15 ° C
Profile

Day: 6 August 2021

“Life is Beautiful” with artist Houda Bakkali

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/08/2021

Monaco’s Le Pinocchio restaurant will be featuring private viewings of the works of artist Houda Bakkali this month, inviting guests to experiment with augmented reality as they admire her special brand of visual art.
Barcelona-based Houda Bakkali wants us all to look at the world the way she does: in a positive light. After a year and a half of bad news, the artist is asking people to remember, through her latest exhibition at Le Pinocchio restaurant, that “Life is Beautiful” and to be grateful despite all the difficulties life presents.
“With the new graphic series ‘Life is Beautiful’, the international visual artist Houda Bakkali launches a universal message of optimism and hope, more necessary than ever in these strange dark times that humankind is experiencing due to the global pandemic and the unpredictability of its evolution,” Juliet Art Magazine said of her exhibition. “While the whole world is sick, disoriented and frightened by the future, the Spanish artist concentrates on the digital canvas, all the most vibrant and incredible colours that nature and pixels are able to offer to create a real explosion of joy of against which it is impossible to remain neutral.”
It would, indeed, be hard to stay neutral upon seeing the works on offer by the vibrant Bakkali, which will be on display from 9th to 22nd August. Loaded with imagery depicting strong females and representing iconic feminine themes such as flowers, curves and colour, her work is much like the artist herself.

Le Pinocchio restaurant is located in the old town of Monaco, photo provided

Le Pinocchio has hosted the artist in the past. She had a show in the midst of the pandemic back in October of 2020 where she displayed her Africa series as well as debuting a new piece at the time called Crazy Heart.
“At this very particular time that we live because of the pandemic, we must find new ways to continue sharing our creativity with the public,” said Bakkali at the time. “My art is essentially digital, so this virtual presentation is a perfect option to bring the public closer to my creative process. In Monaco, I feel at home. It is a country that I love and being able to show my work in such an emblematic place as Le Pinocchio is a great honour. I am very grateful and happy for this opportunity.”
Bakkali is an international visual artist and has exhibited around the globe, including in Paris, Madrid, Cannes, San Remo, New York, Barcelona, Córdoba, Biarritz and Lorc, as well as in the Principality.
 
 
 

Health Passes to be available for non-EU tourists

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/08/2021

The French government has announced that tourists vaccinated outside the EU will be eligible to obtain a health pass from Monday as the country’s mandatory pass rule comes into force.

Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, the Secretary of State for Tourism in France, told French media on Thursday that foreign tourists will be able to get a health pass allowing fully vaccinated visitors from outside the European Union the same rights as those within the country. The government will use the same idea as for French nationals who live abroad and have been vaccinated with jabs recognised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

“Our goal is that, from 9th August, these tourists present on national soil can obtain passes on the same model as the French established outside France,” Lemoyne said on France Inter. “We are setting up a dedicated scalable device that will ramp up to meet these demands.”

Since Monday 2nd August, a system for French expats has been in effect allowing them to get a special health pass in order to return to French soil. 

The Constitutional Court, France’s top authority in matters such as these, approved on Thursday the controversial bill stating that health passes be mandatory for anyone wanting to access public places such as restaurants, cafes, fairs, and public transport, stating that the bill was a “balanced trade-off” between public health and personal freedom.

This will come into effect from Monday 9th August.

The addition of a health pass for foreigners will open up the country again to tourism, making it an attractive destination for travellers.

Foreign students are also being welcomed by the government. Lemoyne made a special point to say that “the principle is confirmed that we will welcome international students who are registered in the establishments.”

It has not been made public exactly how this will work, but the Secretary of State assured the public, “We will announce in the coming days the practical modalities which will allow them to come.”

 
 
Photo by Monaco Life
 
 
 

CleanEquity rewards innovative green companies

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/08/2021

A UK company behind the ‘smart meter’ that breaks down electricity bills to the level of individual appliances was one of three award winners for innovation at this year’s CleanEquity event in Monaco.
CleanEquity Monaco, the annual invitation-only conference organised by Innovator Capital and featuring the world’s best up and coming sustainable technology companies, showcased 17 organisations this year.
On 23rd July, three were selected as recipients of the CleanEquity Awards for Excellence.
US-based Conamix won the Award for Research for their use of sulphur cathodes in enabling the production of high energy batteries for electric vehicles. Their batteries are 25% less expensive than current lithium-ion technology and use no cobalt or nickel in production.
Vertoro, a company from the Netherlands, received the Award for Development for their work converting residual biomass into its liquid platform product, Goldilocks, providing a sustainable alternative for existing fossil oil refineries and petrochemical plants.
The final winner, Voltaware out of the UK, won the Award for Commercialisation. The company’s innovative smart meter utilises algorithms to accurately break down electricity bills to the level of individual appliances, unlocking use cases such as energy efficiency, predictive maintenance, safety and security to help end-user consumers save money and energy.
The runners-up were IPG from the UK, United States-based Agerpoint, and Purity Fuel, also from the US.
Awards were designed by Irish artist Claire McClusky, based on a 20-sided “platonic solid”, each symbolizing some aspect of water. They were fashioned using sustainable and traceable wood sourced from the Lisnavagh Timber Project in Carlow.
Prince Albert II said of the conference, “For the past decade, it has been a pleasure to participate in this conference, as it has always been instructive with the opportunity to meet fascinating people committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and making the world a better and fairer place.”
Innovator Capital, a London-based specialist investment bank, celebrated their 14th year holding the event and since its inception, more than 350 companies have presented ideas and products.
 
 
Photo left to right: CleanEquity co-founder Mungo Park, Bernard Fautrier, Michael Boot, Charlotte Hamilton and Rishabh Jalpuria