S: Is for starting Green

Today's green revolution is being driven by a whole new set of entrepreneurs. Every few years or so, American companies and consumers embrace the concept of green business. We're certainly in the midst of one of those moments right now. But something seems different about our current green awakening. This time, the action is being driven as much by markets as morality. High oil prices, global warming, the sense that chemicals cause real harm and the earth's resources are indeed finite. Wall Street and Silicon Valley certainly understand this: Venture capital firms invested $958 million in renewable energy companies in the first half of 2006 alone. If you believe Ray Anderson, we are at the dawn of the New Industrial Revolution.

Ray Anderson at 72 years old, may well be the most visionary figure in American business today. As chairman of the textile manufacturer Interface he has transformed the company he founded 33 years ago into the world's first industrial firm devoted to sustainability and he means sustainability in the strictest sense: "taking nothing from the earth that is not rapidly and naturally renewable, and do not harm the biosphere." A book published in 1994, came to his attention: The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken. Anderson asked his engineers to determine what had been extracted from the earth to produce the company's income. That year Interface was enjoying some $800 million in revenue, and the engineers concluded that to get there they had used 1.2 billion pounds of raw materials, most of it oil and natural gas, and much of that incinerated. "I was staggered," Anderson stated. "I wanted to throw up. My company's technologies and every other company I know of anywhere, in their present forms, are plundering the earth. This cannot go on and on and on. In 1999 he published his own book, Mid-Course Correction he states "I am a recovering plunderer". Last year he spent much of his time on the road--151 speeches.

Companies are taking this seriously as consumers cry out for "Green". Honda, Continental, Suncor, Tesco, Alcan, PG&E, S.C. Johnson, Goldman Sachs, Swiss Re and H-P have been cited as the top "Green Companies. But how do you go "Green"? I am enclosing some valuable sites to help. www.fedcenter.gov/programs/buygreen/ www.coopamerica.org/programs/shopunshop/buyinggreen/index.cfm
and www.buygreen.com
We are all responsible for our world and that is a weighty F.A.C.T.

T: is for juxtaposing color with form

With the movie Inconvenient Truth and knowing that it's time to take care of Mother Earth, British lighting designer Stuart Haygarth has taken recycling to new heights. Haygarth came to attention at the designers block show in London in 2005, when he showed his Tide Chandelier, made of hundreds of items of plastic debris."I have been collecting man-made debris from the Dungeness coastline in Kent over many years. I am sorting and categorizing the mass of objects and from each grouping creating a piece of work. Tide Mark is a collection of primarily plastic objects categorized by colour. Starting with white objects and ending with black, a kind of tide mark through the colour spectrum is produced." I love the scientific aesthetic of this piece which reveals the beauty of each object and color in spite of the fact that it's all basically garbage. And that underlying story of pollution adds tension to the visual aspect of the piece.
When you first feast your eyes on one of Stuart Haygarth’s quirky designs, the first thing that becomes immediately ingrained in your memory is his apparent talent for juxtaposing color with form. In 2006 MAKE-UP ART COSMETICS otherwise known as MAC commissioned him to produce two identical chandeliers for display in their New York and Los Angeles flagship stores. The work had to promote the new vibrant colour range of cosmetics called the ‘Culture Bloom’ collection. They wanted to illustrate an explosion or blooming of colour. His interpretation was a kind of molecular or planetary explosion called ‘Cosmic Burst’­­. He also designs for Porsche.

His recent design, the Disposable Chandelier, is humorously crafted out of 416 disposable plastic wine glasses, the chandelier is lit with a pink fluorescent light source. Incidentally, a smaller version made with 280 glasses is also available. While the atmosphere created by this piece is elegant enough for any posh dinner party, its unusual construction also provides ample material for after-dinner conversation! There is something hypnotic about Stuart Haygarth's aesthetic sense. He loves to collect and categorize everyday objects. His work is concerned with giving order to the banal and overlooked trivia of life. That artist shows recycling can be an artistic F.A.C.T.

C: Is for what do celebrities do next?

After investing in art what do celebrities do next?

They open clubs. Veteran club owner and event producer Noel Ashman has partnered with several A-List celebrities for Plumm. Ashman says his partners have always longed for a place they could call their own – a place where they could relax, and be themselves, without the annoyance of fans seeking autographs. They include Chris "Mr. Big" Noth, Damon Dash, Simon Rex, Jesse Bradford, baseball pitcher David Wells and ex-New Kid on the Block Joey McIntyre. Remember NA that was also Ashman's. Both located at 246 West 14th Street. In 2005, NA closed because of in house fighting. Boys will be boys.

They claimed that the club is tough to get into as it is a semi-private membership club and memberships do not come easy. Which means to enter this sanctum flash some assets -- money, fame or long legs or know the right people. That would be my golden ticket to the custom plum-colored banquettes, which see their share of cavorting models, socialites and even a few famous faces. There is room for dancing on the lower level. Designer Richard Baquero, socialite Anne Dexter-Jones and Michael Ault (owner of Spy Bar and Pangea) are who transformed the debunked NA and the beloved Nells (Yes this was the place). The ground floor is wide open, with two-toned fetish photography hanging on the mahogany wall panels. A column of couches paired off to face each other and run down the middle of the lacquered floor, softly-illuminated by one of the handsome space's few flourishes—a trio of monolithic chinoiserie lamps. The 1st time I was there Guns and Roses and John Legend pulled a live performance and shocked the crowd. The old space Nells was a New York City institution, for over fifteen years. Most hot spots cool off after a year, Nells remained popular as it catered to a more mature and ethnically-diverse crowd. Now Heather Graham, Leonardo DiCaprio & George Clooney all drop in on owner Chris Noth. Lets hope it will last longer than NA and not be dead upon arrival. And thats a F.A.C.T.

A: Is for those who collect

Two weeks ago I wrote about celebrity artist in our mist. I'd like to pick up where I left off which is with celebrities that collect. As stated numerous times art is subjected and these days what makes you hot is who collects you and finds you to be invaluable. Take Cecily Brown the darling of the Hollywood set. Charles Saatchi the worlds most renown collector adores her. Gaggosian represents her and Elton John and Cameron Diaz have her on their walls. They say sex sells and Ms. Brown exudes Sexuality which she explores through semi-figurative and abstract means. Drawing her influences from painters such as Francis Bacon and Willem de Kooning she puts a feminine twist on a male dominated art world. Her paintings use the names of classic Hollywood films, such as The Pyjama Game and The Fugitive Kind. They suggest illicit romance and passion which discretely unveil social etiquette. Cecily Brown conveys intellectual eroticism indulging us through piercing ecstasy and that my friends sells.

If you are owned by Saatchi then you have made it or so they say. Thus was the case of English artist Damien Hirst, however in 2003 they parted ways. Death is a central theme in his work and in 2004 a 14ft tiger shark in formaldehyde sold, making him the second most expensive living artist (after Jasper Johns). As of March 2007, Damien's exhibition Superstition, 28 canvases covered in preserved butterflies and household paint garnered over $25 million and placed Hirst as the most "successful"/most expensive living artist. He brought back the 60's spin art craze for kids and made it collectible and expensive. David Bowie and Elton John are avid collector of this Brits work. Artists are also collectors and in Damien's collection are Francis Bacon, Jeff Koons, Richard Prince and Andy Warhol as well as lesser known artists like Rachel Howard, Nicholas Lumb and Tom Ormond. They say collecting art is like real estate it never deprecates in value.

The most well known celebrity collector is Madonna.She has now been steadily accumulating art for 20 years. Having grown up with people like Haring, Basquiat and Andy Warhol it's no surprise that Madonna has become a serious collector of modern art. It seems her favorite is Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. In October, the singer lent the Kahlo painting Self-portrait with Monkey to London's Tate Modern. Also part of Madonna's collection is Kahlo's My Birth, a painting which the singer reportedly uses a social litmus test if you don't like it, she doesn't like you. By this measure, Kahlo is considered a better artist (investment) because her work is collected by Madonna and Madonna is considered a more serious and respected celebrity (investment) because she collects Kahlos. The singer also collects Tamara de Lempicka and Diego Rivera paintings. This Lempicka looks like it could be the material girl.


Lou Reed, is a friend of Julian Schnabel, and has used works by Andy Warhol on his record sleeves. Mick Jagger also commissioned portraits by Warhol. Elton John's collection runs from 18th-century furniture to the most recent photographs of Helmut Newton. Elton started with Art Nouveau, then moved on to 20th-century classics. The sleeve of his last record, Songs from the West Coast, was done by Sam Taylor-Wood. Also in his collection are works by such artists as the Chapman brothers, Tracey Emin and Gary Hume. Stella McCartney, dress designer and daughter of Sir Paul McCartney, is a fan of Gary Hume and Sam Taylor-Wood as well and has printed works by both onto her shirts. The Icelandic singer Björk lives with artist Matthew Barney, and she shares the same tastes as Stella, the two of them are great fans of Nan Goldin, the American photographer who specializes in scenes snatched from people's most intimate, often highly sexual, life. Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer of long-running musicals, is to be found whenever there is a pre-Raphaelite sale. Christie's has sold Barbra Streisand's Art Deco collection, half of Eric Clapton's collection, and last June disposed of the collection of Lars Ulrich of Metallica, the popular heavy metal group. Ulrich had acquired works by Jean Dubuffet, Sam Francis and the CoBrA group, and sold a 1982 Jean-Michel Basquiat for $2 million. Celebrities and art or so it seems now go hand and hand and that is a F.A.C.T.

F: Is for the yearning of far away places

We live in a world of steel and concrete. A sparse splattering of grass with an occasional tree peaking out is our backyard. Though international we seek our travels inside our restaurants and clubs. Chic and expensive symbolize affluence. Do not misunderstand me I love New York but I long for dusky roses and damask oranges, shimmering in gold and the rich purple hues of far away. Names like Marrakesh and Mozambique call to me and when Justin the owner of Social Life Magazine invited me to Azza my passion for this was assuaged. Located at 137 East 55th between 3rd and lex Azza is a designers piece de resistance. As I entered I walked down a heavily woodened corridor with lush tapestry and jeweled encrusted intricate lighting fixtures. Down the stairs I descended until I reached the inner chamber. A pool and gaming table greeted me and I half expected men in turbans and a sweet scented swirl of smoke to assault me. It didn't!


Into the next room I roamed through overstuffed seating arrangements tastefully arranged. Secluded chambers,a wooden dance floor and spacious bar filled the spacious abode. The music was a fusion of Mid-Eastern and what is popular today, a perfect blending of old and new. It was Devorah's birthday. She is the editor of Social Life. Not only does this girl have a brain but she is beautiful inside and out. The drinks on the menu include: Azzamore, Mint Tease, Maroki, Harem’s Passion, and Medinha. These cocktails are all wonderfully exotic and will run you $14 wine is $12/$14 and their wine list is impressive with bottles ranging from $48-$900 for Pauillac, Château Lynch-Bages, Bordeaux, France 2001. They were serving appetizers at the bar which included: Marinated olives and spiced almonds, Hummus with grilled pita, Savory cigars and more. These range from $5-$9 and are delicious.
Though I did not have a chance to check out the restaurant portion I did check out it's menu and it is pricey but sounds delectable. I did however get a chance to glance at it's decor and it is gorgeous, plush, elegant and worth a celebration meal. Here are a few of the items: 16 oz feather bone steak, pommes puree, spinach, lemon $36/ Free range NY duck breast, confit leg, organic shelling beans, pureed basil $28/ Pan seared wild stripped bass, Bouchot mussels, spring onion $29/ Couscous royal:lamb, chicken, merguez $34. I mention the last one as they have a pre-fixed meal from 6-7 for $25 which includes appetizer of choice, Couscous Royal and a glass of wine. They also have a happy hour 5:30-8:30 with $5 wines, $4 beers and $7 for their specialty cocktails. So if you are hearing the far away yearning for Morocco and all it has to offer I suggest you check out Azza and that's a F.A.C.T