Day: 21 July 2017

ML: Is art in your DNA, a talent passed on to you or encouraged by family?
PD: It’s very definitely in my DNA. I always drew as a child and had an aunty who was the “family artist” – she painted as a very competent amateur and inspired me with her work. And although my parents met at art evening class, they are not artists but in sales.

When I decided to go to art college, only my mother and my aunty were really enthusiastic at the time. Now the rest of the family is proud of my achievements.

ML: Were you attracted to art in general, or did you always lean towards sculpture?
PD: I thought that I would become a wildlife illustrator but then discovered art history and became interested in narrative history painting. I failed to get places at my first and second choice art schools for painting but ended up being offered a place in sculpture, by accident really. I took it thinking I would transfer across to the painting studio but ended up loving the more physical, manual work of a sculptor, particularly working with clay.

ML: How did you get a grant from the Prince of Wales Business Youth Trust, and would your education have taken a different path without it?
PD: I applied and received £1000 to buy tools. It was very helpful at the time. I also received some business mentoring. I am sure that it set me on the right course, yes.

ML: You say you have a particular interest in “representing the figure in architectural space using high-relief, an art form that combines drawn composition and fully rounded sculpture”. Can you explain this technique?
PD: Sure. I basically make three-dimensional paintings. There is a background, often a cityscape. Instead of it being flat, I add volume to the background. Then, I add my figures. It is very much like directing a stage set for the theatre. The buildings and figures are usually squashed up to fit into this limited space, otherwise called foreshortening, and this squashing of form leads to curious and interesting ambiguities of form.

The perspective works beautifully when seen straight on but as you move around the sculpture you discover impossible distortions that are needed to make the architecture work properly. It’s a fascinating way of working.

ML: Why do you focus on the themes of Urbanity and the City?
PD: I like building and crowds and I love to observe people. You can’t do that in a rural setting. People would think you were a pervert. In the anonymity of the crowd, you can observe unnoticed.

Buildings and urban landscapes work beautifully in relief and they are also manmade representations of society’s ideals. Buildings are not just functional, they are the embodiment of social values and, as such, are very telling witnesses to civilisation.

ML: Queen Elizabeth unveiled your winning monument for the Battle of Britain (BoB) competition, in 2005, and then this year, did the same for the Iraq Afghanistan Memorial. Did you have an idea for the monument upon entering, and how was this project different for you?
PD: As I have done a few high profile sculptures in London, I am sometimes told about competitions and invited to join in. After the initial appeal, I was shortlisted along with five other competitors. My ideas seemed to strike a chord with the judges and they awarded me the contract. I have recently won another competition to make a large monument in Liverpool – the same process and am doing my first ever monument in Moscow at the moment. I spend about one to three years on most monuments.

ML: This was your fourth royal inauguration in 12 years. How does each inauguration coincide with your evolvement as an artist?
PD: Good question, I’m not really sure. I just go with the flow of life and learn with each new project. I am not in complete control of my career but accept the opportunities life offers me with good grace, I hope.

ML: You were an exhibitor at Top Marques 2017?
PD: I came to Monaco this year upon the invitation of the organisers of Top Marques – I happen to be a petrol head and like cars, among many other things of course.

I found it a very enjoyable experience, met lots of super interesting people, and was bowled over by the drama and beauty of Monaco! I loved my visit, and potentially will be back.

ML: I see that you presented a copy of Paul Day Sculpture to Prince Albert.
PD: Presenting HSH Prince Albert with the book was a fantastic way to start the week at Top Marques. I have not yet been commissioned but would absolutely love to do some work for Monaco. In fact, my next visit will be with camera and sketchbook. I would really like to do a series of sculptures inspired by the architecture and scenery of Monaco – it is unique and breathtaking. There are so many architectural views that impressed me during my visit and these will inspire a series of sculptures for sure.

Article first published July 21, 2107.

HM The Queen Unveils The Iraq And Afghanistan Memorial 
On Thursday, March 9 2017, Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, attended a Service of Dedication and unveiled the new memorial in Victoria Embankment Gardens, which honours the service and duty of both the UK Armed Forces and civilians in the Gulf region, Iraq and Afghanistan, and those who supported them back home, from 1990-2015.

The service of dedication, from a specially conducted Drumhead, with 2,500 invited guests was held on Horse Guards Parade and afterwards a short ceremony was held at Victoria Embankment Gardens, next to the Ministry of Defence, where The Queen officially unveiled the memorial and met a small number of guests. A reception for all those who attended the day’s events was held on Horse Guards Parade afterwards.

The Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial recognises the contributions by Her Majesty’s Armed Forces and all UK citizens who were deployed in the Gulf region, Iraq and Afghanistan from 1990-2015. The combined events that the memorial covers represent the longest post-war continuous overseas deployment of UK forces (excepting garrison duties), and the most intensive extended period of operations undertaken since the Second World War. The concept of creating a national memorial commemorating the UK’s contribution to both military operations and civilian reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, from the liberation of Kuwait in 1990 through to the end of combat operations in Afghanistan, originated in spring 2014. It had political backing from then Secretary of State for Defence Philip Hammond and then Prime Minister David Cameron. A board of trustees was formed to deliver the project.

The current Government strongly backs the initiative, has committed financial support from LIBOR funding and is facilitating the unveiling event. The memorial gives equal prominence to the military and civilian contributions, including the delivery of healthcare and nation-building. The memorial is intentionally not focused on the fallen and bears no names. The memorial honours the several hundred thousand1UK citizens deployed in the Gulf region, Iraq and Afghanistan in the quarter century. Although the military forms the largest group, the diversity of the civilian roles is remarkable and includes education, humanitarian work, healthcare and infrastructure. The Iraq And Afghanistan Memorial was designed by sculptor Paul Day. The Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial is innovative and unique in both the breadth of those it is designed to represent and the 25 year time scale. This is an opportunity not only to recognise the momentous contribution of our Armed Forces but, on a national scale, also emphasise the vital work of civilians from the many Government departments, charitable organisations and contractors.

Walk into Barclays Monaco on avenue de la Costa and you’ll be greeted by Prince Albert. Not personally, of course, but a formidable portrait of the Sovereign Prince by Benjamin Shine, made from over 1,000 recycled plastic bottles that were collected by the International School of Monaco, hangs proudly in the lobby.

A tulle-netting portrait of Princess Charlene by the same artist, equally as stunning, captures your attention over the stairs.

Tulle is Mr Shine’s signature work for which the graduate of Fashion Design at Central St Martins in London has not only gained widespread attention over the past decade, but his tulle creations have frequently been shown alongside luxury fashion houses. His recent collaboration with John Galliano for the Maison Margiela’s Artisanal Collection, culminated in the famous “Face Coat”, which received “a tremendous reaction globally”. He also collaborated with Riccardo Tisci on a series of couture/tulle art pieces for Givenchy.

Mr Shine, whose family has strong ties to Monaco, is in New York as part of his 3-month residency, in which he is working on several new public projects.

His current exhibition, Seeing Through The Material in the windows of Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue – a five piece installation consisting of the British artist and designer’s signature ethereal tulle flows – debuted on July 7.

Mr Shine told Monaco Life, “The iconic Bergdorf Goodman windows go beyond visual display – they are an ever-changing and popular public art gallery which people go out of their way to visit.”Seeing Through The Material consists of individual installations, each created by manipulating a single length of tulle – a lightweight, fine netting fabric. Through this unconventional medium and technique, Mr Shine explores ideas of invisibility, solidity, flux and impermanence to question and consider the relationship between the superficial and the spiritual.

The artist, who generated over 100 million views last year when his tulle work was showcased on Huffington Post, described, “I am thrilled, after several years of discussing this project, to finally realise this concept and delighted by the incredible response it has received.”

Seeing Through The Material will be on display at Bergdorf Goodman in New York until August 3.

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Father Walter Raymond, who took over as chaplain at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Monaco in 2008, will celebrate his last service on Sunday, July 2. He will return to Canada the next day where he will retire from full-time ministry as an Anglican priest.

Born and raised in Sacramento, California, he moved to Canada with friends after college, where among other things, he could avoid being drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. “Like a lot of my contemporaries I didn’t agree with the war so I made a home for myself in Canada. I fell in love with the country as soon as I arrived. The people and opportunities were great and, in retrospect, I consider myself very fortunate to have found my way to Canada at such a young age.”

Father Walter, said that eventually he went looking for a spiritual home as well and found this in the Anglican Church of Canada.

“To cut a long story short,” he explained “I was ordained in 1992, served in a parish and as a school chaplain.” In 1999, he was appointed Dean of Quebec and he now holds the title of Dean Emeritus.

As a priest in Canada, Walter Raymond became a member of the Anglican religious community the Oratory of the Good Shepherd (OGS). “It’s what we call a dispersed community and was founded in Cambridge in 1913. Simply put, it’s a worldwide group of Anglican men, mainly priests, who share a common Rule of Life and pray for each other daily, as well as meeting regularly, usually on a regional basis. It’s a source of spiritual support and a great network of colleagues and friends.”

When he saw the position in Monaco advertised online, he decided the time might be right to make a move, after nine years serving as the Dean of Quebec. “I applied, was interviewed and eventually selected. I was attracted by the new challenge, the idea of working in another bilingual environment … and by the weather. After 40 Canadian winters, I was more than ready to settle and live on the Riviera.”

At the beginning of his ministry at St Paul’s, Father Walter shared, “Let me say first that I’m in for the long-haul. I want the church to develop as an active spiritual and social centre for local residents and that includes the younger people.”

Ten years on: mission accomplished. Father Walter, along with his loyal canine companion Sparky, has deeply imprinted his faith and boundless outreach on the community in Monaco and beyond, and been a keen supporter of many local associations, such as the Canadian Club and British Association of Monaco. BAM’s last Friday Friendship Club of the season was dedicated to a farewell tea party for Father Walter at which he was presented with memorabilia from the AS Monaco FC shop – Father Walter has held season tickets for AS Monaco for 10 seasons.

While in Monaco, Father Walter has worked hard to support many different charities, from refugee relief (iConnect Monaco) to logging in the kilometres on the annual No Finish Line track. Over the past year, he has worked on the Saint Paul’s Library Lift Appeal to provide easier access to the St Paul’s Church Library, which is used by many different groups of people; and he hopes to return to Monaco in November 2017 to celebrate the completion of the new Library Lift.

I have known Father Walter for nearly ten years, although during most of that time we had an “online relationship”, as I was Editor-in-Chief of Riviera Reporter magazine, where Monaco content was limited in coverage. It was only when I started to work for Monaco Life that I kept bumping into Father Walter at various events – next to Prince Albert at the St Paul’s Lift Campaign reception, at the exclusive Amber Lounge Formula One Fashion Show, next to a Canadian Mountie on Canada Day at the Fairmont Hotel, or at the American Club’s annual Thanksgiving lunch at the Hotel Hermitage. Humble, jovial and a gifted conversationalist, Father Walter has always been one of my favourite local figures.

I am not alone.

At a farewell service last Sunday, June 25, St Paul’s Church was overflowing with members of the chaplaincy community and many friends to celebrate his retirement. The service featured the baptism of two boys, Rex and Dylan Griffiths and this, in Father Walter’s opinion, was “a great way to bring a close to 10 years of ministry at Saint Paul’s”.

Archbishop Bernard Barsi of Monaco honoured Father Walter with the bronze medallion of the Archdiocese of Monaco “in recognition of his contribution to building good ecumenical relations in the Principality”.

At the end of the service, Joanne Keable presented Father Walter with funds she had collected to cover the cost of Sparky’s airfare to Canada and to purchase a winter coat for the dog.

The service was followed by lunch at Miami Plage restaurant on Larvotto Beach. At the conclusion of which, Warden Tim Humphreys surprised Father Walter with a purse collected in his honour of nearly €4,000, which he was of course delighted to receive, reporting that he would “put this gift to good use towards the purchase of the first new car he’s ever owned on his return to Canada”.

Father Dan Langdon-Griffiths, a frequent guest minister at St Paul’s Monte Carlo in recent years, will serve a long-term interregnum at the Anglican church beginning in August, following the retirement of Father Walter Raymond.

While Sunday was a day full of emotions and festivities, it served as a reminder of the strengths of friendship and community that make St Paul’s Monaco such an active and unique church, something Father Walter Raymond sees as one the church’s great strengths.

Fortunately, he’ll never be far from our thoughts anytime we need a lift.

Article first published June 29. Images: Simon Wynne. To view all of Simon Wynne’s photos, click here

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RAMOGE is joining forces with SOS Grand Bleu in a morning cleanup of the sea off Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. The operation this Saturday, July 22, will be carried out in collaboration with a number of partners – the town hall of St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Nice firefighters, Cap Plongée, the International Apnea Diving Centre, Submarine Locaventure Nice and Véolia Eau.

Everyone participating is a volunteers, including experienced divers who want to make an impact in the fight against marine litter.

The event also represents an opportunity to raise public awareness of the important impact of marine macro-litter and the threat it poses to the environment, affecting wildlife, flora, and water quality.

The Mediterranean is one of the world’s most affected sea areas. Data collected over the past few years have shown that densities of several tens of thousands of waste per hectare have been observed on the sea bottom near major metropolitan areas and in certain regions of the basin.

One hundred percent of stranded sea turtles have ingested plastics. Cetaceans are also affected by this pollution. An international study revealed the ingestion of large quantities of waste by sperm whales, which included debris from fishing gear, ropes, plastic bags, food packaging, coffee capsules and even car debris.

SOS Grand Bleu says: “It is the responsibility of all to take care to preserve the marine environment of this pollution. Macro-waste does not disappear if abandoned in Nature. Our individual gestures are paramount. Let us definitely adopt these simple gestures. Let us promise never to throw our waste outside specific collection points, to sort our waste and to consume products whose packaging is minimised.”

RDV 9 am at Espalmador Bay in St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Pre-registration with SOS Grand Bleu/ Murielle ORIOL: 04 93 76 17 61 or 06 63 43 43 21.

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