www.alzainjewellery.com

T – Qatar.indd 3 2/4/18 2:30 PM

Find us at Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition

Cascade of Dreams

Lagoona Mall, QATAR

alzainjewellery alzainjewellery1930

T – Qatar.indd 2 2/4/18 2:30 PM

2 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

ON THE COVER A David Morris set of a Trillium necklace with 40.05 karat of round Burma rubies and 23.09 karat round brilliant white diamonds set in 18 karat white gold. A pair of Trillium earrings with round Burma rubies and round brilliant white diamonds set in 18 karat white gold.Cover image courtesy of David Morris. PH

OTO

GR

AP

H B

Y H

AS

SA

N A

L D

AG

ES

TAN

I.

Features42 Wings of the Desert

Every winter, Qatar’s heritage is revived as thousands of local men, along with their

falcons, travel miles into the desert for the annual falcon and hunting festival.

By Ola DiabPhotographs by Hassan Al Dagestani

46 A Space of Her OwnJenna Lyons takes us inside her sophisticated,

inimitable SoHo loft.By Maggie Bullock

Photographs by Simon Watson

JewelryJanuary - February, 2018

Page 42Falconer Abdelaziz Al Suwaidi prepares to release his falcon in pursuit of a pigeon.

VISIT US AT BOOTH B9FEBRUARY 21 - 26, 2018

New York - 942 Madison Avenue 212-421-3030 . The Beverly Wilshire - 9500 Wilshire Boulevard 310-858-8006 . davidwebb.com

CLIENT:JOB NO.:

SPACE UNIT:PUBLICATIONS:

CONTACT:

DAVID WEBBDAVW-20180123-00FULL PAGE 4CB (B: 24.7cm W x 29.8cm H, T: 24.1cm W x 29.8cm H)T MAGAZINE - (QATAR ISSUE)ZACHARY GOULKO - (201) 363-0692 X 113 - ZACHG@INOVIZ.COM

PDF CREATED BY ZGOULKOPRINT OPTIMIZED FILE

PDF X1A

APPROVED DATETRAFFIC/PROOF READERPRODUCTION SUPERVISORDIRECTOR PRINT SERVICESART DIRECTORCOPYWRITERACCOUNT EXECUTIVEACCOUNT SUPERVISORMANAGEMENT SUPERVISORCREATIVE DIRECTORCLIENT

520 MAIN ST, STE 202FORT LEE, NJ 07024( 2 0 1 ) 3 6 3 - 0 6 9 2

4

Lookout8 This and That

Dramatic ceramics, pine on your plate and more.

14 Market ReportMini bags.

Arena30 Portfolio

Sidelined no longer, character actors have come into view.

34 Food MattersThe sweet rewards of bitter food.

CLO

CK

WIS

E FR

OM

TO

P R

IGH

T: T

INA

BA

RN

EY,

‘‘B

IKE

PAR

AD

E,’’

20

17 C

HR

OM

OG

EN

IC C

OLO

R P

RIN

T E

DIT

ION

OF

5

©TI

NA

BA

RN

EY,

CO

UR

TES

Y O

F PA

UL

KA

SM

IN G

ALL

ER

Y; E

MIL

IAN

O G

RA

NA

DO

; MA

RI M

AE

DA

.

Page 9Photographer Tina Barney came upon some long-forgotten landscape images she’d taken around her Rhode Island home in the late 1980s.

Page 30Prominent motion-capture performer Andy Serkis has been Gollum in the ‘‘Lord of the Rings’’ trilogy and Caesar in the ‘‘Planet of the Apes’’ reboot. In 2018, he’ll direct the live-action update of “The Jungle Book,” in which he’ll play Baloo the bear.

Page 34Swiss chard, hops, bitter melon, aloe and wasabi root (all rendered in white chocolate) rest on a turmeric-dusted cube.

6

Lookout Qatar10 This and That

A royal suite, inside a refugee camp, the finest luxury comes to Qatar and more.

12 On ArtIraqi artist Ahmed Albahrani depicts the social and political situation of the Arab world in his

latest “Flip a Coin” exhibition at Anima Gallery.

15 Market ReportAnkle height.

16 On JewelryDavid Webb, the quintessential American

jeweler.

Quality Qatar18 On Fashion

A modern minimalist brand finds the balance between fashion and giving back to the

community.

20 JewelryElaborate compositions of diamonds and

gemstones set in gold, evoking boldness and lavishness.

24 The ThingThe light sculpture ‘Future’ is reminiscent of a

burning sun or a flaming ball of fire.

PUBLISHER &

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Yousuf Jassem Al Darwish

MANAGING DIRECTOR & CEO

Jassem bin Yousuf Al Darwish

COMMERCIAL MANAGER

Dr Faisal Fouad

EDITORIAL

Chief EditorEzdihar Ibrahim Ali

Deputy EditorOla Diab

Fashion EditorDebrina AliyahSenior CorrespondentsKarim EmamUdayan Nag

ART

Senior Art DirectorMansour ElSheikhDeputy Art DirectorHussien AlbazAyush Indrajith

MARKETING AND SALES

Manager – MarketingSakala A DebrassTeamDenzita SequieraSony VellatEvents OfficerGhazala MohammedAccountant Pratap ChandranSr. Distribution ExecutiveBikram Shrestha

DistributionArjun TimilsinaBhimal RaiBasanta PPradeep Bhusal

Public Relations OfficerEslam ElmahalawySecretary and Administrative

AssistantReena Lewis

T, THE STYLE MAGAZINE OF

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Editor in ChiefHanya YanagiharaCreative DirectorPatrick LiManaging EditorMinju Pak

Fashion DirectorMarie-Amélie SauvéPhotography DirectorNadia VellamEntertainment DirectorLauren Tabach-Bank

-THE NEW YORK TIMES

NEWS SERVICES

General ManagerMichael Greenspon Vice President, Licensing and SyndicationAlice TingVice President, Executive Editor The New York Times News Service & Syndicate Nancy Lee

LICENSED EDITIONS

Editorial Director Anita PatilDeputy Editorial Director Alexandra PolkinghornEditorial CoordinatorIan CarlinoCoordinatorIlaria Parogni

PUBLISHED BY

Oryx Publishing & Advertising Co.WLLP.O. Box 3272; Doha-Qatar Tel: (+974) 44672139, 44550983, 44671173, 44667584 Fax: (+974) 44550982Email: info@oryxpublishing.com Website: www.oryxpublishing.com

Arena Qatar25 Making It

The DJWE 2018 returns with the Young Qatari Designers initiative — a special pavilion for

new and returning local designers to showcase their collections.

36 WanderlustAn unassuming destination is becoming the

hotspot for the ultimate “been there, done that” badge of honor.

38 The Artist’s LifeThe life of a Moroccan philanthropist-cum-luxury-brand-ambassador who believes in

making every hour of her life count.

COPYRIGHT INFO

T, The New York Times Style Magazine, and the T logo are trademarks of The New York Times Co., NY, NY, USA, and are used under license by Oryx Media, Qatar. Content reproduced from T, The New York Times Style Magazine, copyright The New York Times Co. and/or its contributors 2017 all rightsreserved. The views and opinions expressed within T Qatar are not necessarily those of The New York Times Company or those of its contributors.

Page 25At DJWE 2018, Ghand Jewellery is

showcasing jewels consisting of gold, diamonds and precious stones.

PH

OTO

CO

UR

TE

SY:

GH

AN

D J

EW

ELL

ER

Y

We know what a hotel looks like: a single building housing a variety of rooms. But what does it look like when these spaces are spread all across town? Something like Amsterdam’s Sweets, which is converting 28 of the city’s canal-side bridge-controller houses into individual hotel rooms. For decades, the elevated one-room structures (all, of course, with ideal views of the canals) sheltered workers who would raise and lower the bridges with the push of a button; however, they became obsolete when the system went digital last year. ‘‘They’re little architectural eye candies,’’ Sweets co-founder Suzanne Oxenaar says of the houses, which include contemporary iterations like one with a facade of glass and mint-green cement and a sturdy red-brick octagon designed by Hendrik Petrus Berlage, the father of modern Dutch architecture. ‘‘I think most [Dutch people] have wondered what it would be like to live in one of them.’’

The challenge, says another of the hotel’s

NOW BOOKING

Open Houses

Top right: the cylindrical Sweets dwelling at Kortjewantsbrug, in Amsterdam-Centrum. Above: Meeuwenpleinbrug house, a concrete cottage designed by Dutch architect and sculptor Dirk Sterenberg, is one of the hotel’s offerings in the northern part of the city.

co-founders, the architect Marthijn Pool, ‘‘was to turn these extroverted objects into intimate spaces.’’ Inside, guests will find simple studios appointed with custom furniture — the Kinkerbrug building, for example, which sits above the Kostverlorenvaart in Amsterdam-West, has an all-in-one wooden bed, table and bench that echoes the 1920s-era Amsterdam School style. For Westerdoksbrug, a periscope-like structure near Central Station, the designers made a bed that, when enclosed with a bright pink curtain,

becomes a room within a room. Six of the suites opened in December 2017, and another eight will be completed by spring, giving visitors the opportunity to wake up in a new neighborhood every morning. ‘‘You don’t need a lobby,’’ Pool says. ‘‘The city itself becomes the hotel.’’ sweetshotel.amsterdam — GISELA WILLIAMS

ILLUSTRATIONS BY KONSTANTIN KAKANIAS

This and ThatA Cultural Compendium

with figures such as Jasper Johns and Jim Dine conducted by engineer and Rauschenberg collaborator Billy Kluver, speaks to art itself: Its jacket, designed by Andy Warhol, bears an original silkscreen that reads ‘‘Giant Size $1.57 Each.’’ Curator Antoine de Beaupré pulled most of the works in the show from his personal collection of 15,000 records and searched tirelessly for the rest in what became a decade-long quest, one that reveals dynamic and unexpected pairings from Miles Davis and Irving Penn to Lady Gaga and Jeff Koons. ‘‘I had to stop,’’ he says. ‘‘But I’m sure I could have found more.’’ — GARRETT P. MCGRATH

Audiophiles and vinyl collectors aren’t the only ones to consider records a kind of art form unto themselves. ‘‘Art & Vinyl,’’ opened in January at Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco, is a visual survey of over 200 records — with commissioned covers by the likes of Pablo

Picasso, Cy Twombly and Jean-Michel Basquiat — that date from the mid-20th century to the present day and that range from the popular to the obscure. For a 1984 limited edition of celebrated Canadian pianist Glenn Gould’s 1981 recording of Bach’s ‘‘Goldberg Variations,’’ for example, the German artist Gerhard Richter painted moody blue- and-yellow abstract works directly onto 100 records. (This, even more so than many of the records in the show, is a true art object: If played, the paintings would be destroyed.) Another, a 1963 LP of interviews

Left: Warhol’s design for a 1963 LP of artist interviews. Above: a 1984 Gerhard Richter-painted record of Glenn Gould’s 1981 “Goldberg Variations.”

Cover Story

FRO

M T

OP

: PH

OTO

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

FRA

EN

KE

L G

ALL

ER

Y/E

DIT

ION

S A

NTO

INE

DE

BE

AU

PR

É; A

ND

Y W

AR

HO

L, ‘‘

GIA

NT

SIZ

E $

1.5

7 E

AC

H [

INT

ER

VIE

WS

WIT

H A

RT

IST

S P

AR

TIC

IPA

TIN

G IN

T

HE

PO

PU

LA

R IM

AG

E E

XH

IBIT

ION

AT

TH

E W

AS

HIN

GTO

N G

ALL

ER

Y O

F M

OD

ER

N A

RT

],’’

196

3, R

ECO

RD

ALB

UM

WIT

H O

RIG

INA

L S

ILK

SC

RE

EN

OV

ER

A S

PR

AY

PA

INT

ED

BA

CK

GR

OU

ND

E

DIT

ION

OF

75 S

IGN

ED

AN

D H

AN

D N

UM

BE

RE

D V

ER

SO

. CO

PY

RIG

HT

AN

DY

WA

RH

OL.

PH

OTO

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

FRA

EN

KE

L G

ALL

ER

Y/E

DIT

ION

S A

NTO

INE

DE

BE

AU

PR

É

8 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

needles he forages near his restaurant to add flavor to his dishes (a pine-spiked aioli; a pine custard served with fresh berries), he also uses them for plating. In New York, Daniel chef de cuisine Eddy Leroux seasons roast chicken with pine needles, and recommends dressing up gin and tonics with a spruce-tip-

derived oil. And in Slovenia, Ana Ros, the award- winning chef behind Hisa Franko, makes an aromatic sponge cake by leaving sugar-coated pine branches atop the oven for a few weeks. ‘‘The sugar crystallizes and ends up looking like snow,’’ she says. ‘‘Then I put the branches in a coffee grinder and when I open the lid, it smells like a walk through the forest.’’ — G. W.

THOUGH THEY REFERENCE ancient masterworks, Steven Young Lee’s ceramic sculptures are tailor-made for our cultural moment, when venture capitalists and elementary school children alike are encouraged to ‘‘fail upward,’’ embracing defeat as an essential stumbling block on the road to success. The 42-year-old artist creates handmade porcelain vessels endowed with fatal flaws. Nips and tears in the clay cause his beautiful pots, once fired, to fold over or collapse inward, their delicately glazed surfaces punctured like dreams of perfection come undone.

The son of first-generation immigrants from Korea, Lee, who is based in Helena, Mont., became interested in exploring the limits of porcelain while in graduate school. Like Japanese kintsugi (the centuries-old art of mending cracked pottery with resin and powdered gold), his work transforms defects into merits. His major influences include asymmetrical Korean storage jars created during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1897), pieces that move him, he says, because they bear the traces of ‘‘what they’ve gone through in order to survive.’’

In December 2017, St. Louis’s Duane Reed Gallery brought six of Lee’s deconstructed vessels to the Context Art Miami fair and, this year, his work will be featured in a group show at Peters Projects in Santa Fe alongside pieces by Ai Weiwei, Ken Price, Betty Woodman and others. ‘‘Sometimes, when the work is exhibited, I get a

pretty visceral reaction from people — ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,

that’s terrible,’ ’’ he says. ‘‘I hope it challenges them to think about the

way they assign value to things.’’— LESLIE CAMHI

THE PINE TREE, often used as a mere holiday decoration under which to pile presents, can, in fact, produce many edible gifts of its own, from pine nuts, harvested from pinecones, to pine bark, which can be ground into a nutty flour. In the 18th century, Captain James Cook and his crew brewed spruce beer in an attempt to fend off scurvy on their years-long voyages. Centuries before that, early Taoists mixed the tree’s sap with honey and a Chinese root fungus to improve the flow of qi. Now, top chefs are following suit as well. ‘‘To me the flavor is exotic — citrus with a hint of grape and eucalyptus,’’ says Soren Selin of the Michelin-starred AOC in Copenhagen, who makes his own pine-infused salt and ice cream. Meanwhile, in St. John’s, Canada, chef Jeremy Charles of Raymonds not only uses oils and powders made from the pine

WHILE MAKING SELECTIONS for her recent monograph, out from Rizzoli this past September, the photographer Tina Barney came upon some long-forgotten landscape images she’d taken around her Rhode Island home in the late 1980s. Barney’s work has always been about place, but has until now favored indoors settings — often the homes of upper-class East Coasters — over natural ones. ‘‘I saw them and decided: I’m going to try this again,’’ she recalls. She soon developed a weekend routine of driving from town to town through New England with her 8x10 large-format camera to scout locations; in January, her new work, along with some earlier landscapes, will be on view at Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York.

Recentering her perspective proved an interesting challenge for the mostly self-taught artist. ‘‘A good portion of my pictures are narrative, but these are formal puzzles,’’ she says. ‘‘The sky is a big problem — how much room to give it, because it sort of takes over.’’ She also had to rethink light (‘‘I’m used to bringing my own’’) and scale, printing the images at different sizes so that some take on the look of miniature paintings: In one, the gravel lot of a drive-in movie theater stands empty, its giant screen a blank white. In another, distant sunbathers enjoy a rocky beach. But these are adamantly not the sort of pictures intended to emphasize man’s smallness in the face of nature. Barney is too interested in human life, and in what she calls ‘‘American traditional happenings,’’ for that. This summer, she captured a Fourth of July parade, with children biking in the street with balloons, and recently photographed a high school marching-band practice from the bleachers above. ‘‘I’m stretching the word ‘landscape,’ ’’ Barney says. ‘‘I was trying to get away from people, but I just can’t resist having a few sprinkled in.’’ — KATE GUADAGNINO

ON THE VERGE

Land of the Living

Chasing Pine

The Imperfectionist

From top: ‘‘Jar with Flying Tigers’’ and ‘‘Vase with Lotus Pattern and Dragon Handles’’ (both 2017), two works by Lee soon to go on view at Context Art Miami.

Barney’s ‘‘Bike Parade’’ (2017).

Spruce-sugar-dusted madeleines at Raymonds in St. John’s, Canada.

CLO

CK

WIS

E FR

OM

TO

P R

IGH

T: T

INA

BA

RN

EY,

‘‘B

IKE

PAR

AD

E,’’

20

17 C

HR

OM

OG

EN

IC C

OLO

R P

RIN

T E

DIT

ION

OF

5 ©

TIN

A B

AR

NE

Y, C

OU

RT

ESY

OF

PAU

L K

AS

MIN

GA

LLE

RY;

JO

HN

CU

LLE

N; S

TE

VE

N Y

OU

NG

LE

E,

‘‘VA

SE

WIT

H L

OT

US

PA

TT

ER

N A

ND

DR

AG

ON

HA

ND

LES

,’’ P

OR

CE

LAIN

, CO

PP

ER

INLA

Y, G

LAZ

E, 2

017

CO

UR

TES

Y O

F D

UA

NE

RE

ED

GA

LLE

RY;

ST

EV

EN

YO

UN

G L

EE

, ‘‘J

AR

WIT

H F

LYIN

G T

IGE

RS

,’’ P

OR

CE

LAIN

, C

OB

ALT

INLA

Y G

LAZ

E, 2

017

CO

UR

TES

Y O

F D

UA

NE

RE

ED

GA

LLE

RY

9January-February 2018

Lookout Qatar

This and ThatA Cultural Compendium

Glass, precious wood, straw marquetry, mother-of-pearl, and agate panels sound just about the fitting choices for a suite interior designed in honor of a princess. Covering two floors in the space of just a little over 900 square meters, the Princess Grace Suite is the design jewel in the current four-year transformation of the historic Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Drawing inspiration from the life and memories of Princess Grace, the decor incorporates pieces of her favorite poetic and literary works, floral arrangements, colors and fragrances. The craft-focused interior is complemented by an outdoor space set in natural stone that looks out onto the Mediterranean Sea from the comfort of a lounge and a hot tub.

The suite pays tribute to its namesake princess whose royal life in Monte Carlo was very much intertwined with the history of the hotel. After hosting the wedding dinner of the princess and Prince Rainier in 1956, Hotel De Paris became a choice social venue for the royal couple when they received guests. It was also in the intimacy of the hotel’s wine cellar, they celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary. The historic establishment will be unveiling its new look that will, in the words of François Blanc, founder of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, “surpasses everything that has been created until now” in December 2018. – DEBRINA ALIYAH

A Royal Suite

Leading retailer Salam Stores marked its 65th anniversary with a brand refresh, now including new and contemporary elements, and a series of celebrations following Qatar National Day on December 18. Intrigued by the long-stemmed national flower of Qatar, the brand links its new insignia of the Qataf flower with the late visionary Abdulsalam Abu Issa who succeeded in transforming a small and budding business into a full-fledged international success.

“As we celebrate another National Day, we take pride in our truly Qatari journey and roots, when my father, the late Abdulsalam Abu Issa, a keen local photographer, opened his first studio and film processing in Doha in 1952. Shortly after, we became one of the main contributors in scripting Qatar’s retail history,” says Salam International Chairman Issa Abdulsalam Abu Issa. “The Qataf flower carries deep emotional meaning for us as we continue to advance my father’s legacy in offering our customers a memorable, engaging and fulfilling ‘Salam Experience’.” Beautiful flowers in white, pink or purple, the Qataf or Limonium axillare grows on beaches and in habitats where sandy desert has recently been flooded by seawater or rainwater. It has uses in traditional medicine to tighten loose tissue and tone the digestive system. – OLA DIAB

Lamborghini motors launched its newest creation, Urus, which is the world’s first Super Sport Utility Vehicle in Qatar on January 3 at Al Hazm Mall. The Urus steps outside the box of Lamborghini's iconic sleek sports car model, but retains the same performance, feel and driving experience that make up the Lamborghini DNA.

Urus gets its name from the Aurochs, which is a larger, wilder ancestor of today’s domestic cattle. “The Urus fits perfectly within the Lamborghini family as a high performance car. It is the culmination of intensive development and passionate skill to create a new breed of bull: a Super SUV that transcends the boundaries of expectations and opens the door to new possibilities, for both our brand and our customers,” says Stefano Domenicali, Automobili Lamborghini Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The Urus features a 4.0 liter V8 twin-turbo engine, acceleration from 0-100 km/hr in 3.6 seconds, top speeds of 305 km/hr and a 4WD system — making driving a truly transcending experience. – ANJALI JACOB

65 YEARS YOUNG

Super Creation

Left: The late Abdulsalam Abu Issa, a keen local photographer, opened his first studio and film processing in Doha in 1952.

CLO

CK

WIS

E FR

OM

TO

P LE

FT:

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

SA

LA

M S

TOR

ES

; CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

HO

TE

L D

E PA

RIS

; CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

LA

MB

OR

GH

INI (

2).

Above: Drawing inspiration from the life and memories of Princess Grace, the Princess Grace Suite is the design jewel of the historic Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

The launch of Lamborghini Urus in Qatar at Al Hazm Mall.

10 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

Presented by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and delivered by Auditoire, the 15th edition of Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE) 2018 takes place between 21 and 26 February at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC).

The six-day event features more than 400 brands from over 10 countries bringing an extensive display of classic and contemporary luxury collections by internationally-recognized brands and designers. Qatar’s premier jewellery patrons includes Al Fardan Jewellery, Ali Bin Ali, Al Majed Jewellery, Amiri Gems and Fifty One East.

This year’s exhibition returned with its Young Qatari Designers (YQDs) initiative, which is patroned by the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H.E Abdullah bin Naser bin Khalifa Al Thani. The YQDs initiative put the spotlight on three new and three returning Qatari designers by providing them with a platform to showcase their new collections alongside renowned international brands.

Iconic French Auction House, Artcurial, returns to provide watch

Finest Luxury in Qatar

enthusiasts and collectors with free consultations and valuations, and to share knowledge about the industry. French watchmaking expert, Objectif Horlogerie, returns to showcase the art of their craftsmanship by allowing watch connoisseurs to participate in a master workshop, which includes an accredited diploma for each participant.

AURA Hospitality & Food Services and its sister company Palma Hospitality Group, two leading players in the hospitality and entertainment sectors in Qatar, officially opened two new dining outlets, Gahwetna and Jwala, in Medina Centrale, The Pearl-Qatar, during a unique entertainment and lifestyle extravaganza, Lifestyle Festival.

Gahwetna is an all-day dining outlet, which features authentic Qatari cuisine. The restaurant recreates a typical old fashioned Qatari house, and presents its authentic and eclectic menu inspired by the Khaleeji culture.

Featuring a minimalist Indian-inspired décor, Jwala is a fine dining contemporary restaurant with its rich and varied menu, featuring the diverse gastronomic traditions of India.

Celebrations of the month-long Lifestyle Festival featured live performances by street artists, stilt walkers and music bands, as well as karaoke stages and exclusive entertainment sessions, including live shows by renowned Lebanese singer Diala Saab and the Wahdon band who entertained the guests at Debs W Remman. – OLA DIAB

Inside A Refugee CampNow Open

A new exhibition in Doha takes the visitor inside one of the few design incubators that exist inside a refugee camp called Kara Tepe on the Greek island of Lesbos, which is just 5km from the Turkish mainland and is internationally known as a major transit point for refugees coming from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. The images of refugees coming ashore on the island made headlines news a couple of years ago.

This exhibition transfers the audience directly to the humanitarian front and specifically inside the design studio, LATRA Innovation Lab. Organized by Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQatar) from January 17 to February 24 at The Gallery at VCUQatar, the exhibition aims to show how design can improve the lives and dignity of refugees. It includes Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs, a full-sized refugee tent, statistics and facts about the refugee crisis, a 3D-printed model of the island and refugee camp, a video installation, and an on-site lab where equipment designed in the camp (such as umbilical cord clamps) will be reproduced by students using 3D printers.

The exhibition follows the work of LATRA, which set up the LATRA Innovation Lab directly inside refugee camps in Greece. The lab acts as an innovative incubator that brings together an international network of social organizations, enterprises, governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and intra-governmental organizations (IGOs).

Reporting From The Field is curated by Aris Papadopoulos, founder of LATRA, and Maja Kinnemark, Assistant Professor in Interior Design at VCUQatar. – OLA DIAB

Dining Festival

Clockwise from top left: Gahwetna dish, Qors Aguili; Jwala dish, Mutton Biryani; Lebanese band Wahdon at Debs W Remman.

CLO

CK

WIS

E FR

OM

TO

P LE

FT:

CO

PY

RIG

HT

YAN

NIS

BE

HR

AK

IS T

HO

MS

ON

RE

UT

ER

S;

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

AU

RA

HO

SP

ITA

LIT

Y &

FO

OD

SE

RV

ICE

S (3

); C

OU

RT

ES

Y O

F D

JWE

.

11January-February 2018

HUMAN LIFE IS UNPREDICTABLE. This unpredictability is one of the issues that Iraqi artist Ahmed Albahrani represents through his latest exhibition “Flip a Coin”, at Anima Gallery. The coin is used to represent the unpredictability that one goes through in life. “The coins represent the changes in our lifetime. Human beings use coins daily. So the coins are directly related to the society we are in, the culture, and the political situation of the country. Coins are affected by the situation of the country — be it political, cultural or the social situation. So that’s why the coins keep changing,” he says.

Albahrani manages to embody the political and cultural environments of the Middle East with his hand-crafted bronze coins. The exhibition constitutes 24 individual hand-sculpted coins in sets of two, representing the two faces of a

coin, and a special set of three coins featuring the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Albahrani's experienced craftsmanship adds ounces of authenticity and emotion to the sculptures. He stresses on retaining the aesthetic value of his sculptures. It helps people to empathize more with the artwork, he believes.

The main material used for these pieces is bronze, which is often considered very versatile as it has the quality of expanding slightly before setting — a property that allows for the accentuation of finer details in the finished sculpture. Albahrani follows the traditional method of sculpting, in which he creates a mold using clay and wax, before filling it with molten bronze. Although many artists prefer to work with clay and other cooler materials, Albahrani remains true to bronze. He insists that working with molten metal is

On Art

Coins of PeaceIraqi artist Ahmed Albahrani depicts the social and political situation of the Arab world in his latest “Flip

a Coin” exhibition at Anima Gallery.

BY ANJALI JACOB

Lookout Qatar

PIC

TU

RE

S C

OU

RT

ES

Y: A

NIM

A G

ALL

ER

Y.

12 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

demonstrate various facets of war and unrest. Anima Gallery, the host of “Flip a Coin”, is a

contemporary art gallery based in The Pearl, Qatar. Founded by Ghada Sholy in 2012, Anima Gallery has played host to many contemporary art exhibitions and artists from the Middle East. “We love to exhibit artists who create aesthetically-pleasing pieces with a very strong message. This is why Ahmed Albahrani’s work is so perfect because it looks gorgeous but also conveys a deep political message that everyone should know,” says Sholy. “Flip a Coin” is on exhibition at Anima Gallery from 15 January to 31 March 2018.

The exhibition constitutes 24 individual hand-sculpted coins in sets of two, representing the two faces of a coin, and a special set of three coins featuring the Emir of Qatar. Albahrani follows the traditional method of sculpting, in which he creates a mold using clay and wax, before filling it with molten bronze.

the least of his worries, while finding inspiration and a suitable concept is the hardest part. Albahrani’s work motto is “slow and steady wins the race”. He takes his time with each piece, making sure that the mold is perfect before making it permanent.

Over the past decade, Albahrani has adopted peace and resisting war as his theme. As seen in many of his works in recent years, he talks greatly about the consequences of war and spreading peace through his art. “Even though my coins depict the Arab world, it really can be interpreted internationally as well because most of the major changes in the world have originated from this area, and is (sic) also mirrored in the rest of the world,” he adds.

“Flip a Coin” is a thought-provoking exhibition that encourages people to re-evaluate their decisions before jumping into the unknown. It makes people understand their past and learn from the mistakes made by their predecessors. Albahrani has created something that has the potential to unite people despite their regional, cultural, social and religious differences. He talks about living in diverse world, where even neighboring countries are vastly different from each other, and the unpredictability of it all. “You have the same president, the same leader, same king, and yet everything is changeable, everything is unpredictable. We are living in a world of unpredictability — nobody knows what’s happening — and I just wanted to express that in my art,” says Albahrani. Each piece of artwork has details that accentuate its significance — like cracked surfaces, gunshots, and tally marks — which

PIC

TU

RE

S C

OU

RT

ES

Y: A

NIM

A G

ALL

ER

Y.

13January-February 2018

Lookout This and That

Market Report

Mini BagsPetite renditions of familiar shapes

in irresistible candy colors.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARI MAEDA AND YUJI OBOSHI

Clockwise from top left: Hermès, $5,100. Salvatore Ferragamo, $1,150.

Versace, $1,475. Burberry, $1,450. Jacquemus, $530. Tod’s, $1,745. Louis

Vuitton, about $1,200. Akris, $795.

CLO

CK

WIS

E FR

OM

TO

P LE

FT:

HE

RM

ÈS

BA

G, H

ER

ME

S.C

OM

. SA

LVA

TOR

E FE

RR

AG

AM

O B

AG

, (8

66

) 33

7-72

42.

VE

RS

AC

E B

AG

, VE

RS

AC

E.C

OM

. BU

RB

ER

RY

BA

G,

BU

RB

ER

RY.

CO

M. J

AC

QU

EM

US

BA

G, J

AC

QU

EM

US

.CO

M. T

OD

’S B

AG

, TO

DS

.CO

M. L

OU

IS V

UIT

TON

BA

G, L

OU

ISV

UIT

TON

.CO

M. A

KR

IS B

AG

, AK

RIS

.CH

Lookout

14 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

A perfect match under cropped trousers where the boots do the

walking and the talking.

Market Report

Ankle Height

BY DEBRINA ALIYAH

CLO

CK

WIS

E FR

OM

TO

P LE

FT:

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

ALU

MN

AE

, DO

RA

TE

YM

UR

, PE

TAR

PE

TR

OV

, ELL

ER

Y, S

TIN

E G

OYA

, MA

LON

E S

OU

LIE

RS

, TA

BIT

HA

SIM

MO

NS

.

Clockwise from top left: Alumnae, QR2,412; Dorateymur, QR1,960; Petar Petrov, QR3,024; Ellery, QR6,208; Stine Goya, QR1,464; Malone Souliers, QR3,120; Tabitha Simmons, QR2,860.

15January-February 2018

Up until his death in 1975 at the age of 50, Webb sketched the design of each piece, outlining detailed assembly instructions on cards for a small and dedicated team of jewelry makers to create by hand. “David Webb represents the highest standards of craftsmanship and that is what we continue to strive for by making each piece by hand. Many of our workshop craftsmen and women have been with the brand for decades with highly specialized skills,” says co-owner Mark Emanuel who, along with a business partner, purchased the brand in

MANY JEWELRY HOUSES MAKE IT A POINT to preserve their founding designer’s legacy. However, a few brands carry it out to the extent that David Webb does.

After establishing his high-end luxury jewelry brand in New York in 1948, David Webb rose to prominence as the Manhattan-based designer whose pieces were a favorite among Jackie Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor and Barbra Streisand. Hand-hammered gold work, colorful enamel and signature animal pieces distinguish David Webb jewels.

Lookout Qatar

On Jewelry

Made in AmericaBY OLA DIAB

David Webb — the quintessential American jeweler.

PIC

TU

RE

S C

OU

RT

ES

Y: D

AV

ID W

EB

B.

16 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

2010. The self-taught designer left behind an archive of more than 40,000 sketches, many of which are yet to be produced.

Today, every piece of David Webb jewelry is still handmade in Manhattan, using Webb’s original index cards as a guide. “The creative vision established by David Webb continues to inspire the House today. The thousands of sketches and hand-colored renderings he left behind remain the foundation of the company and continue to guide efforts of the David Webb craftsmen and women,” says Emanuel.

The American jewelry house of David Webb celebrates its 15th year at Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE) 2018, which takes place from February 21 to 26 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC), with the debut of an exquisite one-of-a-kind bracelet from the Cross River Collection. The latest creation features pear- and marquise-cut diamonds (37 carats) and cabochon emeralds (34 carats) — iconic of David Webb design — set in platinum. The design of the Cross River bracelet was originally created by Webb in the mid-1960s, but DWJE 2018 marks the first time the bracelet has been realized by the David Webb master artisans in its New York City atelier.

David Webb also presents its new Motif Collection for the first time in the region. Originally conceived by Webb in the 1970s, the Motif Collection is a continuation of the company’s singular voice and dynamic sense of optimism. Through the use of line and form, Webb created a distinct vernacular in the 1970s modernizing art deco motifs. “Our clients are drawn to the really iconic David Webb pieces that embody his strong sense of color and design,” says Emanuel.

With Motif, the house celebrates the contemporary woman through strong design. The 18k gold, white diamonds, and black and white enamel are indicative of the elegance that made David Webb the quintessential American jeweler. However, this collection singles out and scales down the design, evolving into jewelry that is easy to wear and youthful for the contemporary customer.

“We’re thrilled to continue to revive David Webb’s inimitable idiom,” says Emanuel. “By bringing back the Motif Collection, we’re offering something charming and light while keeping the aesthetic thumbprint that has continued to make David Webb revolutionary and enticing to women across the world.”

Twenty-five long tenured master jewelers create each piece in the David Webb workshop, which sits above the flagship boutique on New York’s Upper East Side — making it the only fine jewelry house exclusively made in America. “It’s an incredible luxury to have our workshop, our New York flagship boutique and our business offices all in one place. We are able to make quick adjustments on our designs based on customers’ desires, and to experiment with scale, color, stones, and materials in the name of David Webb’s fiercely imaginative mind,” explains Emmanuel.

PIC

TU

RE

S C

OU

RT

ES

Y: D

AV

ID W

EB

B.

Previous page: Twenty-five long tenured master jewelers create

each piece in the David Webb workshop. Current page:

clockwise from top left: co-owner Mark Emanuel; jewelry

pieces from David Webb's latest collection, Motif.

17January-February 2018

Quality Qatar

PIC

TU

RE

S C

OU

RT

ES

Y: A

LEX

AN

DR

A C

LA

NC

Y.

On Fashion

An Accessory Brand With a Social Cause

BY DEBRINA ALIYAH

A modern minimalist brand finds the balance between fashion and giving back to the community.

18 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

REFERENCING THE GREAT MASTER of minimalist design Donald Judd, accessory designer Alexandra Clancy describes how she uses the same creative process of taking rich opulent materials and crafting them into contemporary angular shapes. From the swaths of hand-painted exotic leather and buttery soft nappa comes a collection of handbags and accessories in clean and geometrical design. “The materials and treatments are very rich, while the mood remains cool and casual,” the designer explains.

Minimalist and functional may be the buzz words that the brand is going for but there is without a doubt the fact that Clancy’s designs reflect the tune of the modern woman — simple yet edgy. Detailing the structural totes, the boxy clutches and the rectangular briefcases are studs, gunmetal hardware, pyramid toggles and agate stones. These elements are both subtle and statement-making at the same time, a sort of coming together of two different perspectives, much like Clancy’s vision of material and form. “I pull inspiration each season from art, culture and fashion, and a lot of my thought process comes down to a keen sense of intuition. I'm always watching people on the go and seeing how they live, work and interact with each other,” she says.

Clancy’s observational tendencies stem from her previous career as a TV reporter though she discovered shortly after that design was her bigger calling in life. “I've always had a love for accessories. For me, accessories aren't the finishing touches to an outfit, they make the outfit. A killer bag or belt is the first thing I notice when someone walks into a room. Accessories start conversations,” she explains. After being introduced to accessory designer Raphael Young, Clancy knew she was ready to set out on a new venture. “He possesses the technical skills that I lack and when we work together, I see my values, dreams and visions come to life,” she says. Young’s experience with big names includes Manish Arora, Elie Saab and Louise Goldin, before launching his own shoe brand that quickly became a Hollywood favorite.

Even with the right partner, it takes a lot of courage for Clancy to dive into a highly-saturated industry where tastes are fickle and new brands are constantly fighting to have their voices heard. “It is competitive but I don’t think that should discourage any young designer from moving forward. After all, it isn’t fun to see everyone wearing the same thing from the usual names,” she quips. The key then, lies in the quality of her pieces, which she sees as an important aspect that sets the brand apart. “Our pieces are handmade in Italy so there is a lot of emphasis on the quality of the origin material, the custom mesh hardware and the craftsmanship.”

When the eponymous brand was launched three years ago, it began with just a bag collection but leather cuffs and wrap bracelets quickly joined its roster. “It was supposed to be a natural extension that links back to the leather bags but the jewelry business took on

a life of its own,” she recalls. This season, they are launching belts in the same design DNA after a stylist mistook their bracelet for a waist belt. In addition to the collection’s bestsellers, the brand will also be adding three new designs that focus on the versatility of going from day to night.

Clancy has also attached a major social initiative to the brand — an on-going partnership with Dress for Success, a worldwide non-profit organization that supports and provides work attire for disadvantaged women looking for employment. For every bag sold, the brand donates a work bag to Dress for Success. “I've always felt strongly about our obligation to help our communities and support those who are less fortunate. I wanted to be a brand that unified the worlds of fashion and philanthropy and since we design for women, we chose to give back to charities that support women and children,” she explains. “It's a wonderful feeling to be able to give back without expecting anything in return. The knowledge that you're able to make a positive change in someone else's life — this is its own reward.”

PIC

TU

RE

S C

OU

RT

ES

Y: A

LEX

AN

DR

A C

LA

NC

Y.

Previous page: Mulberry shopper tote with signature mesh pyramid toggles, expandable sides, thin double straps and a detachable guitar shoulder strap. Clockwise from top left: Mini Sullivan tote with two-tone pyramid studs, gunmetal hardware and molded sides; Austin cuff leather bracelet with hand-cut mesh pyramid closure; Spring 2018's new Hudson bag; a Whitney envelope bag with two-tone pyramid studs and optional crossbody strap.

19January-February 2018

Quality Qatar

David Morris. Trillium necklace with 40.05 karat of round Burma rubies and 23.09 karat round brilliant white diamonds set in 18 karat white gold. A pair of Trillium earrings with round Burma rubies and round brilliant white diamonds set in 18 karat white gold.

Jewelry

Lavish Things

BY OLA DIAB

Elaborate compositions of diamonds and gemstones set in gold, evoking boldness

and lavishness.

PH

OTO

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

DA

VID

MO

RR

IS.

20 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

Quality Qatar

David Morris. Fringe necklace with 19.47 karat of emeralds and 22.83 karat of round brilliant and pear-shaped white

diamonds set in 18 karat white gold. A pair of emerald fringe earrings with round brilliant and pear shaped white

diamonds set in 18 karat white gold.

PH

OTO

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

DA

VID

MO

RR

IS.

21January-February 2018

Quality Qatar

PH

OTO

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

CH

AN

EL.

Chanel. 'Turquoise Waters' necklace in 18 karats white gold set with a pear-cut diamond of 2.58 carats, 12 cushion-cut blue sapphires, 34 oval-cut blue sapphires, three pear-cut blue sapphires, two round-cut blue sapphires and 1,552 brilliant-cut diamonds resulting in a total weight of 23.84 carats. 'Turquoise Waters' earrings in 18 karats white gold set with two oval-cut blue sapphires for a total weight of 4.21 carats, two pear-cut diamonds for a total weight of 3.03 carats, four round-cut blue sapphires and 276 brilliant-cut diamonds.

Jewelry

22 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

Quality QatarP

HO

TO C

OU

RT

ES

Y O

F C

HA

NE

L.

Chanel. ‘Golden Braid’ necklace in 18 karats yellow gold set with a cushion-cut diamond of 4.40 karats and 177

brilliant-cut diamonds. 'Golden Braid' earrings in 18 karats yellow gold set with two cushion-cut diamonds for a total

weight of 4.03 karats and 130 brilliant-cut diamonds.

23January-February 2018

Arena Qatar In Design

The ThingReflecting the idea of hope, British artist Barnaby Barford’s latest piece “Future” is a light sculpture consisting of 6,500 individual handmade porcelain pieces, where each piece is tattoed with fragments of a word drawing by Barford, featuring the word future. Barford creates pieces that he knows will

have an impact on his audience, making them question their values and choices — making them

look twice. Although he experiments with other materials, he gravitates towards ceramic most.

His inspiration for “Future” comes from the uncertain times and polarized societies that we

live in. The 130 cm in diameter sculpture consists of abstract pictures containing the same

handwritten word, twisting its meaning as it is repeated over and over. In burnt red and orange hues, the piece is reminiscent of a burning sun or a flaming ball of fire. The symbol of the rising sun has been used as a sign of hope since pagan times and in a way he is asking, “What does our future

hold?” says Bardford.

BY ANJALI JACOB

PH

OTO

CO

UR

TE

SY:

DA

VID

GIL

L G

ALL

ER

Y.

Quality Qatar

24 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

CONSUMERS IN QATAR are all too familiar with internationally recognized jewelry designers such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, David Morris and more, which brings thousands of visitors and jewelry collectors to the 15th edition of the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE) 2018, taking place from 21 to 26 February at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC).

The six-day event, presented by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and delivered by Auditoire, features more than 400 brands from over 10 countries, bringing an extensive display of classic and contemporary luxury collections by internationally recognized brands and designers. As one of the largest luxury exhibitions in the region, QTA’s partnership with Auditoire for the delivery of DJWE 2018 as part of QTA’s efforts to support and promote the growth of Qatar’s private sector, by providing local companies with opportunities to organize exhibitions and

lead the business events sub-sector.As part of the exhibition’s commitment to nurturing

young talent and creativity, this year’s exhibition returns with a special pavilion for local designers. Patroned by The Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Young Qatari Designers (YQDs) initiative this year shines a spotlight on three new and three returning Qatari designers, by providing them with a unique platform to showcase their new collections alongside renowned international brands. The designers includes Nada Al Sulaiti (Hairaat), Nouf Al Meer (Nouf Jewellery), Ghada Al Buainain (Ghada Al Buainain), Leila Abu Issa (Leila Issam Fine Jewellery), Shikha bint Mohamed (Al Ghla Jewellery), and  Jawaher and Hissa Mohammed Al Mannai (Ghand Jewellery). Sarah Al Hammadi (Sarahs&Co) returns this year standing on her own with an exclusive booth outside of the YQDs realm.

Making It

Made in QatarThe DJWE 2018 returns with the Young Qatari

Designers initiative — a special pavilion for new and returning local designers to showcase their

collections.

BY OLA DIAB

Above: Nouf Jewellery brings Qatar-inspired jewelry pieces to DJWE 2018, featuring colors of the Qatari flag and the iconic ‘Tamim Al Majd’ image.

January-February 2018

PH

OTO

CO

UR

TE

SY:

NO

UF

JEW

ELL

ER

Y

25

Arena Qatar Making It

CREATED BY QATARI DESIGNER Ghada Rashid Al Buainain, Ghada Al Buainain is a fine jewelry brand that aims for eminence and distinction in creating urban and peerless designs. Al Buainain returns to DJWE 2018 with a unique collection. “We’re bringing powerful unique jewelry that [are] inspired from unconventional materials that are found in the hardware store,” she says. Al Buainain has continually combined her ideas with unconventional materials since she first started designing jewelry in 2012. Along with her previous collections, Al Buainain now returns with her latest unique collection at DJWE 2018, which is inspired by electrical wires. “The collection was designed

with the powerful and bold women in mind. We have different pieces in the new collection that focus on new parts of the body, like a thumb ring and earrings and more,” says Al Buainain. She aims to create distinctive urban designs emanating from the region. “The jewelry industry in Qatar is evolving fast. In the past, we had few jewelry designers and the focus was on the Qatari traditional jewelry. An exhibition like the DJWE 2018 is really important for all the new Qatari designers and all jewelry collectors. Also it could be educational for those who are interested,” she says.

GHADA AL BUAINAIN

LEILA ISSAM FINE JEWELLERY

FOUNDED BY LEILA ISSAM ABU ISSA, Leila Issam Fine Jewellery aims to adorn women with jewels that are reflective of their inner strength. “The ultimate wish is to become the leading jeweler for the modern woman. I began experimenting with art and design from a young age, which quickly turned into my calling,” she says. At DJWE 2018, Abu Issa makes her first appearance, presenting her latest collections Bleu D’échec, Jeux D’amour, Forest Green and Wilderness. “I feel my collections capture a nostalgic feeling — especially with my latest collection, Wilderness. There is an element of nature and personality to the setting of the jewelry that will hopefully standout,” she says. For her creations, Abu Issa finds inspiration in the women who wear them. “She is a refined and elegant woman, focused on both career and family, with an eye for elegant trends,” she explains. Abu Issa also finds inspiration in nature and its colors. “I love being able to introduce liberation and freedom into my pieces as it captures the essence of the outdoors,” she says. Abu Issa originally found her true inspiration in Florence, Italy, when she was pursuing an education in arts and design. In 2011, she decided to return to the Middle East to put her education to use. “The industry in Qatar is one of my favorites and the most important in the region. Here I find a culture with impeccable taste and an eye for the unique. The women of Qatar know and understand the concept of luxury — making any designer feel honored to be among them,” she says.

FRO

M T

HE

TOP

: GH

AD

A A

L B

UA

INA

IN; L

EIL

A IS

SA

M F

INE

JEW

ELL

ER

Y.

26 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

MAKING ITS DEBUT APPEARANCE AT DJWE 2018, is the recently-established Ghand Jewellery — the youngest brand in YQDs. Founded by sisters Jawaher and Hissa Mohammed Al Mannai, Ghand Jewellery was formed at the beginning of the Qatar blockade in July 2017, which the young designers attribute as their motivation. “We started with the blockade, which didn’t affect us but in fact made us stronger and give more to our country,” says Jawaher. At DJWE 2018, Ghand Jewellery is showcasing jewels consisting of gold, diamonds and precious stones. The brand is also recognized for making customized jewelry. “We’re displaying our latest designs with limited editions of each design. They’ll be exclusive only to DJWE 2018. Our designs are appropriate for all ages and affordable for all, with different prices,” says Jawaher. Ghand Jewellery has also created a special piece exclusive to the Mazad Charity Auction. “There aren’t many young Qatari jewelry designers. We just started and so have the others. We have something to add to the market in Qatar and we find the support from the country in this field, which is something significant,” says Jawaher. “This exhibition is very important. It doesn’t just serve the big brands like Van & Cleef and Cartier but also the Qatari designers. They already have their customers. We need these exhibitions to prove that there are Qatari talents that need to be exposed,” she adds.

GHAND JEWELLERY

January-February 2018

PH

OTO

CO

UR

TE

SY:

GH

AN

D J

EW

ELL

ER

Y

27

Arena Qatar

ESTABLISHED IN 2011, HAIRAAT FINE JEWELLERY is a well-known award-winning Qatari jewelry brand founded by Nada Khamis Al Sulaiti. Hairaat links Qatar’s culture and architectural concepts with the highest of standards in jewelry design and craftsmanship. Al Sulaiti’s unique pieces recently earned her a Merit Award at the International Jewellery Design Excellence Award (IJDE) Awards in Hong Kong  in 2017. At DJWE 2018, Hairaat is launching a special limited-edition piece to mark the 15th anniversary of the exhibition. “Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition was established with a mission to develop the jewelry industry in Qatar and regionally. Now and after 14 editions, it became the most prestigious jewelry exhibition in the region where international brands compete to launch their new creations. Add to that, it’s the platform for emerging Qatari jewelry designers to reach the market and establish their presence — to create their brands,” says Al Sulaiti. In addition to the special limited-edition piece for DJWE, Hairaat is launching a signature collection of pearls: Al Jassasiya. “Qatar is our biggest source of inspiration. Last year the main inspiration came from land, now we are moving to the sea,” says Al Sulaiti.

SARAHS&CO

SARAH AL HAMMADI OF SARAHS&CO, a premium diamond jewelry shop at InterContinental Doha, was part of the YQDs at DJWE last year. This year, she returns standing on her own with an exclusive booth outside of the YQDs realm. “Qatar will get to know the Qatari designers more and this will influence fresh Qatari designers to join DJWE in the future. It’s great to gather the young Qatari designers together to discover their new ideas and to learn from one another, and also have the chance to meet new clients and gain experience for the company,” explains Al Hammadi. This year’s collections will feature large diamond necklace sets, certified solitaires and natural pearls. “Being of historical significance to Qatar, pearls will be one of the many highlights in our collection,” she says. “This year, we are focusing on jewelry with a modern design and multipurpose attributes such as a necklace which can be worn in different styles — as a long chain and detachable into a brooch.” Inspired by earthy colors, Sarahs&Co introduced gem-quality emerald and rubies in various settings and large sizes. Unique to this collection is the Colombian emeralds. “My collection has changed a bit in comparison to the previous collections. There are a few bold pieces and other classic pieces with hints of contemporary design elements and a flair for exotic colors,” explains Al Hammadi, adding that it’s designed for women of all ages.

HAIRAAT

FRO

M T

HE

TOP

: HA

AIR

AT;

SA

RA

H&

CO

.

Making It

28 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

SHIKHA BINT MOHAMED BEGAN HER JOURNEY with Al Ghla Jewellery in 2011, specializing in making jewelry with gold, pearls, precious gems and diamonds. “I began bringing together the modern jewelry designs with the traditional jewelry designs — to bridge the old with the new for women of all tastes,” says Mohamed. “Since I was young, I loved the traditional jewelry … I discovered there is nothing more beautiful than traditional jewelry designs,” she adds. Preserving tradition is significant to Mohamed, describing women who wear Al Ghla Jewellery as: “Elegant women who preserve old traditions and yet up-to-date with the present.” The collection Al Ghla Jewellery is brining to DJWE 2018 feature traditional Mariri jewelry including earrings and bracelets. As pearls have historical and cultural significance in Qatar, Al Ghla Jewellery holds them in high regard, considering the pearls as the secret behind their creations. The brand is creating a new piece specifically for the Mazad Charity Auction, where exhibitors provide one of their jewelry pieces for an auction, to raise funds for education. “This participation is a good first step to be amongst international brands. This exhibition will give me a chance to exchange knowledge with others,” says Mohamed, who’s marking her first time with YQDs this year.

NOUF JEWELLERY

A FRIEND TO YQDS IS NOUF AL MEER of Nouf Jewellery, who’ll be bringing Qatar-inspired jewelry pieces to DJWE 2018, which will be limited editions and exclusive to the exhibition. “My new collection is inspired by Qatar and [other previous] different collections are inspired by beauty and pride and have positive messages,” she explains. “It’s a mixture between oriental and modern design. My designs can be worn for everyday and also for occasions. It’s unique and classy, and I try to always create something different and new,” she adds. Al Meer’s creations always evoke the spirit of feminism. She finds inspiration in nature, the environment and daily social interaction. Most recently, Al Meer was inspired by Qatar National Day, influencing many of her latest jewelry designs, which include colors of the Qatari flag and the iconic “Tamim Al Majd” image. “As a Qatari designer, I try to create new and unique things for the market as I try to mix between oriental and modern designs. The exhibition is very important for us to show our products and let people see exclusive new items that are made specifically for the DJWE,” she says.

AL GHLA JEWELLERY

January-February 2018

FRO

M T

HE

TOP

: ALG

HL

A J

EW

ELL

ER

Y; N

OU

F JE

WE

LLE

RY.

29

ANDY SERKISAs a prominent motion-capture performer, he’s been Gollum in the ‘‘Lord of the Rings’’ trilogy and Caesar in the ‘‘Planet of the Apes’’ reboot. In 2018, he’ll direct the live-action update of “The Jungle Book,” in which he’ll play Baloo the bear.

Portfolio

Those GuysCharacter actors were once strictly

supporting performers, their faces identifiable if unmemorable.

Now, though, a new generation has emerged as essential players in

a rapidly changing Hollywood.

BY BILGE EBIRI PHOTOGRAPHS BY EMILIANO GRANADO

‘‘CAN I ASK YOU a personal question?’’ Ryan Reynolds’s character, a loner named Curtis, says to Ben Mendelsohn’s poker fiend Gerry, early on in the 2015 gambling drama ‘‘Mississippi Grind.’’ ‘‘How much do you owe?’’

‘‘A lot,’’ Gerry replies.‘‘To who?’’ Curtis asks.Gerry looks around, gestures weakly at the bar and whispers,

‘‘Everyone.’’ Mendelsohn draws out this line, cracking a proud little smile, which transforms into a nervous grimace — as if he’s sharing a secret better left unsaid. It’s one of the most impressive eight seconds of film acting in recent years; with a single word, an actor pulls us into his character’s anguished world.

All actors play characters, of course, but only some are called

‘‘character actors.’’ The term is contentious — performers rarely use it to describe their peers — yet it has persisted for more than a century. It first became common in 19th-century theater criticism to discuss actors who immersed themselves fully in their roles, often using realistic makeup to become unrecognizable. By the 1930s, the term had changed in Hollywood to refer to entertainers who played specific types: Walter Brennan as the leathery old codger, Ward Bond as the avuncular authority figure. ‘‘Many character actors had created their archetypes in vaudeville or theater,’’ says Bruce Goldstein, director of repertory programming at New York’s Film Forum. ‘‘Hollywood was turning out so many movies that character actors allowed for a kind of shorthand — you didn’t need a lot of exposition. It’s why films of that era are so

breezy.’’ These men also injected a note of humanity into what would

otherwise have been broad, even stock, roles. ‘‘You recognize something concrete in them,’’ wrote the critic Gilbert Seldes in a 1934 Esquire essay, ‘‘The Itsy-Bitsy Actors.’’ Unlike a movie’s charismatic leads, character actors could be ‘‘rude, violent, ironic, mean, brutal and mocking. They say what the audience often feels.’’ For this, they didn’t go unnoticed — Brennan won three Best Supporting Actor Oscars from 1936 to 1940, a feat no actor has since matched. By the 1980s, the definition of a character actor again had shifted, this time to include supporting players who were familiar without being famous: people like Jon Polito, Vincent Schiavelli, Xander Berkeley. (Don’t recognize their names? Google their faces.) Occasionally, if he stuck around long

GR

OO

MIN

G B

Y J

ES

SI B

UT

TE

RFI

ELD

AT

TR

AC

EY

MA

TT

ING

LY

Arena

30 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

Quality

actors have taken on everything from a sadistic music teacher (Simmons in 2014’s ‘‘Whiplash,’’ for which he won an Oscar) to a flamboyant bounty hunter (Mendelsohn in 2015’s ‘‘Slow West’’) to actual famous people (Shannon’s Elvis Presley in 2016’s ‘‘Elvis & Nixon’’) to famous fictional non-people (Serkis’s Gollum in 2001-03’s ‘‘Lord of the Rings’’ series). The weirder and more singular the role, the more unforgettable the actor stands to become.

These performers may not be conventionally handsome, nor are they truly household names, but audiences increasingly seek them out, in parts large and small, in projects that vary from billion-dollar blockbusters to tiny, barely seen indies. Their talent (often grounded by early careers in theater) is matched by their ubiquity across platforms, from movies to television, to plays, to voiceover work for video games, even to the occasional insurance commercial. Hollywood has always run on journeymen, but it’s these actors who have replaced

movie stars as the essential human labor in cinema. That’s because celebrities can no longer be monetized the way they had been in the past: ‘‘Movie stars have become an endangered species,’’ was how Peter Bart, a journalist and former Paramount executive, predicted this shift in a 2014 essay in Variety, noting that a performer’s inherent adaptability was becoming more valuable — for the actor and the producers — than star power itself. Character actors, who take on several projects simultaneously and are therefore accustomed to building diversified careers, can still become successful even if some of those choices end up being blunders. ‘‘Historically, these guys have always been the workers,’’ says Susan Shopmaker, a veteran casting director. ‘‘When they’re not pigeonholed, they can fit into lots of places.’’

While there are many forces behind the rise of such performers, chief among them is the implosion of Hollywood’s star system over the past two decades. The unchecked increase in movie-star salaries in the

MICHAEL SHANNONAfter acting this fall in ‘‘The Shape of Water,’’ directed by Guillermo Del Toro, Shannon will next co-star in HBO’s film version of Ray Bradbury’s ‘‘Fahrenheit 451.’’

‘‘Historically, these guys have always been the workers,’’ says one casting director. ‘‘When they’re not pigeonholed, they can fit into lots of places.’’

enough, a character actor became an institution unto himself; look no further than the tributes to Harry Dean Stanton — known for playing grizzled oddballs — when he died in September.

NOW, THE CONCEPT of a character actor is changing once more. Over the past decade, a new kind of performer has risen, one defined by his skill and versatility. Men like Mendelsohn, J. K. Simmons, Don Cheadle, Michael Shannon and Andy Serkis are among the most prolific working artists today — in-demand and highly lauded — but they are the opposite of what character actors used to be: Instead of playing types, they are hired for their ability to play no type at all, to disappear into roles completely while at the same time imbuing their performances with something memorable; they are chameleons in the truest sense of that word. A character actor — as opposed to a celebrity — never plays himself, nor does he display his ego on-screen or accept the same kind of part year after year. Between them, these GR

OO

MIN

G B

Y R

HE

AN

NE

WH

ITE

AT

TR

AC

EY

MA

TT

ING

LY

GR

OO

MIN

G B

Y J

ES

SI B

UT

TE

RFI

ELD

AT

TR

AC

EY

MA

TT

ING

LY

31January-February 2018

Arena

1980s and 1990s led to a reckoning throughout the 2000s, as expensive talents like Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise and Eddie Murphy released films that vastly underperformed. Even Will Smith — once considered infallible — has struggled to achieve anything approaching the box-office triumphs of his mid-’90s heyday. Studios didn’t respond to these deficits by cutting budgets, though; instead, they pursued increasingly extravagant franchises, many of which were engineered solely to manufacture new celebrities to replace the outdated models. These films varied in quality — some were admittedly entertaining — but they were formulaic when it came to plotting and casting.

That uniformity, however, made it easier to market these movies to a global audience, so even the weakest entry in an established series could gross astronomical sums. (This year’s example is ‘‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,’’ which opened to execrable reviews, but still earned $795 million worldwide.) And as franchises continued to dominate Hollywood, the financing for serious, midbudget dramas, the sort that enthrall critics and discerning audiences, decreased with each year, making it less likely that big stars would appear in them; they were too busy doing the work of becoming global celebrities. Instead, it was the character actors, men like William H. Macy and Paul Giamatti, who took their places. Such actors ‘‘have

BEN MENDELSOHNMuch-praised as King George VI in fall’s ‘‘Darkest Hour’’ (a Winston Churchill biopic), he’ll soon be seen in Netflix’s ‘‘The Land of Steady Habits’’ and an adaptation of ‘‘Robin Hood.’’

GR

OO

MIN

G B

Y C

AT

HE

RIN

E FU

RN

ISS

FO

R T

AC

K A

RT

IST

GR

OU

P.

more control, in terms of being creative and pursuing fulfilling work,’’ Shopmaker says, ‘‘rather than worrying about whether projects are big enough for their careers.’’ As the nature of celebrity changed, so too did the domestic definition of a movie star.

OVER THE COURSE OF this great fragmentation in the film industry — a system increasingly divided between major-studio blockbusters that are announced a decade in advance at shareholder meetings and tiny indies that often disappear after a week in theaters — character actors have only moved further into the mainstream. In lower-budget projects, they are cast in complicated leading roles that win them acclaim; in mega-films (especially superhero ones), they are relied upon for their ability to bring soul to underwritten, potentially clichéd parts: Cheadle is mesmerizing in what is essentially a glorified sidekick role in this decade’s Marvel ‘‘Avengers’’ films; Mendelsohn brought a uniquely weasel-like quality to the one-dimensional villain of 2016’s ‘‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’; Shannon was unusually stirring as the nutty interplanetary invader General Zod in 2013’s ‘‘Man of Steel.’’ In an era in which the authentic — in food, in fashion, in social media — feels increasingly elusive, these men, all of whom have been working for decades, don’t feel fake (Hollywood’s favorite

Arena Portfolio

32 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

epithet), but slow-grown and purposeful. Especially when compared to those we call ‘‘leading men,’’ beautiful vessels who all compete for the same few superlative parts, yet seem more naïve and distant from reality with each passing role.

Indeed, what truly defines a character actor is that he ‘‘makes the person he plays feel approachable,’’ says Avy Kaufman, the casting director of ‘‘The Sixth Sense’’ and ‘‘Life of Pi.’’ (Stars, by contrast, are never approachable: Even when they play imperfect people, there’s something perfect about them.) And in the absence of new models in Hollywood, audiences and critics alike have anointed these character actors as the emotional anchors of an otherwise mundane two hours. That holds true even when they aren’t playing actual humans: In Andy Serkis’s motion-capture performance as Caesar, the simian protagonist of this decade’s ‘‘Planet of the Apes’’ series, he is completely transformed into an ape using CGI. But Serkis makes Caesar’s conflict — his rage toward humans versus his need to preserve his tribe — terrifyingly real.

There’s one other reason why character actors are ascendant right now: When Hollywood stopped producing scripts of real merit, veteran filmmakers and screenwriters began making ‘‘prestige’’ television, which inadvertently became a training ground for these actors, much as theater once was. ‘‘I like to say that television is about character and movies are about story,’’ says Keith Gordon, an ’80s-era character actor who now directs television, including ‘‘Homeland’’ and ‘‘Better Call Saul.’’ ‘‘With a film, you ask, ‘What’s going to happen?’ With a TV show, you ask, ‘What’s going to happen to this character I like?’ ’’ Only great actors — those like Mendelsohn, who won a Lead

In lower-budget projects, they are

cast in complicated leading roles. In

mega-films, they bring soul to potentially

clichéd parts.

Actor Emmy last year for his role in Netflix’s ‘‘Bloodline’’ — can bring the required depth to roles that are meant to encourage binge-watching: hours, if not days, spent with a character (and a person) who must be compelling enough to sustain the audience’s interest and emotional engagement.

Perhaps this isn’t so different from The Itsy-Bitsy Actors that Seldes eulogized almost a century ago. They, too, had the ability to break through the confines of the screen to present feelings that were recognizably human. Yet those original character actors offered a brief respite from the uniformity of Hollywood’s dream machine — they supported the stars, helped them tell their stories. Today, it’s the character actors who viewers remember long after the rest has faded to black. And the only thing these supporting players are supporting is the weight of the industry itself.

DON CHEADLEHe’s appeared in four Marvel films as Col. James ‘‘Rhodey’’ Rhodes; another will be released next year. He’s also at work on ‘‘Ball Street,’’ a comedy about 1987’s Black Monday crisis.

HA

IR B

Y Q

UA

N P

IER

CE

AN

D M

AK

EU

P B

Y L

IND

A W

HA

NG

, B

OT

H A

T D

ION

PE

RO

NN

EA

U

33January-February 2018

ArenaArena

MANY YEARS AGO, I had dinner at a restaurant in Chinatown in Boston — the sort of city where most non-Chinese people seeking Chinese food are in fact seeking what might better be described as American Chinese food: General Tso’s chicken, fried pork dump-lings, ‘‘house special’’ lo mein; mild, comforting Cantonese dishes slick with sauce and loud with sugar, salt and the intense umami buzz of MSG. In an attempt to be adventurous, I ordered instead the most unusual thing I could find on the menu: beef with bitter melon. The waitress looked at me, her brow furrowed. ‘‘You don’t want that,’’ she declared. ‘‘You won’t like it.’’

‘‘I do!’’ I insisted. ‘‘I’ve had it before.’’ A little while later, she re-turned with a dish of beef strewn with crescents of a jade-hued, scallop-ridged, firm-textured fruit that looked not unlike oversize cel-ery. The truth was, I’d never had it before. As advertised, it was bitter, in a distinctly vegetal way, with none of the fruity sweetness that the word ‘‘melon’’ would imply. I took a bite, then another, and another

— in a different context I might have stopped, but my reputation was on the line. By the time I was finished, the melon hadn’t become more palatable, exactly, but my palate had changed. What had tasted like bitterness now tasted like pride.

WHY DO HUMANS eat bitter foods? Our bodies crave sugar, salt, fat, protein — all forms of replenishment or efficient providers of caloric energy. When something tastes bad, we’re meant to take it as a warn-ing sign: danger, don’t eat this, it could kill you. And yet two of the five sensations we’ve uni-versally categorized as tastes are, arguably, bad ones: sour and bitter. Then there’s spicy food, whose flavor can be so extreme that it ac-tually qualifies as a form of pain instead of a taste. But the discomfort of eating a super-hot chili pepper can also be physiologically com

Bitter flavors have crept into the contemporary palate. Above, from left, Swiss chard, hops, bitter melon, aloe and wasabi root (all rendered in white chocolate) rest on a turmeric-dusted cube.

Food Matters

A Bad TasteSugar, spice, salt, fat: All are easy to love.

So what explains our current craze for everything bitter?

BY HANNAH GOLDFIELD PHOTOGRAPH BY MARI MAEDA AND YUJI OBOSHI STYLED BY SUZY KIM

WH

ITE

CH

OC

OL

AT

E 3

D F

OO

D B

Y P

ET

ER

ZA

HA

RA

TOS

/SU

GA

RC

UB

E

34 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

35January-February 2018

pared — for some people, at least — to riding a roller coaster or watching a horror movie. It’s a pain we perversely crave, a feeling that’s as pleasurable as it is uncomfortable. Super-sour foods, too, can offer a kind of exhilarating rush. There’s something addictive about the tangy, mouth-puckering effect: Watch a baby suck on a lemon for the first time, burst into tears and then go back for more; try to resist a bag of Warheads or sour gummies.

Flavor, then, needn’t be pleasant for it to be attractive. But the ap-peal of bitterness is less obvious — unlike spicy and sour foods, the sensation has never been much of a selling point, at least not in America. If the physical impulse when eating sour foods is to suck in your cheeks, bitterness hits hard on the back of your tongue and, in excess, makes you gag. And yet this taste has long been an integral element in the cuisines of many other countries and cultures, which are starting to gain real traction here. The current trend for Middle Eastern food, for example, means more eggplant, even when roasted until caramelized; tahini, made from naturally bitter sesame seeds; and za’atar, an herb and spice mixture heavy on wild thyme and oregano. The movement toward more authentic Mexican food intro-duced mole, a Oaxacan sauce whose primary ingredients are toma-toes and alliums, charred until earthy and blended, and has made cilantro as common as basil.

As difficult as it is to trace the origin stories of the use of bitter in-gredients, it seems safe to assume that it was often the result of necessity: In times of scarcity, you learn to make do with anything edible. Over time, however, eating bitter foods became not only tradi-tional but in some cases even philosophical, revealing of a culture’s resilience: In China, there is a colloquialism that translates literally to ‘‘eat bitter,’’ a metaphor for the ability to endure hardship. Jews eat bitter herbs, usually horseradish, at Passover seders, to remind themselves of the suffering endured by their ancestors. On the Japa-nese island of Okinawa, a ubiquitous stir-fry of egg, tofu, pork and bitter melon called goya chanpuru is thought to ensure longevity — suffering in service of a long life.

It’s hard not to see the current worldwide health-food craze as be-ing a convoluted translation of this: If beauty is pain, health, you might say, is bitter. Conscientious eaters choose salads overflowing with raw kale or collard greens; frothy, chalky matcha and ‘‘golden lattes’’ tinged with pungent turmeric. These things are nutritious, yes, but there’s also a psychological element: Bitterness equals raw, which in turn equals purity. Adding sweetness to your coffee or choc-olate is a corruption of this purity. And, as with my bitter melon expe-rience, eating bitterness can be a brag: How better to prove your connoisseurship than ordering something whose pleasures are ei-ther obscure or nonexistent? To order a drink with no trace of sweet-ness — say, a hoppy India pale ale or a straight shot of the Italian amaro known as Fernet-Branca, dark, viscous, herbal — is to an-nounce one’s fortitude and disdain for instant gratification. Nothing worth doing is easy, and nothing worth consuming goes down easy.

In an age of ready pleasures, choosing something difficult and unlik-able is an announcement of sophistication. The craze is born, you might say, from having too much enjoyment.

Danny Bowien, the chef behind Mission Chinese, a restaurant with outposts in New York and San Francisco, is passionate about bitterness, which he describes, affectionately, as ‘‘challenging.’’ Bit-ter melon not only makes multiple appearances on his menus — most prominently in one of his signature dishes, thrice-cooked bacon with rice cakes — but he also seeks it out elsewhere, including at the taxi-stand Punjabi restaurant across the street from his Lower East Side apartment, where he orders an Indian varietal of the fruit braised in a curry with radish or potato. ‘‘It takes something out of you, in a way,’’ he muses. ‘‘The first time you have it your body kind of seizes up. I like that it punches you in the face.’’ What he calls ‘‘abrasive’’ flavors ‘‘break up the experience’’ of eating.

For Bowien, discovering bitter flavors was thrillingly world- expanding. He grew up in Oklahoma, where food was often sugary, but when he was 19, he left for San Francisco, where he had cof-fee-braised pork shoulder at a New American restaurant, and beef with bitter melon and fermented black beans at a Chinese restaurant in the Mission, both dishes that changed the way he understood fla-vor. At his restaurants now, he tries to create ‘‘food that really leaves an impression on you, and you can do that in many ways — drama, luxury products, really amazing techniques. But there are a lot of ingredients that up until recently have not really been highlighted within what we cook on a daily basis.’’ This includes, for example, grapefruit rinds, which Bowien has used to garnish scallop sashimi, giving it a mouth-twisting bite.

The Mexican chef Enrique Olvera, too, has been steadily elevating certain ingredients and recipes not only for the American palate, by way of his New York restaurants, Cosme and Atla, but also for his own countrymen at his Mexico City restaurant, Pujol. There, he serves fine-dining dishes that showcase bitter vegetables like the wild greens known as quintoniles and prickly pear cactus, or nopal — and Pujol is especially known for his dark, rich, intensely complex, intensely acrid mole, aged for over 1,200 days.

To Olvera, an affinity for bitterness is evidence of human innova-tion and diversity. ‘‘Mole doesn’t taste like tomato with garlic and onions — you probably think of that and you think of Italian pasta sauce,’’ he says. ‘‘But the fact that when you char tomatoes and add peppers and cinnamon and mix it together, and then it tastes like mole is magical.’’ For Olvera, bitterness is essential for depth of fla-vor and harmony of tastes. ‘‘In Mexican food,’’ he says, ‘‘it’s a huge component of every dish, combined with spice, or with sweetness, or even with acidity.’’ His mole teases at your tongue by promising but never quite delivering the relief of sugar. As such, it’s perhaps the best literal example of another poignant and enduring metaphor for an otherwise ephemeral human feeling: It’s bittersweet. And what’s more understandable than that?

In an age of ready pleasures, choosing something difficult and unlikable is an announcement of

sophistication. The bitter craze is born, you might say, from having too much enjoyment.

Arena Qatar

WINTER GETAWAYS are conventionally picturesque with pristine snow, festive décor, stylish winter sports gear and chic après-ski lodgings. But for the thrill-seekers, an unassuming destination is becoming the hotspot for the ultimate “been there, done that” badge of honor.

At the world’s northernmost airport that serves scheduled public flights, lies the access point into the intriguing Svalbard. An archipelago that shares the latitude of the Arctic regions, the autonomous area administered by the Norwegian government is rife with the world’s northernmost of things, notably the post office and university. First discovered in the late 1500s by the Dutch, the earliest recorded history of the island is a harrowing two-century account of how intense whaling activities nearly wiped out the giant sea mammal population in the north.

In the following years, explorers and fortune hunters remained mesmerized by the archipelago’s raw and extreme landscapes and exotic animals including polar bears and reindeer but it wasn’t until the early 20th century when coal deposits were found that Svalbard became something of economic importance. The influx of resources allowed for extensive Arctic exploration and research and with it, modern-day tourism.

Its unique occurrences of the midnight sun — 24 hours of daylight — in summer and the polar night — 24 hours of darkness — in winter are enough tell-tale signs of a diverse ecosystem set against a dominant landscape worthy of Tolkien’s fantasies. While cruise ships ferrying tourists make quick pit stops around the island in summer in attempts to sight polar bears, the real adventure is to immerse in the experience of being: either in full days of sunlight or complete darkness. Head out with a team of precision-trained husky dogs and sled your way from west to east or hop on a snowmobile to power up the high

plateaus for an infinite view of the North Pole. In the capital Longyearbyen, there is just one main street where everything

is situated, or as the locals call it, “the center of the universe”. Lodgings, grocers, sport stores, and government institutions — including a very well-curated library sit side by side with modern bars and contemporary restaurants. The new Nordic influence on cuisine and design is very much alive in the few but phenomenal food and lifestyle establishments he