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Fabergé and the Russian Crafts Tradition

An Empire's Legacy

Margaret Kelly Trombly

Thames & Hudson Publishing

You dabble in arts but decorative art of the Russian kind is not on your radar?

That should change and an appropriate introduction is this encompassing tome, which revolves around an exposition at the Walters Art Museum and the 100th commemoration of the Russian Revolution.

Covering a period of eight hundred years until the early twentieth century, i.e. 1917, this beautifully designed book, which was compiled by the guest curator of the Walters Art Museum Margaret Kelly Trombly, zeros in on the intricacy and details of the exquisite decorative art Russia has become renowned for.

Running the gamut from pendants and jewellery via caskets, goblets, all kinds of useful and not so useful devices via fine China to the most amazing bejeweled opulent vessels, i.e. Fabergé eggs, with a focus on the complexity of the tiny surprises they harbour.

What was created in the five decades preceding 1917 to honour the grandeur of the Russian dynasty proved to be timeless and is still unrivalled to this day and makes most current fine artists look like grobmotoriker.

The range of materials used and the unique and often innovative ways they were put together to create something much bigger than the sum of the individual components would suggest is one-of-a-kind, with the composition and assembling having required the expertise and skills of a range of different craftsmen.

A hundred years own, they do not lack any of their allure – au contraire: It proves to be difficult to find something depicted that is not still relevant and up to par with any contemporary art.

High Adventure in the Great Outdoors – Outdoor watches

Living in the southern hemisphere, it is mildly difficulty to not get into and enjoy water sports to at least some degree.

We are talking surfing, diving, snorkeling, swimming in the ocean and not the sexual kink variant – get your mind out of the gutter, filthy deviant!

With the territory comes the need for appropriate gear – ideally, gear that does not look like being a merely utilitarian device but not so much on the fashion end that it breaks halfway through your adventures.

Specifically in the realm of diving and scuba diving, it is vital to keep an eye on time and a watch can be the ideal backup to keep things on an even keel.

Sure, there are simple watches that are cheap and might do the job but you might not want to be seen with an eyesore outside the wet realm. You also might be turned off by the idea of being identified as an action movie hero wannabe by the size of what you are lugging around and showboating on your wrist.

Having tried different models, I found that the notion of watches suitable for diving and their short half-life do not seem to hold true. Most of what I have tried lasted surprisingly long and survived some pretty harsh, unplanned maneuvers.

Alright, let’s delve into the world of affordable aquatic timepieces, i.e. ones that are not emissions from big luxury brands:

Canada, of all places, offers the Seaforth model via its brand Halios, which is affordable and easy on the eye as is Italy’s Modello Uno out of the house of Unimatic, which is a watch proffered as an Aqua Compressor combining traditional design with a modern twist.

However, my go to aquatic timepieces have come for a while now courtesy of Freestyle USA. 

Yes, I am with you – some of their designs are a bit much on the “youthful” end of the scale, i.e. an LSD trip come alive, but they have models that look both classy, enduring and reliable.

What makes Freestyle USA’s more affordable models tick is the fact that they are really comfortable to wear with their silicone straps, yet do not lack resistance – I have been pounded numerous times by waves I had underestimated and the watch survived without as much as a scratch.

Their tide functionality for 150 beaches around this earthround and the fact that the buttons can be easily pushed underwater come as an added bonus.

The appearance of their Shark Tide collection is very much on the stylish, cool end of the spectrum, which makes them watches that you can wear in more formal environments as well.

It has the ability to display different time zones, accommodating your travel destination, and I have yet to encounter any problems that are related to condensation. Again, it tells you all relevant info about tide movements and when your surf session will get the most out of the local break as well as chronometer, sunset/-rise, night illumination function and I have yet to encounter a scenario where I could not see the display clearly, no matter if the sun was glaring or in darker scenarios.

Compared to its size, the weight is minimal and it fits easily underneath shirts, i.e. does not look freakish on dry ground and it waterproof up to one hundred meters.

Freetyle USA’s Precision 2.0 is on the fresher yet subtle side of things with its mélange of analogue and digital modes and a solid 200 meter water resistance.

Freestyle USA’s watches all come with lifetime warranty, which makes perfect sense given the elements they will be exposed to.

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Photos from Freestyle USA website

Wanderlust

Hiking on Legendary Trails

Gestalten Verlag

Into traveling?

Inhabited by that innate, unexplainably strong desire to roam and impetus to go wandering?

I hear you.

Does your traveling culminate in booking packages and tours?

Or are you into exploring per pedes?

No matter where I have roamed on this earthround, exploring cities and nature by foot has always been the most rewarding way to really engage with your surrounding.

Wanderlust illustrates and describes the merits of both the world’s most renowned walking trails but also sheds light on hidden gems that might make it on your bucket list. This opulently illustrated coffee table book depicts the routes, outlines maps and an effort is made to not merely focus on one part of the world – no matter if it is pilgrimages in Japan (i.e. Kumano Kodo, the series of routes zig-zagging one of the largest islands of Japan), Spain (the classic King’s Little Pathway, i.e. Caminito del Rey, one of the world’s most dangerous) or up North in the neither region of majestic Norway covering all kinds of terrain running the gamut from nice via deserts to lush forests from below sea level to lofty heights.

The accompanying essays shed light on the trecks, with first-hand experiences being shared and advice being dished out both for the seasoned trekker as well as the novice.

Wanderlust is enjoyable on different levels as apart from serving as a hands-on guide, Wanderlust can also just be a nice form of escapism to delve into when you are over your current surroundings and a source of inspiration for taking on future challenges.
Picturesque, diverse, a good ratio of text to photos, factual as well as historical and seasonal contextualization – a must-have for any passionate globetrotter.

The Aints play The Saints part 2.

Manning Bar

Sydney, Australia

March 9, 2018

We have clarified before that The Saints have left an imprint on the music scene that make some sandwich them in between the Ramones and Sex Pistols when it comes to relevance in the realm of punk rock.

“The Aints” is a variation on The Saints, headed by the prolific Ed Kuepper, who along with his worthy constituents revisited their classic material.

Framed by Peter Oxley on bass and the Celibate Rifles’ Paul Larsen on drums, along with a horn section and long-term collaborator Alister Spence on keyboards, Kuepper’s band is tight unit built for purpose.

The Aints performed tonight not only the hymns and crowd-pleasers which have inspired juvenile delinquents the world over, but managed to enthuse the audience with unreleased gems that did not lack impact. It is beyond me how those tracks did not make it on any of their regular releases, especially the goosebumps evoking, more melancholic, feedback-drenched ditties with a Neil Young-tinge that had the audience swaying along and brought out Ed Kuepper’s best.

The band is a well-oiled machine that is enjoying itself, which seamlessly translates to the audience comprised of predominantly older semesters caught in awe of seeing their heroes in the flesh in such fine form.

I’ve seen The Saints in various incarnations and The Aints a couple of times as well, but there was a “je ne sais quoi” factor that came into the equation and filled their performance on the ground of Sydney University with something magical.

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See also: The Aints play The Saints @ Factory Theatre

Quicksand / Thursday

Metro Theatre

Sydney Australia

March 7, 2018

Stating that one Walter Schreifels with the myriad of his musical incarnations has had a significant impact on my musical evolution during my early formative years would be an understatement par excellence.

One would need a flipchart to outline his projects and how they cross-pollinated and served as the driving force of whole sub-genres – be it straight edge hardcore a la Youth of Today, the excellent short lived Moondog or NYHC flagship Gorilla Biscuits, melodic endeavours via CIV, indie-esque Rival Schools, his project World’s Fastest Car, Smiths-esque Walking Concert, his acoustic solo project or the entity that he brought to Sydney tonight, post-hardcore outfit Quicksand.

In their heyday, i.e. between their two classic albums “Slip” and “Manic Compression”, Quicksand served as the bridge between bands like Fugazi and noisier alternative metal like Helmet – crafting melodies emerging from harsher sounds. Tonight was a fine display of their musical abilities that infused a passionate set, much to the approval of a predominantly older crowd that seemed to have come out of show retirement to witness Schreifels and co and relive some of the 1990s glory. The fact that they effortlessly conjuring such a massive wall of sound as a trio as Tom Capone could not join the tour, is testament to their relevance and craft.

If you get the chance, make sure to catch them before they disappear again.

Thursday followed with a vital set that emphasized the emissions of their albums War All The Time and Full Collapse, which resonated well with the younger portion of the crowd.

Frontman Geoff Rickly worked the staged and engaged the audience, which was more than happy to oblige.

A well-rounded package of bands that was more than a mere exercise in nostalgia.