Deus Swank Rally is an international event, bizarre, eccentric and highly amusing. The name says it all: elegance, swank, but it’s still a rally, so motorbikes and riders inevitably douse themselves in mud and dust. All the motorbikes are welcomed: studded specials, enduros with carburettors, even the most inappropriate.

During the day gentlemanly competitions are held, self-timed, no cheating; in the evening there is a party among friends. What happens at a Swank Rally? It’s all been captured in the beautiful pictures of this book.

Text in English and Italian.

Now in its sixth edition, the prestigious Swiss Architectural Award, aimed at young architects reported by internationally renowned consultants, was awarded this year to the Spanish architect Elisa Valero. The catalogue of the award, which accompanied an exhibition at the Theater of Architecture in Mendrisio (16 November-23 December 2018), collects the works of all the architects who participated in the competition, focusing in particular on those of the winner.

Text in English and Italian.

For more than seven years, Syria has been undergoing one of the worst human tragedies worldwide. This once proud and splendid country, with its fabled cities of Damascus and Aleppo, has been largely destroyed. Great parts of its population have been forced to leave, which has led to one of the major refugee migrations of recent history. Syria’s fate affects everyone, especially its neighbours in the Middle East. It is for this reason that the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha has chosen to draw attention to Syria’s unique cultural heritage, illuminating its key role in artistic and intellectual world history and, at the same time, seeking to safeguard the irreplaceable legacy that is in such danger.

Featuring over 100 black-and-white photographs, this collection of Bischof’s images conveys his sense of empathy and humanity.

Text in English, Italian and French.

The world is in transition. Established ideas and lifestyles are under pressure: everything is in flux. This volatility and ambivalence can lead to uncertainty and even fear. The 2018 Bruges Triennial: Liquid City offers a beacon of hope, presenting a fluid, open and engaged city; Bruges as an engine of social, cultural and political change; a creative melting pot for encounters of all kinds; and a breeding ground for urban innovation. The liquid city of Bruges – literally ringed by the water that once brought it prosperity and fame – becomes a metaphorical Liquid City, characterised by fluidity, transition, influx and exchange: a continuous artistic dynamism that at times flows gently and at others turbulently through the city. The 2018 Bruges Triennial: Liquid City invites internationally acclaimed artists and architects from around the world to interpret the ‘Liquid City’ theme. They create an art trail dotted with temporary hospitable spaces, conceptual representations and unexpected places for encounters within the historic city centre.

Text in English and Dutch.

Florist Lut Verkinderen grew up on a farm, to the rhythm of nature and the seasons. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that this love of the outdoors and a passion for floral and interior design has culminated in a career of professional floristry. Lut Verkinderen, who is happy to share her insights and love for floral arrangements, gives workshops and demonstrations at major floral events, but has, since 2007, also run her own flower school, where she teaches different techniques (weaving, stringing, clamping, stacking, bundling), introducing new materials to her students with the aim of creating harmonious colours and beautiful structures. It is in this light that About Flowers should be used, as it offers not only inspiration but is, above all, a workbook for all seasons and occasions. Accessible creations in a contemporary style with colourful detail that are Lut Verkinderen’s unique trademark. Text in English and Dutch.

In recent decades, the University of Antwerp has brought together a unique collection of visual art of Belgian and international origin and style. With great care, these works of art are given a specific, selected and discussed place in and around the buildings on the various university campuses. Students, professors, research and supporting staff are thus connected to fragments from the collection in their daily work environment. The percentage rule for art integration is also consistently applied to newly constructed buildings. Recently, a scaled history of Belgian art since 1950 has been added, spanning over a hundred museum ‘rooms’ to scale 1/7. This book deals thematically and visually with the many interactions between architecture, visual art, residents and passers-by. Sophisticated and subtle photography underlines the many possible connections that come about. The width and depth of Art on Campus is presented by means of about forty spatial situations.

Angelo Turconi has spent fifty years roaming the Democratic Republic of Congo. This passionate, curious and compassionate photographer continues to this day to document the daily life of the Congolese, with a particular focus on their cultural heritage and artisanal and artistic traditions. His photographs capture the power of ancestral ceremonies and the joy of popular celebrations, presided over by the traditional chiefs who still occupy a prestigious position. They reveal the social structure of this central African community by observing the work of artisans, farmers, conveyors of goods (riding their impressive cargo bikes) and market traders. More than just a witness, Angelo Turconi calls himself an emissary of memory. It is the subject of memory that seems to haunt the pages of this book. By drawing on the power of customs that have not yet been dulled by globalisation, his photographs take us on a journey to a world apart: one that is recognisably contemporary and yet connected to references and traditions that seem to come from outside of our world. Text in English and French.

Surrounded by flowers from a very young age, the decision to become a floral designer was an obvious one for Japanese Hideyuki Niwa. At the age of 20 he graduated from Tokyo’s flower college and in the same year he was employed by Kamon Flower Gate Co Ltd; a great and fruitful environment for an artist eager to learn and develop. Botanical Metamorphosis is Hideyuki Niwa’s second book and focuses on the design process that brings out and attracts attention to special features of plants and flowers that would otherwise go unnoticed. This process of ‘botanical metamorphosis’ developed over time, as the artist grew more aware of the presence of flowers and plants. Hideyuki Niwa tries to capture the expression in flower heads, the movement – the ‘breathing’ – of leaves, the heart beating in the stems and the will of branches… but in order to bring out these characteristics and to enhance the charm of nature, it is necessary to ‘dismantle’ the original shapes, reconstruct them and awaken their new beauty. As always Niwa’s execution of the design and the placement of materials is flawless, bordering on perfection. The aim of his powerful designs and his mission as an artist is to create floral designs that tug at the heartstrings, inspire and enchant the viewer and create a lasting impression.

Also available: Hideyuki Niwa: Japanese Contemporary Floral Art ISBN 9789058564375

Text in English and Japanese

Surrounded by flowers from a very young age, the decision to become a floral designer was anoabvious one for Hideyuki Niwa. To keep on challenging himself, Niwa often takes part in competitions and tries creating and photographing a new design every day to get a thorough understanding of the characteristics of flowers and their possibilities. His classic, linear style and minimalist expression with careful placement of plant materials, quintessential characteristics of the Japanese aesthetic concent wabi sabi, rightfully won him a Bronze Leaf in the 2010/2011 editio and he Gold Leaf in the 2012/2013 edition of Stichting Kunstboek’s prestigious International Floral Art. Text in English and Japanese. Also available: Ryusaku Matsuda, Contemporary Floral Art ISBN: 9789058562999 Naoki Sasaki, Japanese Contemporary Floral Art ISBN: 9789058562647

Seven years after his first book, Bart Lens and his team Lens°Ass show how the direction they have chosen can lead to fascinating projects. The formulation of a clear and precise concept forms the basis of every single design. A concious choice of materials and elaborated detailing bring forth creations that express tranquility and serenity. The clear line-work emphasises the pure emotions that originate in the union of design and light. The great care that goes into the elaboration of the interior in all its facets is a constant preoccupation for Les°Ass. The book presents a wide variety of projects: new constructions, remodelling assignments, interior designs, even objects such as furniture and lamps. The introduction of a basic idea, a theme, forms the foundation of every project, no matter what its scale might be. This same vision is also the starting point for the recent large-scale architectural projects.

Text in English and Dutch.

Marcel Vrignaud is the founder and permanent professor of the Ikebana Floral Art Centre, an association he set up in 1966 after spending three and a half years in Nagoya (Japan), devoted to the specific art of Ikebana. Being a genuine pioneer in the art of Ohara, Marcel Vrignaud trained teachers all over Europe. My Ikebana offers an overview of his fantastic output. Readers can discover many original combinations of plants, gathered during different seasons, and displayed in the most unusual containers, reflecting all the categories of bouquets of the Ohara School: moribana, heika, landscapes, rimpa, bunjin, morimono, free style, ikebana sculpture, micro ikebana, transparencies etc.

Christmas at the White House is the most beautiful and grand celebration of the year. As Chief of Floral Design during the Obama administration, Laura Dowling was responsible for the dazzling floral pieces that made the season so memorable. Here, she invites readers behind the scenes of this complex year-long planning process, where some of the most innovative and ambitious hand-made craft displays were created. From architectural details including intricate hydrangea-covered archways, illusionary cube-patterned column covers, and gilded maple leaf rosette panels, to sugar paste floral vases and robotic versions of the First Family’s dogs, the décor inspired and delighted visitors and guests from across the country and around the world.  

In addition to her White House experiences, Laura shares advice and ideas, tips and techniques for planning holiday-themed displays at home, including step-by-step instructions for re-creating some of the most popular and original White House holiday designs.

Design on the High Seas is an autobiographical account of the architectural design work of Joseph Farcus, which charts his career as an architect who eventually found his way into the cruise-ship industry, in the early days of what is now a truly global business in more ways than one. His works reflects a hard-earned disciplined practice that has helped to foster sophisticated designs for the billion-dollar cruise-ship industry. Many of the projects featured in the pages of this book reflect the beautiful ships of Carnival Cruise Lines, the world’s leading cruise-ship company, as well as those of the celebrated Costa Cruises.

The volume combines spectacular full-colour photography, original sketches, and a compelling, first-person narrative to showcase Farcus’s spectacular journey. The author shares anecdotes from his childhood, his university days and his early career, giving an insight into what inspired the architect he was to become – and explaining how the astronomical success of the Carnival Cruise Lines is due in no small way to his product-defining designs. Indeed, millions of passengers have enjoyed memorable and meaningful experiences aboard his works. This is a fascinating and unique account of an architectural designer’s journey, and it will appeal to a broad readership: those who love to sail, those with a passion for boat design, as well as businesspeople of all backgrounds who wish to learn the story behind a leisure industry powerhouse.

The sales range of goods spans the globe. We can drink Russian vodka in New Zealand, or taste fruits from Brazil in Japan. Packaging enables this international exchange of merchandise, and has infiltrated our life on every level. It exists everywhere – on the supermarket shelves, in our fridges, cabinets, gifts, and cosmetics; whether you are recieving shipped items from overseas or buying produce from local farms, packaging will always be involved. However, as environmental issues become increasingly prominent, there is another side to packaging we must consider. Reducing waste, saving energy, improving sustainability of the overall products, and creating green packaging methods are hot topics in the packaging industry. So how do designers find ecological packaging strategies that protect the product without leaving a negative footprint on the environment?

Contemporary designers are finding unique and multi-functional ways to manipulate materials to make packaging recyclable, biodegradable, and reusable. More than 100 brilliant ideas from all over the world are showcased in this book, which are presented in insightful detail and complemented by glorious full-colour photography. This book will inspire design creativity, and reveal ways for businesses to help counter the environmental threats that endanger our world.

Rembrandt van Rijn married Saskia van Uylenburgh, the love of his life, in Friesland (the Netherlands) in 1634. The famous painter came to know her when she visited her cousin in Amsterdam, Hendrick van Uylenburgh, Rembrandt’s art dealer. This book, the catalogue for a travelling exhibition, sketches a picture of marriage in the time of Rembrandt and Saskia. Their story is the tale of a high society marriage in seventeenth century Holland, from courtships to weddings to daily married life and funerals. The show follows Rembrandt and Saskia from their meeting to her untimely early death after 10 years of marriage. Paintings, drawings, and etchings by Rembrandt, as well as letters and poetry, are featured alongside wedding portraits, objects, and jewellery from the period, offering insight into what weddings and married life meant in the Golden Age of 17th century Holland.

AannenMayKantereit is one of the most popular bands in Germany. From the very beginning, Martin Lamberty has been their photographer. He has been travelling with his old friends from school around Europe ever since. His pictures tell the story of how the young musicians started their careers by performing on the streets of Cologne right up to the development of their current album “Schlagschatten”.

Lamberty has provided a chronicle of the concerts, of the band’s life on tour, and their studio recording sessions. But his shots are far more than just classic band photos. As their friend, he is always a part of what is happening and gets to capture private moments behind the scenes, ranging from the miserably long journeys on the tour bus and the lonely hours in anonymous hotels, to the band’s vacations together.

In a unique way, Lamberty combines these silent moments with intriguing, sometimes melancholy images of rooms or landscapes and weaves them into a rich account. The result is a coming-of-age book about winning and losing, about life and friendship.

Whether pizza is served as high-end cuisine or a poor man’s food, this global product transcends the boundaries of culture and social class. The circular piece of dough has long become an established superfood. It is so much more than just something we eat. Aside from culinary considerations, the preparation, consumption and ubiquity of pizza involves at least as many social aspects. These must be taken into account in order to understand the entirety of this phenomenon. For instance, in sociology the “pizza effect” refers to reciprocal processes of reception and exchange and thus to the constant transformation of cultures. Only recently did the UNESCO in Paris allow Italy to formally register the preparation of pizza as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. That’s iconic!

The collection “Pizza is God” accompanies the eponymous international group exhibition. Situating a cultural phenomenon in the world of contemporary art, the exhibition will be staged by NRW-Forum Düsseldorf in 2018. This feast for the eyes, which combines painting, photography, net art, as well as video and performance, is complemented in the book by texts and essays written by renowned experts from the fields of food history, culture and science.

Text in English and German.

Contemporary art production in Arab countries still remains largely unexplored. Often general and trite assumptions are made distinguishing between East and West, Arabic-Islamic and Western-Christian civilisation, without addressing each culture’s specific characteristics in appropriate ways. Aware of the fact that the reception of art from these countries calls for a new approach, the museum for contemporary art, Marta in Herford, Germany, has invited nine female artists from Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran and Iraq to share their work.

They all came to the West as university students or exiles, and most of them never returned to their homes. This exhibition focuses on their works of art and devotes ample space to the particular biographical and national details in the lives of these women. The diversity of their artistic styles links many different aspects, reflecting on the concept of cultural boundaries, and the crossing of those boundaries, as well as the ongoing conflicts and upheaval in their home countries.

Text in English and German.

Experienced base jumpers and other extreme sports athletes have one unwritten rule: self-knowledge. The way you think and the choices you make determine who you are and who you will become. If you know yourself, you will dare to take risks, to go your own way and to change. This rule goes for professionals who aim for high performances too. If you want your performances to have a positive drive, you first have to get to know yourself. Dare to Jump helps you to overcome your fears and gives you three power skills with which you can become the best version of yourself. Someone with a boundless mind-set, a sharp focus and a great amount of trust. You learn why focus is the new IQ, how to train yourself to enter the right flow, and how you build the level of trust within your team.