Arts & travel

In its ongoing support of the arts, Ørgreen presents its latest art-related showroom event, a striking new installation curated by design duo GamFratesi, showcasing the Koyori Collection

The installation drew inspiration from the tranquillity and elegance of Japanese traditions, reflecting the essence of the Koyori brand. The space was adorned with a collection of chairs and tables designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec and GamFratesi, transforming the functional products into exquisite wooden sculptures. The installation aimed to create an immersive experience that evokes a profound sense of calmness, meditation, and tranquillity.

“This installation truly captures the essence of KOYORI and brings together the harmonious fusion of Japanese aesthetics and contemporary design, which is a fundamental aspect of ØRGREEN OPTICS as well….” Henrik Ørgreen, Founder of Ørgreen Optics

Copenhagen’s internationally renowned design eyewear company, Ørgreen Optics, is an avid supporter of the creative arts and takes pride in opening the doors of the Ørgreen Studios to art, design and fashion-related events throughout the year. Their product philosophy and Danish design roots are closely aligned to design disciplines beyond the optical sphere including contemporary art and architecture. For more information visit www.orgreenoptics.com

Spectacular costumes worn by Maria Callas, CHER, Elton John, Janelle Monae and Marilyn Monroe to go on display in major exhibition, DIVA

A major new exhibition called DIVA will open this month at the V&A, designed to celebrate the extraordinary power and creativity of iconic performers who have made their voices heard from the 19th century to today.

The exhibition will showcase over 250 objects drawn from the V&A collection and loans from across the world, spanning fashion, photography, design, costumes, music, and live performance. Through theatrical staging and a sonic headset experience, DIVA will celebrate the powerful and personal stories of creativity, ambition, and resilience of some the best- known divas, from opera goddesses and silent movie stars to sirens of the big screen and today’s global megastars. The exhibition also looks at how the performer has intersected with society and driven change through their platform and profile for social good and political change, including global civil rights and feminism. Image above: Cher, Elton John and Diana Ross at Rock Awards Santa Monica Civic Auditorium 1975; Various Locations; Mark Sullivan 70’s Rock Archive Photo: Mark Sullivan/Contour by Getty Images – reproduced by kind permission of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London

The exhibition runs in Gallery 40 (V&A) from 24th June 2023 to 7th April 2024. For more details visit www.vam.ac.uk

Davide Monaldi has created an installation in the Kuboraum Flagship Store in Milan

Created to coincide with the Mido event in Milan, Kuboraum have curated a new installation in their flagship store, in collaboration with the Milan-based artist Davide Monaldi. Monaldi works primarily in ceramics, a material that belongs to the Italian artisan tradition and that requires much time and dedication as an art form. His sculptures and installations originate from the need to tell a story about his own life through the objects that surrounds him.

“Challenging the banality of the ordinary Monaldi represents everyday objects with a hyper-realistic approach, in turn elevating and dignifying them. With subtle irony he reflects upon the evils of contemporary men, resulting often in little perversions. A thread of melancholy runs throughout his colourful and playful sculptures, sometimes also autobiographical, or giving a picture of today’s society, but never in a judgmental way…..” To find out more about the artist, visit  https://www.davidemonaldi.com/

Photography by Pier Carlo Queccia – DSL Studio

An Athens showroom event for eyewear aficionados takes place this October

‘INTRO | Frames Forward’ organisers have announced their next Athens event which will take place on 15th and 16th October 2022. An exclusive (trade only) ‘Personal Edition’ for the optical community in Greece, the event will welcome just 9 unique luxury eyewear collections, including Lapima, Pontet Eyewear and Etudes.

“The second INTRO event to be held in Athens, the signature of this edition is casual and simple,” say co-founders and eyewear entrepreneurs, Natalia Klimi and Maria Angeloudi. “Our philosophy is to host our clients in a comfortable and tasteful environment and offer them a selection of brands that capture the essence of the market, including recent trends.” Above and below: SOLID EVENTS will host the Athens event

‘INTRO | Frames Forward’ takes place at SOLID EVENTS, 1 Omirou Str, Neo Psychiko 15451 Athens. There will be an open bar on both days, starting at 8pm!  For more details visit www.introshow.gr For enquiries contact [email protected]

A film on color by Ørgreen Optics is launched by the Danish company today, via www.orgreenoptics.com and www.eyestylist.com Created in Copenhagen, the film follows the reflections of Sahra Lysell, long-term Color Advisor at Ørgreen Optics – interviewed by Clodagh Norton / Eyestylist.com, – Petra Kleis, Photographer and Allan R Kruse, Creative Director.

The film tells each of the interviewee’s personal experiences, memories, and colour influences as well as exploring their ideas on using colors in their work. Lysell, who has worked as the color specialist at Ørgreen since 1997, is one-of-a kind in terms of her specialism in developing color palettes in the optical industry. In the films she discusses approaches to color in the field of eyewear citing examples of how she combines specific colours to create a particular look or transforms colors which have a particular association into something new and fresh – combining them with different tones or hues. Lysell also explains many of the far-reaching personal and cultural influences she feels have impacted her views on color and wearing color, through her career, some of which continue to influence her eyewear palettes today. Above: new styles were released in the very contemporary HAVN collection last week: demonstrating the “flowing colour palette” at the Danish brand

“I live in a city where you apply color to walls, to old buildings… I live in a very historical part of the town,” she explains about her home in Copenhagen. “That tells a lot of story actually through color….”

In the film Lysell also explains how on-trend color palettes and iconic ‘classical’ tones have evolved through the years at Ørgreen, often coexisting in combination, and irrespective of color trends in other disciplines.

Petra Kleis – a photographer based in Copenhagen  – provides insights into a photographer’s relationship with color stories. “I really like the 3-dimensional feeling that colour can give you, and the softness,” she notes. “I use color a lot but it’s really rare that I ask why I use this colour and not that colour.” Allan R. Cruse, Creative Director reflects on topics such as early colour influences in childhood, and his area of expertise, branding, core values and how a colour language relates to and represents an important element of our vision of the world. For more information : www.orgreenoptics.com