Joyful things to do in January

SEE

Fresh artwork at London restaurant Sketch 

“I’ve always imagined Sketch as a living, ever-changing work of art,” says Algerian-born restaurateur Mourad Mazouz of the Mayfair hotspot he opened in 2002. Alongside the infamous egg-shaped loos, the Gallery restaurant has “continuously evolved”: it’s been adorned with drawings by David Shrigley, textiles by Yinka Shonibare and, from 13 January, British artist Jonathan Baldock will take the stage. The London-based artist is bringing a series of playful and colourful ceramic “masks” to the walls of India Mahdavi’s copper-and-yellow incarnation, while sculptural woven wool and massive wicker cocoons will hang from the domed ceiling. “The craftsmanship and joy in his work will create an environment that feels truly uplifting,” says Mazouz. Victoria Woodcock

BUY

Classic bomber jackets reimagined by Cecilie Bahnsen

Alpha Industries’ MA-1 bomber jacket was first designed in 1948 as a warm and practical layer for the US Air Force pilots, with a cropped silhouette to ease freedom of movement in cramped cockpits and a bright orange lining to attract rescue teams. It has since become a cult classic, adopted by everyone from Steve McQueen and Daniel Craig to Rihanna. This month, Danish designer Cecilie Bahnsen is bringing her hyper-feminine, romantic sensibility to the utilitarian style in a brand-new collaboration. In addition to the reimagined MA-1 silhouette, which will be embellished with Bahnsen’s signature delicate floral motifs, there will be versions of the quilted N-2B style embroidered with collage-like floral patchwork. This design was inspired by botanical illustrations from a 1940s gardening book, Garden Bulbs in Color. “One of the most inspiring parts of that book was how the flowers bloom outside the frame,” says Bahnsen. “It felt like an invitation to let the motifs grow, to let them spill beyond their borders.” Sara Semic

SEE

Constanze Han’s photographs of a week at Cuba’s national circus school

I became interested in Cuban circuses after encountering a history book called El Círculo Mágico. It helped me trace the story of the form from its 15th-century origins as a family-run travelling affair to the 1959 revolution that turned it into a formalised, state-supported venture. The Escuela Nacional de Circo, founded in Havana in 1968, was born from the revolution, and taught students skills such as aerial manoeuvres, contortionism and acrobatics alongside rumba and Cuban folklore. When I realised it was still going, I decided to spend a week with the students during their final exams. Photographing them, I felt moved by their dedication and generosity. Working with older equipment, they have to rely on discipline, creativity and camaraderie. This was especially visible during the aerialist training sessions. Their pulley system is entirely manual, so an aerialist cannot practise unless several other people are willing to work at the ropes, using their physical strength to raise the performer up and keep them safe. Whoever was free stepped in. That unspoken mutual support shaped everything I witnessed. Constanze Han

GIVE

Genuinely inspiring doormats for a good cause, from the artist Jeremy Deller

Artist Jeremy Deller looked to William Morris’s visionary 1887 pamphlet, How We Live and How We Might Live, when dreaming up his new collaboration with House of Hackney. Honouring Morris’s belief that art should be part of everyday life, Deller decided to print the title on two doormats, one reading “How We Live”, another “How We Might Live”, made by the historic Axminster Carpets factory in Devon. A third mat features his own playful mantra, “Bless This Acid House”. “I liked the idea of something practical and for the home, useful but also beautiful – very Morris,” he says. Each wool, cotton and jute mat is hand-finished and takes around 30 hours to complete. Profits will benefit two charities of Deller’s choice: Ideals, which trains health workers in war zones in Lebanon, Gaza, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and Weavers Adventure Playground, which supports young people in Tower Hamlets, east London. “They’re doing really good work,” Deller says, “and would benefit from a bit of cash.” Shelley Rubenstein 

GROOM

Beard trims with a royal seal

Ever since King George III, who sat on the British throne from 1760 to 1820, London barbershop Truefitt & Hill has tended to the hair and grooming needs of almost all male members of the British royal family. Other notable customers have included Charles Dickens, Lord Byron, Oscar Wilde and Frank Sinatra. This month, the groomers bring their expertise to the Club Room of Savile Row tailor’s Huntsman. For a week, their barbers will be in residence offering traditional hot towel wet shaves, haircuts and beard and moustache trims. Baya Simons

SEE

Joseph Jones brings his playful paintings of flowers and cats to New York

British painter Joseph Jones, profiled with his artist wife Poppy in HTSI last year, is opening an exhibition of his photorealist paintings of cats and flowers at New York gallery Chapter NY. While Jones usually paints these subjects from his studio in rural East Sussex, this set of work puts them against a new backdrop. “In New York, cats and dogs are not accessories but companions – witnesses to private lives lived in public,” Jones says.

One work depicts a fluffy snow-white cat being cradled by arms clad in a gold Adidas tracksuit; another shows one covered in stickers, sitting inside a cardboard box; in another, a marbled pink and white manuka flower blooms against a dark background. Jones was interested, he says, in “where cats and flowers become stand-ins for care, routine”. BS

SIP 

The first crop of 2024 Burgundies

Skipping dry January? This month, London-based fine wine merchant Flint Wines will host its annual tasting of Burgundy En Primeur, the Burgundies from 2024. Guests can sample the vintages from 40 domaines across the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune regions, including wines by exciting producers such as Pierre Duroché, Amélie Berthaut and Alex Moreau. IC

BUY

Never-before-seen images of Sophia Loren, shot by her favourite photographer

For Sophia Loren, one of the most photographed actors of Hollywood’s Golden Age, trust is a prerequisite of a good portrait. “The photographer behind the camera defines how the person in front of the camera feels,” the actor, now 91, tells HTSI. With Life magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, that trust came easily: “He was a friend who exuded, through his eyes, affection, warmth and admiration. A photoshoot with him was not work.” Their long collaboration is chronicled in a new book that brings together nearly 200 archival images, the majority unpublished. He captured her playing chess with Charlie Chaplin and Marlon Brando, and getting ready on the set of 1961’s Madame. There are also more intimate moments: Loren wandering through Villa Sara, her 16th-century mansion, or on a family boat trip off the coast of Naples. One contact sheet shows pictures taken days after the birth of her first son in 1968. When asked what she remembers of the shoot, she replies: “Frankly, not much, because I was a young mother and all I could think of was my baby boy in his crib. As an Italian mother, we tend to be anxiety-ridden when it comes to our kids, and these first weeks were no exception for me.” The great photographer, she continues, “captures the subject not how they want to appear but how they truly are”. Constance Ayrton

EAT

Neeps and tatties and spoken word to mark Burns Night

Covent Garden Hotel, one of eight Kit Kemp-designed hotels in London, will mark Burns Night, the annual celebration of Robert Burns, with a four-course meal and whisky pairing at its on-site restaurant Brasserie Max. Feast on a menu of Isle of Mull cheddar croquettes and haggis, neeps and tatties and poached rhubarb and yoghurt mousse, alongside Penicillin cocktails (a smoky, Scotch-based whisky sour) and swigs of whisky from Islay’s Bruichladdich distillery. Scottish poet Kevin McLean will also deliver a live spoken word performance. IC