Nr°14 Image(s) of the night

Oh yes, New Years Eve. The night we celebrate a new year to come, thank for the good in the past one, and looking forward for what's to come.

Celebrating it with the people you love is crucial, so we did. Not at a hyped party, not the place to be in our hip and happening hometown Ghent. No, in a cosy party place tuned photo studio of some best friends of ours, who prepared a true authentic, intimate party for about 30 like minded friends. Some knew each other, others not at all. It clicked, that was so magical.
We celebrated with our kids too, we think it's normal. We want them with us when we celebrate. It felt good. Food had the simplicity and the nostalgia of the real 70 ties classics, the music & dance an eclectic mix of styles, favorite tracks and evergreens.

We started the year good.

Something more hopeful? No SMS stress at midnight, not at all. For the first time, nearly nobody bothered to start sending text messages to people you were not with, but took time to hug, kiss and wish the best to all that were present. The text messages stayed behind too, in contrast with previous years when they took over the midnight fire energy.
Thank god, we're getting back to our common sense.
Tomorrow we'll call, visit or-okay- text the ones we'd missed last night.

Chill before the party starts.

5 AM. Closing down, nearly.

Schrimp cocktail and old fashioned gourmet. Fun.

Maui and Ivan dancing the night away.

Our party organizers: Eugene and Kathy. Thanks guys!

                         Happy 2013.

Nr°12 Image of the day

Louvre-Lens, this means the famous Louvre museum in a tiny, (in)dusty little town called Lens. We visited this new born yesterday with the kids Iman and Maui.
So, the image of the day needed to be our son, posing in front of the museum, in the pouring rain....

The museum 'satellite' is been open for a few days (December 12th 2012), and The inhabitants of Lens don't have a clue what is happening lately: 'bus loads' of people landing in their village, looking for that brand new, all ready famous museum by the Japanese architects SANAA: Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa based in Tokyo (SANAA associated with architects Imrey-Culbert (New York) and landscape architect Catherine Mosbach (Paris)).
SANAA is a Japanese architectural company, noted for their ethereal designs. 
The size? 28,000 square meters of usable space built on two levels, with semi-permanent exhibition space covering at least 6000 m².
Top pieces? Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People as the star exhibit in the first tranche of paintings on view, And leonardo's The Virgin and Child with St Anne in this first temporary exhibition.

More images: as the exhibit was so crowdy, the weather so shity, we didn't make that much pictures. We go back this summer, when the first hype is over, the sun sets the architecture back in value and the green landscape architecture is more finished...

Here are some of the rainy, crowded pictures, as an appetizer...

Nr°11 Image of the day

I know guys, it's been a while.... Blame it on the X-Mas vibes, the family diners, the gift rush and many more excuses, but hey, I'm back!

You know by now, I'm not really a winter type of person, so my 'back-in-business-picture is a summer image. 

Why I think this should be the image of the day? Well, Verne send this one as 'a holiday office closed message'.

Note with the image? "Thanks for a nice 2012. We wish you a super 2013!"

From "Blankenberge" © EugeenHerman 1990

This photo is made by very good friends of mine: the boys from Verne Photography: Eugene and Herman.
Not a recent one but an image from the amazing series of beach portraits made in 1990! They captured perfectly the time frame of that moment, and to be honest, Ivan and I stroke a pose at that same beach in Blankenberge for the exact same series...
No idea if this picture still exists, but I remember it as it was yesterday.

New website by the way: very much worth visiting!
http://www.eugeenherman.com 

Nr°10 Image of the day

Image of the day, no, more a picture of the night: One image of the Muse concert of last night.
As we could expect: a wall of sound, the older songs were as ever mind blowing and quite overwhelming and the absolute hero of the night: the intriguing and time-spirit-catching projections. Bold decor, very effective and very Muse.

Let's go to bed-a life inspiration day

This week Geert Verbeke popped up two times on Flemisch television, with his amazing, nobody-knows art venue 'The Verbeke Foundation'. Don't know what happens but the media finally discovered this out-of-the-ordinary out-en indoor fairyland for artists. It's about time.
Strangely enough Geert Verbeke mentioned this fact to me, when we last visited the site in Kemzeke with my students Trendwatching
(Erasmus Brussels Campus Dansaert). We were there to evaluate the student's first 'coolhunt'. It was time our students got to know this 'museum' too.

We all ready visited The Verbeke Foundation for the first time years ago and fell in love straight away with this strange, nonconformist art collection, their avant-garde owners and their story.
Besides the fantastic, unconventional collection, the museum is in a non stop state of construction, as some artists work on their art piece for weeks, and stay over at the venue. In tents, in one of the many glasshouses, also stuffed with installations.

Huge fans as we are, we also stayed one night with our kids, in the Casanus by Studio Joep Van Lieshout. We are talking 2008, a beautiful summer night and the only guests apart from us were some resident artists who stayed the night in some tents.
Because it was such a great, but unusual night in this 'Bed and Breakfast', here are some pictures of our stay then. The Casanus is located in the middle of the 12 hectares(30 acres) outdoor part of the museum, on a tiny 'island' in a small lake, and can be reached walking over some wooden beams. One hotel room, surrounded by nature.

Unpacking our luggage, and try to find Joep's 'Anus'....

Maui still looking for our place to stay.

Found it, at the small lake.

Ivan standing next to the famous end of the human intestine

Maui and Ivan looking out of a window, inside of the Casanus. Love this picture!

Maui closing the door of the Casanus for the night.

Ivan still asleep.

Because the other sleeping accomodation (The camping flats) were not available because of wind conditions, we were offered to sleep in the Casanus, that just had an exceptional cancellation. We very happy, and so the kids stayed with us. Just that you know, this was an EXCEPTION, not a rule!!

Maui and me, brushing out teeth in the morning.

Breakfast in the morning, with the resident artists.

2008, yeah the kids were still so little...

My favorite art work, I visit the horses every time.

© All pictures by Kate Stockman and Ivan Missinne

If you are curious and love to see it for yourself, here you go. Remember: only pass this address to spirit-like people, who truly appreciate this kind of little treasures. Others better check in in a Radisson or Novotel.

http://www.verbekefoundation.com/joep-van-lieshout.html
A night in  CasAnus is about 120 euro for two, including breakfast.  


Reservation: info@verbekefoundation.com

© All pictures by Kate Stockman and Ivan Missinne

70 ties über-classic Empreinte de Courreges - a life inspiration day

A re-edition of a 70 ties perfume, as it's never been forgotten and still remembered by many... No, I'm too young to have my own sweet memories about this one, and my mum is a life long addict of YSL Rive Gauche, so , no.

It's my love for the futuristic style of the timeless house Courrèges that brought me to Paris, were the Courrèges scents were available(again). Courrèges brings back two classical fragrances – Empreinte, originally from 1970, and Eau de Courrèges 1979.

Empreinte, what means 'footprint' came from that iconic footprint left on the moon in the summer of ’69. This moment inspired André Courrèges to name his very first, now-legendary fragrance Empreinte. The perfume has a rare and unique blend of ingredients and is an exceptional chypre perfume, a shimmering amber and gold treasure in its simple glass bottle. Mandarin and bergamot, floral accords of Bulgarian rose, jasmine and May rose lying at a base of patchouli, moss and Mysore sandalwood. 

This legendary scent takes you straight back to the time Emmanuele was a star, and at Saint Trop you could pop on to Miss Bardot. A bit like what happens with another range of fabulous Replica (!) perfumes from Maison Martin Margiela: they bring you in a state of mind full of memories of past loves, sandy beach holidays or sugar spin candy nights. No need for anything more, I'm perfectly happy. Thank you André, thank you Martin.

For the non vintage lovers, a the brand new perfume - Blanc de Courrèges is launched at the same time.

Underneath you find our FAB sales guy at Printemps Paris, who explained in a magnificent way Courreges' history with such a love and devotion, André would be flattered. Great guy, so no surprise, I walked away with the two re-edited seventies fragrances(in mini version because so cute), nicely packed in a beautiful white plastic 'Courrège beauty case'. Yes!

For the ones who don't know the master by looks, here's an 'oldie picture'.

http://www.courreges.com

Big, big Air-a life inspiration day

Imagine this: 39 meters high, a jump corner of 45° in the middle of the city! 

At the VW Big Air contest,  the biggest, the highest ramp ever built in any dimension. This snowboard ramp provided the longest 'artificial' jump ever with about 16 meters in length and we could go and watch the weekend of 9 and 10 November! As I saw it being built a few days before, we had to see it for ourselves at the kick-off on friday night.

And? Well, I have to say: a very impressive setting, a great crowd and it almost felt like an winter edition of a rock festival. Because the great thing about this particular scene and this sport is that while the boarders jump, a LIVE DJ drives their adrenaline higher and sets the crowd on fire. 

Maybe an idea for Chokri or Herm when they look for new opportunities: what about Rock Winter Werchter or Pukkelpop Freeze?

Antwerp based champion Seppe Smits managed to win Saturday the contest in the presence of 10,000 snow board a fans who gathered at the Waagnatie harbor. 

Congratulations Seppe and thanks for the great initiative!

Skiers help to clean up  and get rid of the gaps in the snow after some tough snowboard encounters 

Maui, spotting spectacular jumps and handsome boarders...

Chocking angle!

Closing day of Damien Hirst London-a life inspiration day

London. Saturday 8th of October 2012.

The last days of the substantial Damien Hirst exhibition we absolutely didn't want to miss. We waited too long, and before you know, it is closing weekend....
So we booked some (too expensive) Eurostar tickets, and headed for the UK. As for Iman it was his first time in London, he was totally excited, even we only stayed the day.

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Poster of the exhibition I all ready spotted when I was at Tate Modern for the  Kusama expo.

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Yes, we knew! Long queuing lines as we predicted.
Thank god we booked our tickets in advance, but as we were late, we could only enter at 5 pm, terribly late to catch our return train. Impossible! We had to use all our charms and small talk to switch our tickets, so we did and with success. 

Thank you, Tate Modern Lady for the great customer service!
http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

Ticket switch for 11 AM, Damien, here we come!

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Tate Modern is the perfect spot to (re)discover Damien Hirst's oeuvre. As a prominent member of the British art scene since Damiens inaugural exhibition Freeze at Goldsmiths back in 1988, Hirst has become one of the most influential (and richest) artists of his generation. The exposition brings together 70 works and covers everything Hirst is particularly known for – from pickling sharks and killing flies to painting spots and encrusting a skull with diamonds and selling it for a claimed price of £50m.

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

No pictures allowed, but hey, do I ever respond well to rules? Exactly.

Mother and child divided. Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Two of the most notorious pieces of sculpture show feature animals suspended in formaldehyde. "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living" features a 14 foot tiger shark in a glass and steel tank; while "Mother and Child Divided" consists of a bisected cow and calf, which was entered into the 1995 Turner Prize competition that Hirst won.

Twelve years ago in 2000, I was in New York (the year Maui was born) and at that very moment there was the famous Damien Hirst expo ‘Theories, Models, Methods, Approaches, Assumptions, Results and Findings’ at Gagosian Gallery. I didn't know the artist very well, but it was love at first sight. The shark tank, the mother and child in blue formaldehyde, the doctors cabinets....goosebumps!

Later I dined at Hirst's Pharmacy restaurant in London-a revelation-( waiters in red open back surgeon uniforms!! Yummie!!), unfortunately closed years ago. 

So, I can say I'm a huge fan.

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

The grand scale piece "Pharmacy", which depicts a real-size pharmacy room, full of bottles, cabinets, boxes and pills representing prescription drugs.

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Shark tank in front of a fake diamond wallpaper room "Tears of Joy", a statement Hirst makes to show he sells art 'by the running meter' and he produces non stop diamond money. For sale in the bookstore for 250 £ per roll.

(Illegal, haha) Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Time for a living installation. 

We stepped in to "In and Out of Love", a room full of live butterflies. They happily feed on fruit and drink from pot plants with their own entomological consultant on hand to check they are living their short lives as comfortably as possible.

Staff checks your hair and clothing to prevent breaks for freedom through the plastic curtains. 

No pics inside, and as we had to enter only per 20 visitors, I missed great shots of the fabulous tropical butterflies flying around you. Bummer.

 Hirst's "For the Love of God", a small human skull encrusted with 8,601 diamonds, is displayed in a darkened room with its own security in the vast Turbine Hall.

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

 Beautiful patterns made out of real butterfly wings, but cruel at the same time.
One of the typical Hirst' themes: the circle of life.

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Photo Kate Stockman-Ivan Missinne

Iman, most impressed by the artwork, but to be honest, London City does the trick too.

The front-row view from the Tate Modern restaurant is breathtaking and besides the great food, worth every penny. 

Photo Kate Stockman

Photo Kate Stockman

Photo Ivan Missinne

Photo Kate Stockman

Photo Ivan Missinne

Very satisfied, a fast cab ride home. 

Very happy that we just came over for this expo!

A great day, many impressions for Iman and I can only think: "Such a perfect day, I'm glad I spend it with you guys".