Category Archives: New Utopia

Melissa Joseph in her studio. Photography by Mary Kang. All images courtesy of the artist and Margot Samel.

For New York-based artist Melissa Joseph, everything changed when she discovered how much she could do with a bag of wool and a felting needle. It never stops giving answers and creating new questions, she says of needle felting, a process often used in craft but rarely given space in the fine art world.

Trained as a textile designer and a painter, Joseph creates felted tableaux, usually drawn from her childhood growing up in a blended Indian-American household in rural Pennsylvania, that evoke the blurriness and warmth of memories. In her new solo exhibition Irish Exit at Margot Samel gallery, Joseph explores how quiet moments are defined by both the people and furniture that surround us. We spoke in the weeks leading up to the opening.

Take us back to the beginning. What are your earliest memories of creating?

Besides scribbling, my earliest memories of creating were as a small child foraging through my moms craft materials in the basement. I still remember the first time I smelled hot glue.

Love me some hot glue. How does felting enable you to articulate your vision in a way other media doesnt?

I feel a mystical connection to felt. It allows me to create paintings and bas relief sculptures at the same time, something Ive never achieved with any other material. The closest I got in the past was through encaustic. I can push to its absolute limits while inventing my own language and techniques. I believe that is my contribution as an artistI push form.

You describe your felting practice as being in conversation with painting. What do you mean by that?

People will look at my work and think it's a paintingthen they get up close and realize it's not. But, to me, its not NOT a painting. I am using textiles but through a painters languagemaking painterly marks, referencing art-historical works, and thinking like a painter. It asks people to think harder about what a painting is. Thats what I want to do.

Ive heard you describe yourself asbeing made not of two halves, but two wholes, in regard to your mixed Indian and Irish heritage. How do you think about the act of self-definition?

I give credit to Jassa Ahluwalia, a British-Indian actor and writer, for this paradigm-shifting language. The truth is there was a lot of tension on both sides of the family about my parents union, and I think its important to vocalize that. In my work, I dont want to fabricate scenes that never happened, at least so far, so I am not making these images with both sides of my family coexisting in a fictional utopia.

You use a multitude of materials in your workceramic, felt, paper, and found objects. How does your material process connect to memory?

I used to use archival family photos and slides for reference, but that practice is shifting. More often I am using photos I take myself nowquiet moments regarding the human condition. I have always collected heavy metal rusted things. I grew up in a rural factory town, so I think found objects, which carry traces of the hands theyve passed through, appeal to my material memory. I also dissociate often, and these old, heavy objects are grounding.

Lets speak about a specific work in your upcoming exhibition. Walk us through the process of creating What Chair?, a needle-felted composition of a girl lying on the ground with a chair on top of her body.

This exhibition, like all, began with my personal photo archive and a lengthy selection process.As I started to choose images, I noticed the theme of furniture kept coming up. When I notice a trend, it is my cue to stop and reflect on its meaning.

Furniture, even when its not in use, exists in relation to people. Theyre contact zonesplaces where we come together to rest, to gather. I realized furniture is a way to talk about edges or boundaries. In this work, my niece has taken the chair, fully understanding its purpose, and decided to use it for something else. She's refusing to accept preconceived notions of "chairness per se. She's still using it as a boundary, but she's setting the terms. It's such a beautiful metaphor for how I wish systems and structures could be challenged in a non-violent way.

Your niece comes up quite a lot in your work.

I think I make all my work for her. I wish her a life free of the shame, self-consciousness, racism/colorism,and misogyny that I internalized at her age. These works are intended to encourage that freedom.

Irish Exit is on viewfrom October 19 through November 22, 2023 at Margot Samel Gallery in New York.

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Artist Melissa Joseph Uses an Unsung MediumFeltto Explore ... - Cultured Magazine

Customizable Bathroom Fittings With Re-Purposed and Crystal Glass Materials

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In addition to contributing to the functionality of the space, bathroom fittings underlie the overall aesthetics of a chosen design style. Within their technical features as well as the possible materials, finishes, and styles, fittings play a role in both the visual appeal of a space, while also focusing on comfort and user experience. This is part of Dornbracht's continuous re-imagination of bathrooms as living spaces, in which the brand seeks to create innovative solutions based on proportion, precision, progressiveness, performance, and personality.

Among Dornbrachts series, the MEM collection includes a complete selection of minimalist bathroom fittings for washstands, showers, and tubs. In collaboration with ethical design brand Nature Squared and Italian craft manufacturer Glass Design, the collections original design has been enriched with versatile new features for customizing bathrooms. These features are created through the combination of high-quality materials with sustainable craftsmanship and the incorporation of futuristic artistic crystal glass.

Capturing the clarity and natural simplicity of water, the MEM collection creates a simple style for bathroom design. Designed by Sieger Design, its minimalist aesthetic resembles an arc-shaped line that mimics the organic flow of water, ending in a wide rectangular spout. Both unobtrusive and visible at the same time, the series invisibly integrates a jet regulator and minimalist handles.

By reducing design to the essentials, the collections aesthetics infuse bathroom architecture with clarity, simplicity and balance. In addition to its purist approach, it also embraces design freedom in the bathroom. Under the concept of sampling, the collection enables the customization of fittings that can be adapted to the specific needs of each space.

Nature Squared combines traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, breathing new life into waste materials like eggshells and seashells, and transforming them into artistic inlays. In this process, seashells are meticulously cracked by hand and then skillfully inlaid onto a carrier, resulting in a unique texture for bathroom detailing.

Through the exploration of material innovation and artisanal skills, this collaboration integrates MEM finishes into sustainable solutions. It seamlessly creates handles with various structures and finishes that can be easily combined; with seven materials and five finishes, there are over 30 possibilities for washstand, shower, or bath design. Combined with Dornbracht finishes like Chrome, Brushed Chrome, Platinum, Brushed Dark Platinum, and Brushed Durabrass (23kt Gold), these fittings can add a unique touch to bathrooms.

Within the possible material combinations the collaboration offers, MEM faucets in Platinum finishes are customized with mother-of-pearl handles, accompanied by light wood, concrete, rippled, glass, and terrazzo textures. Additionally, MEM in Brushed Dark Platinum can also be combined with textured mother-of-pearl handles in shades of blue, together with light mint tones and pattern tiles.

Among the various material combinations, MEM faucets with Platinum finishes can be customized with mother-of-pearl handles. This can be paired with light wood, concrete, rippled glass, and terrazzo textures. Also, faucets in Brushed Dark Platinum can be adapted with textured mother-of-pearl handles in shades of blue, complemented by light mint tones and patterned tiles.

Known for its craftsmanship in making and designing washbasins and fixtures, Glass Design boasts a long tradition of glass and crystal production. Adding crystal glass to the range of material possibilities, two minimalist artistic handle designs were created in collaboration with the manufacturer and incorporated into the MEM collection. Through a harmonious blend of timeless design and traditional craftsmanship, these handles bring new shapes and colors into the collection.

Meticulously hand-crafted in Vinci, Glamorous Clivia features intricate linear grooves that infuse the washing area with brilliance and clarity. Likewise, Glamorous ICE draws inspiration from the subtle elegance of ice pillars, with its handles glinting in the light to create a distinctive bathroom ambiance.

For the first time, Dornbracht has harnessed the power of AI to create a meticulously detailed and fantastic visual world, which was the source of inspiration for /imagine, the brand's new lead bathroom architecture. Following the collections clean, organic form, the MEM collection in the new finish Champagne (22kt Gold) can now be seen in a new architectural setting.

By delving into new perspectives on the bathroom as a living space, /imagine embodies an architectonic utopia a visionary space where creativity has limitless freedom. Amidst these surreal surroundings, the MEM bathroom collection seamlessly integrates with a natural landscape, while providing a space for rituals of self-care. Rituals initiate and shape transitions, and bathrooms are known for marking transitions from night to day, and vice-versa. Consequently, this visualization of bathroom architecture is designed to create spaces that enhance the experience of these transitions.

For more information on customizing bathrooms with MEM collection, visit the product catalog.

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Customizable Bathroom Fittings With Re-Purposed and Crystal ... - ArchDaily

Iain Smith hops through a patch of thigh-high heather, the barrel of a shotgun resting idly on his forearm. If it looks green and mossy, dont step on it, he says. The only way forward is green moss. Is there another way? I ask. He shushes me and points to the hill up ahead.

Smith and I are on a grouse hunt. The British way of describing this is walked-up shooting, a practice that has been common in the UK since the 16th century, where birds are flushed out as a group crosses a moor. The event has been organised by Scottish country-house hotel Gleneagles, of which Smith is head shooting coach, and includes 10 humans, four guns and eight dogs. So far two birds have been shot: one by the hotels marketing director an event that seems to surprise everyone and another by its director of leisure, a man whose wife has banned feathers in the house and who likes to roast his catch wrapped in bacon.

3,937Record number of pheasants shot in one day on a single shoot

Game shooting, which contributes an estimated 2bn to the UK economy, provokes polarised debate. On 12 August, thousands of grouse shooters start their 121day season. Partridge season begins in September; four weeks later is pheasant shooting, with around 50mn non-native birds released into the British countryside over this time. Conservationists argue that creating an optimal environment for these birds including the burning of moorland heather and grass (muirburn) to encourage new growth for them to eat is cause for environmental concern. Gamekeepers tell us their work is crucial for maintaining healthy moors.

British shooting is not like that of any other country. The UK is much greedier than most, with some estates offering the chance to shoot hundreds of birds in one day. No licence to kill game birds is required in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland the exception is the Isle of Man and the kill rate has no official upper limit: unlike most events in Europe, game-bird totals are not officially recorded. This passion goes back to shootings zenith 100 years ago, when success was measured by the size of a hunts bag: a party led by George V holds the record for killing 3,937 pheasants in one day.

Calls for better legislation are, however, mounting. In Scotland, a new bill that aims to manage practices such as muirburn and the setting of legal predator traps is being scrutinised by parliament. A 2020 poll showed that seven out of 10 Scots oppose grouse shooting for sport. Everything is teetering on an edge, says Peter Clark, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC)s director for Scotland. He compares the new licensing proposals to the government using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Walked-up shooting is really just a glorified hike, with no paths and unruly heather. But the challenging terrain and cinematic vistas are all part of the charm. Abercairny, the estate that hosts our party, is a place for peering over glens, thinking pure thoughts and making mincemeat of small mountains. It is also a little humbling. Watch out for your neighbour they can disappear, Josh Burton, Abercairnys head gamekeeper, tells us at the beginning of the day. Too often, distracted game hunters can fall into a bog.

You might ask how anyone ever shoots anything? With difficulty. At one point a grouse settles atop a hill directly in front of us. Smith and I approach cautiously, shotguns at the ready. This is your one opportunity, he whispers, almost saucily. The bird is within range for a brief second before gunshots ring out to our left (Colin Farndon, Gleneagles director of leisure, of course). One of Burtons dogs collects it for him. Thats the end of that one, says Smith. Never mind. Farndon manages to shoot two birds with three cartridges. Dont forget that, he jokes at lunch while feeding a dog a slice of smoked salmon. Even with the right tutoring, it can take several years to become a competent shooter. Repeat clients at Gleneagles go out up to four days a season.

When not running shoots, gamekeepers like Burton can contribute to crucial conservation management: feeding other species of birds throughout winter months, planting cover crops that provide other animals with food and shelter, and maintaining woodlands and hedgerows. If the sport were to end, the countryside wouldnt look like a utopia of Caledonian forest something from Braveheart, says Clark. Up to 74,000 people could be out of a job.

As a meat eater, it would be hypocritical of me to voice too many qualms about walked-up grouse shooting. Livestock is the single biggest cause of global deforestation, accounting for 14.5 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions When practised sustainably, game shooting presents a less damaging way to consume meat. The trouble is that nobody can agree on the most sustainable way of doing it.

The most controversial debate lies with driven grouse shooting. This is killing on a mass scale, with shooters concealed in grouse butts as swaths of birds are flushed out before their eyes. That land is being managed to maximise one output red grouse at the expense of everything else, says Jeff Knott, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birdss director of policy.

121days is the length of the UK grouse-shooting season

Driven red grouse shooting is unique to the British Isles, making it a popular sport for tourists who race to the uplands in their tweed and galoshes. The best estates reportedly charge up to 100,000 for a driven shoot with 10 guns; Abercairny charges from 2,500 for up to eight. Most visitors to Abercairny around 70 per cent opt for walked-up shooting. Landowners host private shoots, but the way to make money is to commercialise their land. The bigger the bag, the bigger the impetus to ensure there is enough game for the taking. That requires generating more nutritious patches of heather which means aggressive muirburn that can release huge quantities of carbon into the atmosphere and setting predator traps so effective that they snare an estimated 1.7 million collateral animals every year, including dogs, badgers and cats.

But for every potential danger there is rebuttal from an invested party. Gamekeepers claim that controlled muirburn decreases the risk of wildfires by reducing the fuel load that could ignite. The patchwork of different heathers can also provide fodder for various birds.

Grouse butts for driven shooting peek out of the heather at Abercairny; Im told they are seldom used. At Gleneagles, the emphasis is on the people and the day rather than the shooting, a move to a more experiential take on the sport that began seven years ago. Guests can send their catch to a game dealer to have it prepared to eat at home. Recently a client sent 11 plucked and clingfilmed partridges to London.

Alongside Smith, outdoor pursuits are headed-up by 29-year-old Nicholas Raby, a former gamekeeper who in Gleneagles eyes embodies the future of shooting sports. Raby grew up on an estate and spent much of his childhood running around at the landowners behest. We meet for an introductory lesson at the Gleneagles Shooting School.

For a sure-fire shot, says Raby, stand with your left leg forward and place 60 per cent of your weight on it. Keep your nose over your toes and the barrel of the gun pointed upwards. Much like scissors or a knife, waving a gun around is alarming. Instead, keep it broken when carrying it, and only shoot when the bird clay or otherwise is above the heather. As soon as the bead on the barrel touches your target, shoot. The recoil is enough to knock your fillings out.

Up to 100,000The cost of a driven grouse shoot with 10 guns

Raby has grand plans for Gleneagles, starting with a transition away from lead shot. Despite being removed from pipes, paint and petrol decades ago, the metal is the preferred choice for most British shooters. A report published by the University of Oxford estimates that up to 100,000 non-game birds die a year from poisoning after eating spent lead pellets; pellets also contaminate game birds with many times the amount of lead that would be legal had they been chickens. (Curiously, game meat does not have a legal lead limit.)

A five-year plan to voluntarily phase lead shot out was introduced in 2020, but the latest reports show that 94 per cent of pheasants sold for consumption were killed using it. Why wont people comply? Raby shrugs: Some people embrace change; a lot of people dont. In June, the hotel hosted an event for 60 landowners to explore steel alternatives; and it says it is actively working towards all shooting activities eventually becoming completely lead-free.

Resistance to change is a common problem in the shooting community. One of the reasons there is no concrete data on the large-scale effects positive or negative of game shooting is that so much of it goes unrecorded. While registration with the Poultry Register, the only formal record of releases across the UK, is a legal requirement for holdings of more than 50 birds, research suggests that it only accounts for a third to half of the number of shooting locations. Add that to an out-of-date quarry list of birds that are legal to shoot 80 per cent of birds on which are currently of conservation concern and the case against shooting starts to thicken.

There are also issues with raptor persecution the illegal shooting of protected birds of prey to prevent them from feeding on game. If there is still [raptor] persecution, the numbers are grossly exaggerated, says Peter Glenser, a criminal barrister and former chairman of BASC. Yet the RSPBs latest bird crime report says raptor killings are at a 30-year high. Three years ago, a group of hen harriers were fledged in a nest in Northumberland. Among them was Asta, whose government-funded tag later turned up on a grouse moor; her body was never recovered. That same year, nine more birds of prey were found stuffed down a well in Wiltshire, closely followed by the discovery of six shot buzzards at a gamekeepers home in Dorset. In September 2021, another gamekeeper was spotted firing shots at a protected bird of prey before driving off on a quad bike. Some weeks later, a poisoned eagle was found dead on a Sussex shooting estate.

What we see are these black holes, where birds of prey are notable by their absence, says Knott. Prosecution, however, remains low five people were charged in 2021 and punishment tends to be minimal. The quad-biking gamekeeper was fined 1,575 which in the context of a 2bn industry is equivalent to a smacked bottom. (Glenser assures me those caught will lose their jobs, licences and homes.)

80%of birds on thequarry list are currently of conservation concern

Raptor persecution is illegal; killing other predators stoats, crows and foxes is not. The choices as to which species should be protected from which predators are complicated and controversial. A crow will peck a lambs eyes out, given the chance; a stoat will run away with a grouse egg. And there are also benefits beyond protecting game birds: studies show that waders many of them endangered breed up to three times more successfully on grouse moors, enjoying both legal predator control and habitat management. Newcastle and Durham universities have even estimated that if gamekeepers stopped work, the result would be 87 per cent fewer curlew chicks. Gamekeepers, I discover, really like curlew.

Rewilding charities would prefer that natural processes were maintained: and that no muir burning or legal predator traps be allowed. If youre burning, youre killing millions of creatures and suppressing vegetation, says Alastair Driver, director of Rewilding Britain. Instead, he suggests rewetting increasing the water level under the soil and introducing small numbers of free-roaming herds of ponies or rare-breed cattle, in part to combat wildfires. Rewilded estates might have high numbers of bison, wildcats and pine marten; restoring native woodland, peatlands and heaths could capture more than 12 per cent of the UKs greenhouse gas emissions.

There is a common misconception that rewilding means giving land up to the wild. The opposite is true. What we want is investment, says naturalist Chris Packham, who hopes to see more walking, foraging, horse riding and other outdoor pursuits. If land in the UK loses its value, they cover it with sheep, which is just as bad [as driven grouse shooting]. Or they cover it with non-native conifers, which some might argue is worse.

Walked-up shooting and rewilding efforts can coexist, says Packham, but driven grouse moors generate an artificial ecology. Is there any surprise? he says to the evidence that waders many of them endangered breed up to three times more successfully on grouse moors. [Game keepers] have killed all the predators. Wed rather see a functional ecosystem that includes the predators that should be living there.

The predators that would belong here are wolves, which disappeared in the UK around the 18th century. Their absence has helped to give rise to an astonishing number of deer, which are damaging new woodlands and reducing the number of small mammals by overgrazing. Deer stalking is one answer venison is a hugely underrated meat but professional culling is the most effective form of control. Thats conservation, unfortunately, says Packham grimly.

87%How many fewer curlew chicks there would be if gamekeepers stopped work

Recently, writer George Monbiot resurfaced his idea of reintroducing wolves to help with the deer problem; Packham says the UKs tiny landowning fraternity around 25,000 landowners control half of England would never agree to it. But landowners and their communities might have something to learn from listening to rewilders. The grouse community often promotes jobs that go with it but it could be even better, says Driver. On grouse moors, jobs come out at about two jobs per 1,000 hectares. Rewilding sites come out at five jobs per 1,000 hectares. There is an appetite to experience the countryside that goes beyond grouse shooting and with it new traditions could be made.

Another of Packhams gripes is pheasants (which unlike red grouse are not endemic to the United Kingdom, though its believed they have been here since the 11th century). At the height of shooting season, pheasants and other non-native game birds most imported from France, a particular worry in the context of bird flu are equal to half the biomass of all Britains wild birds. Pheasants are greedy for insects, seeds and berries, eating up to one pound of grain per day. And despite the miles of woodland planted to house them, many live in cramped conditions before the shooting season begins. Abercairny buys its pheasants locally and releases them immediately at seven weeks old, but their effect on the ecosystem is a concern. Nigel Hand, a trustee of Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK has warned that adders could be extinct within a decade in most of the UK, in part thanks to pheasants feasting on them.

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I didnt end up killing anything at Abercairny. As Raby predicted, we spent more time talking than shooting. I did try the grouse special at Gleneagles The Strathearn restaurant though: a tiny bird roasted with morels and parsnip pure. Meals such as this are a superficial pleasure of game shooting; the argument tends to focus on the conservation benefits and the 30mn the sport brings to remote communities annually.

For every plus there is a negative, with the worst problems lying at the extreme, driven end of the sport the end that has the most to lose. Weve now got this situation where youre pro or youre anti: thats extremely unproductive, says Packham. Heels have been dug in. If protesters are the unstoppable force, shooting is the immovable object. The stalemate remains unbroken.

Rosanna Dodds travelled as a guest of Gleneagles. Rooms start from 575 for two people sharing, including breakfast. Walked-up Game Days start from 1,500 (gleneagles.com)

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The grouse, the gamekeepers and the ethics of the shoot - Financial Times

In this edition of Bought & Sold, Kavus Torabi checks in with Guitarist to discuss his life in gear the acoustic and electric guitars that have meant the most to him and the ones that got away.

As guitarist for Gong and The Utopia Strong, Torabi needs a lot of sounds. But, as he confesses, he doesnt stray too far from the marital bed when it comes to guitars. When you find one you like, you hold it close

What was the first serious guitar you bought with your own money

I was in a metal band [when I was a teenager] and I had this Kramer Focus, which was a one-pickup, slopey headstock thing with a Floyd Rose and a locking nut but I never really liked it; I never really felt a connection with it. But it was my metal guitar because the bass player of the band didnt like the idea of me playing a Westone Spectrum before that! So he bought this guitar for me and wanted me to pay him back, though I never really responded to it.

When that band was over, I suppose I was moving away from metal and I loved the idea of having a 335 or something like that I was really into hollowbodies. I found another Westone a Westone Rainbow which is a beautiful kind of birdseye maple guitar like a 335, although the horns are slightly pointier. Its a really beautiful guitar and it was secondhand in this music shop but I had no way of affording it because I was on the dole.

So with the aid of a friend of mine, who was working for the Princes Trust, I said I was going to need one of these guitars because I was going to start a new life as a guitar teacher. I put in the proposal and I got the funding for it. And so I got this beautiful Westone Rainbow, which I still have, and played that for about the next 10 years.

What was the last guitar that you bought (or acquired) and why?

I have to say, as a caveat, I really dont need any more guitars. I have friends with lots, but Im fairly monogamous when it comes to guitars [however] this is quite interesting So Gong was playing at the Electric Ballroom last year, and after I came offstage, this guy called Alone Sage grabbed me and said, Hey, look, Im from Israel. I have a boutique company called Coils that makes pickups.

And then he said, Ive made this guitar... its the best guitar Ive ever made and Ive been looking for someone to give it to. And after I saw you play, I wanted you to have it. Give me your address and Ill send it to you when I get back to Israel. It was quite ridiculous and I was very, very flattered.

I really dont need any more guitars. I have friends with lots, but Im fairly monogamous when it comes to guitars

So we exchanged addresses, and I was in London recording with Gong when I got a message from the shipping company saying I needed to pay import tax of over a thousand pounds. So I had to get back to Alone with a copy of this receipt and say, Im so sorry, I cant pay for this guitar, I just dont have that money. And he said, Oh, this is a mistake. You shouldnt have to pay a penny for it.

And he paid the tax on this thing! So it turned up and its in this beautiful case, and its made of a lovely piece of swamp ash and it doesnt look like any other guitar Ive seen.

It sort of sounds a bit like a Les Paul and its got this lovely kind of Bigsby-style trem. Its called the Nilus, which apparently is the God of the Nile. The body looks a bit like a cross between a Les Paul and an Iceman. I feel extremely fortunate that this happened to me.

Whats the strongest case of buyers remorse youve ever had after buying a piece of gear?

Years ago, when I was playing in Mediaeval Baebes, I didnt have an acoustic and I was borrowing one. I needed one, so I went to Denmark Street. Now, I find guitar shops very intimidating even then, when I was in my late-30s. So I went to Denmark Street and didnt really know what I was looking for with an acoustic because Id never had one before.

There was this lovely-looking one and I was kind of wowed by the inlays on it. It was a busy shop and I felt intimidated being there, so I had a quick play on it and thought, Yeah, this is great. I think it was about 350 quid I dont remember what the make was. But, yeah, I thought, This is cool and its got a pickup but then I got it home and really, it wasnt a great guitar at all, you know? It didnt sound good, it didnt particularly record nicely.

However, the good thing about it was I got to take it all around the world on tour and I wasnt that worried. I didnt have that anxiety about if I opened the case and the necks snapped. It was just like: Meh! Well, you know its not that good, anyway. But, later, when I bought myself a proper acoustic I spent a couple of hours trying out loads of them until I was happy. So I learned a lesson there. But yes, I dont miss that one at all. In fact, I havent even thought about it until that question [laughs].

Have you ever sold a guitar you now intensely regret selling?

Ive never really sold guitars; Ive given them away. If people wanted to borrow them I might say, Oh, keep it, you know? But no, Ive never really sold them I mean, just for the sort of sentimentality of it, my first-ever guitar, a crappy old Satellite, might be fun to still have because it was my first-ever guitar. But I think I gave it away.

Whats your best guitar-buying tip?

Oh, God, I dont know. Because I sort of flippantly say: All guitars sound the same and go for whatever looks good. But thats not really true [laughs]. Actually, its so strange how even the same model of guitar will differ from one to another, as I found out when I bought my White Falcon I tried a couple of the new Japanese ones in the early 2000s and one of them felt like mine and the other didnt I dont think it was just down to how they were set up.

So the only tip I can think of is to really play any guitar youre thinking of buying and give yourself at least a good half-hour Its almost like trying out a pair of speakers or monitors. Certainly with my current acoustic guitar, I went into the shop with about five pieces [ready prepared] that I would be playing on it live, to see how comfortable it felt.

If forced to make a choice, would you rather have a really good guitar and a cheap amp or a cheap guitar and a top-notch amp?

Oh, a really good guitar. Because in terms of amps, particularly when touring abroad, youre always at the mercy of whatever is being provided for you. But the guitar itself, thats always your instrument. I mean, Im always happy to let people use my amp, you know, but Ive only once or twice let people use my guitar. Im not exactly at Steve Howe levels of guardedness about my guitars [laughs] but still, Id much rather have a nice guitar.

If you could only use humbuckers or single coilsfor the rest of your career, which would itbe and why?

I only got my first guitar with single coils the Jazzmaster in 2019. Prior to that I always had guitars with humbuckersand I got used to that sound. But Im impressed with how punchy the single coils are. And apart from the hum that comes from them, Ive really liked how creamy and direct they sound.

If youd asked me this question about five years ago, I would have just said, Well,humbuckers. But from this point onwards, I think Imon a journey into the world of single coils. I really, really like the sound of them.

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I sort of flippantly say: 'All guitars sound the same and go for ... - Guitar World

Royal Caribbean International

MJM Marine will build several public areas onboard Royal Caribbeans Utopia of the Seas, including a new poolside food truck concept

Utopia of the Seas is set to be the worlds second largest cruise ship and Royal Caribbean Internationals sixth Oasis-class vessel when it debuts in summer 2024. According to Northern Ireland-based outfitter MJM Marine, which is currently building multiple onboard public spaces, the ship will take cruising to a new level of accessibility and adventure.

Were excited to work with Royal Caribbean again to bring Utopia of Seas to life, says Fiona Nevin, head of global business development at MJM Marine, which has carried out major work on each of the six Oasis-class ships and served as lead outfitter on dry docks for Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. Each of the five areas on the ship that well be creating will bring something fresh to the fleet, which all members of the family can enjoy.

MJM Marine will work on the Playscape area; a new poolside food truck concept; a Caribbean-style bar called Pesky Parrot, which will be located on the Royal Promenade; a Starbucks; and an immersive dining experience designed to transport travellers on a multi-course, locomotive culinary journey.

The playscape incorporates a feature lighthouse for access between decks 15 and 16 and will have curved slides and arches for activity sections such as climbing, says Nevin. It will also feature floor-mounted starfish and crab elements to match the beach theme and shaded seating areas. Were also very excited to work on the dining experience area that will make guests feel like they are touring the golden age of rail travel with a variety of sights, sounds and flavours.

Utopia of the Seas is currently being built by Chantiers de lAtlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, and MJM Marine will work closely with Royal Caribbean International and the shipyard to ensure the project is completed ahead of time.

Collaboration is at the heart of MJM operations, says Nevin. We will liaise with the shipyard to ensure the project is structured and organised proactively for optimum efficiency. Manufacturing efficiency always starts before the production stage, planning prepares the cruise line and shipyard for the job that lies ahead, outlines tasks involved and the order in which they should occur. We have partnered with Royal Caribbean International on many projects and will schedule regular touchpoints to monitor progress and implement any outstanding actions so that our work on Utopia of the Seas is a success.

This article was first published in theAutumn/Winter 2023 issue of Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.Subscribeto Cruise & Ferry Review for FREE to get the next issue delivered directly to your inbox or your door.

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How MJM Marine is helping to create a cruise utopia - Cruise and Ferry

On Saturday, Oct. 14 around 11:41 a.m., the Texas Hill Country will experience the much-hyped annular solar eclipse. While the Austin area will only see roughly 80 percent coverage by the moon over the sun, San Antonio and other Central Texas towns will have around 90 percent coverage during the astronomical spectacle. Heres the inside scoop on the upcoming eclipse.

Unlike a lunar eclipse, which happens when the shadow of the Earth lines up on the moon, a solar eclipse is the rarer time when the moon blocks the sun when viewed from a specific area on Earth.

Partially: While the path of the eclipse wont be directly over Austin, it will be more than 80 percent covered above our skies, so attendees can get a glimpse of it. (Plus, solar eclipse glasses could complete your festival look and stand out from the usual suspects at the festival.)

If you want to see more coverage, yes! The best bets for seeing the eclipse near Austin will be in Kerrville, San Antonio, New Braunfels, or Utopia. Here are some parties worth checking out:

Hop on a tube at Rockin R Solar Eclipse on the River and float down the Guadalupe as you watch the moon cover the sun to create a ring of fire. Floaters will meander down the river for the duration of the eclipse. For a drier but still dynamic viewing experience, the meadows at Natural Bridge Caverns is an ideal spot to see the eclipse. Book some loungers and enjoy a brunch before visiting the caves below.

At the Solar Eclipse at the Alamo, buy commemorative solar eclipse glasses that feature the iconic roofline of the Alamo as you watch this spectacular event from the historic site.Other stellar parties in SA include the Brackenridge Park Conservancy Eclipse & Sips Viewing Party and the Rosarios Eclipse Viewing Party.

Festival goers can soak in the energy of the eclipse at Welcome Home Fest during a sound bath performed by Brother Brothers on Chapel Hill before jamming out with artists like Sir Woman and Adrianne Lenker later that night.

During Eclipse UTOPiA, camp out or snag a yurt for the weekend as musical acts take over the ranch. The Octopus Project will play during the stunning celestial event.

Grab a pair of stylish Halo Eclipse Glasses, American Astronomical Societyapproved spectacles, for safely viewing the phenomenon. Made from bamboo, these spectacles protect your eyes without compromising your style. HEB also saves the day yet again with affordable solar glasses for sale at its grocery stores. Ballin on a budget? The Austin Public Library is offering two free pairs per person.

Correct: The Hill Country will experience totality (the moment of total obscuration of the sun)during the solar eclipse in April! Mark your calendar for April 8, 2024.

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Everything You Need to Know About the Solar Eclipse in Central ... - Austin Monthly

The inaugural SXSW Sydney is set to kick off in Australia this weekend, expanding Austins famed South by Southwest festival outside North America for the first time in its history.

This new expansion of our event family is specifically dedicated to innovation and creativity in the Asia-Pacific region and takes place October 15-22, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. Gathering the worlds most inspired thinkers and creatives, SXSW Sydney will be an exploration of the best in Music, Screen, Gaming, Technology, and Innovation. Like SXSW in Austin, SXSW Sydney is a must-attend event for creators and professionals ready to discover what's next while seeking career-enhancing connections.

SXSW Sydney will feature more than 1,000 future-forward experiences including 700+ thought-provoking speakers, 300+ cutting-edge performances, 170+ thrilling game demos, and 200+ captivating screen events with five exclusive gala premieres. Dive into the latest announcements and programming overview of this historic, inaugural event!

The SXSW Sydney Conference will feature over 700 inspiring speakers across keynotes, presentations, panels, workshops, and mentor sessions.

Joining AI expert and futurist Amy Webb on the Headline Speakers lineup are newly-announced Australian screen icon and Founder of Blossom Films Nicole Kidman; rapper, singer-songwriter, producer, and humanitarian Chance The Rapper; and Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker. Hear from innovators and creatives at the top of their industries including Founder & CEO of Make Love Not Porn Cindy Gallop; AFL icon, Indigenous Defence & Infrastructure Consortium CEO Adam Goodes; Co-Founder and CTO of Slack Cal Henderson; Womens Rights Activist Manal Al Sharif; Oscar-nominated actor Naomi Watts; and many more.

The SXSW Sydney Screen Festival includes feature films, shorts, TV premieres, music videos, and XR, embracing the democratization of screen storytelling. This future-focused celebration of film includes the World Premiere of Faraway Downs, Baz Luhrmanns reimagined work of his epic Australia; documentary World Premiere of Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles; Australian Premiere of Emerald Fennell's Saltburn; Gabriel Gasparinatos's music documentary ONEFOUR: Against All Odds; Tim Barretto's Australian-made nod to 90s nostalgia Bassendream; South Koreas 2024 Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film, Concrete Utopia; Austin Smith's groundbreaking interactive film Lab Rat; and more.

A breadth of global talent are set to make their SXSW Sydney Music Festival debut with over 300 performances across 25 venues. Acts include Indonesian experimental outfit Batavia Collective; NYC buzz electronic act Fcuckers; Brisbane band Girl and Girl; 13 year old First Nations rapper Inkabee; Japan's Otoboke Beaver, and many more. Plus Australian homegrown heroes Elle Shimada, dust, The Terrys, Vv Pete, Teenage Joans, Dulcie, Andrew Gurruwiwi Band, Rum Jungle, GO-JO, Mi-Kaisha, Death by Denim, These New South Whales, Cody Jon, and Aodhan.

Celebrate the future of the gaming industry at the SXSW Sydney Games Festival with access to over 170 local and international independent games that will be playable across venues. Get a further glimpse of the future at Tech + Innovation events and the Sydney Expo.

Explore the latest programming announcements and event updates at sxswsydney.com.

2023 SXSW Sydney Schedule

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Explore Programming for the Inaugural SXSW Sydney: Oct 15-22 - sxsw.com

After five millennia, the practice of writing still serves the enduring human need to communicate messages and information from place to place and time to time. Writing systems are encoded with cultural heritages and require preservation. Quasi: Experimental Writing Systems is an exhibition (opening November 16) about invented and imaginary writing systems. Klingon, Elvish and Kryptonian are popular contemporary examples, but they represent only a fraction of a much broader landscape, writes curator Lavinia Lascarsis about the exhibition she curated at Art Centers Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography. Unlike writing systems that have evolved organically over generations of collective usage, the projects showcased in the exhibition present new configurations of signs and symbols, meticulously crafted at distinct points in time, each born with intention and purpose.

The urge to craft a writing system is inspired by a variety of personal, social and cultural factors. A few examples from an inexhaustible list of creative impulses are encoding messages through cryptography, preserving endangered languages, she continues, methods for faster writing, writing devoid of semantic content, investigating historical symbolism and its contemporary relevance, even channeling otherworldly entities through automatic writing.

This secret vice of inventing languagesas J.R.R. Tolkien refers to itexposes us all to linguistic operations outside of our everyday experience and reveals a fascination with otherness where mythology and utopia are recurring themes.

Lascarsis notes that Quasi has personal roots in her life. Around the age of 8, as a reaction to a loud and active home, she designed an encrypted cipher based on the Greek alphabet for writing private thoughts. A decade later, she developed a mild obsession with the stories set in Tolkiens Middle Earth and the fictional languages drawn from his vast backdrop of mythic narratives. Another 10 years on, amidst a career change, my journey into typography began, revealing its intricate connection to language. This evolved into a research project that addresses typography, linguistics and fiction.

Quasi views the invention of writing systems as a speculative process and an exercise of discovery to uncover new quasi-realities within our systems of communication, she explains. Playing with language and fostering linguistic diversity contributes to an ongoing dialog about imagination and re-worlding, and their potential as rebellious processes to disrupt existing power structures and reshape our collective narrative.

The works in the exhibition are rooted in this intersection. Delivered as font design projects, art books, scrolls, drawings, sculptures and other artifacts, some works are intentionally designed to be functional writing systems, allowing potential usage by others, while some exist in a realm where functionality becomes entirely irrelevant: Calder Ruhl Hansens D16 Syllabics is an abugida (syllabary writing system where consonants have built-in vowels) drawing from Canadian Aboriginal syllabics; Coline Bessons Arrakis, inspired by Frank Herberts science fiction novel Dune, is a sand plate inscribed with a rectilinear interpretation of the Arabic Kufic script; and Sound Clouds and Syllabaries by Ilka Helmig and Johannes Bergerhausen introduces a series of drawings capturing patterns of exhaled smoke generated during vocalization of syllables. Many of the projects in Quasi remain works-in-progress, mirroring the perpetual evolution of language itselfa fluid entity that lacks a definitive version and adapts in tandem with societal shifts.

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The Daily Heller: The Art of Invented Scripts, Meaning Optional - PRINT Magazine

Andrea Branzi in 2008. Courtesy Wikimedia

Andrea Branzi, the Italian architect, designer, educator and thinker has died in Milan. Branzi trained as an architect at the Florence School of Architecture, receiving his degree in 1966. He then founded Archizoom Associati with Gilberto Corretti, Paolo Deganello, Massimo Morozzi, an experimental design group known for its groundbreaking projects including the visionary No-Stop-City, an unbuilt project presenting an urban utopia where the architectural form disappears and only the essential remains.

Branzi was also an educator who co-founded theDomus Academy post-graduate school of design in Milan in 1982. He was then the chairman of theSchool of Interior Design at thePolytechnic University of Milan until 2009. His ideas on theoretical architecture remain influential: Today, in order to create a new architecture and new urban spaces, it is necessary to begin further upstream: one has to plunge ones hands into that vast planktonic soup of products, technologies, pictures, signs, and data which make up the artificial universe in which man is completely immersed.

Branzis practice also included practical design objects, such as chairs and other furniture. His designs are part of the collections of important museums around the world, such as the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; the V&A in London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston; and MoMA, New York. He also had several exhibitions at Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi in Berlin. Branzi won the Italian Architecture Prizes lifetime achievement award in 2022.

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Andrea Branzi, visionary architect and designer, 19382023 - ArtReview

A hotel manager on 90,000 a year was a victim of sex discrimination when her bosses enforced a 33 per cent salary cut during Covid while two male managers only lost 20-25 per cent, a tribunal has ruled.

The owners of the three Utopia Leisure hotels argued that the men lost less money then Ms S Mueller because they both had two separate jobs, as hotel and spa managers.

Mr Heath, operations director for Utopia Leisure, and owners Mr and Mrs Hinchcliffe, said Mueller lost 33 per cent because she earned more than 85,000 per year.

The three had agreed the cut at the start of Covid, amid fears of job losses, with those earning 30-84,999 losing 25 per cent and those below 30,000 taking a 20 per cent hit.

Mr Perry and Mr Jurca earned more than 85,000, but the respondents took away 25 per cent for their general manager role and 20 per cent for the spa manager role, counting them as individual jobs.

The tribunal said it was an accounting detail and that Heath and the Hinchcliffes had used it to disguise a bespoke arrangement that favoured the two men over Mueller.

It added that the respondent's position that the pay cut was imposed on the male managers on the basis of their having two separate jobs was not only lacking in any logic but is not the case".

The claim for direct sex discrimination against all respondents was successful, while Mueller also won her claim for equal pay against Utopia Leisure.

The tribunal heard that Mueller was employed as a general manager at Great Fosters Hotel in Egham, which is owned by Utopia Leisure, from 15 April 2019 until her resignation on 8 January 2021.

Utopia Leisure operates five hotels under the brand Alexander Hotels and employs approximately 550 people.

According to the tribunal, in March 2020 the hospitality industry felt the full brunt of the coronavirus pandemic, subsequent restrictions and lockdowns, and Heath and Mr and Mrs Hinchcliffe discussed ways to maintain their business and retain their staff.

A pay cut was agreed upon by the three. The tribunal heard the pay cut was imposed by Utopia Leisure with a view to retaining jobs.

The tribunal also heard that, while not explicitly stated, the circumstances at the time were such that, had the pay cuts not been "imposed", it was recognised by all that the only alternative would be "job losses".

Heath explained to the panel that individuals on lower salaries were possibly "disproportionately" affected by pay reduction in respect of fundamental living needs. Those with higher incomes could afford the cuts better and therefore they lost a higher percentage, he said.

Heath informed the tribunal that he and the Hinchcliffes had reached an agreement: a 20 per cent pay cut for individuals earning less than 30,000, a 25 per cent pay cut for those on 30-84,999 and a 33 per cent pay cut for those earning 85,000 and over.

The tribunal ruled that Mueller's salary was 90,000, giving her a 33 per cent pay cut.

At the same time, the managers of two other hotels owned by the same group, Perry and Jurca, took a 25 per cent cut.

Heath said: The hotels managed by both Perry and Jurca had spas attached to them. These spas were run as separate businesses with their own internal accounts, profits and loss and balance sheet.

He added that it had been determined that Perry and Jurca therefore had two jobs and that the pay cuts percentage was applied to earnings from each, not added together.

Jurca's total pay of 90,000 was reported as 67,500 for the general manager function and 22,500 for his spa manager role, according to the tribunal.

Perry's overall remuneration of 91,000 was reported as 68,250 for his general manager position and 22,750 for his spa manager position. It was also highlighted that the cuts were implemented automatically via payroll, with no management scrutiny.

Both men were handed a 25 per cent cut for their general manager role and a 20 per cent salary reduction for their spa manager position.

Heath told the tribunal that he and the Hinchcliffes discussed each individual and determined what they thought was a fair percentage salary decrease to impose based on bands they had established. However, the tribunal stated that Heath made no hint that the level of cuts imposed was related to the duties or the seriousness of those duties.

Mrs Hinchcliffe told the tribunal that the level of pay cut was enforced on the basis that those who could afford it paid more.

In response to the disparity between Mueller, Perry and Jurca, Mrs Hinchcliffe told the tribunal that they had bigger jobs than Mueller.

The tribunal heard that Mueller, as general manager of Great Fosters, "duly implemented" the wage reduction to hotel staff. She was notified of the 33 per cent wage cut imposed on her in an email dated 23 March 2020.

However, the tribunal found that there was no consultation with her or any other staff over the reduction.

Mueller told the tribunal that she was petrified about the job cuts and that she had no choice but to continue working. She also said that all staff were essentially in the same position, which the tribunal found to be consistent with evidence that Utopia Leisure, Mr and Mrs Hinchcliffe and Heath experienced no pushback in relation to the proposed cuts.

Mueller asked when her wages would be reinstated and was given no precise date because of the ongoing pandemic, according to the tribunal.

The tribunal did find, however, that Mueller never "objected" to the salary drop, "nor did she do anything to alert" her employer to the fact that she felt herself to be working under "protest".

It determined that Mueller had a positive relationship with Heath and the Hinchcliffes and worked "very hard" during the Covid period. She also established new business strategies such as fully utilising the gardens of Great Fosters by putting on art exhibitions.

According to the tribunal, Mueller was aware that voicing her complaint about the income reduction would "risk" her work being terminated and she wanted to keep her position while she looked for a new role.

The tribunal recognised that she was in a "difficult personal position" because she had recently relocated for this job and her spouse was "unwell" and not working at the time. It further stated that the job market in the hospitality business was "non-existent" at the time.

Mueller eventually found another job and resigned on 9 December 2020, with her last day of work on 8 January 2021, and stated in her resignation letter that she felt herself to be working "under protest.

The tribunal ruled that the respondents were unable to demonstrate a "non-discriminatory" rationale for Mueller's treatment and her claims for direct sex discrimination were successful.

Mueller's equal pay claim against Utopia Leisure was also successful.

A remedy hearing has been set for a later date.

The tribunal ruled that imposing a 33 per cent salary cut on Mueller was a "fundamental breach of the contract of employment, noting that the pay decrease was enforced as an alternative to the respondent implementing job cuts.

It noted that Mueller believed that, should she object, her employment was likely to be terminated and she actively hid that she was working under protest because of her fear of being sacked.

The tribunal stated that it was unable to discern the logic behind Utopia Leisure's choice to apply a 25 per cent cut to the salary of the two male managers since their decision under the circumstances did not correlate with Heath's explanation of imposing bigger pay cuts on those who could afford it more.

It went on to say that the respondent's position that the pay cut was imposed on the male managers on the basis of their having two separate jobs was not only lacking in any logic but is not the case".

Employment judge Skehan ruled that Mueller demonstrated that the declared rationale behind the percentage pay cuts, which was that those who earned more bore a heavier burden, was not applied equally to her and the comparators.

They added that the respondents repeated assertions that Mueller was on a higher pay grade than Perry or Jurca was obviously not the case, and that reliance on an internal accounting paper distinction, which was hidden from Mueller and only revealed after the case management hearing, was an attempt to obfuscate and disguise the fact that a bespoke arrangement applied to the comparators.

The panel said factors such as "affordability may be tainted by stereotypic assumptions as to a woman's earnings", which may be assumed to be a second family income or somehow "less important than a man's".

The panel also noted that they did not accept the submission that had Mueller been a man she would have been subject to the same deduction and concluded that the respondents were unable to show a non-discriminatory reason for Muellers treatment.

According to Dawn Dickson, employment partner at Anderson Strathern, the case serves as a valuable reminder of the importance of conducting frequent equal pay audits to determine whether men and women in equivalent or roughly similar occupations are given the same pay.

Dickson said that, if they were not, any audit must evaluate both the broad and more precise reasons for pay inequalities and where necessary employers must address such differences or ensure that the reasons for pay differentials have a sound basis for existing.

Seeking to explain a difference in pay before the employment tribunal after the event as it appears occurred in this case will almost always result in no logical or credible explanation being advanced, with the result that the employers defence fails, she added.

Rob Smedley, employment director at Freeths, said that on first blush this appeared to be a harsh decision for the employer as it seemed they were facing dire consequences as a result of Covid and imposing pay cuts may have appeared the only way out.

However, he stressed that there was no advance notice or consultation with the employees, which will leave an employer on the back foot when it comes to defending such claims.

Smedley also noted that the case illustrated the importance of management taking a step back to carefully test the rationale behind proposed decisions before they are made, especially where issues like pay are impacted and there is a clear difference in treatment between employees.

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Female hotel manager handed a 33 per cent pay cut during Covid ... - People Management Magazine