Posts tagged with ‘Travel’

The Stimuleye is a creative workshop.
This is the blog of The Stimuleye.

  • EYE CANDY

    films of the season: monsieur chypre – a short film with erotokritos

    - by antoine

    The Stimuleye is proud to announce, with the support of Vogue Italia, an “erotic fashion epic” : Monsieur Chypre.

    “HE KNOWS WOMEN, AND WOMEN KNOW HIM”

    Erotokritos, it’s a strange name for a fashion brand.
    It’s an even stranger name for a person.
    And yet, he is truly called Erotokritos Antoniadis, named after the main protagonist of medieval epic poem, a hero “born from the labors of love”.
    For 15 years, his label has been seducing women of all ages, drawn to collections that go back and forth between the sophistication of Paris and the dolce vita of Cyprus…

    Monsieur Chypre - Come and get it

    "come and get it."

    “THEY CALL HIM MONSIEUR CHYPRE”

    France and Cyprus, Paris and Nicosia, it’s a long-distance couple.
    In Monsieur Chypre, by Antoine Asseraf & René Habermacher, they come to life:
    Loan Chabanol, channeling the nostalgia of Marguerite Duras’ The Lover, plays the tormented Parisian woman, cracking at the surface,
    while Constantino Kouyialis, in his first first on-screen role, is a revelation as the seductive eponym hero, a modern day Alexis Zorbas.

    Monsieur Chypre - Octopus

    “AN EROTIC FASHION EPIC” we call it.

    “Erotic,” how could it not be with a name like Erotokritos ?
    “Fashion,” of course: stylist Michaela Dosamantes, fresh from winning Best Fashion Award at La Jolla Fashion Film Festival for La Main Dans Le Sac, mixes the season’s classic looks to capture the heroine’s transformation from “bluesy” in Vuitton to “red-hot” in Valentino.
    And “epic” ? What else do you call a fashion film 10 months in the making, taking place not only in Paris but in numerous locations in Nicosia, in the salt lake facing the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque in Larnaca, in the Almyra and Anassa deluxe hotels, in small taverns by the side of the road, or in the majestic monument carved directed in the stone, the tomb of the Kings in Paphos ?

    Monsieur Chypre - Mosque

    “HIS VOICE IS A SONG”

    All this, to the original soundtrack of Lori Schonberg and Shane Aspegren, members of Ça Va Chéri.
    (Download it here).

    So, now the tough questions.
    Is Cyprus really like this ? A little bit. Not at all. It depends how you look at it.
    It is an island of freedom in the east mediterranean, where couples from Israel and Lebanon come to escape religion. It is the birthplace of Aphrodite. You go, you decide.

    So how can I meet this Mister Cyprus ? We hear that one a lot. From women (and men) of all ages. Maybe he’s real, maybe he’s a figment of our collective imagination, our repressed desires. One thing’s for sure — we can’t give you his number.

    “ATTEMPTING TO CHARM HIM IS USELESS. HE IS THE ONE WHO WILL FIND.”

    Monsieur Chypre
    Film credits
    Fashion credits
    Goodies

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  • EYE CANDY

    monsieur chypre – a short film with erotokritos

    - by antoine

    Exclusively on Vogue Italia

    The Stimuleye presents, a film by antoine asseraf & rené habermacher

    MONSIEUR CHYPRE
    A Short Film With Erotokritos
    a THE STIMULEYE production
    STARRING
    CONSTANTINO KOUYIALIS as MONSIEUR CHYPRE
    LOAN CHABANOL (ELITE) as MADEMOISELLE PARIS
    PARIS UNIT
    STYLING – MICHAELA DOSAMANTES
    HAIR – ROMINA MANENTI
 @ AIRPORT
    MAKE-UP – TIINA ROIVANEN @ AIRPORT
    PRODUCTION ASSISTANT – LYNSEY PEISINGER
    LOCATION – HIROMI OTSUKA
    CATERING – EROKITCHEN
    VOICE by LYNSEY PEISINGER
    MUSIC by LORI SCHONBERG + SHANE ASPEGREN
    POSTPRODUCTION by THE STIMULEYE
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  • EYE CANDY

    monsieur chypre: postcards

    - by antoine

    Coming April 11, 2012 to Vogue Italia.

    Monsieur Chypre

    Cypriot countryside. By Antoine Asseraf & René Habermacher.

    Monsieur Chypre

    Monsieur Chypre

    Monsieur Chypre

    "Come and get it". By Antoine Asseraf & René Habermacher.

    Monsieur Chypre

    Monsieur Chypre

    Monsieur Chypre

    Hala Sultan Tekke / Larnaca. By Antoine Asseraf & René Habermacher.

    Monsieur Chypre – A Short Film With Erotokritos

    Vogue Italia

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  • EYE CANDY

    films of the season: monsieur chypre

    - by admin

    An erotic fashion epic, one year in the making, THE STIMULEYE is proud to present Monsieur Chypre – A Short Film With Erotokritos, coming April 11th on Vogue Italia.

    Starring Constantino Kouyialis & Loan Chabanol, styled by Michaela Dosamantes, and directed by Antoine Asseraf & René Habermacher.

    Monsieur Chypre by Antoine Asseraf & René Habermacher

    “He knows women, and women know him.”

    Erotokritos, it’s a strange name for a fashion brand.
    It’s an even stranger name for a person.
    And yet, he is truly called Erotokritos Antoniadis, named after the main protagonist of medieval epic poem, a hero “born from the labors of love”.  For 15 years, his label has been seducing women of all ages, drawn to collections that go back and forth between the sophistication of Paris and the dolce vita of Cyprus…

    “They call him Monsieur Chypre.”

    France and Cyprus, Paris and Nicosia, it’s a long-distance couple.
    In Monsieur Chypre, by Antoine Asseraf & René Habermacher, they come to life: Loan Chabanol, channeling the nostalgia of Marguerite Duras’ The Lover, plays the tormented Parisian woman, cracking at the surface, while Constantino Kouyialis, in his first first on-screen role, is a revelation as the seductive eponym hero, a modern day Alexis Zorbas.
    “An erotic fashion epic” we call it.
    “Erotic,” how could it not be with a name like Erotokritos ?
    “Fashion,” of course: stylist Michaela Dosamantes, fresh from winning Best Fashion Award at La Jolla Fashion Film Festival for La Main Dans Le Sac, mixes the season’s classic looks to capture the heroine’s transformation from “bluesy” in Vuitton to “red-hot” in Valentino.
    And “epic” ? What else do you call a fashion film 10 months in the making, taking place not only in Paris but in numerous locations in Nicosia, in the salt lake facing the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque in Larnaca, in the Almyra and Anassa deluxe hotels, in small taverns by the side of the road, or in the majestic monument carved directed in the stone, the tomb of the Kings in Paphos ? And we haven’t even mentioned the upcoming almost 10 minutes long directors’ cut….

    “His voice is a song.”

    All this, to the original soundtrack of Lori Schonberg and Shane Aspegren, members of transnational surrealist indie outfit The Berg Sans Nipple.
    So, now the tough questions.
    Is Cyprus really like this ? A little bit. Not at all. It depends how you look at it.
    It is an island of freedom in the east mediterranean, where couples from Israel and Lebanon come to escape religion.  It is the birthplace of Aphrodite. You go, you decide.
    So how can I meet this Mister Cyprus ? We hear that one a lot. From women (and men) of all ages. Maybe he’s real, maybe he’s a figment of our collective imagination, our repressed desires. One thing’s for sure — we can’t give you his number.

    “Attempting to charm him is useless. He is the one who will find.”

    MONSIEUR CHYPRE
    a film by ANTOINE ASSERAF & RENE HABERMACHER
    a THE STIMULEYE production
    STARRING
    CONSTANTINO KOUYIALIS as MONSIEUR CHYPRE
    LOAN CHABANOL (ELITE) as MADEMOISELLE PARIS
    PARIS UNIT
    STYLING – MICHAELA DOSAMANTES
    HAIR – ROMINA MANENTI
    MAKE-UP – TIINA ROIVANEN
    PRODUCTION ASSISTANT – LYNSEY PEISINGER
    LOCATION – HIROMI OTSUKA
    CATERING – EROKITCHEN
    VOICE by LYNSEY PEISINGER
    MUSIC by LORI SCHONBERG + SHANE ASPEGREN
    POSTPRODUCTION by THE STIMULEYE
    CYPRUS UNIT
    ALSO STARRING
    MYRTO KOUYIALIS
    DIVA MODELS:
    ALEXANDRA BUNETSKAYA
    KLELIA YIASEMIDOU
    ANNA DOROTHEOU
    LOCATIONS:
    ALMYRA & ANASSA
    THANOS HOTELS
    ALL CLOTHES CYPRUS: EROTOKRITOS ARCHIVES
    PARIS CLOTHES featuring
    LOUIS VUITTON, EROTOKRITOS, LOUIS VUITTON JEWELRY, APERLAI, MARC JACOBS, DIOR, FELIPE OLIVEIRA BAPTISTA, AURELIE BIDERMAN, OLATZ, KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE, BURBERRY AND VALENTINO
    THANK YOU
    Dimitris Dimitriou / Cyprus Tourist Organisation in Paris
    Philippos Philippou / Cyprus Airways
    Pavlos Metaxas / Diva models
    Antonakis Bar
    Eleni Chrysostomidou
    Lida Philippidou
    Mary Nicolaidou
    Maroulla Antoniadou
    Gallery Argo Nicosia
    Kostas Mantzalos
    The city of Nicosia
    The city of Paphos
    AND
    Filep Motwary

    Vogue Italia

    Erotokritos

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  • RETINA

    CONDESA DF: mezcal in the morning

    - by rene
    “Where do we go?”

    There is nothing like landing late at night to México city. Approaching the metropolis over the grid of endlessly sprawling lights, and, a short cab ride later, by the side of a lush boulevard, you check in at the reception area of the Condesa DF, built in 1928. Credit card swiped at the elegant wooden welcome desk, bags dropped off in a room with view, and one finds himself up on the terrace soon thereafter, a fresh tamarind flavoured margarita in hand while mingling with the crowd.

    01CONDESAdf_rene-habermacher04CONDESAdf_rene-habermacher
    Entrance of the Condesa DF in the area of the same name. Photography by René Habermacher

    Above your head, black security helicopters slash the year-round lasting mild evening breeze. One had recently crashed on a busy junction my friends say, perhaps a doing of the cartels. It’s never been cleared, but an official riding the vehicle was smashed among other casualties, soon forgotten, as is everything dramatic here. The view on the city-lights south of Zócalo remain full of promise like distant sirens whispering of unknown options, laid out for a pick.

    The breakfast at Condesa is some of the best ever offered in a hotel: in the elegant room adjunct to the open courtyard designed by architect Diego Sánchez, an endless buffet is piled up: apart from fruits, Continental and American breakfast with the freshest ingredients —  that I take for given — there are eggs in any thinkable form and style. Chilaquiles, green or red with black beans, potatoes, zucchini blossom on cazuela, enchiladas Veracruz style, molletes with chorizo, bacon or ham, pan fried cheese tomatillo sauce Oaxacan style and eggs with chorizo, all competing for early attention.
    06CONDESAdf_rene-habermacher05CONDESAdf_rene-habermacher
    The lounging area with vintage furniture next to the courtyard. Photography by René Habermacher

    Splendid black coffee and the tastiest blueberry pancakes are eaten in the ensemble of equally delicate mexican vintage furniture. Much of it carried together by french expat Emmanuel Picault, who’s “Chic by Accident” is the mecca for every design adherent in this continent.

    The embracing turquoise paint seems to extend the space beyond the walls into the city, or the other way around.
    In contrast to it, the modernist wooden furniture anchor in the tradition of the area called Condesa that formed the backdrop for the early 20th century avant-garde and its artists.
    Here in Mexico I felt evident for the first time America’s roots beyond the colony. And the Condesa Hotel does its best to successfully bridge these to contemporary time.

    In the adjacent room, a small shop offers souvenirs, among them Converse All Stars, hand painted with freshly interpreted folklore motifs from a cooperative in Oaxaca. Rows of Tequila and Mescal, bottled by a small estate in Condesa’s special flacon that reminds rather a vessel for parfume — they are all over the ground floor, on shelves of the bar, the restaurant, the private dining room – and they do come in handy: a short mescal with salty and spiced up lemon slices in the afternoon and sometimes following the breakfast, at which i admit, we can be found at late noon.

    02CONDESAdf_rene-habermacher03CONDESAdf_rene-habermacher
    A private dining room with library and the mezcal bottles: They can seem blurry at times!
    A stroll away from the building is a roundabout, with its star-shaped roads leading to explore the area. In all directions a pleasant walk with much to see. Though that square offers another stop: at a make-shift stall, two ladies sell blue corn quesadillas stuffed with zucchini blossom. A culinary feast for near nothing.

    We haven’t mentioned yet  the Condesa’s private dining room which contains the library, where salmon with jalapeño dill sauce and shrimp tempura on chipotle mayonnaise is served to us, nor have we mentioned other delights offered.

    Don’t forget to pick one of the chauffeurs hanging out at the entrance to drive you with his limousine to Teotihuacán. He might stop by the Sonora witchcraft market and wait for you while discovering its magick. No matter how deep you dig into the array of curiosities, a simple black santisima muerte candle always does wonders: “contra mis enemigos / against my enemies” – and if only to puzzle your future visitors with this souvenir….

    HOTEL CONDESA DF, AV. VERACRUZ N.102 , COL. CONDESA, 06700, MÉXICO DF, MÉXICO.
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  • EYE 2 EYE

    1136 postcards and a smoking nun…

    - by rene

    One family. One postcard for every day apart. The Butlers’ uncommon journey is told by the postcards from a mother to her daughter.

    Collaborating with Dutch designer Irma Boom, Jennifer Butler has published an innovative book: JAMES JENNIFER GEORGINA, a taxi yellow, 1200 pages volume in limited editions of 999 copies, parted in three sections with a joint spine, telling a unique story through 1136 postcards and 20 dialogues.

    Jennifer travelled the world with her husband James, in an effort to dry him out from his alcoholism, while their daughter Georgina stayed at home with various nannies, but Jennifer sent her daughter 1 postcard per day away –  1136 postcards written from 1989 to 1999.

    205 flights taken, 268,162 miles driven, 2 bullfights.

    A speeding ticket.

    53 unpaid parking tickets.

    13 cancelled flights, 1 bomb scare, and 205 churches visited, politics, wars, rising prices, births, funerals, holidays…

    Yet what comes forward above all is their relationship.

    02-JENNIFER_BUTLER-habermacher
    JAMES, JENNIFER, GEORGINA by Jennifer Butler. The 3 spine design allows to lay the book flat

    We meet at the American Library in Paris, 23 years after the odyssey started.

    As they arrive, Jennifer, a former model, on her side her very British gentleman James, holds a copy of the book in her hands, spiked with post-its of matching yellow. She is in full swing, mentioning another book by Allen Fletcher: “Be aware of wet paint,” he wrote in his beautiful handwriting: ‘I don’t know where I am going, but I am on my way’ and it really sums me up: I don’t know ever where I am going, but I have a sense that I am gonna get there!”.

    It was in fact Allen Fletcher’s work, and particularly “The Art of Looking Sideways” that made her look differently at the value of the hundreds of postcards she had kept in boxes after 10 years on the road. When in 1999 the drinking of James stopped, so did the postcards. In 2007, Allen Fletcher was only a few months more to live, so he recommended to Jennifer to work on her project with Dutch designer Irma Boom.

    01-JENNIFER_BUTLER-habermacher
    Jennifer Butler at the American Library Paris

    Behind the book, says Butler, lies a passion “for extending the boundaries of what a book can be. And the knowledge that books have to be more, different than ‘information.’ More than being able to download them from the internet” she says.  According to her, ‘the book’ is not in the ‘up’ – it’s in the ‘down’:

    “The book remains to spread something else: maybe sheer beauty or a much slower, more thought-provoking message” Jennifer expresses in her first correspondence with Irma Boom, sharing the designer’s standpoint on book-making today.

    Despite the highly sophisticated and calculated design, JAMES JENNIFER GEORGINA is an emotional matter: “The book is an extension of the content. Irma would not have designed that way for a book about tennis players, or about architecture, whatever. This book is married to the silk screen yellow that she chose, and the yellow canvas. The book is yellow because its full of light and success! […]”

    “My husband, Georgina’s father, was drinking himself to death. And with one failed marriage behind me I fought to stave off a second.” James was given only two more years to live, so  “to save us I took the difficult decision to leave Georgina at home. We travelled to dry James out and we travelled to shield her from the indignities of drink. Everyday we were apart I wrote to Georgina. If love waits upon a gesture, then my gesture was these postcards. I wanted her to know just who I was and just what I did. They’re a testament to a mother’s love and a sharing of advice, anecdotes, front page news and exotic places” she explains.

    
    Cassette with the Book of 1200 pages, sewn in yellow cloth

    “The post cards were never written for public consumption. They were written because I loved doing them.

    And I did miss Georgina. And I did feel guilty and it was a way, felt like mothering from a distance.”

    For Jennifer, it is actually a very traditional story: “there is a situation, a lot of descriptions with the postcards of a story, there is drama and there are 3 characters. They’re just divided in a very innovative way, because the description and the situation is part 1, the drama is part 2, and the characters are in an album in part  3. Usually when you read about a family or a story or a novel it’s all in one. […] ” She continues, “when people hear the word alcoholism – you know its like a dirty word or somebody survived it. The alcoholism really gave the book its Alfred Hitchcock time element.”

    Jennifer admits that there was certainly a bit of irresponsibility concerning the traveling, looking back on it:

    “The structure was: let’s go. Like Thelma and Louise. And I was so excited having James sober and clean shaven!  He was adorable and generous and he is so knowledgeable about Europe, its history and its wars. It was like being back in university when we were driving! And there was no drink. Because he was so excited being on the road. So it really was not just about keeping him sober. He was sober and I loved the way he was.”

    
    Postcard from Granada, February 10, 1996

    The book is framing this story of longing guilt and salvation for a wider audience in a fresh way. Despite the 210 postcards that are printed full bore in the volume, accompanied by 400 in miniature, most remarkably, the book also features a series of conversations between James, Georgina and Jennifer: “One guideline that Georgina said, and James backed her 100% up was: there would be no editing! […] “

    Irma Boom, according to Jennifer, had approached the book with an enormous integrity and much love for its protagonists had insisted “that we pose the question to Georgina in one of the conversations: what was the sacrifice made by not being there. I said: ‘oh, isn’t this fantastic, Georgina spends every night looking at them.’ My mother said: ‘this is disgusting! my granddaughter is alone a third of her life!’ – of course the people who love you tell you the biggest truths.”

    “It was never ever difficult [to talk about our issues as a family]. We’re all very strong characters and I think the love is so loyal that nobody worried about sacrificing love. It was never difficult to talk about the painful subjects: most of all it’s a love story.”

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