Saturday, March 24, marks Earth Hour, a global initiative to draw attention to environmental issues.
Prince Albert invites all Monegasques, residents, professionals and friends of the Principality to join him again this year in this initiative by turning off the lights and unplugging non-essential electrical appliances for an hour, between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm, to show their commitment to protecting and safeguarding the environment.
Starting as a symbolic lights out event in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour is now the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment, inspiring millions of people to take action for our planet and nature, the organisers say.
Among local businesses taking part will be Stars’n’Bars, who will turn off lights and television screens, as well as offer ecological workshops for children to discuss the theme of alternative, renewable and new energies, while building a windmill made of recycled materials that they can take home.
The Fairmont, Meridien Beach Plaza and restaurants Elsa and Blue Bay will also participate in Earth Hour this year.
In solidarity, the lights will be turned off in the Prince’s Palace and government buildings.
Clocks go forward at 2 am on Sunday, March 25.
ML: You are from New York. Tell us a little about yourself and your background in art. HH: My background in art started when I was a child. My beautifully whimsical French grandmother, Evelynn, was an impressionist painter and influential part of my strong desire to learn and paint throughout my life.
I don’t paint in the manner that she does currently, I found my own unique style. I forgo the use of brushes and paint with just my hands, I work around my canvas on the floor to music of all genres – music is a key to opening my subconscious and allowing me to pour out my deepest thoughts.
My larger abstracts, which are often what I get commissioned to paint, are challenging, so I built 20-foot catwalks to walk over the enormous canvas, allowing me to get the harmony that each piece must have in its chaotic nature.
ML: What attracted you to hand painting, and how do you decide when a piece is finished? HH: Painting with my hands was a way of controlling where my paint landed. I need also to feel the weight and texture. It’s a way of connecting to all of it; it completes the process in the most raw sense. A piece is finished is when it speaks back to me, what we call in art an “Aha! moment”. It’s like the first time falling in love, it’s all over you, and you just know.
ML: What is your connection to Monaco, and what does it mean for an artist to exhibit here, as opposed to having a show in London or Paris? HH: On a personal level, I’ve been coming to Monaco for over a decade. I’m in love with the romance of its beauty and felt compelled to be here. Professionally, I came to Monaco back in 2013 when I was asked to participate in GemLucArt, the exhibition under the Honorary Presidency of HRH Princess of Hanover, which raise funds for the fight against cancer. It’s an international competition and representing the US, I did very well placing third out of ninety-three.
ML: Would you say there’s an art scene in Monaco? HH: All that cities where I’ve exhibited have an art scene and Monaco is no different. I think we need to engage more and bring some new blood here to liven Monaco up a bit. I feel maybe I might be the fresh face it needs.
ML: As an artist, how do you define success? HH: Success to me is freedom. I have this in my life, I do what I love and live each day thrilled to be in it.
ML: Looking at the Diamond Dust Collection portfolio, what inspires your work? HH: Diamond Dust was created for Monaco, and it exists because of the place. The opulence and beauty of Monaco is the collection.
ML: I read you travel extensively. What is one thing you do when visiting a new place and what has travel taught you as an artist? HH: Travelling is inspiring and I enjoy meeting artists from the region, to see what I can learn from them and hopefully share with them some of my experiences and techniques.
I’m likely to take in my surroundings, shoot mental pictures to gather inspiration for something new I might be working on. I’m forever a student and take it in like a sponge.
ML: For art goers who come to see the Diamond Dust Collection at the Port Palace Hotel, what impression do you hope to make? HH: People who come to see my new works will get a glimpse of a compelling, complex and distinctive artist. They will get to see how I view Monaco on canvas: beauty, grace with a dash of glitz.
Hallie Hart’s Diamond Dust Collection at Port Palace opens March 22 and runs for six months. For more, see House of Hart on Facebook. Article first published March 20, 2018.
I don’t know what you did on Sunday, but I dropped by the EcoHub at Stars’n’Bars to take a few pictures of the “Je m’engage” National Pact for Energy Transition event.
It was like circuit training for those wanting to get environmentally fit.
Outside, there were various creative activities for children, including a garden workshop on how to plant seeds and grow organic herbs (Stars’n’Bars has its own vegetable and herb garden). For the bigger kids like me, you could step into the driver’s seat of an AirPod compressed air car, which was invented and developed in nearby Carros. At less than 2 metres in length, the vehicle recharges with an electrical plug and can travel up to 200 km with a top speed of 80 km/h.
Photo: Monaco Life
Inside at StarDeck, a series of eco-stations to increase your carbon footprint awareness were set up, as well as games to teach children the importance of recycling. The smoothie bike was a big hit also, for young and old.
To the side, a video looped explaining the Prince’s vision towards a sustainable future and his government’s national strategy to cut the Principality’s overall carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2030 and to be carbon neutral by 2050, which includes initiatives such as A Bag for Life programme, solar roads and the National Pact for Energy Transition.
“To achieve these goals we must all act together to protect our environment, while improving our quality of life and preserving our health,” said Stars’n’Bars co-founders Kate Powers and Didier Rubiolo, who, along with Annette Anderson, put a great amount of effort into organising the afternoon. “This means adopting new habits, using clean energies and controlling our waste.”
The Mission for Energy Transition (MTE) team, in the presence of Jean-Luc Nguyen, Director of the Mission for Energy Transition, was also on hand to help people with a carbon footprint “calculator” – based on how much they travel, how much waste they generate and how much energy they use – and to discuss on a one-on-one basis the National Pact, which can be signed by anyone who works or lives in the Principality, offering suggestions about how to make small changes to reduce your consumption in the categories of transport, waste and electricity.
Photo: Monaco Life
The event was highly informative and one young French girl ran up to Kate to thank her because she “learned a lot”. Her sincerity was touching.
I am one of those people who finds global warming and carbon-footprints overwhelming. While I recognise there is much to be done, I am not sure how I alone can help save the planet. After spending 15 minutes talking with an impressively informed MTE member about how I could change my habits and reduce my impact on the environment, I realised I was engaged in a collective commitment of an eco-conscious community. I signed the pact.
For those of you in Monaco who are commitment phobic, unwilling to give up your freedom, great life or travel, engage in the National Energy Transition Pact. Like any relationship, you may have to compromise but it promises a future better than worse.
Kamran Djavadi, Andrew Mott, Gerald Mathieu, Francesco Grosoli, Sophie Saurini and Jean Daniel Troy. Photo: Oznerol
Barclays Private Bank has announced several appointments, which authenticate the opportunities it sees for growth in Monaco and Switzerland, as well as demonstrating its strong team with a depth of talent.
Gerald Mathieu will move from Monaco to Switzerland to take the role of Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Barclays Bank (Suisse). As a result, Andrew Mott and Sophie Saurini have been appointed to lead client and market engagement in Monaco, supported by the sales management team.
Ms Saurini joined Barclays in 2011 and has been leading a team of Private Bankers in Monaco focused on UHNW clients.
Mr Mott has been with Barclays for 35 years and has been leading the Monaco UK team of Private Bankers for the past seven years.
Jean Daniel Troy will continue in his role as Deputy General Manager for Monaco and Kamran Djavadi, in his role as EMEA Head of Business Delivery and Control, will carry on working closely with Francesco Grosoli, CEO, Private Bank EMEA & Monaco Branch, and the leadership team to deliver Barclays ambitions across EMEA and the whole Private Banking and Overseas Services business.
Mr Grosoli told Monaco Life, “With Gerald in Switzerland, Andrew and Sophie in Monaco and Steve Klemme, who recently joined as Head of Middle East, we have a strong and experienced EMEA leadership team in place for Private Bank and Overseas Services to support the delivery of tailored and relevant solutions for our clients.
“We’ve got a strong mandate for growth and Monaco plays a significant role in delivering this ambition.”
Barclays has been reinvesting in the Private Bank and Overseas Services business over the last 12 months, with over 100 hires, furthering the bank’s commitment to EMEA, Switzerland, Monaco and MENA.
The recent appointments emphasise the bank’s focus on enabling colleagues to reach their full potential through development and mobility opportunities.
Barclays long-term vision continues to be about making decisions and doing business that positively impacts clients, customers and shareholders, as well as the communities in which they operate.
As an example, the Monaco branch celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 with a highly successful in-house event featuring local businesses. Guest speakers included award-winning Sommelier Julia Scavo, health and nutrition coach Madeleine Karlsson and Kasey Robinson from the association She Can He Can, which aims to inspire girls to take leadership roles.
The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation was also represented, as well as Bel Air Fine Art, HRH Jewels, Fragonard and Rossano Ferretti Hair Spa.
