Young designers had the chance to display their work at the recent Hong Kong Fur Design Competition, as they vied for the chance to win a one-week fur design course in Copenhagen, Denmark. The event’s theme, “Golden Old Times,” was echoed in the salubrious decor of the venue, the Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck.
Tag: Events
Female entrepreneurs attend Maret Fine Jewelry event
A VIP event was held in Kowloon recently, hosted by luxury design house Maret Fine Jewelry. A total of 24 female entrepreneurs from the Golden Bauhinia Association and guests perused the glittering collections. Ten percent of the proceeds from sales went to the Golden Bauhinia Women Entrepreneurship Charity Foundation.
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Donnie Yen helps to launch new BMW 5 Series
BMW officially launched its new 5 Series at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre recently.
Since the 5 Series was launched in 1972, BMW has sold over 8 million versions of the car worldwide.
During the event martial arts film star Donnie Yen and entrepreneur Allan Zeman shared their views on the 5 Series.
Yen spoke highly about the car’s functionality and control, while Zeman enthused about its innovation.
Kevin Coon, Peter Goh and Joseph Lau were also among those in attendance.
Boucheron takes guests on journey through its heritage at exhibition
Luxury jewellery company Boucheron hosted an exhibition recently to showcase its high jewellery collections and to take visitors through the history of the maison.
The exclusive pop-up exhibition in Sheung Wan was divided into four rooms.
The first room focused on the heritage of Boucheron, from its first store at Place Vendôme, Paris, in 1893 to the unveiling of its Cape of Light High Jewelry piece in 2016.
The second room featured products centred around its Nature Triomphante – nature’s triumph over the earth – theme. The third room featured Serpent Bohème, an icon of the Maison since 1968.
The final room was dedicated to Quatre, a modern icon of the maison, created in 2004.
Experience the fantastical with Phantasmagoria art exhibit
Phantasmagoria is defined as “a bizarre or fantastic combination, collection or assemblage.” So it is fitting, then, that Australian artist Chloe Bennett named her exhibition of quirky, dreamlike images after the fantastical phenomenon.
“When I looked it up, ‘phantasmagoria’ was (defined as) these images of the imagination, illusions of the imagination, and I guess that’s how I see these pieces,” said Bennett, who came to Hong Kong for the first time on 9 March to launch her exhibit in Causeway Bay.
“These images are concocted from my head based on either my experiences or just out of curiosity, so that’s where the imagery comes from.”
The 28-year-old artist is now hosting her first ever exhibit at the J Plus Hotel by YOO. The spray paint on canvas artworks follow in the pop art tradition made famous by Andy Warhol. The artworks feature “signature flat aesthetic colours paired with clean lines to create a bizarre collection of images,” Bennett says.
In the collection, pairs of female legs appear to be growing out of a television set as if they were antennae; legs also replace the blades on scissors and, when attached to pieces of fruit, they transform peaches and pears into derrières – a play on the way that women’s bodies are viewed and labelled in society. Another piece, Sleepytime Tea shows two teabags filled with pills, which seems to suggest that society may be a tad too reliant on quick fixes, however risky they may be.
“I like to explore the happenings of the world through my artworks and look at what our culture has become and what we represent and our values,” Bennett says.
Bennett also takes ordinary objects and turns them on their head, reinventing them in bizarre and novel ways. For the exhibit, she was asked to create a Hong Kong-themed piece, so she created Brain Food: a dim sum bowl with two brains inside instead of siu mai.
“Brain Food originates from my love of discovering new cuisines,” she says. “I like the idea that something one may consider completely mundane or part of the everyday is somewhat of a discovery for another.”
Merchandise featuring her artwork – including mugs, postcards and notebooks – will be sold exclusively at the exhibit, and notebooks will placed in hotel guests’ rooms for them to use. J Plus Hotel, Hong Kong’s first art-centric boutique hotel, displays the works of several different artists throughout the year. Phantasmagoria, which is open to the public from now until 8 July, is the seventh art exhibit the hotel has hosted.
J Plus Hotel by YOO is located at 1-5 Irving Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.
Text: Emily Petsko
Revamped AMC Pacific Place packs a punch
After a six-month renovation project, AMC Pacific Place is open for business and is set to bring a new theatrical and cinematic experience to Hong Kong. Designed to bring together the very latest in film-watching technology, the space has been uniquely designed to create a multi-sensory experience.
Visitors are greeted – in the imposing lobby – by a tree trunk which is complemented by the earthy interior design; materials such as wood and stone are amply used. The ceiling meanwhile features translucent hand-made ‘leaves’ creating a sense of nature and outside space. Rather cleverly, the tree-trunk also doubles up as the box office – a neat way to make a statement piece of art functional.
The real showstopper of the new development, however, is the ‘Oval Office.’ Named after the President of the United States’ official office, it aims to provide a hitherto unknown level of luxury for prestigious cinema-goers. Comfortably seating a maximum of 22 guests, the space is the perfect way to watch a film with your friends, family or even clients.
Before the film commences, guests of the Oval Office will receive complimentary nibbles and drinks in the exclusive VIP lounge before being seated. During the screening, dishes from elegant French restaurant Plat du Jour will be served to you; menus vary depending on the time of day. Top choices for March include Black Angus rib-eye burgers, poached tuna nicoise salad and panko crumb market fish. The plush reclining chairs, complete with call button, add to the experience.
Even without booking into the Oval Office, other cinema fans will also be able to enjoy an upgraded cinema experience. Revamping the traditional popcorn and hotdog offerings, AMC Pacific Place will also sell an array of delicious snacks to ticket holders, including the likes of Thai shrimp cakes, slow-cooked chicken Marengo as well as an amuse bouche selection.
A good deal of time has also been spent on the in-film experience and white screens have been placed in each screening room (or ‘house’ as they are known) for the ultimate clarity and brightness. The largest ‘house,’ the AMC Plus House, boasts an Auromax 3D Surround Sound System, the first Asian cinema to do so.
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Ritz Glitz: Couple celebrate 25th wedding anniversary in style
It was a lavish night of celebration at the recent 25th wedding anniversary reception for Seema and Andy Mahtani, held in the Diamond Ballroom at the Ritz Carlton. Five hundred glamorous guests enjoyed a champagne and whisky bar, ‘caviar stations’, live entertainment and a top DJ who spun tracks into the early hours.
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Asia Yachting introduces new superyacht to Hong Kong
Cocktails sponsored by Rémy Martin and canapés were enjoyed by all when luxury yacht dealer Asia Yachting, along with Monte Carlo Yachts, introduced the new MCY 80 superyacht to Hong Kong. Hosted by the Aberdeen Marina Club, the event was attended by Ms Carla Demaria, President of Monte Carlo Yachts.
Gafencu interviewed Carla before the event. Read the interview here
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What to eat, see and do at Taste of Hong Kong
Gourmands drooling in anticipation will once again descend on Central Harbourfront to sample new ingredients and drink new wines, spirits, beers and champagne at this year’s Taste of Hong Kong.
Following its successful inaugural event last year, Taste returns 25 percent bigger with 10 Michelin stars in its line-up.
Hong Kongers will sample dishes made by some of the city’s best restaurants – from Japanese to French, Cantonese and Italian.
We have picked some of the best things to see, do and, of course, eat at this year’s Taste of Hong Kong.
Live cooking demonstrations
There is more to Taste than just turning up and eating mountains of delicious food. Guests who would like to learn more about the food they’ve just shovelled down their throats can pick up tips and tricks from chefs Richard Ekkebus of Amber, Shane Osborn of Arcane, Max Levy of Okra, Aaron Gillespie of 22 Ships, Lee Man Sing of Mott 32 and more.
Taste Theatre will hold 24 sessions where visitors can learn secret cooking techniques and hear directly from chefs and tastemakers.
Champagne tasting
For some people, a good drink is key to enjoying a good meal. The Laurent Perrier Champagne Bar will serve chilled La Cuvée and discerning foodies will also be able to enjoy a unique gourmet journey to discover how to perfectly pair each wine with signature dishes from Taste restaurants.
Eat your dream
Foodies can create their dream menu from more than 50 dishes of signature tasting plates and iconic one-off festival creations made by Hong Kong’s most celebrated restaurants: Amber, Arcane, Café Gray Deluxe,Tosca, Zuma, Kaum at Potato Head, Rhoda, Mercato and more.
The rare and interesting ingredients include Rhoda’s tartare of ox heart, Kaum’s marinated eel, Zuma’s Japanese hakkinton pork and Tosca’s octopus with Amalfitan lemon.
The VIP experience
VIP visitors will obviously enjoy the line-up of restaurants, chefs, producers and attractions, but they will also get fast-track entry, access to the VIP Lounge, HK$300 of Taste credit and three complimentary drinks. Furthermore, guests who have a Standard Chartered Priority Banking Card or Priority Banking Credit Card can enter the Priority Bank VIP Lounge where free-flow red and white wine will be served.
If that isn’t enough to make you salivate, some of the most popular dishes from last year are making a comeback, including Tin Lung Heen’s succulent barbecued Iberian pork, Duddell’s pan fried M9 Australian wagyu with wasabi soy sauce and Yardbird’s sweetcorn tempura.
Taste of Hong Kong runs from 16-19 March at Central Harbourfront.
Click here for more information.
Text: Andrew Scott
Minimalist designs, Renaissance flair predicted for 2018 jewellery
Those looking to get a jump on next year’s jewellery trends need look no further than the ‘Forecast 2018+’ seminar held recently as part of the 34th Hong Kong International Jewellery Fair.
Paola De Luca, creative director and forecaster of Trendvision Jewellery and Forecasting, said the science of predicting jewellery trends is a little like stock broking. She predicts that simplistic, sustainable designs will be popular next year, and will be seen in the form of geometric patterns, enamelled surfaces, coloured inlays and retro 70s-inspired diamond chains.
“One such jewellery trend is lightweight and silhouette designs which are popular around the world, as well as in China,” De Luca says.
“When it comes to the modern consumer, less is more. Minimalism has become very popular nowadays among people who lead a busy lifestyle and in turn, we forecast that this will give rise to an evolution in jewellery design which reflects people’s daily lifestyles.”
Another predicted trend is Renaissance-inspired jewellery, which could be seen in the form of bold colours and symbols such as crosses, amulets, talismans and ‘lucky’ numbers. A futuristic-inspired trend is also expected to give way to electric colours and materials including nano ceramics and physical vapor deposition (PVD) coatings. High-tech jewellery will likely be an ongoing trend, as evidenced by the rise in popularity of 3D printers.
Testament to that is the fact that the best-in-show winner of the Jewellery Show’s Design Excellence Awards was a Japanese designer who created her necklace using 3D technology. Natsumi Odate designed the Rhythm necklace to perfectly replicate the form and shape of wild grape leafs. Realistic leaves are contrasted with abstract-shaped leaves, giving the piece a unique edge.
The annual International Jewellery Show, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, is an occasion to showcase some of the finest craftsmanship and most innovative designs in the industry. More than 52,000 visitors attended the show this year.