Be transported by the magic of the red camellia with CHANEL’s latest skincare venture, discover how Cabernet Sauvignon comes alive with sound, and meet the curator of the Liverpool Biennial 2023, Khanyisile Mbongwa.
More than just a flower
CHANEL’s latest skincare venture takes shape in a new generation of holistic beauty products. The recently launched anti-ageing No1 DE CHANEL line encompasses a skincare and make-up range as well as a fragrance mist; and at the heart of all of this, the unique and revitalising power of red camellia extract. The red camellia is one of the few flowers in the world whose extraordinary energy gives it perennial youth, says CHANEL. According to the French beauty house: “Its resilience led CHANEL Research to make a remarkable discovery: the unique action of the red camellia, which works on the No1 stage of skin ageing to prevent or correct the appearance of the five signs of ageing.” The new line aims to minimise its environmental impact: formulas contain up to 97% naturally derived ingredients and up to 76% camellia-derived ingredients. In addition, all packaging is free of cellophane and contains no paper leaflets, lids are made with 90% bio-based materials and certain packaging components are recyclable. The No1 DE CHANEL range includes nine products: a power-to-foam cleanser, lotion, eye cream, serum, cream, foundation, lip and cheek balm, serum-in-mist and the L’EAU ROUGE scent.
A story of sound and wine
Five Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild protégés, composers and neuroscientists have recently joined forces to create a piece of music that pairs with any glass of Cabernet Sauvignon – a world first. ‘Tasting Notes: A Story of Sound and Wine’ has been created to use wine and notes to scientifically change the experience of drinking wine. “Music is a universal language and the right wine can make any experience more pleasurable. We all know wine pairs with food, but could we tap into our collective love of music and create a literal wine-and-music pairing to achieve our goal of opening up wine to new audiences?” says Khensani Nobanda, Nedbank group executive for marketing and corporate affairs. The scientific process entailed translating a Cabernet Sauvignon’s tasting map into an instrumentation map. This was achieved by gathering data through wearable electro-encephalogram (EEG) headset technology that measured emotional responses during various rounds of sensory wine-tasting experiences. The data was then combined with sound to plot the tasting experience into a piece of music.
Good to know: Buy any bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from your local outlet and visit www.nedbankcwg.co.za to experience ‘Tasting Notes: A Story of Sound and Wine’ for yourself.
Local curator makes waves
Khanyisile Mbongwa, chief curator of the 2020 Stellenbosch Triennale, has been appointed curator of the Liverpool Biennial 2023, the largest contemporary visual arts festival in the UK. We asked her a few questions:
What’s your message to female African artists? We need our energy, our wisdom to create the world we imagine in the work we do. Our awakening is vital energy for our own collective survival and aliveness. We matter because we exist, and our voices, visions, can channel transformative realities where we do not always have to negotiate ourselves for the survival of the next being. All our desires are valid. Our intellect has always been a space of resistance and manifestation, but also a space of joy and jubilee.
What do you want to achieve and convey as curator of this highly anticipated contemporary visual art festival? At this point, I do not know what the biennial will look like because I am deep in the research. This is a beautiful space that allows me to dream, wonder and speculate. But what I can say is that I want to be able to co-create a space where the artists feel cared for as people, creators and visionaries. I want my curatorial vision and direction to hold space for their work to be able to instigate a curing – and do what their work is supposed to do.
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