ART & DESIGN THE
ART & DESIGN THE CENTURION SELECTION A SYMPHONY OF ONE’S OWN Musical compositions are increasingly linked to a patron – but be prepared to wait Short on tunes? Far from exulting art and shunning all notions of commerce, the American Composers Forum is making it known that its members are up for private commissions, from ditty to full-on symphony, to celebrate an event or to put on a concert. You don’t even need musical experience yourself. You do need money, though the cost varies wildly, depending on composer, length and complexity of the score and the number of musicians required to play it. The Metropolitan Opera runs a commissioning programme starting at ,000, with no guarantee of performance. Patience also helps: an orchestral work may take two years, and that’s once the composer is available to start work. One further thing: although you’ll have paid for it, you won’t actually own the final work – the composer holds the copyright, though your benefaction will be acknowledged on the score, on any official recording and in any performance programme. Though that, of course, may only be available in your front room. composersforum.org WORKING ON NEW MATERIAL Two Bar Grey: Indian silk pile embedded with two bronze bars Brian Erden creates rugs from metal, camel hair and even handmade paper A serendipitous meeting led to Brian Erden falling into the art of rug making in his early twenties, having been seated next to Chicago’s premier rug dealer at a fundraiser. Since then, he’s travelled the world in search of rug-weaving techniques, culminating in his first metal-embossed collection in collaboration with Rebecca Willer, through whose interior accessories gallery in west London it exclusively launched in March. Directly sourcing exclusive fibre blends of a quality and softness rarely used in rugs (from camel, wool, alpaca, mohair and silk to handmade paper), Erden has married the traditional crafts of spinning, weaving, dyeing and hand-knotting to the mastery of modern metalworking by embedding hand-patinaed bronze and brass metal bars into each design. For Willer, Erden’s unique rugs, a patent for which is pending, can be woven with any design and metal formation, in any shape, and resonate with “an incredible beauty in the most simple and subtle way. They are like the ultimate cashmere sweater for your floor.” Erden rugs exclusively available to order through Willer, willer.co.uk; erdenusa.com PHOTOS FROM TOP: DAVID PUERTO/ISTOCK, © ERDEN USA 44 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
PHOTOS FROM LEFT: © GUTO REQUENA, THOMAS SCHAUER RHYTHM OF THE HEART When one-of-a-kind bespoke gold jewellery can be 3D printed and uniquely tailored to the rhythm of your own voice and heartbeat, it’s safe to say we’ve reached new levels of customisation. The Aura pendants are individually crafted in 18kt solid gold from digital recordings of a person’s heartbeat and voice patterns as they recount a (love) story into an exclusive app. The voice is never recorded, keeping the details of the narrative completely private. A mobile phone’s camera and microphone capture the person’s emotional landscape as the story is told into it and the app digitally compiles a unique mandala design for a gold pendant that can be delivered across the globe. An Aura pendant is a one-and-only physical token of a person’s affection. “It’s unique because we can create a product that’s not tied to aesthetic trends; it’s formed by a unique bond that unites person and object,” explains Brazilian designer Guto Requena, co-creator of Aura and a strong believer in heralding objects shaped by people’s personal memories, yielding them with value that goes beyond their price. loveproject.com.br 5 MINUTES WITH ... LIOR LEV SERCARZ A DASH OF YOU The New York-based master spice blender speaks about the growing appeal of palate-specific seasonings What does the right spice mix bring to a great dish? The third dimension. It elevates a dish by delivering texture, scent and flavour and, beyond that, an emotion. What’s different about your blends? Something like garam masala has a formula, but my creations are completely new, often based on places and people. As well as chefs, I also work with bakers, popcorn-, chocolate- and ice-creammakers as well as distillers. Who inspired you? I started working with Daniel Boulud in 2002. I loved his cooking and he liked the Middle Eastern spices I introduced him to. Your first blend for him? A coarse mix of coriander, caraway and nigella seed we used on tuna. Which chefs have you created mixtures for? As well as Boulud, there’s Éric Ripert (three Michelinstarred Le Bernardin), Marc Forgione, baker Apollonia Poilâne, and many others. Sourcing – where from, and what’s new? Primarily India, Indonesia and Turkey. I really like urfa, a complex Turkish chilli flake. Challenges overcome? An Indiana distillery wanted a new sipping gin, so after educating my palate we tried using zuta, an Israeli wild mint, and it really works in Cardinal’s Terra Gin. What are your personal favourites? On ice cream, I like to sprinkle Mishmish – crystallised honey, saffron and lemon. My Pierre Poivre – an eight-pepper blend with tangy, sweet, sour and floral notes – works on pretty much everything. How do you create a new blend for someone? I must get to know the person – their tastes and cooking skills. Like a handmade suit, the blend is absolutely made-to-measure for that particular client. laboiteny.com CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 45
