German design studio LenzWerk has opened a showroom in Monaco, giving visitors a glimpse at high-end living spaces created using German design brands and stunning art.
The new showroom for Lenzwerk Monaco at the Villa Nuvola is a tribute to exclusivity and style, offering potential customers the chance to wander through a shop that is set up to look like a private residence, making it both inspirational and aspirational.
Spread over 800 square metres and six levels, the entire showroom is up for sale. Highlights include a hand-knotted Jan Kath rug from the ‘Erased Heritage’ series, Occhio lamps and living spaces designed by Walter Knoll, as well as items from brands such as Miele, WMF, Loewe, Dornbracht and select pieces from Lenzwerk’s own collections.
Open to all who have an appointment, the displays offer “holistic interior concepts”, giving visitors a whole picture of what their homes could be. They offer simple advice or more comprehensive interior concept mock-ups for apartments of all sizes, villas and even yachts.
In addition to the furniture and objects, the König Galerie Berlin has filled the space with works by sought-after contemporary artists such as Katharina Grosse, Jorinde Voigt, Anselm Reyle and Jeppe Hein as well as sculptures by Alicja Kwade.
Villa Nuvola is a stand-alone created as part of the ‘Le Stella’ complex done by architect Jean-Pierre Lott, who has altered the Monegasque skyline with his distinctive works over the years. The elegant curves and mosaic tiling on the outside are a reflection to the tasteful and stylish interior, which mirrors the curves in the voluptuous spiral staircases that link each floor to the next.
The Lenzwerks philosophy of “think holistically, plan economically and execute with high quality” is on full display at the location, giving Monaco shoppers and design addicts one more place to go for wonderful ideas and new acquisitions.
Click on the gallery below for more pictures…
Photos by LenzWerk
“Our attitude and courage makes us kings, not our social status”
Monaco Life speaks with award winning Producer Valentina Castellani-Quinn, who will be presenting her new film ‘Polo’ at this year’s Cannes Film Festival alongside her work with the CC-Forum Monaco.
Valentina Castellani-Quinn announced the production of the film at the recent CC-Forum in Dubai, revealing a new story that revolves around the so called “sport of kings”, but highlights that “our attitude and courage is what makes us kings, not the sport or our social status”.
The film is produced by Quinn Studios Entertainment and Nereides Group, in partnership with the Royal Arab United Emirates.
“With this film, I want to create a bridge between Hollywood and the Middle East, bringing the high quality standard of Hollywood film-making with the professional technology and structures of the Emirates… quite a powerful combination,” Ms Castellani-Quinn told Monaco Life.
‘Polo’ will be presented at the Cannes Film Festival this July
In addition to being Chairman and CEO of Quinn Studios in Hollywood, Valentina has partnered up with Prince Nereides Antonio Giamundo de Bourbon to become Global Media Officer for the Parisian conglomerate Nereides Group and its divisions based in Place Vendôme.
Together, Valentina Quinn and Prince Nereides De Bourbon are developing a series of projects including two powerful documentaries, titled ‘The White Snake’ about Native Americans, and ‘The Albinos in Africa’.
“I like to go into dark places and open them to the world,” said Ms Quinn. “There is such beauty in turning on the light and helping those who need it most. They define you and expand you, and you can define and expand them.”
‘The White Snake’ will be narrated by Native American Chief Arvol Looking Horse who led the fight at Standing Rock, the Indian Reservation that is the site of the controversial Dakota pipeline.
“What happened at Standing Rock is an important tale to tell,” said Ms Quinn. “It was humanity against technology. The protests spoke loudly to the world about the importance of respecting the planet and the environment but, more importantly, to remember who we are as human beings, resonating together as one with the planet, with each other, and our soul. New technologies are out there that have proved successful in other countries that will ignite a new ‘system’ which beats in harmony with the heartbeat of the planet.”
With Quinn Studios Entertainment, Valentina embarked this year on a new initiative, co-producing the sustainability-focussed business initiative the CC-Forum with its creator Max Studennikoff. The forums take place each year in Dubai, Monaco and London.
“I love working on this new initiative, bringing a touch of Hollywood and the entertainment business to the forum,” said Ms Quinn. “I’m working with Max to expand the forum in a more kaleidoscopic way, involving sport and entertainment, health, education and social impact projects. The Monte-Carlo Forum is reflecting this new vision.” Top photo: Valentina Castellani-Quinn, Cate Blanchett and Prince Nereides De Bourbon
It’s hard to miss, the giant black and white chess board that has been installed in the heart of Monaco at Casino Square. So, who put it there, and why?
Chess has enjoyed something of a resurgence lately, largely thanks to the roaring success of Netflix’s original series ‘The Queen’s Gambit’.
Safe to say, the knock-on effect has been truly global, with Google search queries for chess more than doubling, and those on the hunt for ‘how to play chess’ hitting a nine-year peak.
Monaco has its own relationship with the game through the Blitz manga series created by local company Shibuya Productions. In fact, the grand final in the latest book released in February actually takes place at the Monte-Carlo Casino.
It all creates the perfect amount of buzz around the first ever installation in the new Casino Square, which was designed to accommodate more events, a larger number of spectators, and giant installations such as this.
Titled ‘The Queen of Art’, the elegant black and white checkerboard is positioned right in front of the Monte-Carlo Casino, featuring custom made pawns brandishing the golden insignia of the Principality of Monaco.
The public are invited to look at the position of the pawns in relation to each other, as well as the clock provided by Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet, which is sponsoring the installation. Its giant size inevitably evokes the inner child in all.
And while giant art installations are nothing new in Monaco, the chess board actually forms part of a new spring campaign by the Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) called the ‘Colours of Monte-Carlo’, designed to reignite interest and passion in the face of the health crisis. The story continues in the Casino itself, where a colourful lady poses in the atrium, above her a neon sign reads: ‘Life is a Game, Play it’.
The installation will remain in Casino Square until 14th June.
A webcam in Cannes has captured the stunning footage of a large meteorite crossing the skies above the south of France on the weekend.
The yearly phenomenon was visible in the French Riviera and was captured on video in Cannes by the webcam on Quai Laubeuf. The fireball crossed from east to west, appearing to fall behind the Esterel.
La #météorite française observée par des milliers de témoins dans le triangle Narbonne-Lyon-Italie a été capturée par la webcam du Quai Laubeuf de Cannes !
— Dr. Serge Zaka (Dr. Zarge) (@SergeZaka) April 24, 2021
NASA France reposted the webcam footage on its Instagram account, saying “A meteor burning in the atmosphere was seen around 10:26pm in the south of #France.”
The meteorite was also captured crossing the sky above Saint Tropez.
The meteor was part of the annual Lyrid Meteor Shower, which is usually active between 16th and 25th April every year and peaks at around 22nd or 23rd. The meteor shower is visible from both the northern and southern hemispheres, but is much more active in the northern where the meteor’s radiant is high in the sky.
Named after constellation Lyra, the Lyrids are one of the oldest recorded meteor showers. According to some historical Chinese texts, the shower was seen over 2,500 years ago. The fireballs in the meteor shower are created by debris from comet Thatcher, which takes about 415 years to orbit around the sun. The comet is expected to be visible from earth again in 2276.
Meteor showers occur when the earth crosses the path of a comet, colliding with a trail of comet crumbs. As they burn up in earth’s atmosphere, the meteors leave bright streaks in the sky commonly referred to as shooting stars.
Photo by Daniel Ruy on Meteo Côte d’Azur Twitter
Interview: Award winning actress, screenwriter and producer Kelly O’Sullivan
Monaco Life, in partnership with the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, is proud to present a monthly series highlighting the lives and artistic work of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA’s illustrious award winners. In this month’s exclusive interview, Princess Grace Foundation’s CEO Brisa Carleton catches up with Kelly O’Sullivan, a Chicago-based actress who wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed film Saint Frances. Brisa and Kelly discuss how she discovered her passion for theatre, turning that passion into a career, and Kelly’s dream conversation with Princess Grace of Monaco.
Kelly O’Sullivan graduated from the prestigious Northwestern University, whose fellow alumni include Warren Beatty, Stephen Colbert, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and steadily made a name for herself in the Chicago theatre scene, working with acclaimed theatre companies like Steppenwolf Theatre and the Goodman Theatre.
She wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed film Saint Frances, receiving the South by Southwest (SXSW) Audience and Special Jury Award. For her performance, Kelly was additionally nominated for a Gotham Award. While the film’s February 2020 release date was disrupted by the pandemic, it was released on streaming platforms and has become one of the most beloved sleeper hits of the past year. Brisa Carleton: Can you tell us about how you discovered your love of performing?
Kelly O’Sullivan: When I was in kindergarten, my teacher recommended that my mom take me to audition for this local children’s theatre. I think she saw that I was naturally expressive and that I loved to play pretend. The first play I ever did was Little Women at the Children’s Theatre in Arkansas. I played one of the kids who dies of scarlet fever. I loved the drama of it, and I also just loved the team aspect. I wasn’t a sports kid, but I think theatre and the fine arts are like a sport for people who aren’t athletic – you still get that sense of working for something greater than yourself and all trying to accomplish the same goal. It was really transformative for me because I grew up going to a Catholic school, but the theatre exposed me to friends who were gay and out in North Little Rock, Arkansas. That was very impactful; I was raised with this sense of open mindedness and collaboration that I wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere. Growing up as a theatre kid, what was it that made you decide you wanted to pursue it professionally?
I just loved it so much. My parents were really hoping that it was going to be a hobby. I wanted to go to Northwestern, and I knew that a bunch of really successful actors came out of that program, but also that it wasn’t a conservatory so that I could come out with a full education. Once I got to Northwestern, seeing the number of theatre majors committed to being professional actors made me feel like it wasn’t such a crazy dream to have. You won your Princess Grace Award in 2014. Where were you in your career at that point and what did winning that award mean to you?
It meant everything to me. It felt like a huge validation – and also a life raft and a ladder. It was so many things at once because I had been working steadily in theatre but was still struggling to not have to work additional jobs. I really wanted to start moving into directing, not just acting. The funds from the Princess Grace Award meant I didn’t have to have additional jobs that year and I could act as assistant director to the artistic director at American Theatre Company while still acting in several plays that year. It gave me a chance to fully be an artist and to take risks. Outside of that practicality, it gives you validation and a sense of worthiness. The Princess Grace Award made me say there are people who believe in me and I should keep going down this path. The year that I won, Oscar Isaac received the Princess Grace Statue Award. There was something about being in the same room as him and having someone to look at and aspire to, and think, OK, I’m in the right circle of people. It does feel like a huge ladder – it helps you keep taking the next step up, and the next step up, and see where you want to head. Photo of a scene out of Saint Frances Along those lines, Grace Kelly, when she was coming up the ladder in Hollywood, famously auditioned hundreds of times – as everyone does – before she got her first acting role. How do you deal with that? How do you have the stamina to deal with what it takes to be a working actor? I consider it to be one of the hardest jobs in entertainment.
For me, it’s those little moments of validation when somebody turns to you and says, “You’re worth it, keep going”. That can be in the form of getting a job or it can even be in the form of a casting director saying “You’re not going to get this part, but you did wonderful work”. It also gets easier when you’re on the other side of the table; when I started being a reader for auditions and directing, I saw that just because somebody doesn’t get the part doesn’t mean they’re not incredible, and you will remember them for the next time and right opportunity for them. Your film Saint Francis has been getting all the awards and rave reviews yet this is actually your first big writing and starring project. What brought you to want to take on both of those roles?
I was feeling a bit frustrated with the jobs that I was being presented with and the roles that I was auditioning for. The roles that I was auditioning for in theatre, I had sort of hit this weird in-between where I wasn’t an ingenue and I wasn’t exactly the mom. I wanted to write something for myself that felt like a role that I could inhabit fully, that I could have agency and control over, because I think one of the hardest things about being an actor is you don’t have a lot of agency unless you’re a famous movie star. There’s very little choosing involved. This was my first feature, but also create a role for myself that I knew that I would love to play – I didn’t know that we would get to make it or that it would be well-received, but I wanted to have more agency in my creative life. What was it like when it launched at the SXSW Film Festival and then immediately took off? I imagined right before that it must have been pretty scary to have this piece that is so much of you launching into the world.
It was incredibly scary. I remember the first mini review we got was positive and it felt like I exhaled for the first time in six months. Then getting to premiere at SXSW and having the support of the Executive Director of the festival felt like a huge validation as well, because it’s a legit festival. It’s made for films like St. Francis, which are scrappy but full of heart. And when it started to be embraced in larger and larger ways, it felt shocking because it felt just like this little thing that we made in Chicago, away from the Hollywood machine, away from New York – we made it in the North suburbs of Chicago. It felt like the biggest gift in the world, that people were paying attention and taking it seriously and not dismissing it.
So where does this all take you next?
Well, luckily, it got US agents – we signed with William Morris Endeavor – and now we’re able to meet with people. I’ve written another feature that has just signed on with a producer who has done some of my favourite indies and so, again, it was the next step on the ladder where you slowly build your career from tiny step to tiny step and it feels like this was a really important one because it got us noticed by people whose job it is to make the kind of movies that we love. We have access to rooms that we never had access to before. If you could sit down with Grace Kelly as a fellow female artist, what would you want to ask her or talk to her about?
I recently watched Rear Window. She is so incredible in a film that is such a traditionally Hitchcock film. He is, of course, known as being this huge personality, but she not only holds her own, she also brings such a layered performance to that film and all of her performances are so layered. She was obviously beautiful, and she has such a grace to her, but there was something about watching her climb that fire escape in heels and a dress and be like she’s so much more than just beauty. I’d love to talk to her about what it was like to make movies like that, and be in Hollywood as a young, gorgeous woman. How did she keep going in moments of uncertainty or even what those moments were like for her. She’s such an icon but getting to know the human behind that and the vulnerabilities, I would just love to hear. Any final words for the Monaco community and on Princess Grace?
I think that Princess Grace is somebody who I keep re-examining again and again and keep finding nuance in her performances. I’m so interested in her generosity and her family’s generosity. Giving young artists validation, both in practical ways and a spiritual way, really affects the course of the rest of our careers because we’re always looking for that next lifeboat. Sometimes it feels like we’re sort of drowning in a moment in our careers, and it makes all the difference in the world. It’s been incredibly impactful to me and I’m so grateful for it.
Applications are now open for the fourth edition of the Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge in June, giving young entrepreneurial environmentalists a chance to create a business tackling the problems faced by the oceans.
The Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge is a business concept pitching competition organised by the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, the International University of Monaco, Monaco Impact and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. It began in 2018 as a way to involve young people in creating sustainable businesses centred on ocean protection and awareness.
This year’s competition takes the theme ‘When Circular Economy Saves the Ocean’ and is open to university undergraduates, post-bachelor students and young entrepreneurs who are five years or less out of school, and who have or will have a company created after January 2020. Competitors must be English speakers who have ideas that will positively impact the seas and are willing to participate in the implementation of their ideas if selected by the jury.
To be considered, the applicant submits a business plan, a timeline of milestones in project development and a one minute video presenting the concept by 7th May.
Jurists are looking for plans that have been well-researched and relevant to today’s markets, as well as projects that can be globally implemented and that have a “measurable impact” on the oceans.
The prize and awards include a yearly induction and networking programme for the student’s category, and a check of €15,000 for the start-up’s category.
In May, jurists will choose three finalist teams from each category. The six finalist teams will be invited to Monaco for the finals on 16th June where they will be asked to present their plans intended to make the world a better place to live.
Previous winners include Elynn Yaoting Liu, who found a way to address inflatable balloon pollution, and Juan Felipe del Campo Guerreo and Julien Piveteau who created a phone case made of recycled ocean waste.
