< PreviousUp-and-coming Kuwaiti homeware brand Ecru fuses contemporary style with the fi nest Indian craft traditions H and-crafted homewares are hugely popular, but there’s one kind that’s coveted most of all: cross-cultural collaborations that marry contemporary designers’ style with tradition- al artisan skills. Kuwaiti brand Ecru, founded by three women who’ve been friends since infancy, is one such enterprise. Its handmade pieces include home textiles, objects for the table, fashion and jewellery, as well as a collection of exclusive designs by named artisans, dubbed “Curated”. All are inspired by the culture of Arab hospitality – a shared passion of founders Nur Kaoukji, Noor Al Sabah and Hussah Al Tamimi, which they cherish from their idyllic childhoods in Kuwait. “We were lucky to have parents who were full of fantasy and hosted lavishly, with an abundance of warmth and generosity, as in most Arab homes,” they say. “Ecru was born as a platform to share objects that recreate the daily rituals we grew up with.” Highlights of the range include brass tableware, such as geometric-patterned chafi ng dishes and the Kansa Star ice bucket, studded with a chunk of malachite. The jewel-like aspect of certain designs refl ects Kaoukji’s adopted home of Jaipur, where she once worked for the late jewellery designer Munnu Kasliwal, owner of the renowned Gem Palace. During the pandemic, the brand opened the Ecru Bungalow, also in Jaipur; it’s omeware orary style al a by t infa pie tab col art by pa Sa ch Ku we an m as th ta ch st je K o M G The Ecru bungalow in Jaipur refl ects the colours and motifs of the Pink City. 1. Lazuli nut bowl 2. Moonpalm napkins. RADAR In Store 36 admiddleeast.com World Series 2 1 AD_047_36-38_Radar_In Store Ecru_12620318.indd 3605/10/2022 05:29:23 PMRADAR In Store 38 admiddleeast.comPhotography Prarthna Singh We were lucky to have parents who were full of fantasy and hosted lavishly a vibrantly decorated space that houses a showroom/shop, offi ces, and ateliers for tailors, metalworkers, weavers, printers and more. Most of the craftspeople involved are part of a network that Kaoukji has built over the years she’s spent in India, and work on a self-employed basis that allows them freedom of creation. This lends Ecru’s output a diverse, playful quality: alongside bright table linens block-printed with patterns of palm trees, birds and boats, you’ll fi nd charming hand-shaped platters in gorgeous coloured marbles and hand-glazed ceramics in lustrous emerald and cobalt. “As we grow, I see Ecru continuing its focus on conscious consumerism,” says Al Tamimi. “It is important to me that whether you are in Dubai or California you feel a connection to the block printer from Jaipur who made your tablecloth. This ethos keeps inspiring us.” The star “Curated” collaboration is undoubt- edly sculptural alabaster bowls by Parisian designer Livio Delesgues’ brand Lazuli. He celebrates the stone-carving techniques of Rajasthan, fusing them with a European design sensibility. With shapes reminiscent of the Italian Memphis movement and Art Deco, his vessels lend this delicate material a glossy, modern feel. Delesgues also happens to be Kaoukji’s husband, a detail that chimes neatly with Ecru’s convivial, friends-and-family ethos. Ecruonline.com – AMY BRADFORD 3. A view of the Ecru bungalow. 4. Marble hand 5. Eye ikat napkins 6. Arabesque plate 7. Brass eye candlesticks 8. Kansa star ice bucket 9. Ecru apparel 3. A view of the Ecru bungalow. 4. Marble hand 5. Eye ikat napkins 6. Arabesque plate 7. Brass eye candlesticks 8. Kansa star l 4 5 6 8 7 9 3 AD_047_36-38_Radar_In Store Ecru_12620318.indd 3804/10/2022 10:06:17 PML UXUR Y BE C OMES YO U Arrange a private sales consultation with a Zunairah mansion ambassador +968 24534444 | almouj.com AL MO U J MUSC A T S U L T AN A TE OF OM AN ZUNAIRAHRADAR Motoring 40 admiddleeast.com E nzo Ferrari, the found- er of the iconic Italian exotic carmaker that bears his name, pur- portedly vowed never to produce a four-door car. But in a shifting market where demand for trucks, vans, and SUVs continues to soar, even a venerable brand must adapt. Thus, Ferrari has just unveiled its fi rst four-door, four-seat, four- wheel-drive vehicle. And though it doesn’t label it an SUV, that’s exactly what the Purosangue is. Winging from the brand’s prancing horse Cavallino logo, the car’s name means thorough- bred in Italian. The overall shape of the Purosangue is muscular and alluring, and very much in the clean, gorgeous idiom of cur- rent off erings like the brand’s Roma grand tourer. In order to maintain a smooth, uninterrupt- ed sports car-like side profi le, the Purosangue features integrated, rear-hinge ‘suicide’ doors. These keep the overall wheelbase short- er, for a sportier appearance and sharper handling characteristics while driving. The Purosangue also presents a new interior con- cept, one without a central info- The $400K Ferrari Purosangue blows the competition out of the water, but don’t call it an SUV Open Road tainment screen. Instead there are two: one for the driver (with integrated Apple CarPlay) and one for the passenger. With a rousing, 717-horsepow- er, V12 engine housed in its sharply angled bonnet, it bests performance from recent com- petitors like the Aston Martin DBX 707, and the Lamborghini Urus Performante. As the only vehicle in this set with a naturally aspirated (non-turbo) V12, it was designed to do so with a sonorous wail. A hybrid version, incorpo- rating the powertrain from other existing Ferraris seems likely in the near future. As Ferrari’s fi rst entry into this vehicle category, the Purosangue promises to captivate the market. However, Ferrari has made it clear that this car is not meant to eclipse its sports car off erings, which more closely adhere to its glorious heritage. Ever iconoclas- tic and fi ercely protective of its brand identity, the car maker will limit production of the Purosange to under 20% of overall sales. If it hasn’t sold out its fi rst year’s pro- duction allotment already, we predict it will very soon. ferrari.com – BRET T BERK The new Ferrari Purosangue is the brand's only four-door vehicle. BELOW: The rear-hinged doors make for a sportier SUV. AD_047_40_Radar_Motoring_12637619.indd 4004/10/2022 10:10:38 PMadmiddleeast.com 41 Craft RADAR Inspired by the historic splendour of Lebanon’s Baalbek, one of the most immaculately preserved Roman sites in the world, artist Adam Nathaniel Furman envi- sioned a ceramic vessel in the spirit of antique vases, festooned with a pattern echoing classical architec- ture. Brought to life by skilled Chinese ceramic artists and part of Beirut- based Bait Collective’s new collection, the Baalbeck Vase is a colourful example of cross-cultural creativity and craft’s transcendental powers. beit-collective.com City Guide AD_047_41_Radar_Craft_12609128.indd 4104/10/2022 10:11:43 PMRADAR Art 42 admiddleeast.com In the Lebanese village that his father transformed into an open air gallery, Anachar Basbous is forging a new artistic legacy Shaping the Future A s a child, the sculptor Michel Basbous would help his father in his religious duties as a priest. He travelled across Lebanon, carried books, rang the altar bell, and assisted during church ser- vices. Then one day he noticed the shapes being formed by candle wax as it melted during Mass. “This was the fi rst sculptural form that he saw,” says Anachar Basbous of his late father. “And it’s important because Michel became known for his obelisks. I think many of his sculptures are indirectly inspired by the melting candles.” He would go on to become a renowned sculptor in the 1950s and 1960s and exhibited his work in his native Rachana, a small village in the north of Lebanon. Since then Rachana has been synonymous with sculpture. The works of Michel and his two brothers – Alfred and Youssef – pepper the landscape. “Before my father, Rachana was like any ordinary village,” explains Anachar, whose mother was the poet Thérèse Aouad. “There were olive and almond trees and tobacco.” Now it is an open air gallery. Anachar (whose name is an anagram of Rachana) would eventually become a sculp- tor, too, even though he studied architectural wall design at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des Métiers d’Art in Paris. At fi rst his work was similar to his fami- ly’s, but he began to sculpt geometric forms that would be assembled to create architec- tural shapes. “Sometimes I tell people I’m not a sculptor in the real meaning of the word,” says Basbous. “To sculpt is to take a block of marble or wood and to carve. You remove. What I like to do is AD_047_42-43_Radar_Art Basbous_12633637.indd 4204/10/2022 10:13:29 PMPH OTO : ANA C HAR BAS BO U S ; ROG E R M O U K A U Z E L ( P O R TR AIT ) My father always wanted this village and his heritage to have an open door to visitors to add. My sculptures are more constructed than sculpted. I play a lot with rhythm, archi- tecture, geometric forms. I started to decon- struct geometric forms like the square and the rectangle – to cut them, to deconstruct them, and to rebuild them in a diff erent way. To cre- ate volume, to create rhythm, to create musi- cality. To play with light.” There was a problem, however. The village was becoming crowded as Anachar’s work joined that of both his father and his uncles. So he bought a piece of land near his home in Rachana and set about creating Mouhtaraf Anachar Basbous, which opened to the public at the end of September. Overlooking the Mediterranean, the ‘work- shop’ consists of two distinct parcels of land: a fl at area known as a ‘baydar’ (a threshing fl oor for separating wheat) and a large mound of stacked stones called a ‘rejmeh’. The latter has been used to create platforms for the display of sculptural work, while the former has been carved out of the crown of the rejmeh. Both are part of a land art project that is dominated by a raw concrete monolith. Embedded into the ground on its eastern side and protruding cantilever-like towards the sea to the west, the building is the work of Anachar and the architect Jawdat Arnouk. Featuring three distinct sections – a rooftop garden, a main hall exhibiting large sculp- tures, and a smaller room located beneath the main hall – the minimalist structure has been designed “like a huge rock in a fi eld.” That rock has been sculpted to create indoor space with large openings, while its concrete cubist form is as simple as possible, enabling it to “receive complex sculptural work.” “The shape of the architecture is like screens highlighting the artwork,” explains Anachar, who has chosen 50 pieces of work to be exhibited throughout the grounds. Those works are of stainless steel, concrete, marble, wood, aluminium and basalt. “Concrete because of the texture and the grey colour that matches colour of the surrounding rocks. And mostly it’s a material that allowed me to cast all the parts of the building’s fl oor, roof, walls and stairs… which gives it unity and power.” Natural light is predominant thanks to a set of large bay windows that face both north and west in the main hall. A small room to the right of the main entrance is also lit by a glazed opening in the ceiling and houses a single piece of Basbous’ father’s work – a bronze sculpture from 1954, accompanied by a black- and-white photograph of his parents. “My father always wanted this village and his heritage to have an open door to visitors – for it not to be elitist,” he says. “Even now there is no gate that closes my garden. We don’t have any doors. And I’m trying to do the same with my place. So you will have students, you will have professors, you will have collec- tors. It will be an open space for all.” anacharbasbous.com – IAIN AKERMAN RIGHT: Untitled steel sculpture, 2021. BELOW: Works on display at the new Mouhtaraf Anachar Basbous (MAB) in Rachana. OPPOSITE PAGE FROM TOP: The artist; the cantilevered facade of MAB; Anachar Basbous aged 10 with his fi rst sculpture. AD_047_42-43_Radar_Art Basbous_12633637.indd 4304/10/2022 10:13:49 PMRADAR Craft 44 admiddleeast.com Hermès’ new home collection is centred on colour-blocked textiles that are light as air Soft Landing AD_047_44-45_Radar_Hermes_12649969.indd 4405/10/2022 12:32:29 PMPHOTO : H U GO MAPE LLI ; MA XI M E VE R R E T; S T U D IO DES FLE U R S T he Hermès presentation during Milan Design Week is always a standout experience with evoca- tive scenography. This year, once you stepped into a cavern- ous event space in the city’s Brera district, four glowing rooms in the shape of water towers provided the backdrop for Hermès’ latest home creations. The search for ‘lightness’ manifested itself in the form of imposing latticed wooden structures covered with translucent paper, recalling Japanese Shoji walls. The play of the light added to the poetic, ethereal feel and served to underscore the savoir-faire of the homewares (a mix of textiles, furniture, porcelain and objects) showcased on huge stacks of paper which were recycled along with the wood used for the structures when the event concluded. For the fi rst time, textiles were the central pillar of the maison collection. Six creations – fi ve plaids and a bed cover – were exquisitely fashioned from cashmere, using diff erent techniques to bold eff ect. “The main theme we explored here is the textile materiality,” says Florence Lafarge, creative director of home textiles at Hermès. “It’s important that we use the right material in the right place, for lightness and for rightness. And by rightness I mean that cashmere is a very rare material these days, so it’s important to use it well.” Cashmere strips form the design of the H-Tartan plaid, for example; the powder-soft lengths are handsewn one by one on a cash- mere support with an appliqué technique to create striking graphic patterns. A design by the artist Gianpaolo Pagni is painstakingly emblazoned across the Surface quilted bed- cover in bright cashmere hexagons. It’s a con- temporary take on the patchwork blanket courtesy of quilting expert Carson Converse, who is based in western Massachusetts, a his- toric centre of the American textile industry. For the aptly named Construction plaid, pieces of hand-dyed cashmere are cut and linked together to create colourful rectangles. These pieces are then relinked a second time: meshed stitch by stitch on a cashmere base that has been pre-cut. The relinking tech- nique needs fi ve years of training and the arti- san works with a circular machine called a remailleuse. The stunning end result is a large patchwork in iridescent tones, which brings stained-glass windows to mind. “It’s an exam- ple of extreme technical dexterity,” says Lafarge. “You’re witnessing the work of won- derful men and women who use their golden fi ngers to create these products.” Other pieces are more subtle at fi rst glance, but hugely detailed upon closer inspection, with weaves of varying weights and opacities selected to create beautiful eff ects. “Lightness also goes hand in hand with the idea of trans- parency and to obtain the transparent eff ect we have to use a very specifi c type of light cashmere,” adds Lafarge. “What you see here is the result of many tests — and many times we failed. In Nepal we work with an artisan that is able to provide us with a very wide range of products from the heaviest to the lightest type of plaids.” Aren’t these textiles more akin to art than household objects? While several of the throws could undoubtedly be used decora- tively, Lafarge insists that the impulse behind their creation was motivated as much by prac- ticality as artistry: “The majority of the prod- ucts that we showed are going to be produced. Let’s take, for example, the light applique plaid. There, we’re trying to push ourselves to the limits of what’s feasible. We’re trying to make products that allow us to express the concept of lightness but they’re also supposed to be useful, functional and long lasting.” The most diffi cult thing was to make sure that everything was ready for the Milan pre- sentation in June. Realising the project saw a global gathering of best-in-fi eld makers from Monaco, Nepal, India and the US, working together to contribute to what Lafarge calls a “sort of miracle.” Collaborating with the Nepalese artisans was particularly meaningful to her. “It was my fi rst trip after the covid lockdowns and we were all craving joy and wanted to meet each other,” she recalls. “I had the chance to see beautiful drawings, diff erent dyes and worked with lots of very motivated people. The proj- ect allowed us to reconquer the real meaning behind the things we make in a world which is characterised by so many objects that are not so useful or meaningful.” hermes.com – TALIB CHOUDHRY The striking Milan presentation with its glowing water tower-inspired structures. LEFT: Surface bedcover. OPPOSITE PAGE: The Construction plaid. You’re witnessing the work of wonderful men and women who use their golden fi ngers AD_047_44-45_Radar_Hermes_12649969.indd 4505/10/2022 12:32:36 PMNext >