Wallpaper 12

ELLEN HIMELFARB

Writer

A regular visitor to Amsterdam, Himelfarb

saw a fresh side to the city on her assignment

to Bijlmermeer, a monumental 1960s housing

estate, home to some of the country’s most

prominent rappers and a newer creative

crowd (page 120). ‘The Bijlmer got a second

chance after it hit rock bottom in the 1990s,’

the London-based writer says. ‘Brutalist

estates get such a bad rap, so a rare success

is worth celebrating.’ Himelfarb is now in

the early stages of a book on one of London’s

longest Roman roads.

JULIEN SAVIOZ

Graphic designer

Savioz is based in Vevey, Switzerland,

a country where graphic design is prized

as a ‘precise and particular’ discipline.

A graduate of ÉCAL in nearby Lausanne,

Savioz took charge of this month’s Space

story (page 176), inspired by elemental

extremes. ‘I was seduced by the fact that

I had to work with real objects,’ says Savioz.

‘I spent a lot of time moving things around

and changing lights so that both real and

impossible phenomena work together.’

MELINA KEAYS

Entertaining Director

‘I am a proud Londoner and never tire of it,’

says Keays, a veteran Wallpaper* contributor.

She never seems to tire of directing our

entertaining stories either, which she’s been

coordinating since issue one. ‘What’s not to

like?’ she says. ‘An orgy of decadence, luxury,

beautiful things and delicious food – and yes,

we consume it all.’ For our Italian-inspired

shoot (page 140), Keays did her homework

by watching Luchino Visconti’s opulent

period ilm, The Leopard.

QIU YANG

Photographer

We dispatched Amsterdam-based Yang

to the Rotterdam studio of Sabine Marcelis

to preview her latest commission, a series

of sculptural fountains for Fendi’s 2018

Design Miami ofering (page 068). ‘Instead

of simply documenting the sculptures,

I wanted to interpret them. Water and

light are recurring themes in all the images,

including Sabine’s portrait,’ says Yang, who

is writing and directing three short ilms

(one featuring Rem Koolhaas) challenging

single- and long-take ilm techniques.

EMILY MCDERMOTT

Writer

We asked Berlin-based writer McDermott

to delve into the vibrant headspace of

German artist Katharina Grosse in the run-

up to her major solo show at the Chi K11

Art Museum in Shanghai (page 084). ‘It’s

beautiful the way Katharina inds order

in chaos – not only in her artwork but also

in the way she speaks. She combines ideas

and thoughts that I never would have put

in the same paragraph, let alone the same

sentence,’ says McDermott, who is currently

working on a book project.

FRANÇOIS COQUEREL

Photographer

Versailles-based Coquerel has most ields

covered, from still lifes and landscapes

to portraits of iconic igures such as

Vivienne Westwood. ‘My main regret,’ says

Coquerel of this month’s entertaining story

(page 140), ‘is that I didn’t taste the fantastic

cake. I don’t remember why – too much

pasta probably.’ He is currently working

on a book featuring young people ‘hanging

out together in the woods wearing weird

vintage clothes’.

040 ∑ ILLUSTRATOR: ANJE JAGER WRITER: HARRIET LLOYD-SMITH

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