4. Dear Readers,
Through the combination of my two favourite passions, swimming and fashion, the concept for Vapour magazine was born. Vapour magazine
celebrates the beauty of water through art. A simple element, it is so beautiful and vital for our survival yet it is taken for granted on a daily
basis. Our bodies are 70% water, and water also consumes more than 70% of the Earth’s surface. Through this special issue, Vapour high-
lights the power and significance of water in all its forms. Artists have looked to this element for inspiration and with it created inspirational
artwork, designs and installations. Water is evocative and its use in art can be very emotive. Water transforms an image, in terms of both state
of the product and the mood it brings to a piece of art.
Through the artists and works selected for this issue, I hope that your mind will be captivated by the beauty and innovation created by this
simple element. May you walk away with a more open eye to the significance of the insignificant, and a greater respect for the incredible and
mysterious world we live in.
Best Wishes,
Emma Beamish
06 | Vapour
Editor'sLetter.Photograph by Emma Beamish
5. ThePower
ofWater
“Water controls us, we cannot live without it
but it might just be the cause of our demise”
Vapour | 09
Without water we’d die. It’s something we
don’t think about but it’s always there in one
form or another. We’re always consuming
it. Water fills land, sky and air. It is a symbol
of both life and death. In its many forms,
water comes with a deep pool of symbolic
associations, which lead different emotions
to be connected to it, depending on our life
experiences.
Water has the power to influence our emo-
tions. It is used in forms of therapy for relax-
ation and we subconsciously associate certain
emotions with water in its particular forms.
Water has the ability to make us feel anger,
fear, passion, sadness, purity and tranquility.
What other element possesses such power?
The sounds of crashing waves or heavy rainfall
are a common aid for insomnia. Many people
find it soothing to fall asleep to the sounds of
water; it helps their minds relax and subdues
stress.
In such times of stress, how many of us
dream of holidaying by the sea? We head
to the ocean in search of tranquility. There’s
something about watching and listening to
the rhythm of waves as they form and then
break at the beach that sends our minds afloat.
The sea captures us. It fascinates us because
we cannot see its end. Humans are curious
beings and there’s something about this space
in which we cannot live and breathe that picks
at our curiosity. People rule the land, it is ours
and we have explored it far and wide, but out
there we know even less than our knowledge
of space. 95% of the sea is left unexplored.
The sea is swallowing up our world, it poses
a threat and we are curious. Maybe there is
something about this big open space of which
we know very little that allows our minds to
wonder, explore and be at peace.
Water is beautiful and can bring an entirely
new dimension to art by manipulating our
emotions. Consider the use of pathetic fal-
lacy in movies. How often does a depressed
character stare out of his window at the rain?
Or a couple in love take their first passionate
kiss in rainfall? It is a typical cliché we are all
familiar with, and it is interesting that water
can so easily emphasise or steer our emotions
as a media consumer. A model photographed
underwater allows us to connect with the im-
age far differently to an image taken on land.
In water, her hair floats softly around her,
she looks as though she’s flying as she floats
timelessly; the image is magical and mysteri-
ous and its connotations of drowning evoke
death in an enchanted, peaceful manner. It is a
fascinating kind of beauty.
Images of water may spark different emo-
tions in different people, depending on a per-
son’s experiences. Someone who cannot swim
often feels fear in an image of water, while
a swimmer may see refuge and tranquility. Ac-
cording to Freud, the presence of water within
our dreams represents our emotions. While it
is also thought that the water-based star signs
have significant emotional characteristics.
Both scientifically and spiritually, we subcon-
sciously share an emotional connection with
water. It is all around us, we cannot escape it.
Water is two-faced. There is something very
delicate about water. It is soft in liquid state
and fragile as ice. Yet it can also be violent and
viciously sharp. In water, we both seek peace
and run in fear. We travel to the sea for a
luxurious escape, but so many countries have
been wiped out by its ferocity.
Water is therefore a powerful tool in its
ability to manipulate the mind and control
our behaviour. It is then no wonder why many
artists are inspired by this beautiful element.
It should not be taken for granted; it should
be respected for all its extensive power. Water
controls us, we cannot live without it but it
might just be the cause of our demise.
6. Preparing for a
Water World?
There’s a rising trend in products claiming
waterproof status over recent years. Our
mobile companies are suddenly producing
“waterproof” phones and Sony has recently
launched an mp3 player that comes already
submerged in a bottle of water. These bottled
mp3 players are being sold in leisure centre
vending machines as training aids, suggesting
they are just as important to our workout as
sports drinks. Of course when it comes to our
gadgets, most of us are too afraid to test these
allegations – waterproof phones don’t come
cheap – but Sony are throwing their product
straight in at the deep end for their customers
to see the full attraction.
Today we can find cameras, phones, mp3
players and radios, all suitable for under water
use, and it undoubtedly won’t stop there. This
is the new direction for innovation – the future
10 | Vapour
Technology is taking its gadgets to new depths.
is waterproof. There seems to be no end to the
future of design technology. We are constant-
ly being told our latest gadgets just aren’t
quite good enough for our every day needs.
Amusingly, we don’t always realise this until
they tell us what’s missing – we suddenly don’t
understand how we ever coped without it.
So why is technology diving in this direc-
tion? Why the sudden need to be able to take
pictures under water and listen to our music
in the swimming pool? Could we be preparing
for a wetter world? Many of us have experi-
enced the shame of dropping our phone down
the toilet, an embarrassing but common occur-
rence and finally there’s no need to fear such
an event. So there are benefits to our lifestyle,
but with everything turning water-friendly,
perhaps design is suggesting a wetter vision of
the future.
7. Now
You
SeaMeThe sea is a recurring stimulus for fashion inspiration, with
some of the industries most iconic collections taking an
aquatic theme. The most memorable was undoubtedly Lee’s
final show for Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2010.
Named “Plato’s Atlantis”, the models were creatures from
another world – a future world. If there were an Atlantis,
McQueen got it dead on. Mermaid skin dresses shimmered
in cold blues with scaly green hues as light hit the garment. It
was phenomenal. With this collection McQueen was predict-
ing global warming would cause the seas to swallow up the
land and our world as we know it. He said, “This collection
predicted a future in which the ice caps would melt…the
waters would rise and…life on earth would have to evolve in
order to live beneath the sea once more or perish. Humanity
would go back to the place from whence it came.” Tim Walk-
er’s recent editorial for W magazine, titled “Far Far From
Land”, was also a hit in tune with McQueen. Model Kristen
McMenamy told an emotive tale of the ‘mer people’, of which
the results were exquisite. From season to season, designers
remind us of the recurrent muse that is the ocean.
This summer, storming seas, crashing waves and sunlit
swimming pools have set the base for a new microtrend.
Water in all its forms flooded into several designer runways.
It may not seem like a groundbreaking trend, sea for summer,
but this season’s interpretation was genius.
Kenzo was the number one pioneer as models stepped
out from under a tremendous waterfall into a garden of
spring fountains. Clothes were tailored to flow like waves
with the ocean being a huge inspiration for print with tees,
trousers and dresses all scribbled in blue sea waves. Design-
ers Humberto Leon and Carol Lim played it close to home
with this collection, as California’s beautiful beaches was the
12 | Vapour Vapour | 13
clear source of inspiration. A political stand was also being
implemented as the duo created fish motif pieces with a “no
fish, no nothing” slogan tee sending a nod to the overfishing
crisis overseas.
At Milan Fashion Week, Fendi’s models also appeared
from behind a waterfall as homage to Lagerfeld’s The Glory
of Water exhibition that took place in Paris last summer. The
waterfall imagery is continued within the brand’s Spring/
Summer 2014 campaign. Lagerfeld extended the theme of
water into the collection as he explains the waves of layered
organza in his dresses and tee’s, fading from the thickness
of colour to a thin crisp white, was inspired by light passing
through water.
Resort collections also followed suit. Australian designer
Dion Lee showed colourful wave printed dresses and swim-
suits, taking his inspiration from the combination of oil and
water, creating some beautiful graphic designs. Sunlit waters
and wave-like 3D tailoring adorned dresses and swimsuits.
Just Cavalli’s Resort wave-printed printed jumpers in pearly
blue are a perfect alternative. You don’t have to surf to take to
the waves this summer.
Men’s Fashion Week saw all aboard too, with Calvin Klein
devoting his collection to anything blue, presenting jump-
ers and t-shirts with graphic sea designs from day to dusk.
Moschino impressed us with their bold prints of electric blue
swimming pools and calm sunset seas. Other designer’s such
as Mary Katranzou, Prada and Karen Walker also devoted
their love to the sea.
There’s something about the ocean that captures people. It’s
an abyss of wonders and dreams, full of power and possibili-
ties. It will no doubt continue to influence fashion.
Moschino
Fendi
Kenzo
Kenzo Spring/Summer 2014
8. Kenzo
14 | Vapour
On the Same
Wave Length
Kenzo
Kenzo
Kenzo
Kenzo
Kenzo
Kenzo
Kenzo
Peter Pilotto
3.1 Phillip Lim
Biba
Biba
Christian Dior Vintage
Gottex
Missoni
Saloni
Illustrated People
Vionnet Jonathan Saunders
Versace
Corgi
Fatface
Kenzo
Dion Lee
Peter Pilotto
Moschino
Moschino
Our Legacy
Davidoff
The sea is your biggest inspiration this season,
with oceanic waves hitting the scene as a new
microtrend. Matchy matchy is the best way to
sport the look with some great co-ords from
Kenzo, Peter Pilotto and Dion Lee.
Kenzo
9. Renee
Nicole
Sander
16 | Vapour
Recent graduate of Cape Peninsula University
of Technology in South Africa, Renee Nicole
Sander was inspired by glacier formations for
her graduate collection ‘Deficiency’. Exper-
imenting with alternative materials, Sander
created a stunning collection of icy avant-gar-
de designs. Sander explains, “Looking at
these formations from afar and close up, I
was able to use these interesting shapes and
textures and transfer them into my collection.
As glaciers are pale and brooding, I felt that
this best described my design aesthetic, as I
am attracted to simplistic designs with depth
in their form. A movement away from body
conforming fashions was made to charm the
mind about what fashion can become when
ignoring the natural body form.”
Her collection has a clinical sci-fi aesthetic
with curvaceous spacey shapes in surgical
white industrial fabrics. Sander worked with
plastic, PVC and wadding to test what she
was capable of using during design. “I wanted
to look at all materials as inspiration and see
what I could create with various material
types when building forms, that could open
the viewers eye to what can be possible when
creating new shapes.” Experimentation was
important to Sander as she was given com-
plete freedom over design. Her pieces include
a translucent plastic garment tied down the
side with plastic rings like a surgical curtain
and large circular armholes. A sheer top with
sleeves stretched down to the knee is styled
underneath. Another standout outfit is an
oversized quilted garment with a single sleeve
and thick hood like a sleeping bag.
Sander’s collection has a taste of Japanese
fashion with her obscure tailoring which plays
with form and construction. It is no surprise
to hear that her inspirational references in-
clude Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons
and Issey Miyake. The simplicity in colour
allows for the shapes and angles created by
the garments to take center stage.
Renee’s personal style doesn’t step too far
from her design aesthetic. Describing her
style as minimalistic, she expresses her love
of oversized garments that stand away from
the body, as well as an attraction to mascu-
line styles. “I love basics but also look for key
items that add interest to outfits. Texture and
shape play a large role in my wardrobe.” Sand-
er’s spare time is always full to the brim with
as many plans as possible, spending weekends
on the beach, browsing second hand stores
and spending time with family and friends.
Though she confesses, “There is nothing
better than coming home after a long day and
watching a good documentary.”
Last year, Sander won a design competition
that sent her to London’s Graduate Fashion
Week. “The young talent was eye opening and
I would be so privileged to stand alongside
this great emerging talent in London.” She
identifies London as the place to showcase her
collection, if such a chance as to show at Fash-
ion Week became a reality. “There is a definite
sense of experimentation within London
Fashion Week and the designs never cease to
amaze me. London seems such an exciting
city for the young and upcoming.”
Renee has always been a creative person, with
art always playing a part in her life. Drawn to
the constant change in the fast-paced indus-
try, Sander decided there was no other option.
“Fashion design isn’t just about creating beau-
tiful pieces, it is about creating an environ-
ment for that person and being able to design
these moods is what draws me to the field.”
Renee is currently working on building up
her design experience, interning at leading
retailer, Woolworths, in South Africa. Her
evenings however are spent testing differ-
ent fabric types in simple forms in order to
continue evolving her design approach. She
explains she would like to work with local
designers in the future, to become part of a
team that is moving South African fashion.
“Although Cape Town will always be my
home, I would love to move around and learn
from different cities and cultures,” she says. In
an industry that is constantly changing, Renee
Nicole Sander is keeping her options open and
is waiting to see where her work takes her.
10. If there’s magic
on this planet, it’s
contained in
water. - Loren Eiseley, Anthropologist
18 | Vapour
11. A SPLASH
OF
SUMMER
20 | Vapour
Photography & Styling | Emma Beamish
Beauty Assistant | Hayley Beamish
Model | Millie Coopey
12.
13.
14.
15.
16. Water Is
Sexy
30 | Vapour
“Water is sexy”: a verse in Roni Horn’s book,
Another Water. An interesting thing to say about
water, and an odd thing at first thought. But
then I got to thinking, water is sexy. It comes
with sheds of erotic symbolism, and is used
continuously in art to evoke seduction and lust.
Water is a sexual innuendo and therefore it can
completely change the message of an image.
How often do you see a picture of a celebrity
soaked to the bone – pun intended – in order
to seduce fans? Water is a straight up symbol
for sex. Sex is wet and water connotes a sexual
lubricant. Such images therefore tick away at
our subconscious desires and curiosity.
An image of a person soaking in water is se-
ductive because wet activities such as showering
or bathing are typically intimate and personal,
and mostly involve the person wearing little
clothing, if any at all. Wet clothes cling to the
body, sometimes becoming transparent, shaping
the bodies form, which itself is intimate and
sexual.
The media has been a contributing influence
(isn’t it always?) in water’s sexual explicitness,
with images of celebrities plastered over page 3
and sexy movie scenes of girls erotically soaking
themselves, seducing the male. These images
have been implanted into our subconscious
minds and our associations with the innocent
have been left tainted.
Roni Horn’s book shows pictures of the River
Thames, with verses beneath each image. It says,
“Water is sexy. The sensuality of it teases me
when I’m near it…I want to touch it, to drink it,
to go into it, to be surrounded by it…I want to
be close to it, to be in it, to move through it, to
be under it. I want it to be in me.”
17. CliffBriggie
An American artist from West Hartford,
Connecticut, Cliff Briggie uses water, ice and
paint to create beautiful abstract artwork.
Briggie uses macrophotography to capture
the reactions that takes place between these
components. With macrophotography, Briggie
explains, “We get an introduction to a hidden
world, and we learn to look more closely and
carefully at everything. It helps us relinquish
our habitual reference point. It may be a
struggle between representative and abstract
artwork. Macro images, with the reference
point eliminated, evoke mystery and altered
states of consciousness as we try to grab a hold
of something. Elimination of a reference point
enables the artistic vision to be regarded on
its own terms and may transport a viewer to
another way of seeing”. His work Meditations
Transient
Art
32 | Vapour
on Impermanence includes images of painted
ice and other transient phenomena, which was
the start of what he now calls “transient art”.
His photography is uniquely beautiful. His
ice paintings are an explosion of colour – his
choices of which are genius. “Water and ice
are thrilling!” Briggie says, “They are transient
– no two images will ever be the same – even
one second later. I have long been a visual
captive of transitions – whether lighting, color
and its blending, cloud patterns, oil in water,
and the changing states (ice, liquid, steam)
of water.” Briggie’s fascination with water is
prominent throughout his portfolio, creating
exquisitely alluring photographs.
Macrophotography presents us with the
deeper, natural beauty within our everyday
surroundings. We are given an insight into
the spectacular that our eyes our unable to
capture in the split second they occur. “A
photograph captures a moment too brief
to see. Within the moment is a flash, color,
form, or movement – always different, always
extraordinary. Little pieces of paint take on a
life of their own, suddenly exploding, colors
streaming everywhere and then they are gone
forever. It is at once so breathtaking, heart-
breaking, and compelling that I have missed
more than a shot or two.”
Many artists have inspired Briggie’s work,
including Paul Caponigro, Minor White and
Wynn Bullock. However Briggie explains
that much of his inspiration derives from his
own innate creative energy. “My approach
to photography is to open heart and mind
to their naturally wakeful state – vivid, raw,
and intimate – like licking honey from a
razor blade.” His choice of subject is guided
by what colleague Brad Wise refers to as ‘the
hidden energies within ordinary objects’. “I
have learned that everything changes, and
that opposites are manifestations of the same
essential energy.”
Briggie has an extensive portfolio, however
he confesses his work called Infusions is one
of his favourites. “Infusions examines the
visual dynamics of interpenetrating liquids:
how they affect form, colour and movement.
Diverse forms enter and exit each other in an
orgy of movement and color, radically altering
them. The infusion of colour into clear or
previously-coloured liquid adds and changes
colour and is the stimulus for forms to collide
and embrace unpredictably, mindlessly,
mercilessly, sometimes devouring, digesting,
dominating, possessing, or annihilating; other
times slowly, easily, and gently blending in a
dance that, similarly unpredictable, almost
looks mutual and reciprocal. The changing
visual dynamics are often breathtaking in
their beauty.”
Briggie learned to recognise and respect
work as ‘photographic art’ while studying
photography at the University of Connecticut
School of Fine Art. Working under professor
David Kelly, Briggie started to recognise some
images as ‘trite’, and others as ‘easy’ images.
“Many nature photographs were nice to look
at, but ‘so what’? Other images were startling,
highly original, or incomprehensible (but
powerful and moving). Technical quality was
sometimes poor, sometimes sublime. It was a
process of learning how to see, coupled with
a technical appreciation of exhibition quality
work. Finally, technical competence, bold
expression, and visual originality came to-
gether in powerful images that could be called
photographic art.”
Cliff Briggie has just completed a col-
laboration with online retailer Imaginary
Foundation, turning his photographic work
into a series of clothing and prints. “I am very
pleased with the results,” he says. We have
much to look forward to as Briggie is cur-
rently preparing a show in New York for the
end of 2014 or beginning of 2015, while also
working on a book of photographs. Though a
clinical psychologist by day, Cliff Briggie adds
to his photographic work daily, which you can
find at flickr.com/photos/cliffbriggie.
Contact Cliff Briggie at
cbriggie@comcast.net for purchasing queries.
PhotographsbyCliffBriggie
18. Vapour | 35
Zena Holloway is an underwater photogra-
pher whose stunning work inspired the
very concept of this magazine. She has been
commissioned by various brands from Nike to
Channel 4 and even shot the covers of maga-
zines like Dazed & Confused. Zena Holloway
creates aspirational photographs that capture
the beauty within water. She has shot some
incredible stories and creatures, which include
skeletons and buried treasure in Uruguay
and an anaconda and crocodiles for Quintes-
sentially magazine. A Vapour favourite is a
recent editorial for How To Spent It magazine
titled Dream Weavers. The series captures
an underwater fairytale of a sleeping beauty,
lying elegantly in her bed, floating beneath
the ocean’s surface as though bewitched by an
enchanted spell.
Holloway began her career as a scuba
instructor, which became the initial platform
for her underwater photography to thrive.
Receiving her first underwater camera for her
18th birthday, Holloway taught herself basic
skills through books she found lying around
the diving centre. She confesses, “I seem to
remember getting it wrong a lot of the time
at the start but slowly the pictures improved
and I learned how to measure light and what
made a good image.” From here on she knew
she wanted to work underwater and started to
set up her own photoshoots which led to her
career as a commercial underwater photogra-
pher. “I like to think that I use water to create
unique and interesting imagery. I find that
water acts like a physical and mental bound-
ary for a lot of people. Those that can work
in water enjoy the freedom of weightlessness
and the challenge of a new environment, and
those that can’t are often in complete awe at
what can be achieved.” Her previous work as
a scuba instructor has armoured her with the
skills to manage people underwater, especially
in the cases of working with nervous celebri-
ties and models.
Holloway explains the job is not quite as
glamorous as some believe it to be. Spend-
ing a long day beneath the surface can be
physically exhausting and she confesses that if
it weren’t for the lure of achieving the perfect
photograph, she would have given it up years
ago. To Holloway, water feels magical, some-
thing which is, for her, very hard to capture
on land. She has never been one to follow the
crowd and likes to push the boundaries to
create totally new and original images. “I rely
strongly on creative directors and stylists to
push me down paths that I might not natu-
rally go. I enjoy the thrill of being out of my
comfort zone.” Photographers Bruno Dayan,
Eugenio Recuenco and Ben Hassett are among
the artists whose work captures her, looking
for inspiration in the most striking and evoc-
ative images.
Zena
Holloway
34 | Vapour
19. Taking
the
Plunge
Tradition isn’t for everyone when it comes to
taking your vows, but there are some couples
that prefer to push the boat out just that little
bit further and make their day inspiringly
unique. Underwater weddings are becoming
more and more common as people decide
‘normal’ just isn’t for them.
An underwater wedding ceremony is not
as complicated as you may think. Besides the
necessary diving training in the weeks ap-
proaching, essential to prepare you for the big
day, the ceremony itself is not much different.
Though the first married kiss is reserved for
the couple’s return to the sea’s surface, vows
and rings can still be exchanged at relative
ease. The bride can even wear as luxurious a
dress as she likes, in fact the floatier the better!
Weddings have been conducted by beautiful
sunken wrecks and even among a community
of sharks. The choice is yours. Guests can
36 | Vapour
Ever considered an underwater wedding?
even join the bride and groom underwater
to witness the ceremony first-hand, though
unsurprisingly most seem to choose to watch
a live stream of the service from the deck of a
boat in a comfortable, dry pair of shoes.
Last September, diving instructors Hiroyuki
Yoshida and Sandra Smith took their cere-
mony to record breaking depths of 123m in a
cave in Thailand – an eight-minute dive. After
six months of training to prepare for such a
dive, the couple were married by their friend
and diving instructor, Ben Reymenants. The
couple hold the Guinness World Record for
the deepest underwater wedding.
Couples and guests who have chosen to
take the dive have expressed that the beau-
tifully romantic surroundings of being wed
among the colourful sea-life made their day
purely magical, and they would not have
changed a thing.
20. The
Sea
Maiden
Photography & Styling | Emma Beamish
Model | Fran Hardy
From out their grottos at evenings beam,
the mermaids swim with locks agleam.
- Walter De La Mare
27. OLAF
UR
ELIA
SSON
Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson is
renowned for his sculptures and installations
in which he plays with the concept of water,
light and air to create the ultimate viewer
experience. Eliasson has exhibited his work all
over the world, and is now recognised as one
of the most significant international contem-
porary artists.
Eliasson has an endless list of stunning
works. Your Emotional Future, however,
is a compilation of a handful of Eliasson’s
greatest installations. Exhibited at Pinchuk
Art Centre in Kiev in 2011, Your Emotion-
al Future combines his works into a single
experience. The exhibition was made up of
different rooms. One room titled Ceiling Wave
consisted of a mirrored wave-like ceiling in
which the movements below activate the
wave-like motion of the mirror. It is interest-
ing that without the viewer, the waves would
not appear to move and the mirror becomes
insignificant. Another room was filled with
water fountains and called Model for a Time-
less Garden. The fountains were lit by strobe
lighting, both disorientating and captivating
the viewer. The flashes of light freeze what the
eye would normally see in motion, cutting the
way in which we see the world into sections.
Eliasson describes this as both exciting and
threatening. Beauty was also included within
the exhibition, and stands out as an exquisitely
unique presentation of water. In this instal-
lation, Eliasson shone a spotlight on a fine
body of mist, creating a spectacular rainbow
spectrum. Guests could interact with the mist
and connect with the installation in their own
unique way. Blogger Jesse Valle for Film Music
Art compared the experience to the Northern
Lights creating “haunting images of the super-
Bringing natural phenomena
into interior spaces
52 | Vapour Vapour | 53
natural, the light becoming representations
of the spirit and the soul, the faint colours
of the rainbow showing the diversity of the
people the spirits once inhabited.” Discussing
the exhibition, Eliasson said, “Everyone sees a
different rainbow because the rainbow’s really
made out of the light, the drop of water and
the eye. So this means that there is not ever a
rainbow that is the same by definition because
our eyes are not located in the same place.
But if you think about it, this really goes for
everything.” Eliasson asks the question, “Who
has the responsibility for seeing what we see?”
The Weather Project is among Eliasson’s
most memorable and successful installations,
held at the Tate Modern in 2003. The project
was extremely well received, attracting more
than two million visitors. The Tate conse-
quently asked to extend the installation, how-
ever Eliasson denied the request, explaining
that he was afraid of the project slipping from
an artistic experience to mindless entertain-
ment. The installation comprised of a soft
mist created by humidifiers using a mixture of
sugar and water. Two hundred sodium lamps
radiated a deep yellow light and a large mirror
covered the ceiling, reflecting visitors as dark
shadowed figures. The light looked like a giant
sun beaming within a thick sea of fog – an
utterly magical and tranquil experience.
In 2007, Eliasson joined the handful of
artists commissioned to redesign the BMW
for the BMW Art Car Project. Taking the pro-
ject an icy step further from his predecessors
Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, Eliasson
stripped the chassis of the car and replaced
the body with ice. His piece, called Your Mo-
bile Expectations, took more than 500 gallons
of water to layer with ice. It is a design that
will take a genius level of innovation to top in
BMW’s future projects. The icy car stood as a
reminder of global warming.
One of Eliasson’s most iconic projects is
his Waterfalls series, built on the shores of
four separate locations in New York in 2008,
in association with the Public Art Fund. A
team of roughly 200 design, engineering and
construction professionals constructed the 90-
120ft tall installations. “The waterfalls appear
in the midst of the dense social, environmen-
tal, and political tissue that makes up the heart
of New York City. They will give people the
possibility to reconsider their relationships to
these spectacular surroundings, and I hope
they will evoke individual experiences and
enhance a sense of collectivity,” Eliasson told
the Public Art Fund. The waterfalls’ structures
are composed of scaffolding and powered by
water being pumped from the river. Director
of the Public Art Fund and curator of The
New York City Waterfalls, Rochelle Steiner,
said: “Eliasson’s Waterfalls emerge from his
consideration of the historic and architectur-
al conditions of the physical environments
surrounding them. He has found a way to
integrate the spectacular beauty of nature into
the urban landscape on a dramatic scale.”
Olafur Eliasson joins the numerous artists
who have used their work to highlight the cat-
astrophic effects of global warming. His instal-
lation Your Waste of Time at the Metropolitan
Museum of Modern Art, showcased pieces
from Iceland’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull.
The fragments were kept in a room held at
freezing temperatures to preserve the ice. The
installation serves as a reminder of the melt-
ing icebergs tirelessly causing sea levels to rise.
The room was ecologically powered by the
museum’s solar panels to remain in keeping
with its own message.
With his father a fellow artist, Eliasson’s
work developed from an early age, having his
first show at just 15 years old, which con-
sisted of a collection of landscape drawings
and gouaches. Eliasson was still a student
when he began creating the installations that
he is renowned for today. Earlier this year,
Olafur Eliasson received the Eugene McDer-
mott Award in the Arts at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. The $100,000 prize
is an investment in the artists work, ensuring
he will continue to produce inspirational art
across the globe. Eliasson’s works are designed
to make the viewer think and question. He
uses natural resources like water as a spec-
trum in which to shine a light on significant
global issues. It is through our individual
interpretations of his work that we come to
realise the power of such elements in evoking
an emotional response, varying from one
person to the next.
28. THE
ICE
HOTEL
The Ice Hotel is one of the biggest ice sculp-
tures in the world. Open for only a spell of the
year in Sweden, the hotel is knocked down
and rebuilt each year with small changes made
to its artistic design. 40 artists work hard to
create innovative and inspiring designs each
year. “Creativity is our lifeblood…It’s about
being inspired by ice as a material – our imag-
ination is constantly challenged and so is our
vision of art...Our hotel is more than rooms
and beds; it is an art project made of snow and
ice that is totally unique.”
Though a bed made of ice may sound
uncomfortably cold, the facilities are actually
quite cosy. Animal furs line the beds to keep
you snug and guests are provided with thick
coats for exploring the palace. Rooms take
on six different themes, each decorated with
intricate ice sculptures and carvings. This is
certainly a destination for romance to thrive.
Relishing in the hotel’s luxurious sur-
roundings is not all there is to entertain your
stay. There are numerous exciting activities
to take advantage of, including dogsledding,
ice sculpting, snowmobiling, ice driving
and horseback riding. The busiest and most
expensive time to stay, of course, is during the
mind-blowing glimpse of the Northern Lights.
“My sister got married at the chapel which was very
beautiful, we all stayed 1 night in the ice rooms (which is
the maximum your allowed) with big double man sleep-
ing bags, thermals on and big fur blankets. They wake
you up early in the morning with hot lingonberry juice
(probably to make sure your still alive). We then stayed in
their warm cabins for a few nights. It was such a magical
experience, doing shots in the ice bar, going on husky
pulled sleigh rides through the forest in the moonlight,
my eyelashes freezing together, to a little wood cabin for a
cup of tea and eating hot greasy reindeer and chips, feel-
ing the inside of your nose freeze every time you breath
in. It was very cool (pun intended) and I will definitely go
again. Really amazing how the ice insulates and makes it
much warmer than the -40 outside.”
- Jessie Saunders
54 | Vapour Vapour | 57
The Ice Hotel is perfectly situated within the
Aurora Oval and so your chances of seeing the
Northern Lights are great on a clear night. The
hotel’s website boasts, “This might be the best
place in the world to see the Northern lights.
The white snow reflects a heavenly light show
– glittering stars, a full moon and the magical,
mystical Northern Lights.”
The Ice Hotel takes frozen water from the
Torne River to build the site each year be-
tween October and December, ready to open
in December until April. The team are under
great pressure to have the site ready for open-
ing, given the difficulties that come with using
ice. Constructing the hotel requires about
1,000 tonnes of frozen water and about 30,000
m3 of ‘snice’ (snow and ice; ice particles from
Torne River mixed with air). According to
their website, “‘Snice’ resembles snow in that it
is white and used for insulation, but structur-
ally it is stronger and purer than just snow.”
The hotel attracts around 50,000 guests from
roughly 80 different countries during its four
months standing. It is also open to the public
for viewing during the day.
The hotel’s artists are hand picked from
hundreds of applicants by a jury each year.
The opportunity to design a suite in such
an exquisite hotel is a once-in-a-life-time
experience for these artists, and no doubt an
exciting and challenging project. Surprisingly
the panel does not require artists to have set
experience when applying for the role. “The
mix of experience and inexperience allows for
the development of fresh ideas. This is the key
to our innovation and has been for almost 25
years.”
The Ice Church is a significant feature to the
Ice Hotel, as it unsurprisingly attracts many
weddings from around the globe. Couples can
be wed in a traditional white gown or a warm
snowsuit – anything goes. “Although our Ice
Church returns to the river in spring, love is
eternal.” The beautifully sculpted church can
accommodate up to 45 people.
The Ice Bar is an extended experience of the
exquisite hotel, found in Jukkasjärvi, Stock-
holm and London, and a few additional pop-
up bars that appear for only a short period of
time. The bars are also constructed from the
Torne River’s frozen waters and the Ice Hotel’s
artistic design aesthetic is sustained through
each project.
- The Ice Hotel is currently on the hunt for
next year’s artists, with guidelines on how to
apply on their website.
33. Zaha
Hadid
64 | Vapour
Liquid Glacial Tables
Zaha Hadid has designed a series of tables
inspired by ice formations. Made from clear
acrylic, the table surface is set like ice, which
melts into the vortex that pools into the
legs of the table. Though solid as frozen ice,
the waves in the glass add movement to the
pieces, as though it would ripple to touch.
Beautifully fragile to the eye, the set consists
of a dining table (conjoining two sections)
and a coffee table. The first section of the
dining table is 2515mm long and the second,
2827mm, making it perfectly adjustable to the
number of dining guests. Both sections are
1405mm wide, with the coffee table slightly
smaller at just 2500mm by 870mm. The liquid
glacial tables are currently exhibited among
other artists at the David Gill Gallery in Lon-
don. The tables are among a series in Hadid’s
fluid forms, which are informed by multiple
perspectives in defiance of accepted ways of
working in space.
Hadid has lived in London since attending
the Architectural Association in 1972. She is
renowned for her many epic projects, which
includes The London Aquatics Centre for
the 2012 Olympic Games, which has recently
opened its doors to the public. Zaha Hadid
Architects is one of six British architecture
studios selected to design water fountains for
various sites across London for the Archi-
tects’ Journal Kiosk design challenge. Hadid’s
design is a stunning cantilevered canopy and
collection pool. The designs were exhibited at
The Building Centre in February and March
this year.
Water is an
intimate
experience;
you can’t
separate
yourself
from it.- Roni Horn, Writer
Vapour | 65
34. THE ICE BAR
As you wait eagerly in the queue for the Ice
Bar, you are provided with thermal hooded
ponchos with gloves attached to keep you
warm. As you walk through the doors, you
are hit by the icy cold temperature of -5°c. The
room is relatively small but it’s the innovative
design and the fact that the entire structure is
built of ice that makes it so exquisite. Every-
one immediately disperses to explore every
corner of the bar, while flashes from cameras
blend with the changing of coloured lighting
against the ice. There are different areas to
discover with hidden seating, miniature sculp-
tures and wall carvings. They call it ‘frozen
architecture’.
The bar is the centerpiece of the venue.
Your 40minute visit comes with a free cocktail
from either the vodka or champagne based
menus, depending on your ticket. Any further
drinks come at the typical cocktail price of
£4, and don’t forget which glass is yours! The
glasses are also made of ice. You can feel them
66 | Vapour Vapour | 67
melt against your lips as you take a sip. After
each session, all the glasses are melted down
ready to be reshaped into new ones – so any
breakage here is never wasted.
The Ice Bar takes on a new interior design
each year, so you can revisit and relive a fresh
experience every time. It’s a thrilling experi-
ence with smiles all round as guests sit on the
cushioned ice block seating and relish in the
glacial surroundings. It’s one of those experi-
ences that open your eyes to the beauty within
the simplest of things. You’ll be left with a
thirst for more.
Tickets for the Ice Bar are just £13 when
you book in advance – which is highly rec-
ommended to guarantee your entry – or £17
if you’d like to upgrade to a champagne-based
drink. Situated in the heart of London, the Ice
Bar can be found on Heddon Street and un-
like the grand Ice Hotel, it is open to visitors
all year round.
PhotographsbyEmmaBeamish
35. Places to Visit
Antipode, Ronchini Gallery
Installations | Exhibitions | Events | Nature
Vapour magazine has searched the globe for the world’s most thrilling aquatic
sights and experiences.
Antipode is an exhibition of the new works by Dutch artist
Bernadnaut Smilde, which includes his Nimbus series - real
clouds suspended indoors. His works are truly inspirational.
The exhibition runs until June 14th
2014.
Sea of Stars, Vaadhoo Island, Maldives
At night, the phytoplankton in the sea light up the ocean like
a galaxy of stars. The view is absolutely breathtaking making it
the perfect destination for a romantic stroll on the beach.
Skaftafell Ice Cave, Iceland
Iceland’s stunning caves are the result of flowing water melting
a tunnel within a glacier. The results are crystal-like magic.
Guided tours through these beautiful caves are available every
year between November and March.
PhotographcourtesyofDiegoR
Koei Space Printer, Japan
The Koei Space Printer is an amazing clock installation in
Osaka Station. The clock prints the time using water, like a
digital fountain. Displaying the time every few minutes, the
clock also prints intricate floral patterns and has become a
great attraction to the shopping mall.
Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
Water running over the limestone and chalk over thousands of
years, has led to the formation of these stunning damns which
with it brings beautiful lakes, caves and waterfalls.
Harbin Ice Festival, China
Each year China plays host to the world’s most magnificent ice
and snow festival. Next year’s festival will run from January 5th
until February 28th
and includes a whole host of icy activities
and amusements, like the Ice and Snow Amusement World,
pictured above.
Caño Cristales River, Columbia
Thought to be one of the most beautiful rivers in the world,
the Caño Cristales River is dubbed ‘The Liquid Rainbow’. The
aquatic plants and corals that live within its waters create
colourful patches of red, green, yellow, black and blue.
Bigar Waterfall, Romania
Known as ‘the miracle from the Minis gorge’, its structure is 8m
tall and covered in green moss, creating a beautifully echanted
waterfall.
Underwater Waterfall, Mauritius Island
Sand is drawn into a plunging abyss off Mauritius Island to
create the illusion of an underwater waterfall. The view from
above the island is uniquely exquisite.
Pamukkale Hot Springs, Turkey
Pamukkale’s hot springs are the number one destination for
a theraputic holiday. Although it may look cold, it is bikini
weather all year round. The white limestone creates the effect
of snowy ground, providing the perfect Atlantic illusion.
Fly Geyser, Nevada
Fly Geyser was created by accident due to a geothermal test
well being inadequately capped. Scalding water has erupted
from the well ever since and formed this interesting shape.
Lake Hillier, Australia
Australia’s pink lake is the result of a dye caused by algae and
bacteria in its water. This may sound toxic, however the lake
is not known to cause any ill health. We are safe to admire its
uniquely coloured hue.
Vapour | 69
36. StockistsBiba at House of Fraser
www.houseoffraser.co.uk
Christian Dior Vintage at Farfetch
www.farfetch.com
Corgi at J.Crew
www.jcrew.com
Dion Lee at Net-a-Porter
www.net-a-porter.com
Davidoff at House of Fraser
www.houseoffraser.co.uk
Fatface
www.fatface.com
Gottex at House of Fraser
www.houseoffraser.co.uk
Kenzo at Selfridges
www.selfridges.com
Moschino
www.moschino.com
Our Legacy at MrPorter
www.mrporter.com
Peter Pilotto at Matches
www.matchesfashion.com
Saloni at Matches
www.matchesfashion.com
Vionnet at Farfetch
www.farfetch.com
3.1 Phillip Lim at Matches
www.matchesfashion.com
70 | Vapour
PhotographbyEmmaBeamish
