Keep an eye out for Tom Schutyser's Caravanserais photographs, recently exhibited in Paris at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture. Tom has travelled extensively through the Middle East and Asia and was drawn to document the caravanserais he encountered along the trail of the ancient Silk road from Iran to China.

Says Tom himself:

In early 2003 I traveled in a West-East direction along the Silk Road from Iran through Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan) to China. In Northern Iran these silent  solemn ruins of caravanserais languished in eerie, desolate, motionless desert winter landscapes. They are a reminder of the prosperous eras of the Silk Road along which trade, inventions, diplomacy, religions and cultures were exchanged between China, the Western world, the Middle East and Central Asia. 

For more information on Tom's work and upcoming projects, visit his website.

Updated on Monday, April 27, 2009 at 06:59AM by shortcut

 
New York based writer Jennifer Cody Epstein has just published her first novel "A Painter from Shanghai" based on the life of Chinese painter Pan Yuliang. The book traces Pan Yuliang's tumultuous life and her relentless pursuit of artistic fulfillment against the backdrop of seismic political and social change in the China of the early 20th century. Jennifer's novel has been called "luminous" by the New York Times and Publishers Weekly says it "captivates to the last line". She recently "sat" down for an online interview with Shortcut to discuss her new book, her transition from journalist to writer, and what drew her to write about a woman a century and a continent removed from her.

Jennifer's book is available at Amazon.com

You are an American writer, based in New York. How did you hear about Pan Yuliang and what were your intentions in writing about her?

It actually began at the Guggenheim Museum, about ten years ago. My husband and some relatives and I were at an exhibition on Modern Chinese Art, and there was just one image by Pan Yuliang on display. But it drew me over immediately. It was a typical Pan Yuliang in that it was very evocative of Matisse and Cezanne, and the bright, bold colors and distinctly Western setting (as compared to the huge propaganda-style images and much more subtle ink paintings around it) really stood out for me. I went over to see more and when I read about Pan’s story (prostitute-concubine-Post-Impressionist icon; really?!) it just blew me away. I’d never heard of her before—but I couldn’t, at that moment, understand why---it struck me that everyone should know about her.

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NYCB is returning to Copenhagen with an all Balanchine programme on September 6. Serenade is included.

Get tickets here: billetnet

photo via ballet blog the winger 

check the revamped new york city ballet website for videos on balanchine and other choreographers

by jason jobson via pierce mattie public relations

With all the "reality" shows that run the networks these days, it is so refreshing to discover a novel that you can dive into as a distraction to all the noise around us. Yes, thats right - remember books? I know you can read!! I recently tore through one I could not put down and had to share it.
The Last Day of Paradise is one of those books you pick up because of the interesting cover art and unusual title. It doesn't take long to discover the double entendre of the title and realize the book is not at all what you thought. That is how the best works of fiction usually hook you. What you think is coming doesn't - and what you find you weren't looking for!

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Traveling with a boring guide book? Not happy with the restaurant listing of your Lonely Planet? Annoyed because there's no word on golf courses/spas/vintage clothes boutiques/ you name it in your TimeOut edition?

Brighter times are ahead.

Take an online trip to Viamigo, the brainchild of San Francisco based creative/journalist  jeff goldsmith, and pick from a vast menu of local guides that you don't have to lug around: living, breathing residents who are willing to put their arduously collected personal expertise at your disposal. Need a historian to explore the finer nuances of Sicilian baroque? Chances are you might find one on viamigo. Or maybe you feel like sharing your city wisdom with others? Sign up as a guide.

More on viamigo: 

VIAmigo.com helps global travelers find authentic, local experiences and insider adventures - by connecting them with personal tour guides from everywhere. We simply let independent tour guides tell everyone what travelers can see chez eux - and we let travelers rate guides. VIAmigo.com is, pardon the jargon, a one-to-one destination marketing platform. Go beyond the guidebook. Go everywhere. Get into everything.

 
by Sara Bertoni

Terrazza Martini has been for years the scenery for the most famous jetset parties in all large metropolises. Martini held terrace on exclusive top locations for various film premières, cocktail parties, press events and other stylish happenings. The world-famous vermouth brand brings this summer Martini Terrazza not only in Amsterdam, but also in and Rotterdam!

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by moscerina

Photo credit: "Testaccio blues" by _mirko_ (無)

When it rains, Rome is usually the last place anyone wants to be. You can’t eat outside, unless you don’t mind getting quasi-soaked. The buses, trams and taxis seems to be in limited edition. The Vatican Museums are overrun and the Forum has a mud river flowing through it. That doesn’t mean there is nothing to do in Rome. It just means you have to be clever and get out of the historical center.

And right now, this means visiting Testaccio, the latest “really, truly Roman” neighborhood to be gentrified.

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Cheap Flights to Rome
Opodo offer cheap flights to Rome and other world cities

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It's been quiet on the interview front at Shortcut, but here's a special treat: I've talked childhood friend Linda Heydegger into letting me interview her about her work as a painter and showcase some of her pieces in digital form on the site. Linda's been painting and drawing since i first met her at age 11 and she's done so with increasing success. Her last exhibition, a series of still lives, was a delightful amalgam of mundane objects set off by dazzling colours: these are household items glimpsed perhaps casually on kitchen tables across Europe, but rendered with fastidious detail and arranged sensually like objets d'art before the viewer. Each piece barely bigger than a large-sized envelope, the still lives evoke a series of postcards conveying multiple domestic worlds, each with its inherent cultural flavor. And yet these multiple, disparate words, nudged into careful composition and bathed in glistening colours, converge into fundamentally the same vision: an image of home.

Linda was born in Basel but raised between Arizona, Germany, Switzerland and now lives in France.

Read the interview or enter the gallery

Shortcut: You've been painting for years and have had several exhibitions. At what point did painting become more than a hobby for you?

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by sara bertoni

In 1997 Ilja Visser attended the School of Arts in Arnhem, the Netherlands to study Fashion Design. Ilja interned at Donna Karan (www.donnakaran.com) in New York and Maria Cornejo Zero Red DaDa (www.mariacornejo.com).

After graduation Ilja moved to Milan to discover the roots of fashion, fabulous fabrics and inspiring design. It was here she laid the foundation of her ambition, realized in 2005, to introduce her own label.

Ilja Visser opened the 7th edition of International Amsterdam Fashion Week (AIFW). Inspired by Benjamin Hoff’s world’s bestselling book The Tao of Pooh, Ilja Visser presented her SS 08 collection, which combines the rebel feel of her target group with a simple yet always positive view of the world.

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by sara bertoni

On Friday the 27th of July 2007 Elle presented its Spring/Summer 2008 prêt-to-porter collection, a collection that  captures a soft Metropolitan futurism with sport-luxe inspirations in silvery hues and translucent acid colours. Silhouettes are evident and outspoken with soft volume on the top exaggerated by dropped shoulder seams and a marked waistline above slim fitted bottoms. The prêt-à-porter label is designed by International Dutch design duo Oscar Raaijmakers and Süleyman Demir: an exciting and experienced design team led by the Artistic Director Nikki Hillier.

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by Sara Bertoni

Friday 27th of July Daryl van Wouw showed his Spring Summer 08 Collection during AIFW. At the up beat tunes of DJ Joost van Bellen, Daryl showed both a women and men's collection under his name. The colorful, often unisex collection with matching accessories is tough with an edge for men and sexy and recalcitrant for women. Daryl even designed an accessory line with earrings, bags, sunglasses and even sneakers. His collection is inspired by the mid-eighties with a touch of Asian folklore.

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by Sara Bertoni

Judith Osborn , she's blond, great skinny body, ambitious and loves colours that hurt your eyes, as she described herself.

She starts studying School of Art in Holland and fashion became very soon the love of her life … At 26 years old, she married the other love of her life, a “fish millionaire” and as he said, she became a ‘fish wife’

From that day, where there is fish, fun and fashion, there is Judith. When I meet her first time after the show, the first impression I had of her is that she is a woman of an incredible sense of humour and as we know, I think ironic and humour is one of the ingredient to never be bored on life ! Imagine that the appetizeres for the After Show were the famous Dutch herrings!

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by Sara Bertoni

Amsterdam International Fashion Week, the home of Dutch fashion was finaly back last week !! Over 100 designers took their latest looks to the catwalk ! Amsterdam is realy growing as a Fashion Business Capital. Trade Fairs Showroom and Mode Fabriek attract over 20.000 professional buyers from Holland and abroad. .

Amsterdam International Fashion Week was founded in 2004, as an initiative to put Amsterdam on the map as a vibrant and inspiring destination for fashion.

The program last for over 10 days and consisted of trade fairs, catwalk shows (a combinantion of on- schedule shows at Museumplein and off-schedule events around town), business network events and a public programme of exhibitions, launches and parties.

Amsterdam Fashion Week is organized by AIFW, consisting of Merle Deterink, Pietre de Haan, Steven Pooters and James Veenhoff, supported by internes and in close cooperation with sponsors, government, instituitions, industry partners and media.

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by sara bertoni 

On Saturday the 16^th of June, I was invited to the Le Freaque Fashion Feast at the church in Ruigoord. The event was hosted by Bas Kosters and Shirley Hart as a DJ team Mr. Broekjevol en Mevr. Bloesjevol. The event included a fashion show by designers Sita Wllemse (Guinea Pig Galore), the collection of Marjet van den Elzen and a special fashion performance by Nieuw Jurk (Esther Meijer).

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 by sara bertoni

From 1943 to 1996 Cineac was a loved movie theatre. The world famous Dutch Dj Tiesto and a team of creative partners have decided to re-launch the place with a total concept: modern Chinese cuisine, cocktails, club, live entertainment and electronic pop, to add a new dimension to the term “ going out in the Netherlands”.

The grand opening of the restaurant and club, Cineac, was the 7 june 2007 in Amsterdam. I was invited to the Pre Opening with VIP’s the night before.

At the party, Dj Tiesto performed with a group of sexy and beautiful models wearing the provocative lingerie of Der Kommissair, amazing modern Chinese food and cocktails to the Vip guests and of course a beautiful atmosphere , thanks to the famous architect J. Duikers who designed the place.

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