Like a perfect swell, Hotel J is growing

Who doesn’t like staring at water? It must be some primordial leftover buried deep in our psyche, or maybe an elemental connection, as we are, after all, 60% water ourselves. Some people like the excitement of watching a powerful wave crash on the beach, others — like surfers — crave the meditative thrill of riding that perfect swell, and yet others are more than content to relax in front of the lapping waters of a beautiful harbor. If the latter is your idea of nautical heaven, then make it full speed ahead to White Line Hotels edit Hotel J!

As part of a new expansion on the existing hotel, twelve Newport Seaview rooms on the top floor provide their own terraces for guests to enjoy the stunning sea views. When hunger overtakes the desire to never leave that terrace EVER, head down to the new Club House dining room, lounge and bar. Located in J’s Tornvilla, a classic Swedish summer mansion with original features from the late 19th century that mixes its interior design with the relaxed and comfortable style of New England yacht clubs, you might just find the folded napkins start to remind you of ship’s sails…or is that just Nautical Fever talking?

Stiftelsen Kokkonst and elBulli Foundation: Considering the Art of Eating at Stockholm’s Moderna Museet

Some say a passion for food is synonymous to a passion for living, and it’s not hard to understand why. If you take a second to remove the basic survival relationship from the equation, the act of eating is a daily opportunity to excite every one of the senses. A meal doesn’t just satisfy hunger, or even the taste buds; done right, a meal is a visual delight and an olfactory experience, the texture of the food thrills the tongue, and a good crunch, snap, or the clang of silverware against a plate or glasses mid-toast brings the ear into the total-sensory event of sitting down to eat. If you think about it, even a simple meal is a gesamtkunstwerk.

Even then, and undoubtedly because it is part of our daily routine, the art of food is often overlooked. This is exactly why the world needs people like world famous chef Ferran Adrià, head chef at elBulli, to remind the rest of us that artistry and innovation is as important on our plates as on the walls of our museums. Despite millions queuing for tables at elBulli, Adrià is closing it forever as a restaurant on July 31^st, only to reopen again in 2014 as elBulli Foundation, an organization entirely dedicated to innovation.

To introduce the concept of elBulli foundation and kick off the new Stiftelsen Kokkonst – a Swedish initiative on innovation through food with the objective of creating a long-term platform in Sweden for the international discourse on innovation, food and art – Stockholm’s Moderna Museet is presenting a unique event. Open to the public, the event will feature a discussion between Ferran Adrià and Vicente Todoli, the former Director of Tate Modern, as well as with artists Carsten Höller, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Elaine Tin Nyo and Tobias Rehberger and the writer Bill Buford. It will be moderated by Moderna Museet’s director Daniel Birnbaum and curator and initiator of Stiftelsen kokkonst Jan Åman. The talk will be followed by an exclusive preview screening of the film “Documenting Documenta”, featuring Ferran Adrià and the artist Richard Hamilton.

Sure to be inspiring, don’t miss the talk on June 27^th at 16.00 followed by the film screening at 18.00. It will take place in Moderna Museet’s auditorium and will be accessible from the sea side of the museum. If you want to reserve your seat, send an email to ferranadria@stiftelsenkokkonst.se.

Continue your journey of inspiration at Nobis Hotel, Hotel Skeppsholmen and Hotel J, White Line Hotels’ edit in Stockholm.

Image courtesy www.stiftelsenkokkonst.se/

We love Sweden too!

We all have those countries that feel like they embrace us whenever we visit. Whether it’s the friendly chatter of strangers, the taste of the local, or the difference in the way the sun seems to shine, they are places that feel both foreign and like coming home. Parisian Valerie Toumayan feels this way about Sweden and is on a journey to capture the music of the city that has touched her.

Her film “Sounds of Sweden” captures the music and musicians she loves. The settings are casual and local, taken on rooftops overlooking the city, in green forests, and neighbourhood streets. Toumayan says she discovered each artist through the others and realized she should capture them where they live. This comes across wonderfully in the film, it has the feeling of a private concert, especially in comparison to videos of “intimate” music performances with an audience of hundreds. At the moment, many of the artists are the direction of folk, but her goal is to film a much broader spectrum and to take some time to explore the Scandinavian rock, electro and jazz scenes.

You can sense Toumayan’s love for the city and it’s music. It shines through so brilliantly that it takes me back to my own favourite city away from home. White Line Hotels edit Hotel Skeppsholmen knows something about creating a home away from home. It’s easy walking distance to everything or if you want to go further abroad, hop on one of their bikes for a few hours. It’s likely that you’ll recognize some of the sights in “Sounds of Sweden.”

Listen and love the entire video : www.ilovesweden.net

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Categories: Nacka Strand, Stockholm, Culture

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter

INVESTIGATIONS OF A DOG

Magasin 3 Stockholm Konsthall, Stockholm

Whether the characters of Beatrix Potter, Mickey Mouse, or George Orwell’s Animal Farm, unless you grew up on an island or remote mountaintop with no books, no television, and no local tradition of oral storytelling, I bet you’re pretty familiar with the anthropomorphism of animals as a literary device. And let’s face it, sometimes getting at the truth is just easier when it’s coming from the whimsically moving lips of a talking horse, pig, or dog. Themed on Franz Kafka’s short story of the same name, Investigations of a Dog looks at the artists it contains as the sort of ‘re-humanized’, if you will, incarnations of Kafka’s animal protagonist. Now, whether that intensifies the ability to keep a critical eye on society through the artworks or descends into something truly Kafkaesque will certainly make for some good discussion on your visit. Read the rest of this entry »

Stockholm: Everything’s Dandy

The term “Dandy” has gone though a series of interpretations in the last 250 years; the most concrete being a man attentive to his appearance, speaking a refined language, all while pursuing leisurely hobbies with an air of nonchalance. Perhaps even more intriguing is Charles Baudelaire’s definition of dandyism in reference to painter Constantin Guys, as a man who ‘elevates aesthetics to a living religion.’ The Dandy was thought to be the perfect gentleman, however, he required an audience to propagate his ideas. Another one of his characteristics: cultivated scepticism. There are a number of known Dandies, although much like modern day “hipsters” it’s not a title one would assign themselves, it was bestowed upon you by others as simultaneous approval and affront.

So what is a dandy in modern terms? Not quite a hipster, and slightly different from a metrosexual, it’s unclear if it’s a type of dress, a style of intellect, or a way of life. This is the question that is enthusiastically addressed at the Nordiska Museet in Stockholm. The exhibition “Dandy”, designed by Stockholm based firm Form Us With Love, dissects what it is and means to be elevated, or denigrated, to “Dandy” status.

The exhibition space has mannequins, or mannequin parts, fused with boxes throughout. Each mannequin part wears one article of typical “Dandy” clothing. It goes one step further by giving examples of how a contemporary Dandy could look. Tailor Frederik Andersen, fashion researcher Rickard Lindqvist, journalist Olaf Enckell, stylist Lalle Johnson, author Björn af Kleen, designer Göran Sundberg and shop owner Christian Quaglia have all given their suggestions on the modern styling of the Dandy.

The exhibition runs through the 1st of May 2011, while you’re there be sure to drop in the 300 years of fashion exhibition at the same museum.

Photography by Jonas Lindström

www.formuswithlove.se

www.nordiskamuseet.se

If you want to be Dandy, or Quaintrelle (a female Dandy) about town you couldn’t have a better platform than White Line Hotels edit Nobis Hotel. Try out the Gold Bar & Lounge – even with spectacularly irresistible drinks and a 28-meter high ceiling, it still maintains a comfortable living room atmosphere. The just finished renovations at the hotel harmoniously update the classic structure, integrating elements of its previous life as a bank throughout.

Not your cup of tea?  Then check out it’s sisters – Hotel Skeppsholmen & Hotel J.

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Categories: Stockholm, Design, Fashion

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter