january-2012

TREATS
BOOKS
Colourful and practical,
this bag by Bombata is
designed to carry and
protect your tablet,
notepad or e-reader.
See momastore.org.
Rietveld & Curaçao:
A modern architect
on a Caribbean Island
Dutch designer Gerrit
Rietveld - best known for his
angular Red and Blue Chair -
is celebrated in a new book
about his work on the island
of Curaçao. Between 1949
and 1960, he worked on six
buildings, adapting his work
to fi t the island’s climate,
with rainwatercollecting
roofs,
and shutters
replacing
walls to better
capture c cooling
winds. w Available
in i English
and a Chinese.
Published P by
010 0
Publishers.
Launched L in 1905, only two years
after a the Wright brothers made
their t fi rst fl ight, Aéroplane
eau e de toilette by Parisian perfume
house h Detaille can still lift your
spirits. See detaille.com.
Life itself is the most
wonderful fairytale
Love’em and leave’em
Check it out ■ Museum of Broken Relationships
Subtle Swedish dish
design Mutewatch ewatch
is a touchscreen creen
watch with a digital
display that t lights
up only when en you
want it to. See
mutewatch.com. .com.
FRONTLINES
Stage
The Nightingale and Other Fables
Amsterdam ■ 12-22 January
Canada’s celebrated director Robert Lepage
has reimagined the music and short works
of Stravinsky to create this enchanting
production for De Nederlandse Opera,
currently under the baton of Chinese-
American Xian Zhang. The unique show
features puppetry and shadow theatre,
the orchestra pit is a pond, and the
Hague Philharmonic sits on the stage. See
muziektheater.nl. And for more events in
Amsterdam and the Netherlands, turn to
pages 65 and 67.
Culture
Incorrigible romantics should avoid this
Zagreb museum. On display here are
objects donated by the general public
that symbolise their failed relationships.
Highlights include an axe used by
a man to chop up his ex-girlfriend’s
furniture after being ditched in favour
of a lesbian lover, and a garden gnome
that experienced a violent encounter
with a car windscreen, marking the end
of a 20-year relationship. Last year,
the museum won an award for Most
Innovative Museum in Europe. It started
off as a way for its founders, Olinka
Vištica and Dražen Grubišic, to deal with
their own break-up.
See brokenships.com.
Holland Herald 9