In 2011, Aesop will forge closer ties with cities we admire, including Perth and Paris. The Aesop installation in Merci was much enjoyed so we have accepted a permanent presence in this inspiring space. We also open our third Paris store before mid-year, in the Marais, and our first Perth store, in Claremont. We look forward to spending time at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) which is currently showing Roderick Sprigg's intriguing exhibition about the search for gold. We point Perth visitors to Antony Gormley's steel statues on the salt lands of Lake Ballard. There is much to explore this month, so a reviving drink may be in order: we will be sampling Cullen's Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot.
LOOK
At unusual dental tools and x-rays of bound feet in the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences, around the corner from the new Aesop store in Sheung Wan. The small museum has appealing Edwardian-style architecture as well as cultural significance, documenting, as it does, the medical history of Hong Kong. The building was used as a treatment centre during the Bubonic Plague. Following this, it was given the unnerving name The Pathological Institute, and functioned as a laboratory until the 1950s. Objects on display are drawn from Western and traditional Chinese medicine practices.
SUPPORT
The Dia Art Foundation, a not-for-profit body with an impressive collection from the 1960s and 1970s, as well as newer innovative works. Among our favourite installations in Dia's cache are those by American sculptor and composer Walter De Maria, particularly The Lightning Field (1977, New Mexico). Dia houses other works in its expansive Beacon gallery in New York (97km north of New York City, situated in an old Nabisco factory) and smaller Chelsea space. This year, Aesop began collaborating with Dia on several projects. We are delighted to be working with an organisation known for its continuing support of contemporary art and artists.
WATCH
Pasolini's Mamma Roma (1962). The film follows a struggling single mother in postwar Italy as she tries to abandon prostitution to make a better life for herself and her troubled teenage son. Mamma Roma has been praised for its intelligence and compassion, and still strikes a chord with us almost fifty years after it was released due to Pasolini's remarkable skill with narrative. In addition to directing films, Pasolini was a poet, critic and novelist, and a fierce opponent of the globalization and rampant consumption encouraged by Italy's bourgeoisie. He was a talent whose life ended far too soon.
ATTEND
The Adolf Loos season at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). From 24 February to 3 May, the Institute will host lectures and exhibitions to honour the work of Czech architect Adolf Loos (1870-1933). Loos was a pragmatic designer, known to have opposed the fanciful overly decorative designs of the Art Nouveau period, preferring instead clean, efficient architecture with decoration integrated with caution. To learn more about Loos prior to the RIBA events read his collected writings, Spoken Into the Void (published by MIT).
EAT
At Pulino's Bar & Pizzeria in the Bowery, our favourite Manhattan neighbourhood. The main event is the thin-crust pizza, but the breakfasts here – especially the homemade granola – are very good. Pulino's operates under the idiosyncratic direction of restaurateur Keith McNally which means good reviews and a never-diminishing crowd. Brace yourself for a queue. Despite that, it's worth stopping at this relaxed, low-key establishment, even if only for a glass of good Rose, after viewing the digital collection at the nearby New Museum.
ENJOY
Our Sage Hair Care products, made specifically for dry, sensitive scalps. Massage a few drops of Sage & Cedar Scalp Treatment onto the scalp half an hour before shampooing to calm the skin and infuse it with hydrating and disinfecting plant extracts. Following this, wash with Sage Scalp Cleansing Shampoo, a formulation enriched with Sage, Cedar, Rosemary and Tea Tree extracts to allow cleansing without aggravation. Both products are designed for long term use or to assist with occasional bouts of itchy dry scalp.
SHARE
Children's poems by John Updike. A Child's Calendar (1965) follows a Vermont family as they tend to their sheep, taste the season's harvest, and watch the landscape change around them, with each month described by a short poem. Look for the 1999 edition, with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman. Although Updike is usually discussed with reference to his adult fiction, which we also enjoy, we respect him for writing a quality book for junior readers. We are firm believers in introducing good literature from the beginning and, unlike Martin Amis, admire those who put pen to paper for the very young.
DISCOVER
The stately atmosphere and skilled barbers at Antica Barbieria Colla, at 3, via Morone in Milan (adjacent to Piazza Belgioiso). We are always on the lookout for a skilled barber and this one has been satisfying locals, including Puccini, since 1904. Antica Barbieria Colla offers haircuts and a traditional shave, with hot towels at the beginning and end, and creams and aftershave specifically created for this establishment. While in Milan, stock up on Aesop at Olfattorio Bar à Parfums, at 23, via Brera.
LEARN
About Gae Aulenti's Pipistrello Lamp. The talented Milanese designer created this adjustable lamp, with a black or white lacquered base and a stainless steel telescope, for Martinelli Luce in 1966. It is now considered a classic of modern design. The lamp is held in the permanent collection of MoMA in New York. We would revel in the chance to have a first edition on our bedside should any readers wish to part with one.
IMAGE
Wissam Shawkat
The Love Garden 2010
55 x 95 cm
Soot ink and acrylic colors on paper
Courtesy of Reed Space, NYC.
'This moment contains all moments.' C.S. Lewis