for example) and realise that they’re wrong. It’s like tasting fake chocolate next to actual chocolate; one is comforting and nice (in a gentleman’s hand- kerchief kind of way), the other’s not. Next time you offer a damsel in distress something with which to wipe her eyes, make damn sure it smells like this.

www.roger-gallet.com

04. Sole survivor

High-pitched screams of “Patriiiiiiiick” have suddenly been invading Word HQ although, let us reassure you, this isn’t due to our fondness for Frenchman Patrick Bruel’s cheesy love ballads, but rather to Patrick Heritage’s updated collection of kicks. The French-born brand, recently taken over by a Belgian company, has heritage spelt all over it and is gaining cult status amongst sneaker- pimps keen for a differentiating factor.

PATRICK HERITAGE Marathon shoe (€ 79,90) www.patrickheritage.com 54 THE RACE ISSUE THE SHOWSTOPPERS

05. Grrr, cough, cough

Cigarettes actually were sexy once, and not just because the Lucky Strike logo secretly has the word LUST written in the four left letters. These days Tigra’s naughty little come-and-smoke me face is largely con- cealed by less alluring health warnings. Up to 20 years ago, you not only got to see the pout ; on some editions they showed the full catsuit. Rumour has it that Tigra was based on a famous Antwerp showgirl – now that’s what we call a smoking heritage.

06. One for the will

Some parents give their heirs a crumbling castle. Some give their descendants unpaid taxes or years of debt to settle. The luckier ones (depending on how you look at it) will be left with a sizeable fund to dispose of at their own discretion. The more thoughtful and stylish ones out there will, however, opt for St Dupont’s timeless writing instru- ments, a collectable similar in status to an Audemars Piguet watch or an oversized Fabergé egg. www.st-dupont.com

See Stockists page for full product information delvaux.com

Newspaper Bag, Men’s “1829” Collection, Designed by Bruno Pieters – Cabas, Vegetable tanned calf – 250 examples 56 THE RITUAL ISSUE THE FASHION WORD

— No one comes to the Lodge* anymore, but the symbols still have a quiet power. We gaze in through the Hexagram grate and watch the induction, 1930s style.

Photography Kris De Smedt Art direction & Styling Pierre-Yves Marquer

*Designed in 1934 by mason/architects Fernand Bodson and Louis Van Hooveld, the Lodge on Rue de l’Ermitage was used by the Masonic order Le Droit Humain until 1976. Since the mid 1980s, the building has housed Brussels’ archives of modern architecture. The Square and Compasses: Jumper Burberry Prorsum, Coat U-NI-TY, Trousers COS, Hat Lanvin Entered Apprentice: Coat Burberry Prorsum, Jumper Lanvin, Shirt New Man, Hat Lacoste, Belt Yohji Yamamoto, Trousers Hermes, Bag N.D.C., Boots Yves Saint Laurent All Seeing Eye: Jumper And Tie Hermes, Shirt Ralph Lauren, Trousers Yves Saint Laurent Grooming Dior Homme Dermo System The Hexagram: Jacket Yves Saint Laurent, Shirt Lacoste Red, Bow Tie Filippa K, Belt Essentiel, Jeans Levi’s The Antechamber: Suitcase Hermes, Cap Lanvin, Shirt Bill Tornade, Tie Ralph Lauren, Jacket Gucci, Coat COS, Gloves Maison Fabre, Trousers Uniqlo, Shoes Repetto The Frame: Sunglasses (Vintage) Cazal From Selima Optique, Jacket U-NI-TY, Shirt Christophe Lemaire, Grooming Dior Homme Dermo System Three Knocks: Jacket U-NI-TY, Shirt Christophe Lemaire, Scarf Hermes, Braces Diesel, Gloves Filippa K, Trousers Dries Van Noten Pythagoras’s Triangle: Cardigan Bill Tornade, Shirt Ralph Lauren, Trousers Wooyoungmi, Scarf (Vintage) Bjorn Borg White Photographer Kris De Smedt/77 www.cestchicagency.be

Stylist Pierre-Yves Marquer www.cestchicagency.be

Stylist's assistant Sybille Langh

Model Benoni Loos www.imm.be

Hair Brigitte Petit www.cestchicagency.be using Redken

Grooming Brigitte Petit www.cestchicagency.be using Dior Homme Dermo System

With thanks to La Loge, Brussels’ archives of modern architecture www.aam.be

WHAT DO I KNOW ABOUT DIAMONDS? I'M A BOXING PROMOTER. I WAS A HAPPY BOXING PROMOTER UNTILBLING A WEEK AGO, AND THEN: WHAT DO I KNOW ABOUT DIAMONDS? DON'T THEY COME FROM ANTWERP?

— TURKISH, SNATCH (GUY RITCHIE, 2000)

SPECIAL 68 THE GREEN EYES ISSUE THE WAY

Adorning men — Jewellery and ﬂ amboyant accessories provide a stylistic link between every counterculture movement of the last 150 years, be they romantics, bohemians, b-boys, punks or hippies. Just what is it about adorned men that so offends the mainstream?

Writer Hettie Judah © Justine Photography 01.

About six or seven years ago, the British media like the Japanese kids fetishised by Western and fi tting in and majority social standards. gorged itself in disgust over the appearance of glossies, these boys were spending everything I remember being told about a man – I think a new social subgroup – the Chav. It’s often on their image. The problem was, they were it was Gladstone – who wore a bowler hat to said that after punk, no movement will ever doing it too close to home. Parliament and it was seen as so outrageous have the same potential to offend again, yet that he got thrown out.” the judgement on Chavs was unequivocal dis- Good taste is still a limited club; there approval. Like the punks, Chavs were appro- seems little coincidence in the most recent rise priating the wardrobe of the ruling classes (in of discretion and anonymity as by-words for this case expensive designer clothing, rather " I do remember wondering sophistication was concurrent with the rise of than traditional formalwear), but unlike the why people were staring the Chavs. The snobs and the swaggerers were punks, there was no rebel ethos behind this; it both responding to the same boom-time glut. was almost purely an exercise in shopping. at me on the bus. " The snobs were using their cut of the good times to spend on discreetly labelled grey Most men in Northern Europe seem to dress cashmere v-necks, obscure Japanese blazers for invisibility. For work there’s the suit and selvage denim. (grey), and for the rest of the time there’s Stephen arrived at Saint Martin’s College jeans, sneakers and cheap sports-casual wear “I always quite liked chavdom,” agrees in London in 1976, the year of punk, and with maybe a slogan t-shirt thrown into the British milliner Stephen Jones. “I found it recalls that “it was the only way to be, it was mix. I remember seeing photos of Chav boys quite interesting; but thank God Burberry is about self expression, up the establishment, in the newspapers, dressed top to toe in loud a nice check!” Just as Louis XIV dictated the and an electrifying new individuality.” His Burberry checks, covered in gold and proud dress at court, suggests Stephen, so the British favourite outfi ts of the time included three as punch. They didn’t look offensive ; they ruling classes enjoy dictating the notion of piece suits worn with stilettos, vinyl trousers looked like they’d made an effort, they wanted appropriate clothing to keep people in their topped off with a tweed jacket and something to look good, but most of all, they refused to place. “Since Beau Brummel said that true he recalls as a kind of bubble made of netting. be invisible. I remember thinking at the time ; elegance was restrained, there has always “I do remember wondering why people were if the guys in this photo were Japanese we’d been the standard ideal in menswear, and staring at me on the bus.” be revelling in their magpie pride and plas- the romantic ideal was the fl ip side of that,” For Stephen, rebellion was a personal tering them all over the glossy magazines. Just he explains. “So much was about propriety imperative, and it automatically translated ADORNING MEN THE BLING SPECIAL 69

itself in the form of dress. “From an early age, clothing for me was always a method of expression,” he recalls. “Dressing up seemed to be the natural thing to do – normally it provoked complete horror, especially from my housemaster at boarding school.”

" I was always amused to dress like my father, but now I’m the same age as my father. "

“I always dressed more formally than other people – to wear a t-shirt and jeans seemed an easy option – it’s more interesting for a 21 year old to dress like a 60 year old. I was always amused to dress like my father, but now I’m the same age as my father. I can get away with more now that I’m 52 – people don’t shout things in the street as much. I think people stopped shouting when I got to about 30. I just carried on the way I was, irre- spective of anything – it’s not fashion, it’s self- expression. That’s the way I want to look, and if other people don’t like it then too bad.” In British English, if a man is described as decorated it means that he has received a medal. The word ‘colours’, in referring to men’s dress, likewise has military implica- tions. To wear metal adornments or bright clothing thus was something that you earned the right to via bravery or good service. Colours and decorations worn by those who had not, would seem, by extension, be rather subversive to the notion of national pride protected by military might. “The beginning of the 20th century was a bit of a quiet time (in men’s fashion), because conformity was so important,” explains Cally Blackman, author of One Hundred Years of Menswear. “Maybe it was something to do with the war – if you were a middle class family man you conformed to what that was meant to be.” Looking at the austere collar-less wartime 02. suits pictured in Cally’s book as appropriate dress for times of cloth rationing, the spivvy styled wide lapels that rebel against them look “It was in the 6Os when hippies started 01. Stephen Jones guaranteed to cause offence. The slick cloth- wearing beads that jewellery was really part 02. P Diddy ing and jewellery associated with the term Spiv, of a major counterculture movement,” Cally still suggests a rotter, someone not quite kosher. explains. “It went against the notion of what It’s rather of a piece with the style we now asso- men were supposed to be looking like in main- ciate with East European gangsters; big suit and stream society – it was probably a great shock lots of gold ; it suggests a man unafraid to show at the time to see men wearing jewellery.” he plays outside the rules of society. We are so used to the bling these days, that 70 THE FRECKLES ISSUE THE WAY

03.

the notion of it being dangerously subversive for from damaged dysfunctional background : the a man to decorate himself with jewellery is hard one thing they can change is their appearance, " The slick clothing to comprehend, but as Cally reminds me ; “with it’s why these guys look so incredible – the and jewellery the gay scene, until relatively recently, you were ultimate dandy of today is the black guy in open to being prosecuted, which added much the ghetto of Atlanta, shining, and looking the associated with seriousness to being very ﬂ amboyant.” dog’s bollocks.” Glittering against your sur- the term Spiv, The rebellion inherent in mens’ jewellery roundings lifts you above the grot – perhaps comes from the way it demands to catch your another reason that jewellery is considered still suggests a rotter, eye – its knack for making most visible those infra dignatum. The landed gentry tend to someone not parts of society that the moral majority would dress terribly, but then they have less grot to prefer not to have to acknowledge, be they gay, rise above. quite kosher " peacenik, cockney rebel or young afﬂ uent men As the bling of hip hop culture hits the of all stripes from the wrong side of the track. mainstream, Cally sees links to earlier periods Stephen points out that dress is also the of social inversion. “It’s today’s version of con- easiest thing to change about your circum- spicuous consumption,” she explains. “As it was stance, and cites hip hop culture as the ulti- with Second Empire, late 19th century fashion. mate case in point ; “those guys often come When you see P Diddy wearing diamond ADORNING MEN THE BLING SPECIAL 71

earrings that’s what it’s all about. It’s a deliber- ate turn around from the inconspicuous consumption that you see in the customers of, for example, Margaret Howell – unless you’re a real fashionista you wouldn’t notice you were wearing a £ 600 jacket – it’s a strange paradox.”

" The ultimate dandy of today is the black guy in the ghetto of Atlanta, shining, and looking the dogs bollocks. "

Cally’s most recent book is intended to counter the idea that menswear is terribly dull, but of course the roots of all this social play go back much further than 100 years. In the 18th century, menswear was much more showy and extravagant, and it’s hard not to see the creeping sobriety of the early/mid 19th century as having strong links to the industrial revolu- tion. To be a middle class man became a terribly serious affair – your life was outside home, and your role was to provide for your family. Part of your status came from having a wife who did not work ; fashion and ornamentation became the woman’s realm and thus rather silly. An adorned man was not a good, sombre, middle class capitalist ; he was distracted by frivolity. It seems rather too delicious that one could couple a feminist agenda to the promotion of more decorative dress for men – suggesting a utopian future of equal pay and ever more beautiful boys – but there’s certainly a heavy mesh of symbolism connected to bling. Cally suggests that anything goes these days, but, well, she lives in Brixton : it’s still perfectly easy to get beaten up or shouted at in the street for excessive ﬂ amboyance elsewhere, and deliberately extrovert dress is usually read 04. as an explicit challenge to the mainstream. While, as Cally points out, the last century has seen waves of successive gorgeous subcul- Photos 02, 03 and 04 tures in menswear, there’s still a long way to go all from One Hundred Years of Menswear before the decision of whether or not to wear a by Cally Blackman (2009) – Laurence King piece of jewellery could be taken as lightly by a man as by a woman.

03. Hippy 04. N.E.R.D’s Pharrel Williams and Tomoaki “Nigo” Nagao of BAPE 72 THE TALENTED ISSUE THE FLASH

Watchmen — Alright, we got gold watches, silver watches, diamond watches, leather watches, fat watches, skinny watches. We even got your daddy’s watches and your mama’s watches. Whatever your wrist-wear of choice, our trenched-up street hawker’s got ‘em all…

Photography Operation Panda

For her (from left to right, top to bottom) BELL & ROSS White Ceramic Phantom (€ 1,900), Vintage Watch, RAYMOND WEIL Freelancer Chronograph (€ 6,990), Vintage Watch, THOMAS SABO Classic (€ 229), Vintage Watch WATCHMEN THE BLING SPECIAL 73

For him (from left to right, top to bottom) Vintage Watch, LONGINES Admiral (€ 1,910), Vintage Watch, RADO Green Ceramica Chrono (€ 2,175), SWATCH Black Right Track (€ 285), Vintage Watch, RAYMOND WEIL Freelancer Chronograph (€ 9,300), Vintage Watch, HERMES Automatic Arceau Chronograph (€ 3,665) 74 THE "YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR…" ISSUE THE ENCOUNTER

Show me the gold Photography Ulrike Biets THE GREATEST THE BLING SPECIAL 75 76 THE MOTHER ISSUE THE SPECIAL SHOWSTOPPERS

All mine when she shines — Hey Ulrike – Thanks for sending over the pix. More T + A / less pale, wintery skin than I was anticipating, but it’s always interesting to see how someone else interprets an idea. I think we can work the more upfront style two ways. We can tell the girls that this is a cunning way to get the boys to look at really nice sparkly things by draping them over a pretty body. And we can tell the boys that this is research – a ready-made excuse for looking at naked ladies. Basically it’s like a Christmas catalogue, just with more nipples.

Photography Ulrike Biets

I totally love these shoes – so sexy. They were the ﬁ rst thing I noticed when I saw Veronique’s new collection. I actually haven’t met anyone who doesn’t swoon for them – I even met someone who got married in a pair. I like the way the geometrical shape of the heel off-sets the glitter. And there’s something just plain rude about that slit up the back.

Veronique Branquinho shoes (€ 390) From – Hatshoe, Brussels ALL MINE WHEN SHE SHINES THE BLING SPECIAL 77

That’s kind of a creepy photograph – looks a little like she’s dead, but I quite like it. This brooch is very delicate, which kind of takes it away from being too gothic and for me sets it alongside all those art deco insect brooches. But still, it does make you want to buy six and have them all gathered around a food stain on your sweater or something.

Fly badge by Calourette (€ 60) From Mapp, Brussels www.thisismapp.com

I totally, totally love this one – it’s a prototype that Isabelle is going to start producing around the time the magazine comes out. I do like the pills and guns next to each other in the picture; they’re both kind of fragile but with a hard edge. The capsule actually opens up and you can put some of your lover’s hair inside, which is pretty intense, in this day and age. I say I totally love it, but I did choke a little when Isabelle explained that it was inspired by the Carla Bruni lyric Tu es ma came. I think we’re all going to try and forget that we knew that, no?

L’ Amalgame necklace by Isabelle Lenfant (€ 445) From The Collector’s Gallery, Brussels www.collectors-gallery.com

I don’t know what it is about these – they are really simple, but they look very symbolic somehow – the extra loop of metal is almost like a force-ﬁ eld around your wrist and hand, as though you have planets in orbit around you, or you were drawn by a child who got a bit scribbly around your outlines. There’s something super satisfying in the way that bracelet clips open though – it’s weirdly industrial, like a piece of climbing equipment. I love that the model is wearing really baggy silk knickers, by the way – very sweet!

Maison Martin Margiela Deﬁ lé ring (€145) Deﬁ lé bracelet (€ 315) www.maisonmartinmargiela.com 78 THE FATHER ISSUE THE SPECIAL SHOWSTOPPERS

It’s really hard to pile all these showy, very feminine references into a garment, and still have it come out looking fresh and even subtle. There are pearls and the shiny surfaces and the little rufﬂ es, yet it feels degraded and easy. It’s extraordinary that you can put this much bling on a top and still come out with something that feels relaxed and easy enough to dance about in half naked in a lift like this. It’s kind of sexy the way all the applique’d stuff weighs it down, so that the loose baggy shape drapes over the curves of her body.

Top Phillip Lim (€ 335) From Icon, Brussels www.icon-shop.be

Is it wrong that I really like how the shape of the pendant and the pink of the coral both make references to her nipple? But I think that’s cute, rather than creepy, no? It was actually Wouters & Hendrix’s coral pieces that created the reference for this whole shoot – I love the pale pink against the pale silver. If you’re going to buy someone jewellery, your going to think about seeing it against their skin, rather than on a piece of clothing – that’s what makes jewellery a hot present: only the person who gives it gets to see it being worn naked. Is it the only thing that you can wear and still be naked? What about spectacles? Or the shoes from the ﬁ rst photo?

Necklace with medallion and coral rose (€ 212,5) Wouters & Hendrix, Antwerp www.wouters-hendrix.com /OW0NLINE

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Small Wonders Ofﬁce Shenanigans Stuff on our Radar Daily Dribbles

Everything we couldn’t, and wouldn’t, run with in the magazine goes on The Word Blog.

#EWARNED 80 THE SISTER ISSUE THE HISTORY

A matter of life and death

— Throughout human history, military advances have pushed civilian technology. Weapons manufacture has traditionally been an enormously important industry in the UK and the territory now known as Belgium. Military supplies and armaments are still one of the few things that actually get manufactured in any signiﬁ cant quantity in Western Europe.

Writer Hettie Judah

01. A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH DESIGN 81

Passions spark early; today’s product designers spent years drawing technical pictures of cool mechanics and machines, building Lego aeroplanes, taking apart domestic appliances and poring over pictures that showed how things work. Cars were always pretty inspiring, so were planes and space rockets, but as any little boy will tell you, the really neat kit always seems to be military. Last year, when I was researching our feature on violent imagery in design, it became clear that a lot of designers have an uneasy relationship with the world of weapons and armoured vehicles. As adults they seem a little queasy in their fascination; acknowledg- ing the seductive nature of the well designed thing, and the draw of the latent power within it, but feeling compelled to vocally distance themselves from the cold, hard function. An art school education doesn’t necessar- ily make for an easy relationship with military technology. Yet for industrial designers, the technical rigours necessary for military supplies set a gold standard rarely demanded in the design of commercial products. They 02. must, to the nth degree, be functional, reli- able, durable, comprehensible, standardised, repairable, suitable for mass production, and civilian applications throughout civilisation, has passed through should mean that BAE’s forward thinking enough to remain standard it is interesting to see how the infl uence pushes future client should only have to splash out kit for 50 years. now both directions. on very specifi c modifi cations. As Michael White, points out in his Part of the standard kit on board is an elec- popular history “The Fruits of War: How tronic interface system, allowing the crew to Military Confl ict Accelerates Technology”, see where they are and share pertinent infor- West Europeans are currently more cut off mation with other vehicles in the squadron. from the world of weapons and the mili- " … for previous Different functions will be available to differ- tary than at any point in human history. In generations, advances ent users, but the physical design and means the US, civilian gun ownership is standard; of interaction will remain the same; a rugged over here it is not. War and the kit that comes in civilian and military screen surrounded by buttons (touch screen with it seem the stuff for foreign soil; ok in technology marched is out, because of the vibrations of the vehicle Afghanistan and Iraq, but we’d prefer not to moving over rugged terrain). see it or think about it too much back here. Yet in lock step, from Rather than create a new system for the for previous generations, advances in civil- numeracy, through road interface, BAE used existing technology devel- ian and military technology marched in lock oped by the gaming industry and based the step, from numeracy, through road building building to metal casting system on Microsoft’s Windows. “The military to metal casting to production-line assembly. to production-line world once led this, but they don’t anymore,” An enormous number of the technical explained BAE’s spokesman, Mike Sweeney. advances that shaped the way we lived in the assembly." “So why take the risk of using a bespoke system latter half of the 20th Century were acceler- when this one is already understood by 95% of ated by research connected to WWII, from the people who will use it?” One of the support manufacturing techniques to the development vehicles, the Terrier, is used to clear mine fi elds of computing. and can be operated remotely – which is done Of course there is still a certain symbiosis. I visited BAE Systems’ design and devel- using a ruggedized Playstation controller (the That cute little TomTom stuck to your dash- opment facility in Leicester, England as the engineers joke that they paint it green so that it board uses the GPS developed by the US company launched proposals for a new gener- looks a little more serious). They are conscious Department of Defence, made available for ation of armoured vehicles (the FRES SV) to civilian use during the 1980s. It’s the most the British Ministry of Defence (MOD). The evident example of Dual Use Technology: FRES SV is a modifi ed off-the-shelf design. developments arising from military research It uses the chassis of an existing vehicle - the that are released for commercial civilian CV90 – that has been developed and modi- application (another example would be the fi ed by BAE Systems’ facility in Sweden since sonar technology used in mammograms). But 1985. The company is using the base vehi- 01. 3D visualisation dome, while materials and technical developments cles’ proven reliability as a selling point to BAE Systems, Leicester generated by military research have pushed the MOD; the 20 years of tweaking that it 02. FRES SV Scout, working prototype 82 THE BROTHER ISSUE THE HISTORY © all images courtesy of BAE Systems 03.

that the vehicles will be operated by members (ie people with experience driving armoured of the “the iPod generation” and those that will vehicles in the fi eld) to make a virtual tour of " We seem to come beyond it. the FRES SV and comment on imperatives have gone from a society While one can only applaud the designers’ such as sight lines and escape routes. The impulse to keep things as intuitive as possible, dome is essentially 8 screens arrange in a guided by the serious there’s something a little unsettling in the fact ring, showing images from 16 projectors that to a society guided by that the fi eld in interactive technology is now pass through polarised fi lters. Standing in the lead by computer games and leisure rather dome wearing polarised glasses, the design- the frivolous than the military. We seem to have gone from ers can present their CAD information “in a within a generation. " a society guided by the serious to a society format others can understand”. Their clients guided by the frivolous within a generation. can check out the storage space, or work out Walking around the facility, the gaming whether a 1.96m man in full body armour connections are hard to avoid – from simula- could get through the hatches. tors to visualisation suites – I’m not so sure how It’s interesting to compare the trends right Michael White was in saying that we’re pushing changes in design in civilian and mil- now a society cut off from military culture. We itary products. Like civilian product design- may feel very separate from it, but it’s evident ers, the team behind the FRES SV series has that gaming technology is the contemporary had to deal with changes in the market and version of previous generations ‘sword fi ght- shifting human needs. They also have to learn ing’ with sticks or making guns out of Meccano from their previous mistakes. – the difference is that we play as adults too, As with any other vehicle design, the team which is why gaming has become the vernacu- has to take into account the physical change in lar of combat. It seems modern warfare really those driving it – the likelihood that the men has been brought to you courtesy of XBox. will be much larger and heavier than those Play, or make-believe, is of course a key provided for by the 1960s-designed Scimitar part of the development program. BAE uses a it will be replacing. They also need to accom- 3D visualisation dome for potential end users modate possible female operatives, which A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH DESIGN 83

means providing for a height range with more than a 30cm variant. Their market, for the FRES SV in particular, is likely to be operating in Afghanistan, where landmines have been a persistent problem. If seats are secured to the ﬂ oor, the movement of the base of the vehicle as it goes over a mine is enough to break the passengers’ ankles. The new generation of vehicles have cushioning in

" The movement of the base of the vehicle as it goes over a mine 04. is enough to break the passengers’ ankles. "

the fl oor, and seats attached to the side. The mine protection is claimed to be comparable to a battle-tank, despite being much lighter. Previous generations of armoured vehicles had specifi c problems with their gun turrets – lack of stability meant that the vehicle could only fi re the gun when stationary, putting the unit at risk. The limited space within vehicles also limited the size and thus power of the gun they could carry. BAE were playing up the 05. developments in vehicle stability (the FRES SV can fi re on the move), and what they refer to as a ‘revolutionary’ compact gun design - by a desire to learn about new materials and the MTIP-2 - that, (if I understood the jargon technologies; instead the ‘lesson’ I picked up correctly), is loaded from the side rather than from my fi rst tranche of research was rather the back, allowing the vehicles to “pack more an old fashioned one about semi-artisanal of a punch”. production and diligent research. From one of With all the hard-sell going on for the Western Europe’s oldest industries, I suppose, FRES SV family, it’s quite a shock to realise that should hardly come as a surprise. that only around1200 are likely to be produced for the MOD if BAE win their bid. This report represents the fi rst part in an The scout, repair, recovery and protected ongoing research project into military and mobility vehicles that made up Recce Bock weapons design. 1 – the fi rst tranche of the order, which was anticipated to be around £2 billion – represented 600 actual vehicles, the fi rst of which would be ready for use in 2015. The vehicles’ have a mature start point in the production process (only the customised top section for each vehicle would be produced by BAE in the UK), but production capacity is still only around 100 a year. It is bizarre how closely all this fi ts within the guidelines that commentators knock around when discussing sustainable design practice; products developed in close con- sultation with end users, manufactured in 03. Inside BAE' s Systems Integration Facility limited series and intended for enduring use. 04. CAD image of the visualisation dome My initial interest in the fi eld had been driven 05. CAD image of a Bulldog vehicle 84 THE MONGREL ISSUE THE SHELF

Bibliographic (2009) Shelf life by Jason Godfrey Laurence King

— This month’s pick of photography primers has a certain Billed as a compilation of the century’s seminal design books, Bibliographic whiff of celebration to it. Be it an immortalisation of documents the evolution of graphic design the continent’s foremost design practices, a walk along throughout the last 100 years. Drawing on on graphic design manuals, symbol source- memory lane back to the days of Kangol hats and fat books, instructional titles and trademark caps, a recognition of a city’s collective dress code or design anthologies, it draws on the legendary (Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Josef a solemnisation of the century’s greatest design books, Muller-Brockmann) and the contemporary we pay our dues. (Stefan Sagmeister and Peter Saville), giving typeface addicts and graphic design nerds Photography Yassin Serghini the closest they’ll ever get to porn on paper. Art Direction Mélisande McBurnie Writer Nicholas Lewis Born in the Streets (2009) Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain

Short of fl ying over to New York for a walk Studio Culture (2009) Oil (2009) through its concrete galleries, Born in the by Tony Brook and Adrian Shaughnessy by Edward Burtynsky Street – the accompanying catalogue to Unit Editions Steidl/Corcoran the exhibition of the same name at Paris’ Fondation Cartier – provides a timeline The cult-like aura surrounding certain Edward Burtynsky’s meticulous approach to in vandalism, delving into New York design studios is such that you’re sometimes documenting the world’s over-dependence City’s spray can heritage to reveal a world left with the same feeling of creative intimi- on the black stuff makes for compelling of throw-ups, train panels and tags. With dation as when you’re about to enter an art viewing. Cunningly categorised in four in-depth personal accounts by the likes of gallery. A world which more often than not poignant sections – extraction, Detroit, P.H.A.S.E 2 and Lady Pink and poignant is insular and introverted, opens up to the transportation and the end of oil – the photography of a New York of the bygone general public – not through open days but book reads like a damning verdict on the era, the tome fi rmly cements graffi ti’s place through this magnifi cently produced book. oil lobby; Burtynsky’s very own political in contemporary culture. A quick fl ick Spanning offi ces from Trieste to Tokyo and protest in favour of a more equitable use through its pages will even make you feel Barcelona to Brisbane, Studio Culture gives of energy sources. Securing access to some part of the crew, like you actually were you an insight into the thinking of some of of the most ungodly sites on the planet – a sitting on that writer’s bench together with the greatest graphic design minds of the last cemetery of disused fi ghter planes, a pit with Jay One and Seen. couple of decades through informal discus- a bunch of Bangladeshi youths bare-footed sions with studio heads and a thorough in recycled oil – Burtynsky confi rms his This Book is Elektronic (2009) presentation of their work. Spin, A Practice knack for research, taking his lens to places Ludion for Everyday Life and Experimental Jetset you aren’t supposed to see. are all present, as is Coast, the only Belgian This book takes us back, waaay back. A offi ce to be represented. American Power (2009) celebration of Belgium’s undeniable contri- by Mitch Epstein bution to global club culture, it celebrates Antwerp Street Style (2009) Steidl the many clubs, club nights and labels by Jens Mollenvanger dedicated to the genre. An encyclopedia, or Ludion The different notions of power – economi- ‘elektropedia’ as its inceptor Red Bull likes cal, electrical and political – are the basis to call it, This Book is Elektronic gives a Metrosexuals, new romantics, glitzy of Epstein’s surreal voyage to the heart of chance to those who took their fi rst steps on gangsters, nu-age ravers and fashion America’s love affair with horsepower. a dancefl oor to Telex’s Moskow Diskow to freethinkers are all put to the fore in this Capturing the ubiquitous presence of every- delve back into the era. The period’s fl yers jam-packed round up of Antwerp’s deco- thing from nuclear facilities and oil refi ner- (with entry price still in Belgian Francs and rated masses. Infamous for its propensity for ies to truckstops and pipelines, Epstein’s artwork that’d make Marc Moulin proud), radical experimentation, a certain collec- customary eerie aesthetic and thought-pro- photographs of leading clubs (Zillion, tive aesthetic has shaped the city’s fashion voking narrative treats the topic at hand with Cherry Moon and Fuse to name those consciousness, immortalised by a certain a humanity which helps to contextualise his closest to our hearts) as well as a 10 track laisser-faire, just-throw-on-whatever-you- work. Consider the Californian golfers set compilation are all there. feel-like approach to dressing up. At times against a backdrop of wind turbines or, more repetitive but always inspiring, the book dis- worrying yet, a football game taking place tinguishes itself from your run-of-the-mill under the towering presence of a coal power style bibles by not taking itself too seriously. plant. This book will only further fuel the debate on daily power plays in American life. SHELF LIFE CULTURE 85

¤ From top to bottom This Book is Elektronic (Ludion), Oil (Steidl/Corcoran), Bibliographic (Laurence King), American Power (Steidl), Studio Culture (Unit Editions), Born in the Street (Fondation Cartier), Antwerp Street Style (Ludion) 86 THE MAPLESS ISSUE THE PENCIL

The lost art

Progress always comes at a price. As we become more culturally sophisticated and mature, how many of those special arts – honed over years of practice – drop by the wayside, slip out of the collective consciousness, never to be revived? We felt it was time for an assessment of our collective heritage: those skills we perfected in earlier years, but now seem to have lost.

Never washing our hair because it ‘washed itself’. Spitting in the street. Wiping the crockery off on a towel rather than cleaning it. Stealing ashtrays at parties. Sleeping straight on the mattress (who needs sheets?). Having a smoke and a beer before going in to work at our temp job on a construction site. Driving the car while off our tits on drugs. And of course, spraying deodorant on the outside of our t-shirts.

Illustration Jean Biche THE LOST ART CULTURE 87 88 THE STATELESS ISSUE THE TALENT

Portraits photographiques et uniformes Photography Charles Fréger

“This particular guard study is an answer to my Empire series about the Royal and Republican guards (of Europe),” explains Charles . “If you did not know who they were, you would almost not see the difference.”

All aged between nine and 16, the Tivoli Boys Guard was founded in 1844. Several brigades parade through Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens, the world’s oldest amusement park, guarding the monuments and providing musical diversion. Their uniform is virtually identical to that worn by the Queen’s Life Guards.

Over the last 10 years, Charles Fréger has dedicated himself to the portrayal of youth movements, uniformed groups, social orders and guardsmen. His Empire series has just been published as a book by Kerher / Thames & Hudson. TIVOLI GARDENS CULTURE 89 90 THE BOUNDARY ISSUE THE TALENT TIVOLI GARDENS CULTURE 91 92 THE ARISTOCRATIC ISSUE THE VOYAGE

Far east

Photography Emilie Pischedda

Earlier this year Projet Diligence was mysterious presence of the little girl dressed in invited to participate in the 10th Shiryaevo a traditional Slavic fur hat and embroidered Biennale, 100 miles east of Moscow on tunic. The pair are joined in the rubble of an the banks of the Volga. Emilie, Valentin isolated building by an exotic menagerie of and their daughter Nina responded to the creatures more usually associated with the Biennale’s theme America: between Europe Americas than the banks of the Volga. & Asia: with a gallery installation rooted in Projet Diligence is a peripatetic arts prac- a performative series of photographs. tice whose work balances – and often com- Inspired by the aesthetics of American bines – site-speciﬁ c projects, performance, cinema, the photos juxtapose the archetypal photography and monumental sculpture. posturing of the American outlaw hero with the FAR EAST CULTURE 93 94 THE EARTH ISSUE THE VOYAGE

www.projetdiligence.net THE LASTS 95 The Stockists

A Essentiel Antwerp J R Schuttershofstraat 26 Atypyk 2000 Antwerp K Raymond Weil www.atypyk.com +32 (0) 3 213 15 10 +32 (0) 478 42 15 98 www.essentiel.be L www.raymond-weil.com B F Lacoste Repetto Balthazar Galerie Porte Louise 228 www.repetto.fr Avenue Louise 294 Louizalaan Filippa K 1050 Brussels 1050 Brussels Rue A. Dansaertstraat 42 +32 (0) 2 478 18 40( Roger Gallet + 32 (0) 2 647 77 37 1000 Brussels www.lacoste.com www.roger-gallet.com www.balthazarstore.com Steenhouwersvest 61 – 65 2000 Antwerp Lanvin S Bell & Ross www.fi lippa-k.com www.lanvin.com +32 (0) 2 268 79 53 Selima Optique www.bellross.com Filofax Laurence King + 33 (0) 1 48 04 38 55 www.fi lofax.be www.laurenceking.com Rue Vieille du Temple 46 Bill Tornade 75004 Paris www.billtornade.com Filigranes Levi's Avenue des Arts 39 Kunstlaan www.levistrauss.com St Dupont Bozar Shop 1000 Brussels www.st-dupont.com Rue Ravensteinstraat 15 + 32 (0) 2 511 90 15 Longines 1000 Brussels www.fi ligranes.be +32 (0) 2 520 14 73 Studio Job + 32 (0) 2 514 15 05 www.longines.com www.studiojob.nl www.bozarshop.com G Ludion Steidl Burberry Prorsum Gant www.ludion.be www.stedlville.com www.burberry.com +32 (0) 2 538 17 10 www.gant.com M Swatch C www.swatch.com Gucci Maison Fabre Chauncey Boulevard de Waterloo 49 +33 (0) 1 42 60 75 88 T www.chauncey.be Waterloosteenweg 1000 Brussels Maison Martin Margiela Thomas Sabo Christophe Lemaire + 32 (0) 2 511 11 82 www.maison + 32 (0) 50 62 75 95 www.christophelemaire.com www.gucci.com martinmargiela.com www.thomassabo.com

COS H N U www.cosstores.com Hermès New Man Uniqlo D +32 (0) 2 511 20 62 www.newman.fr www.uniqlo.com/fr www.hermes.com Delvaux O Unit Editions +32 (0) 2 738 00 40 Houben Brussels www.uniteditions.com www.delvaux.be Place du Nouveau Marché aux Own Grains 6 Nieuwe Graanmarkt Place du Jardin aux Fleurs 5 U-NI-TY Diesel 1000 Brussels Bloemenhofplein www.u-ni-ty.com +32 (0) 2 347 28 85 +32 (0)2 502 32 05 1000 Brussels www.diesel.com + 32 (0) 2 217 95 71 V Houben Antwerp www.own.be Dior Steenhouwersvest 46 Volkswagen +33 (0) 1 40 73 73 73 2000 Antwerp www.vw.be www.dior.com +32 (0) 3 225 00 32 P W Dries van Noten I Patrick Heritage www.driesvannoten.be www.patrickheritage.com Wooyoungmi Icon www.wooyoungmi.com E Place du Nouveau Marché aux Ralph Lauren Grains 5 Nieuwe Graanmarkt Boulevard de Waterloo 52 X Emporio Armani 1000 Brussels Waterloolaan +32 (0) 2 551 04 04 + 32 (0) 2 502 71 51 1000 Brussels Y www.emporioarmani.com + 32 (0) 2 511 82 08 www.ralphlauren.com Yves Saint Laurent Essentiel Brussels www.ysl.com Avenue Louise 66 Louizalaan Q 1050 Brussels Z +32 (0) 2 513 18 91 96 THE HUMAN ISSUE THE ROUND UP

pages 02 – 03 pages 04 – 05 MATHIAS SCHOENAERTS PHOTOGRAPHED BY MICHEL DE WI BY MICHEL DE SCHOENAERTS PHOTOGRAPHED MATHIAS

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you.automatic you.automatic Essentiel Swatch www.essentiel.be www.swatch.com

page 07 page 09 page 11 !41!$1183'$!$ 3".,

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STORES: STEENHOUWERSVEST 61 & 65, 2000 ANTWERP | RUE ANTOINE DANSAERTSTRAAT 42, 1000 BRUSSELS BR 01 AIRBORNE . 46 mm . Carbon finish steel case . Photoluminescent dial . Automatic movement Information and e-boutique: Benelux +32 (0)2 268 79 53 . Europe: +33 (0)1 55 35 36 00 . www.bellross.com Filippa K Burberry Bell & Ross www.ﬁ lippa-k.com www.burberrythebeat.com www.bellross.com

page 15 page 19 page 21

WOLUWE

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page 55 page 66 page79

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Small Wonders Ofﬁce Shenanigans Stuff on our Radar Daily Dribbles

Everything we couldn’t, and wouldn’t, run with in the magazine goes on The Word Blog.

#EWARNED

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page 99 page 100 CERAMICA CHRONOGRAPH CERAMICA CHRONOGRAPH

Dining in style

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www.ristorantebocconi.com | [email protected] www.rado.com Ristorante Bocconi Rado www.ristorantebocconi.com www.rado.com 98 THE MORNING AFTER ISSUE WHAT'S NEXT Dining in style

Ristorante italiano , part of The Rocco Forte Collection “Hotel Amigo” Rue de l'Amigo 1, 1000 BRUXELLES | Tel. : 02.547.47.15 | Fax : 02.547.47.67 www.ristorantebocconi.com | [email protected] www.rado.com CERAMICA CHRONOGRAPH