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CLIFF MARTINEZ

A stirring memory can often seem like a movie without sound. For over 25 years, Martinez has worked closely with American movie polymath, Steven Soderbergh, on evocative film scores that help render memories visible. His aural trademarks include sparse, dark synthesised lines that appear intimate one moment and atmospheric the next. In films such as Kafka (1991), Solaris (2002) and Contagion (2011), Martinez experimented with music that mimicked nature, like a groan from the earth’s crust or the swoop of a falling meteor.

GRANT ACHATZ

Nobody understands the potential of taste to stir human emotion quite like an epicurean. Considered one of the great pioneers of molecular gastronomy, Achatz combines his culinary alchemy to critical acclaim. Established in 2005, his award winning Chicago restaurant Alinea, presents a menu that distills the ineffable into an experience that engages the subconscious.

JOSEPH DIRAND

As a 12-year-old boy, Dirand wrote a 100 page book professing his admiration for Le Corbusier. Dirand would go on to study architecture and opened his first studio soon after graduating. His scaled down curation of space and command of light is faithful to Modernism. More than that, it is cinematographic in allowing people to circulate space, forge experiences, and create memories. Dirand has also worked closely with luxury fashion houses including Balenciaga, Balmain and Rick Owens, who hire him to “frame the globality” of their brands into tangible space.

PAUL SCHÜTZE

In 2012, Paul Schütze displayed a beautifully considered black book in the middle of an art gallery. It was infused with perfume and throughout the duration of the event, would emit an elusive scent to passers-by. Due to popular demand, the London based olfactory maverick has since marketed a line of the fragrance to avid clientele. Schütze’s scents evoke memories both familiar and foreign such as tanning library books and incense floating through a Japanese temple.

STEVEN KLEIN

Since shooting his first campaign for Christian Dior in 1985, Klein has mesmerised audiences with his hyperreal, sexually charged imagery. With a tantalisingly dark and often violent aesthetic, Klein plays with horror induced futuristic references. His powerful visual statements are coveted by brands such as Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford and Madonna to name only a few. Klein’s oeuvre is inspired by his belief of things never being what they seem.

THEO ADAMS

Theo Adams left school at 15 to pursue dance and has since collaborated with brands including Louis Vuitton and Liberty of London on commissioned performances. The Theo Adams Company debuted in 2008 at the Tate Britain, London, an experience that helped unite a collective of artists, dancers, singers and musicians under the moniker of outré aesthetics. Adams’ work is informed by the nuances of retro glamour, queerness, Hollywood, drag culture and onnagata. Cry Out, for example, was a masterly production of power ballads and expressionist dance.

THIERRY GASCO

As Pommery’s ninth cellar director in the company’s 159 year history, Gasco is arguably France’s most distinguished wine and champagne connoisseur. Gasco has a French national degree in oenology, and was reappointed as President of the French Oenologists’ Association after first entering office in 2004. His role is to balance the delicacy of the harvest with the vivacity of the product. Gasco is responsible for vineyard relations and the assemblage of cuvées for Pommery.

Issue 8 • Design • Feature • BY Hung Tran SHARE

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