I was guided to the concept of storying in 2012 while reading poet Kevin Young’s extraordinary collection, “The Grey Album: On the Blackness of Blackness.” I was led there by my late mentor, the writer and artist, Jean Fisher while researching the trickster. Storying for Young is a seat of possibility—one where imagination can become…
Pichwai art is a detailed and devotional form of textile painting that began in the 17th century in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, India. This temple town became an important centre for the worship of Krishna, an Indian deity, particularly within the Pushtimarg sect of Vaishnavism, a branch of Hinduism. These intricately decorated textiles are traditionally hung behind…
When it comes to technology, we live in a world where the assumption is that newer is better, that we always need the upgrade, the latest gadget. So when a trend comes along that disrupts this truism, it feels amusing. It’s also, perhaps at a push, a little bit of resistance to Big Tech, a…
Hans and René is a boutique gelateria, cafe and bakery. What began life as a cupcake bakery in 2015, over the course of the last decade, it has grown into one of Nigeria’s most celebrated gelato spots, with multiple locations across Lagos and Abuja. Why Gelato? Initially, it was a simple realisation. Founder, Mrs. Tayo…
Walk down any London street on a Thursday evening right now, and you’ll see people spilling out of pubs, pints swilling with the possibility and potential of life, and just a bit of silliness. Contrast that, then, with any news story on the fate of these institutions. According to The Guardian, 34 pubs shut every…
A man stands in the middle of a field and draws a circle on the ground. Facing the interior of the circle, he points and says, “there.” He then steps inside the circle, points again, and declares, “here.” After exiting the circle, he points back to it and calls it “over there.” Walking around the…
My encounters with the city of Vienna have always led me to performance, in a broad spectrum of this term. Over a decade ago, I was working for a men’s luxury magazine and I was invited to the opera ball, an annual event at the Vienna State Opera. Dancing debutantes, normally of upper-class heritage, waltzed…
It was on a cold evening that the scent of sandalwood, especially prepared by Guerlain, wafted in the air as guests entered The Met for the opening of The Costumes of Royal India on 2nd December 1985. As always, it was organised by Diana Vreeland, former editor-in-chief of American Vogue, who had become a consultant…