The Van Cleef & Arpels line of watches has awed me for some time now, and with each new collection, my obsession only grows. I was lucky enough to view their showroom at Harrod's in London this summer; I always have to remind myself that they actually produce fantastic jewellery as well as watches, but for me, the watches take centre stage. There is nothing on Earth like them.
For example, the watch on the left is the Midnight Planetarium Poetic Complication watch, which displays the planets of the solar system as they orbit the Sun. Each of the planets rotate exactly as they do in their actual orbits: this means that it will take nearly thirty years for Saturn to make one round of the dial! The time of day on Earth is shown by a shooting star on the edge of dial. This masterpiece costs $245,000-330,000 (depending on whether you want diamonds or not), so start saving now.....
Van Cleef & Arpels was founded in 1895 in Paris and is known for its whimsical use of precious stones in fine jewellery and watches. They've been producing some of the most imaginative wearable works of art possible for more than a hundred years. They're also known for perfecting the 'Mystery Setting' technique, where individual stones are hand grooved to fit into a mesh of gold or platinum (rather than prongs). To me, it simply has to be magic, because I can't understand how human hands can produce things this beautiful.
Below are a few of my favourite individual watches and collections. You'll see the Five Weeks in a Balloon watch, in which the hot air balloon's anchor swings around the dial to indicate the time; the Midnight in Paris watch, which displays the night sky in Paris; the Palais de la Chance collection (which was inspired by luck and the zodiac, as you will see); and the Polar Landscapes collection. There are many, many more, but I find these the most breathtaking.
This is a video describing the movement of the Poetic Wish watches, in which a young man and woman indicate the time of day by moving forward towards the Paris sky to make a wish.
So even though I may never be able to afford any of these (most cost around $100,000), I just can't help but feel awed that such beautiful miniature works of art can be made by hand. These little pieces have moved watch-making to a new, wondrous level, and as an artist, I find them so inspiring!
You probably wouldn't guess that the movie to surpass The Lion King as the highest-grossing Disney-produced film of all time, win a Golden Globe, and knock Beyonce out of the number 1 spot on Billboard 200-album sales chart was a little-advertised 2013 film about two sisters living in Norway. But here it is, and Frozen has far surpassed expectations worldwide. In fact, it's now competing with Toy Story and Finding Nemo in terms of gross earnings and popularity.
Frozen is loosely based on the traditional fairy tale of 'The Ice Queen.' It is set in a small kingdom amidst the beautiful Nordic fjords. Two sisters, Elsa and Anna, are young princesses; the elder, Elsa, is heir to the throne. The two are best friends as children and have a deeply caring relationship. However, Elsa was born with the power to create ice and snow, and the sisters' relationship is shattered when Elsa almost kills little Anna on accident when they are playing. As they grow up, Elsa withdraws, keeping herself as far from Anna as she can, in fear that her powers will hurt Anna again. The rest of their story follows Anna's attempts to reforge her relationship with her sister and find true love.
There are two main themes that the film imparts to its viewers in this story. The first is shown through Elsa's internal battle with her inherent powers. Because they once hurt Anna, she believes they are a terrible curse and does everything she can to hide them. But eventually, Elsa's powers grow stronger, and she can't keep them hidden. When the truth finally comes out, Elsa is forced to abandon her home. Once in exile, Elsa sees for the first time that this integral part of her, which she always believed was a curse, can actually be incredibly beautiful and life-giving. In Idina Menzel's fantastic musical number, we see Elsa embracing her gift and coming to terms with who she is after years of anguish and self-hatred. This theme impresses upon viewers one of life's most important lessons: no matter what society and your peers believe, you are who you are, and you can only find happiness and love when you embrace this. Don't try to hide the things you are afraid of, or think are embarrassing, or that may set you apart. This aspect might be the most beautiful part of yourself, the thing you are most passionate about. 'Let it go' and be who you truly want to be!
'Let It Go' by Idina Menzel
The film's second theme deals with Anna, as a young woman, trying to find true love. Possibly my favourite part of the film comes when Anna meets and instantly falls for handsome Prince Hans. In typical Disney princess fashion, the two catch each other's eye, get to know a teensy bit about each other via musical number, and then believe they are desperately in love and wish to be married at once. Anna and Hans immediately go to Elsa to ask for her blessing, to which Elsa realistically responds: 'You can't marry a man you just met.' And later, when Anna teams up with down-to-earth mountain-man Kristoff, he splutters: 'Wait, you mean to tell me you got engaged to someone you just met that day?! Who marries a man they just met?!' After decades of the true-love-at-first-sight/first-kiss rubbish from Disney, and in an age when many young people consider true love and marriage without a second thought, this blast of reality is brilliantly refreshing. And it doesn't stop there. Anna discovers that Kristoff, who is ungainly, relatively unattractive, and rough around the edges, may actually be the man for her instead of 'perfect' Prince Hans. I like that this encourages children and young adults to see beyond people's appearances and place value in personality and character. Maybe the best person for you isn't necessarily the most handsome or suave one. And that's fine!
The critical point of the film centres around 'true love's kiss'. Anna finds herself once again in mortal danger, and believes that only an act of true love can save her life. And here's a SPOILER: though Anna turns first to Prince Hans, then to Kristoff, to find true love, she ultimately discovers that the love she feels for her sister Elsa, which remained under the surface after many years of separation and misunderstanding, is the true love that is strong enough to save her. I honestly believe that this message, that 'true love' can be felt for your family or even friends, is the most important lesson of the film. This message comes during a time when sex and attracting others is the predominant theme across every type of media, especially for young adults and even (less directly) for children. My little sisters, who are eight and nine, often have to have a boyfriend or husband or Prince Charming involved as they're playing. I remember being boyfriend-husband-prince oriented as a little girl too. But why does a child need a Prince Charming at that age? In fact, why do you need a Prince Charming at any age? Yes, I believe people can derive great happiness from finding a partner to share their lives with. However, childhood development should not be oriented around attracting the opposite sex. Children - and adults - should focus on overcoming their weaknesses, honing their strengths, loving those around them, and discovering and embracing who they are. This is just what Frozen reminds us to do. And Elsa and Anna's relationship tells us that true love does not have to just be found through Prince Charming, but for friends and family too.
On top of these more serious themes, Frozen is great fun to watch overall, for kids and adults alike. The setting and animation is beautiful. The secondary characters are wonderful. The silly snowman Olaf gives kids plenty of laughs but imparts some wisdom, too: 'Love is putting someone else's needs before yours.' To me, the most hilarious interactions are between Kristoff and his loyal reindeer buddy, Sven. There's also a conspicuous side-villain (the major of Weaseltown, obviously) and a overly-friendly family of trolls.
I haven't heard a bad thing about this film yet - there have been rave reviews from children and adults alike. In Frozen we find more wisdom and truth than most other animated children's films put together. Hands down, this is the best story Disney has come out with in quite a while, so please go and see for yourself!
Frozen will be released in the US on DVD/Blu-Ray on March 18.
