Day: 13 March 2018

On March 14, HSH Prince Albert celebrates his 60th birthday. If you’re hoping to know all the important details about what flavour of cake HSH will be eating and what the twins are wearing for the birthday occasion … then go to People Magazine. That’s not my style.

I’m sure the Prince himself, who this week told Le Figaro that he “feels somewhere between the age of 15 and 45”, will take a moment on his big day to reflect over his achievements to date. The list is impressive, as the Olympian, and the Foundation that bears his name, continue to promote environmental protection and sustainable development, both at home and on a global scale. From the National Pact for Energy Transition to solar roads in Fontvieille, and from Yersin, the ecological research ship flying the Monegasque flag currently on a 3-year worldwide mission, to Prince Albert’s North Pole expedition in 2006 to draw attention to climate change.

As recently as last Friday, I listened at the Awards Ceremony of CleanEquity Monaco as Prince Albert announced the creation of the world’s first Global Award for Sustainability with the Nobel Sustainability Trust, and a Global Green Investment Bank. Wow.

Yet as the Prince celebrates this milestone on Wednesday, rather than provide a resumé-style retrospective, I would like to pay tribute to the Prince of the People.

As a journalist in Monaco, I cross paths with HSH in a variety of contexts: an art vernissage, the London to Monaco Charity Cycle arrival at the palace, a celebration for the Solar Impulse 2 Team, the opening of the Energy Security Forum or the Monaco US Celebrity Golf Cup Gala Dinner. I have been a guest at the Prince’s home, Rocagel, when he kindly agreed to an exclusive interview along with Mungo Park, his co-founder of CleanEquity Monaco.

All of these encounters allow me to paint a bigger picture of HSH across a day, or week, and it’s more than just the words that fill column inches. It’s a story about a Prince who is as loyal to the people as they are to him.

Let me share some snapshots from over the years. Before arriving at the Fairmont last Friday to make his closing speech at CleanEquity Monaco, the Prince had been at Grimaldi Forum, where he met with 18-year-old Felix Finkbeiner who was launching his Trillion Tree Campaign with the Prince’s full support.

On the morning of November 8, 2017, after hosting HRH Prince Andrew Duke of York at a Palace Gala reception the night before, Prince Albert was at the Yacht Club for the inaugural Princes’ Cup, a rowing competition for youth organised by Outward Bound Monaco. Then he was off to the Hermitage for the 90th anniversary luncheon of the Monte-Carlo Club. By 5 pm, he arrived at MonacoTech’s new premises to inaugurate the joint initiative between the government and Monaco Telecom.

The Prince is not just showing up, he’s committed; he spoke to each of the kids participating in the rowing regatta. He took the time to ask questions to each of the 15 startup companies at MonacoTech, even though that delayed the speeches.

I constantly see how Prince Albert has a way of validating each of the people he has contact with in his role as a sovereign. While Prince Andrew is painfully awkward socially, unsure of how to hand a youth a baseball cap, Prince Albert is old hand at putting people at ease with a smile and casual conversation.

On June 9 last year, immediately after landing from New York, where he had addressed the UN at a three-day Ocean Conference, Prince Albert arrived for the closing of Monacology’s EcoVillage, at Quai Antoine 1er. He spoke to each local business and student at every booth, asking questions, and even watched a puppet show.

On December 14, 2016, fresh from Quebec City, Canada, where HSH participated in an Arctic Circle event on sustainable development, at 11:15 am, he was paying a visit to the tribute exhibition to Monaco’s former Minister of State, Michel Roger, at La Cremaillere restaurant. The Prince genially shook everyone’s hand as he entered and spoke to each artist.

Later that afternoon, HSH and Princess Charlene welcomed 600 Monegasque children for the traditional Christmas at the Palace.

At 6:45 pm, Prince Albert pulled up to the Hotel de Paris for the “Vente aux enchères de sapins de Noël”, the annual Action Innocence fundraiser that auctions Christmas trees for charity. Later that evening, Prince Albert attended an awards ceremony at 8:30 pm at the Automobile Club of Monaco, where he presented Nico Rosberg with an original work of the British artist Michael Turner.

Throw into the mix the Prince’s sense of fun, community and sportsmanship: his participation in the Riviera Water Bike Challenge, the 140 km St Tropez to Monaco Cycle and the 2016 World Rowing Championships when he joined the Yole 8+, to name a few events.

For me, the success of a person’s life is measured by how he or she treats others. In February 2016, Prince Albert graciously paid a visit to some 40 parishioners of St Paul’s Monte Carlo, in support of the church’s elevator appeal, for which the Prince is patron. After spending a fair amount of time chatting with various people, it was time for the Prince to leave. On his way out, I watched as he made a point to stop and shake hands with the young caterers.

Happy 60th Birthday to the Prince of the People.

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Thomas Iser, Universal Humanity Photographer

ML: Our paths crossed at the Fairmont Monte Carlo. Talk a little about yourself.
TI: I was born in Metz, France in 1987, and had a quite a turbulent childhood as my brother and I were raised with no rules or boundaries.

Our parents split when I was three, and then life became a rollercoaster. As a teenager I saw my brother fall into drugs and become schizophrenic, my mother suffer from depression and my father quite distant, not by choice but due to circumstances.

My mom’s parents were really caring and loving, and thanks to them I got to see what nature had to offer, the beautiful forests, the rivers – I still dream today about the beauty I saw fishing in those rivers with my grandfather. Without my grandparents, I would have surely taken a wrong path. You can only give what you receive.

ML: You are a self-taught performer, photographer and painter. When did this all begin?
TI: I started skateboarding at a really young age, and also doing graffiti. I was fascinated by the energy and the colours, and because it was something forbidden, almost secret in a way. Plus the adrenaline you get while painting in illegal places is really addictive, a pure shot of life. When you do get caught, you have to use your imagination to get out of trouble as best you can. Street graffiti is a very good education.

Art became my life over time, and nothing matters more to me than expressing inspiring ideas through my work. As humanity faces bigger challenges, the world, more than ever, needs unity. If we want to survive on this planet we have to understand that we are one, all connected, and that we need to work together to face the threats to human existence. Art is something very personal I share with the world and everyday I learn about people and myself.

ML: With your Universal Humanity project, you take thousands of photos of people holding a card over their right eye. Where did the concept come from?
TI: Universal Humanity is basically a portrait of humanity, celebrating diversity in a unique way. It started three years ago, when I painted my body like a broken sculpture and began to roam the streets around the world. My body was painted in black, with breaking lines in gold, colours representing space and light. Each part of my body represented mankind, all different yet building something unique and alive together … humanity.

I was inspired by Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing pottery with melted gold and then accepting the piece is more beautiful and stronger after having been broken and repaired. This art resonates in me, I feel like a Kintsugi object in a way because I knew how to rebuild myself after all the things I experienced with my family.

Then one day, while performing, I decided to take pictures superimposing my famous yellow card, which represents my own eye, over other people’s eyes and so sharing my vision, a vision of a world with no borders and more justice. I guess everyone suffers, so everyone can understand the message.

I have now over 5,000 photos (Universal Humanity Instagram) and I will never stop taking them as long as I live.

ML: When I asked where you were from, you called yourself a “luxury homeless”.
TI: Yes, I said I’m a luxury homeless because I sometimes have the opportunity to be in incredible places like Monaco, and benefit from amazing accommodation thanks to the people I meet, new friends I make, wanting to support me.

Like, for instance, when I was in Dubai last year staying on a friend’s boat for a while, painting my body, painting canvas also … but don’t take this the wrong way, I am just as happy on a sofa and have been in many weird situations (I should write a book!).

I use the term homeless because I don’t have a real address. I prefer to buy plane tickets or invest in art supplies than to pay for rent. So I am always on the move and creating.

Art is a lifestyle and I’m very happy to have more and more people collecting my work, which helps to keep me going. I am building something very specific and once the dots are connected everyone will be able to understand and feel the design.

ML: How do people react to your request to take their photo?
TI: Most people are pretty happy to take part, and they tend to repost their picture on social media, more now than at the beginning of the project. Maybe because they see I have taken a lot of pictures, including celebrities like designer Stefano Gabbana, Victoria’s Secret Angel Sara Sampaio, actor Gad Elmaleh (who is also father to Raphael with former partner Charlotte Casiraghi), X-Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger, rapper Pharrell Williams, American photographer David LaChapelle, Victoria Silvstedt and many others.

When I photograph people it can be very intimate. Holding their hand with the yellow card, I feel their pulse, I look into their eyes. And I have to say, we all share the same sparkle of life, even though for some, unfortunately, life has made it hard to see.

ML: What does travelling teach you about yourself?
TI: I love to travel and see new cultures, landscapes and nature. Travelling is amazing and inspiring, it shows us different possibilities, different systems … but also how to travel within yourself. You can be happy anywhere if you are happy with yourself.

Freedom is the most important thing in my eyes. The freer you are the more your imagination will be able to make new things happen in your life.

ML: Favourite thing to do when passing through Monaco?
TI: Walk around the town, discover its people and take pictures of them.

Article first published March 13, 2018.

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News

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The Latin American restaurant group, COYA, has announced the launch of its first European site outside London, opening in Monaco in May 2018. Coinciding with the Monaco Grand Prix, COYA will open above Jimmy’z and Monte Carlo Bay.

The 257-cover venue will incorporate a buzzing and vibrant bar and a contemporary Peruvian restaurant, COYA said. In collaboration with Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, COYA Monte Carlo says it is set “to revive the city’s culinary scene, providing a vibrant hub for international visitors and the stars of music, film, fashion and sport”.

Guests will be taken on a Latin American journey from the moment they arrive at the grand entrance of COYA Monte-Carlo. The sweeping terrace with sea views, COYA’s infamous Pisco Bar & Lounge, a luxury shisha experience and resident DJ throughout the summer will make this Monaco’s new hotspot.

A menu of globally renowned COYA dishes will be overseen by Chef Sanjay Dwivedi, who combines traditional elements of Peruvian cuisine with Modern European cooking techniques and Asian influences to create naturally light and healthy dishes.

The décor, designed by the London-based design studio Sagrada, who are responsible for all COYA venues (London, Abu Dhabi and Dubai), will incorporate Peruvian artefacts, plant features and bespoke hand-crafted furniture. A key design feature of the restaurant will be the Ceviche Bar – an open prep kitchen that puts guests at the centre of the action to watch the iconic Peruvian dishes being made.

A 30-seater Private Dining Room will provide ultimate exclusivity and a spectacular dining experience with unrivalled views.

COYA Monte-Carlo will be open in May throughout high season, closing in October 2018 for the winter period.

See also: The ultimate Monaco Grand Prix survival guide

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A delegation from Huawei, Monaco Telecom’s partner, led by Vincent Pang, CEO Europe, visited the Principality on Monday, March 12, to work on future collaborations, particularly in the context of Smart City development.

The Monegasque operator and the provider of digital solutions in terminals, networks and cloud, for operators, businesses and consumers, have been working together since 2013.

Thanks to this long-standing partnership, Monaco Telecom has developed the 4G mobile network enabling the opening in Monaco, in April 2017, of the world’s first mobile network offering up to 1 Gb/s.

Developments to improve coverage in the Principality made it possible in January of this year to place Monaco Telecom at the top of the rankings of 290 global operators according to 4GMARK – an ultra-precise measurement tool that offers a complete benchmark of quality of service connection on smartphones.

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At a luncheon held at the Hotel Hermitage on Tuesday, March 13, Gilles Tonelli, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, received HE Rahman Sahib oglu Mustafayev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan; HE Datin Paduka Malai Hajah Halimah Malai Haji Yussof, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brunei Darussalam; HE Rodolphe Adada, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Congo, and HE Alexey Meshkov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation.

In the morning, the four had presented their Letters of Credence to the Sovereign Prince.

HE Rahman Sahib oglu Mustafayev joined the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1987. In 2004, he served as Director of the International Relations Section of the “Azadliq” newspaper. In 2000, he became Counsellor at the Russian Embassy. He was appointed Director of the Directorate of Europe and America at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 2006, and was promoted as Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Greece and Albania.

HE Datin Paduka Malai Hajah Halimah Malai Haji Yussof joined the MFA Research Branch of Brunei Darussalam in 1983, where she successively held the positions of Deputy Director for Southeast Asia, Assistant Director for Asia-Pacific and Director of Analysis. In 2007, she was appointed Director of Political Affairs and became Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam in the Philippines in 2008.

HE Rodolphe Adada began his political career in 1976 as Minister of Scientific Research of Congo. He accomplished this mission in different ministries before becoming advisor to the President. He was later appointed Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of the Republic of Congo.

HE Alexey Meshkov held various diplomatic positions in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs before joining the Embassies of Italy and the Republic of San Marino as Ambassador.

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As every year, the Pavillon Bosio Visual Arts School, also known as ESAP, will open its doors to the public for its traditional Open Day on Saturday, March 24, from 10 am to 6 pm.

Drawings, installations, video, volume, and collective and scenographic projects will be presented. Teachers and students will welcome and inform future candidates about the courses offered, which include a National Diploma of Visual Arts (equivalent to a 3-year University degree) and Masters of Visual Arts (a 5-year University degree equivalent).

Two sessions have been opened for entrance examinations and equivalence commissions. The first on Thursday, April 12, from 9 am, and Friday, April 13 (submission of applications before March 29). The second on Tuesday, September 4, from 9 am, and Wednesday, September 5, by appointment (submission of candidatures before August 21).

To register, candidates must be under the age of 24 on the date of the contest; have a baccalaureate (students in Terminale are admitted subject to graduation); or have attended or finished university studies in France or abroad.

Exceptional derogations may be granted to candidates with a professional background or studies in line with artistic studies (for non-graduates, the level of general education must be equivalent to a baccalaureate).

Non-francophone students must pass a written test in French.

The academic year will begin on Monday, September 24. The registration fee for the entrance examination is €30.

The school, which is located on the Rock, also takes an active part in promoting contemporary works and Monaco’s cultural vocation.

In an effort to raise public awareness about art, ESAP offers technical workshops “to those who would like to initiate themselves to art or increase the spontaneity of their artistic expression”.

Courses are taught by qualified art teachers and the programs offered follow specific pedagogical project guidelines.

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