Latest news with #British-Caribbean
Forbes
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Balvenie Taps Into Art To Craft A New Audience For Scotch
Designer Samuel Ross debuted a new structural installation called 'Transposition" with Scotch maker ... More The Balvenie, the latest example of a liquor purveyor leaning into art for brand building. When designer Samuel Ross visited The Balvenie last year, the designer found himself submerged in Scottish landscapes filled with open lakes and rivers that all seemed to point directly at the distillery. 'And from that moment, I knew there'd be a factor and focus on water,' Ross tells me during an interview. The trip helped inspire a new immersive, structural installation called 'Transposition,' which debuted earlier this month at Milan Design Week. The artwork features three towers, incrementally rising by 15% in height from the smallest to to the tallest, and each churning through more than 50,000 liters of cascading water per hour. Ross used 1.5 tons of copper-painted steel to build the three vertical rivers, a nod to the copper stills used in the Scotch whisky-making process. Both The Balvenie and Ross say they wanted the piece to have its own identity and not be a to-on-the-nose branding activation. 'He was able to create something we thought was pretty amazing that had whisky making at its absolute heart,' Andrew Furley, global brand managing director of The Balvenie, tells me during a separate interview. A Balvenie whisky tasting, held in the distillery's home in Dufftown during Ross' visit, would also influence the British-Caribbean artist. 'The sweetness and the profile drew me initially,' says Ross, who personally prefers dark spirits like whisky and rum. 'My objective was to pull on the strands and the profiles of that tasting experience, and the level of depth and character in that process, and transform it into a physical sensory experience.' Liquor brands have long sought to work closely with artists and designers to broaden their appeal, a trend that began in the 1980s when Andy Warhol created a piece based on the silhouette of a bottle of Absolut vodka. These partnerships can give spirits makers vibrant new ways to engage with consumers and stand out on the shelf. Most artist-liquor tie ups tend to result in limited-edition bottle creations, including tequila maker Don Julio's creation with designer Willy Chavarría, Scotch brand Johnnie Walker's Lunar New Year design with visual artist James Jean, and a collaboration between brandy St-Rémy and French artist Lucas Beaufort. All of those partnerships debuted over the past two years. The artwork features three towers, which incrementally get higher by 15% from the smallest to the ... More tallest, and each churn through more than 50,000 liters of cascading water per hour. Furley says the artistic activation with Ross reflects a recent focus by The Balvenie to seek out opportunities to raise global awareness of a Scotch brand that isn't as well known as rivals like Johnnie Walker or Macallan. Past partnerships that point to The Balvenie's thinking include initially launching The Balvenie Fifty First Edition exclusively at the London luxury department store Harrods and a furniture collaboration with designer Bill Amberg. While luxury is a persistent theme through all those branding exercises, The Balvenie says it is also angling to become more than just a Scotch sold to collectors and industry insiders. 'The Balvenie has been a 'if you know, you know' brand; it's very well known by whisky connoisseurs and enthusiasts, but not by the more general audience,' says Furley. 'I think what we are trying to do is give ourselves a little more of a shop window to a broader audience who maybe don't know the brand as well as some of those connoisseurs.' Born in Brixton, an area of South London, Ross says he was primarily raised in the midlands in a part of England that was historically known for shoemaking. That helped inform his preference to work with raw materials when he studied graphic design and illustration at De Montfort University. Industrialism is a through line that consistently appears in his work, ranging from the luxury sportswear brand A-Cold-Wall that he founded in 2014 and work that sits in the permanent collections at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. 'Over the past ten years, I've just been chiseling out and refining that proposition,' says Ross. British-born designer Samuel Ross says he was raised in an industrial region and that industrialism ... More and raw materials are a through line that consistently appears in his work. Ross has designed wearable objects for luxury giant LVMH Group, athletic gear purveyor Nike and tech behemoth Apple. 'We're looking to learn from the best,' says Ross, of the partners he works with, which now includes The Balvenie. 'As a custodian of commercial products, and also expression in the arts, I want to understand and have a fair exchange with these parties," adds Ross. "To give them a new context, that's my role as an artist. But also, with a founder hat on, I want to learn how these maisons work and exchange ideas.' For 'Transposition,' Ross says he sought to sensorially represent the whisky-making process. Each of the three towers represents part of that process: the water, the fermentation process and finally the distilled liquid that goes into a barrel, where it extracts flavor from the wood. 'There's almost this perpetual rhythm of seeing the water and the liquid fall, and you've got the light temperature shifting slightly to give a different optic,' says Ross 'It's all about the senses.'
The Guardian
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Wretch 32: ‘It's a difficult ride for Black people in this country'
Over the past two decades, Wretch 32, real name Jermaine Scott, has established himself as a pioneering figure in British rap. From his rise in the underbellies of an early-millennium rap and grime scene, to his mainstream success and songs with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Emeli Sandé, Stormzy and Giggs, he is among the handful of UK rappers who have scaled the heights of the British music scene while maintaining a deep connection to their communities. At 39, Scott is ready to release his seventh album, Home?, a soul-searching record that reflects on his relationship with that word. 'I feel like it always moves. I feel like it always changes,' he says of his relationship to 'home'. 'I'm still trying to put an exact location on it but as it stands it's more who I'm with. I feel like I could make a home in any house.' More than that, the album is a detailed account of his inner world, and a tender narration on the community that surrounds him. Over its 15 songs, it ruminates on themes of belonging, and on British-Caribbean and Black British history, as well as further commentary on the contemporary climate of the country at large. 'I think the word that comes to mind is 'displacement',' he says. 'For anyone who feels like: 'I'm here, but am I accepted here? Or am I just tolerated here?' Anyone who is in the middle of that, this record is for you.' On the album, home is a two-way street – one existing between a community and its country, as well as a country and its communities. Scott more than most embodies this sentiment. His grandparents – both paternal and maternal – arrived in the UK from Jamaica, settling in north London, a family line starting anew on British soil. Both of his parents were raised in Tottenham. He is the third generation of his family to have called the area home. Activism runs in the family. Growing up, he remembers a sense of communal resistance and care in the household. Both his dad, Millard Scott, and his uncle, Stafford Scott, were renowned in the local area for their community work and advocacy, standing firm in the face of entrenched racism and repression. 'My uncles and Dad would be on GMTV before school,' he says. 'I remember seeing my gran, my dad and my uncle on London Tonight because they had taken the police to court for harassment and had won.' Formative memories like these meant that from a young age 'I was knowing that something's not right in the system'. As a child there were community activists holding meetings in his front room; he recalls the teachings he received on the likes of Marcus Garvey and the African National Convention, or on apartheid in South Africa, the posters of Muhammad Ali on the walls, and a deep-set understanding of Britain and its relationship to his people being seeded in his mind. 'The first thing was understanding it's a difficult ride for Black people in this country,' he says. 'I remember feeling displacement on that level, hearing these conversations with my dad, with my uncles, hearing them talk about injustices, the first Broadwater Farm riots, and the uprisings.' Eventually, as he grew older and into his own life, he began to experience his own early feelings of displacement, subtle questionings of Britain and his place in it. There were early encounters with the police, being stopped or chased when he was as young as eight, and the occasional screams from passing cars, their passengers telling him to go back to where he came from. 'On Black Boy Lane I was caught on my own,' he raps on Black & British, a track from Home? with Little Simz and Benjamin AD, 'he told me to go back to my country, I thought I was home.' In the late 00s and early 2010s, years after the first peaks of Dizzee Rascal and Kano, British rappers and MCs began to resurface in pop culture. Wretch 32 was among them, a rare case of an artist who managed to tailor his music for a wider audience without corrupting his reputation. After signing with Ministry of Sound, he released the commercially successful singles Traktor, Unorthodox and Don't Go, the latter reaching No 1 on the UK singles chart. Emerging into the mainstream changed his fortunes. He moved out of working-class Tottenham to the north London and Hertfordshire hinterland of Barnet. Despite turning music into a viable career, that sense of displacement still followed. 'There was less of a community there than there was in Tottenham,' he reflects. '[In Tottenham] I knew all my neighbours. I knew their names; we helped each other out. We held doors, we carried bags for elderly women. When I moved into the gated community in Barnet it wasn't the case.' The sense of resistance that runs in the family continues today. In 2020, his dad, 62 at the time, was tasered by police, and subsequently fell down the stairs. The Met Police, in a review of the incident, 'found no indication of misconduct'. After the footage was posted to social media, London mayor Sadiq Khan called for an urgent review by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Scott appeared on ITV News alongside his father to speak on the incident. His father believed the tasering would not have happened if he were a white man. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion 'Imagine the beautiful darkness,' Scott says. 'I remember watching my dad on the news, watching my dad on London Tonight, and now I'm beside him on London Tonight. It's not the full circle you would want but it is [what happened] nevertheless.' Scott was born in 1985, the same year the Broadwater Farm estate in Tottenham blazed with late-autumn riots after the death of 49-year-old Cynthia Jarrett. She died from heart failure after the police raided her home on suspicion of her son having handled stolen goods. Stafford would write in the Guardian years later: 'There was such anger about Cynthia's death, given the regular harassment local black people faced from the police, that the following day a riot broke out.' This history is carved into the album. Stitched into Home? are voices and echoes from that time gone, catalogued in excerpts from a 1988 documentary titled Scenes from the Farm. Originally aired on Channel 4, the documentary was shot in the aftermath of the riots, capturing the mood and immediate realities of 80s Black Britain on the estate. Scott's grandma owned a copy on VHS, before accidentally taping over it. It would be years before he would watch it in full, eventually seeing it for the first time when the full piece was uploaded to YouTube. By this time, his grandma had died, her memory only existing in family photos and albums. So, as he watched for the first time, her presence came into full colour. Speaking to the pastor in a scene outside Scott's baptism, she says: 'If I die today I'm just dead, but as long as I know I died to let someone else live …' The scene struck Scott at his core. 'To hear her voice was such a big, impactful moment, it was such a feeling. I haven't heard this voice before. She only existed in family photos.' Home? is a weaving of these realities, of a history extending beyond Wretch 32's immediate reality. It was a charting of the political, social and cultural forces and history that preceded his entry into the world. In that way, this album, and his wider discography, are an extension of the work and legacy started by the generations of his family who came before him. Home? is out this spring; the single Black and British ft Little Simz is out now.
Telegraph
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
British tourists overlook this French Caribbean jewel – here's why you should go
With hundreds of beaches, an active volcano, hot springs and some of the region's tallest waterfalls, Guadeloupe just may be the most gorgeous and diverse Caribbean destination you have never heard of – unless you're a fan of the TV show Death in Paradise. Filmed in Guadeloupe and on air since 2011, the hugely successful British-French crime drama series has hooked British viewers on its quintessentially Caribbean scenery: lush green rainforests, long golden beaches and colourful wooden houses. These picture-perfect images have even enticed some fans of the show to travel to Guadeloupe. But what tends to surprise real-life visitors is its French flare. While Death in Paradise takes place on a fictional British-Caribbean island with a distant French past, Guadeloupe has been an integral part of France since 1635, now classed as a French overseas department and region. Many areas of Guadeloupe feel like a tropical France – where palm trees meet pain au chocolat. You could also call it the Caribbean for beginners, a mix of European familiarity and colourful Antillean Creole culture. And Guadeloupe is a particularly intriguing destination to visit because it is not just a singular island – it is an archipelago of six inhabited islands and a dozen uninhabited ones. However, few British travellers visit this paradisical destination; here's our insider guide to what to do, see and eat in Guadeloupe. What to do in Guadeloupe Go island hopping Two main islands, Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre, make up the 'continent' of Guadeloupe and island hopping between the two landmasses could not be easier, as they are connected by two short bridges that run over La Rivière Salée – a thin river that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea. The islands of Grande-Terre (also called the Butterfly Island due to its shape) and Basse-Terre are completely different in their topography: the former is a relatively flat limestone plateau surrounded by white sand beaches and rocky cliffs, and the latter is mountainous, covered in thick rainforest. The other islands within the Guadeloupe archipelago can be reached by short boat trips. Just a 20-minute boat ride away from Basse-Terre's Trois-Rivières, find the sophisticated but laid back former fishing island of Terre-de-Haut. It's known as a mini-St. Barts, but it is rather more reminiscent of a visit to the glamorous island 30 years ago. An hour-long boat trip from Grande-Terre's Pointe-a-Pitre, the flat island of Marie Galante, known as the Big Pancake, represents the slow-paced Caribbean of yesteryear with its pristine beaches, top rum distilleries and the occasional ox-pulled cart. Those interested in seeing a wild, natural Caribbean island should take the 45-minute boat ride to the island of La Désirade from Grande-Terre's Saint-François. At 145 million years old, La Désirade is the oldest island in the Lesser Antilles, with a dramatic mountain ridge and plateau. Get hiking Two-thirds of the rainforest island of Basse-Terre belongs to the 43,000-acre Guadeloupe National Park. Hiking enthusiasts can trek to the top of the volcano La Grande Soufrière, which is also the highest peak in Guadeloupe at 1467 metres, or make their way to some of the park's more than 50 waterfalls. Don't miss the two tallest Carbet falls, known as La Première and La Deuxième Chute du Carbet. At 115 metres and 110 metres, they are known to be the tallest waterfalls in the Lesser Antilles and look quite impressive as they flow down the cliffside, one on top of another. These spectacular natural points do require some hiking stamina. If you are in search of something simpler, the national park's easiest waterfall to reach is Cascade aux Écrevisses, only a five-minute stroll from the parking lot. After a strenuous hike (or lovely amble) it's time to relax in the island's hot springs, which are plentiful in Basse-Terre. Visit the heart-shaped Bain des Amours, a concrete pool built into the rainforest, filled with warm volcanic water. Or, head to Ravine Thomas, a natural hot spring by the sea, where the cooler water from the Caribbean Sea mixes with the boiling spring water in a shallow rocky bath. Head to the beach Guadeloupe has 270 beaches to explore. Those looking for classic Caribbean white sand beaches should stick to Grande-Terre, where you have long options like Plage de la Caravelle and Plage de Bois Jolan in Sainte Anne. Or, hop a five-minute boat ride to the little sandy stretches of Ilet du Gosier, a Robinson Crusoe-style tropical island. To see more variety in sand colour, head to Basse-Terre where the volcanic southern part of the island has striking black sand beaches, such as the Plage de Grande Anse of Trois-Rivières. The sand gets lighter as you move towards the north, from the grey sands of Plage de Malendure (which is also home to turtles living in the protected bay) to the golden-orange hues of the Deshaies area beaches. Enjoy French-Caribbean cuisine Guadeloupe's cuisine is known for its diversity of flavours and spices, as the food has been impacted by people of African, European and Indian heritage. Across the islands, you might find local fish served with passion fruit sauce or the curcuma- and coriander-laden colombo curry. To follow the foodie path across Grande-Terre, start your morning with croissants and other French delicacies from artisanal bakery Boulangerie Gahagnon in Le Gosier. Then drive to Saint-François to see the scenic cliffside viewpoint of Pointe des Chateaux before enjoying a waterfront lunch at Le Rhumarin. Here you can have accras (spicy cod fritters), followed by sea bream with chili peppers or foie gras cooked in rum. For dinner head to Le Zagaya for lobster grilled with creole spices and pineapple tarte tatin for dessert. And be sure to sample typical local rum drinks such as Ti' punch – literally translated as small punch, made with rhum agricole, lime and sugar cane syrup. When to go The temperature is always pretty steady, hovering around 30C. The driest and the most pleasant months to visit are from November to April as there are some refreshing winds. June to October is hurricane season, but major storms are rare in Guadeloupe. Quick rain showers are common throughout the year. How to get there Paris is the only city in Europe that has direct flights to Guadeloupe's Pointe-a-Pitre, from both Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Paris Orly Airport, but British travellers can add a connecting flight from London or elsewhere in the UK with Air France. From Paris, the flight time is around 8 hours, nearer to 10 hours of total flying time from the UK. How to get around A rental car is a must in Guadeloupe as public transport options are very limited. Distances can be surprisingly long and traffic jams are common – to minimise time spent in the car, consider splitting your stay between Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre. If you prefer staying in one location, Grande-Terre's Le Gosier is the most central beach town in Guadeloupe – it's about an hour's drive from everywhere. For a car-free holiday, take a boat to the little island of Terre-de-Haut where walking, electric bicycles and golf carts are popular modes of transport. Where to stay Those looking for a luxury experience should check out La Toubana Hotel & Spa, Guadeloupe's only five-star hotel, near the beach town of Sainte-Anne in Grande-Terre. The hotel's highlights are its beautiful cliffside infinity pool overlooking the sea and its legendary free-flowing champagne buffet that takes place on Sundays. Bungalows from £280 in the low season and £500 in the high season. For Death in Paradise fans, there is only one possible accommodation option: the Langley Resort Fort Royal near Deshaies in Basse-Terre. It's a fairly large resort by Guadeloupe standards, with a selection of beach bungalows and a tall white waterfront building with several floors of rooms. This is also where the Death in Paradise crew stays during the filming, and the hotel has appeared in many episodes as well – the most famous being one where a bride fell to her death from the balcony of the hotel. Rooms from £140.
