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When Art Meets Watchmaking

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When Art Meets Watchmaking

Our client, Bel-Air Fine Art presents yet another fantastic artist and his work. Quentin Carnaille is an exceptional artist who creates intriguing pieces. In his Horlogerie series, Quentin mixes the art of sculpture with watchmaking. It is very interesting to see how Quentin deconstructs the tangible aspect of watch mechanisms to illustrate a philosophical concept.

QUENTIN CARNAILLE

Quentin Carnaille was born in France in 1984. After graduating with an architecture degree in 2009, he produced his first sculpture using old timepiece mechanisms. Carnaille used the timepieces to adorn jewels or accessories – which beyond being decorative – pose the question of time and the relativity of its passage, a recurring theme in his work.

PENSEUR
Steel, magnets, watch mechanisms sculpture – Original edition of 8 ex

Following this first phase of research; came a period of intense creativity where he diversified his use of timepiece mechanisms. Quentin freed them from their mechanical arrangement and linked them together with magnets. They began to take the appearance of real sculptures. In the Horlogerie series; Carnaille finds his own intimate rhythm turning towards the future to give his questionings a universal reach.

With Apesanteur, Carnaille goes back to the origins of time and astronomy. With this in mind, the artist produced a piece that would recreate the absence of gravity just as if it were in space. He achieved this by using magnetic levitation. A simple gesture puts this magnificent objet d’art in perpetual motion.

And so Quentin Carnaille’s research continues, somewhere between technical prowess and the wish to place art at the service of a primordial source, that of time and of mankind; or how to allow the latter to see the former not as an implacable enemy, but rather as an idea of the possible from which both are born.

To learn more about this incredible artist, visit Bel-Air Fine Art.

ABOUT BEL-AIR FINE ART

Since the opening of their first gallery in Geneva in 2004, the Bel-Air Fine Art group has settled in the most prestigious locations in Europe, United States and Middle East. At the head of the group, father and son François and Gregory Chabanian attach great value to present a rich selection of artists from different artistic movements. Among them, we find the optical art of Patrick Hughes and Rafael Barrios, the street art of Mr Brainwash, Alec Monopoly and Banksy and the post pop art of David Kracov, Dorit Levinstein and Patrick Rubinstein. Photographers also get a good deal on the contemporary art scene with Liu Bolin, Christian Voigt, Antoine Rose, Cécile Plaisance, Joël Moens. Bel-Air Fine Art also represents major contemporary sculptors such as Carole Feuerman, Richard Orlinski, Idan Zareski and Paul Sibuet.

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The Art of Storytelling

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The Art of Storytelling

WHAT IS STORYTELLING

Storytelling is the process of using facts and narrative to transmit a message to your target audience.

Brand storytelling can be defined as the narrative that meshes together the facts and emotions that your brand evokes. This narrative shares the story behind your brand and gives your clients reasons why they should buy your product.

THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

We are living In a fast-paced and digitally-driven world. Consequently, the convenience of the internet and the exponential increase of social media platforms have rarefied human connections.

Facing this environment and its swift competition, businesses have to be different and can’t remain a faceless entity. Thus, in order to survive, businesses must reach out to their audience, engage them and create long lasting relationships.

Through storytelling, you are able to personify your brand making it all the more relevant to your target audience. Ultimately, generating an emotional connection and brand loyalty.

Brand storytelling has to be an essential tool in your communications kit; because through its use, you will be able to maximize your business’s visibility, profit, and impact.

Here are 3 reasons why you should considering storytelling in your communications strategies:

“People will soon forget what you said. They will never forget how you made them feel“ – Maya Angelou

Powerful words from a powerful woman. But this is exactly the point of storytelling. By sharing your brand’s story with your audience in a certain way, you are establishing a connection, causing an emotional reaction and with the right audience, generating loyalty.

In today’s crowded digital marketplace; where millions of businesses compete for their customers’ attentions, each second of the day; the brand that delivers the right content in the right way will maximize their results.

It’s no longer enough to have a great product or service, you need to know how to tell your story in a way that differentiates you from your competition. Don’t just throw numbers and facts at your audience, but focus on making your brand unforgettable and authentic. Wrap your message into a story that captivates people and provokes an emotional response. Use that narrative to tell your brand’s history, mission, values and successes.

Know your audience

When you’re designing your message think about who your audience is and what they expect from you and your product or service. Bring out the mission, values, and philosophy and start gathering a tribe around those concepts.

Use your story to start a conversation, engage, involve your audience in your business activities. Be as original as you can be and turn your brand into an experience for your audience. This will make them follow you, engage and remain loyal.

Storytelling is organic

Although certain aspects of your narrative are unmovable pillars like your mission, values or history. Remember that some are ever-evolving and that storytelling must be organic and able to adapt to these changes and to new audiences. These changes often occur when brands introduce new out-of-the box collections or when they revamp their image.

A good example is Louis Vuitton. It has long been considered a classic leather goods brand, but in 2013, the brand came out with their first series of collaborations with artists; which called out to a different audience. Without changing their core message, they adapted their storytelling to reach out to this younger, hipper demographics with success.

Storytelling is not a process nor a technique. Storytelling is considered an art, and so it requires creativity, vision, and practice. But once you’ve mastered this skill it can make a major difference for your brand.

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Time for us to pause

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Time for us to pause

TO PAUSE

No watch brand was ready to face this microscopic enemy that took the world for ransom and made it stand still for an entire month. Weakening global communities and economies alike.

TO REWIND

But this tiny invader has given us time. Time to think, to assess and to reevaluate not only strategies, goals but to prepare for an uncertain future as well.

SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD

It all comes down to what has been created and done during this isolation period, that will shape the way everyone will tackle the future months ahead.

This has certainly been a learning period for many, but for most it has been a contemplative moment. We were able to appreciate what we have, our families, our friends, cherish our “normal” way of life and be thankful for the wonderful opportunities given to us.

But it was also a time to reflect on a professional level. Reflect upon the choices that led everyone here today. And then, there are the ones that will be made in the near future. These will definitely be the most important ones, that will prepare brands for what’s to come, whatever that may be.

THIS WAS A TIME TO:

  • Create. Not only to think outside the box but to go further and actually imagine there’s no box at all.
  • Look outward to inspire inward. It’s been amazing to see some of the smaller watch brands being so creative. Seven Friday, for example, who did live sessions on instagram before all others. Some of these brands have been doing an amazing job at keeping engagement high and creating relevant content for their followers, thus continuing to build their community. They have definitely inspired us in many ways. To set aside fear and dive into something new and exciting.
  • Refresh existing models. With Watches & Wonders and Baselworld cancelled, watch brands needed a brand new idea. Breitling just reinvented the way they presented their yearly novelties. With its virtual summit, Breitling invited journalists from across the world to log in on April 16th and introduced their newest models, through an online presentation.

STAYING POSITIVE

Even though the future is bleak and we still don’t know what will happen, brands have certainly surprised us. So move forward we shall, and we cannot wait to see what other positive outcomes, the COVID-19 crisis will have allowed to be concocted during this quarantine period.

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That time, I met the extraordinary Gregory Pototsky

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That time, I met the extraordinary Gregory Pototsky

by Marina Coelho

The universe has a way of bringing people together in the most surprising ways. Through a chain of connections that started with the coolest pop artist I know, Rueffa, I was able to meet this amazing artist and discover his incredible work.⁠ ⁠

A DIFFERENT KIND OF THURSDAY

I get a call from Rueffa telling me she just heard Gregory Pototsky is in town and that I should definitely meet him. Following her lead, I call his publicist and just like that, I was invited to a private viewing with the artist himself!

The house he’s staying in is a magnificent property on top of the Sintra hills, overlooking the ocean.

Svetlana and Frédéric, personal friends of Gregory, welcome me inside. The house is a white canvas adorned with beautiful paintings and sculptures patiently waiting to be hung and displayed.

Suddenly, a very relaxed Gregory enters the room to greet me. After butchering a few words in Russian (which I’m still learning after 2 years); he welcomes me into the living room, we sit down, and he naturally starts telling me his story. Svetlana kindly translates his words to me, and reciprocates my amazement to him.

Gregory Pototsky

THE GENIE THAT IS GREGORY

I must shamefully confess that up until this moment, I was not a big fan of nudes; being more an Impressionism lover myself. But to hear Gregory’s personal life story, his struggles, more specifically his uplifting view on life and his inspiration behind every one of his art pieces; makes you take a second look at his work and appreciate each delicate line on the canvas.

Gregory Pototsky was born in 1954 in the Kurgan region. In 1977, he graduated from the State Institute of arts in Odessa. In 1986 he graduated from the Kishinev State University.

His sculptural and artwork has been in private collections of Gérard Depardier, Pierre Richard, Charles Aznavour, Pierre Cardin, Paulo Coelho, Stephhen Baldwin, Emir Kusturica, and many more.

The way he works is unique, connecting with his subject at a very deep, personal and emotional level. Transcending the simple creation process and becoming an instant therapeutic session.

Not only are his paintings and sculptures, beautiful and emotional pieces; but Gregory himself is a beacon of light, the pure embodiment of kindness; that’s why, he was so adamant to create the International Academy of Kindness. The organization runs multiple international charitable activities under the program “In Russian with kindness, from Russia with kindness”. He also created the symbol of peace and kindness “the Dandelion”, which is in 30 countries around the world.

LOSING TRACK OF TIME

I could have read his official biography, admired his work and gone through his long list of famous patrons; but to experience a connection to Gregory himself has given me a privileged insight into the mind and heart of an extraordinary person.

What was supposed to be an hour-long private viewing; turned into a weekend-long exchange that culminated with the amazing art premiere hosted by Svetlana Romanova and Frédéric Lassoeur.

Gregory Pototsky
Gregory Pototsky
Gregory Pototsky
Gregory Pototsky
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4 ways to use PR during your quarantine

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4 ways to use PR during your quarantine

Following the usual slow beginning of the year, luxury brands were so ready to take on the second quarter by storm and set the tone for the year, organizing watch fairs, announcing events, and preparing new product launches.

All of a sudden, due to this forced quarantine, we put on hold these certainties that we took for granted year after year, and replaced them with fear, doubt and skepticism. Brands started cancelling fairs and movie festivals, postponing product launches and events and of course freezing communication budgets.

OUR PR TIPS TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE LOCKDOWN

As a PR professional, I know the importance of preparing for an unforeseen crisis, but more often than not, we are so focused on our day-to-day operations that we don’t make it a priority to work on a crisis management handbook.  And even though several movie directors have warned us multiple times about the possibility of a worldwide pandemic, no one really believed them. It all seemed farfetched, a sci-fi plot to entertain us rather than break us. But here we are, unbelievable as it may seem; two months after patient zero, one week in quarantine (at least for me), and the world stands still.

LEARNING TO PAUSE

But where we perceive a threat, we should always try to see opportunity. Through this surreal and unprecedented crisis, we have been given the most precious commodity: TIME. Time to reflect on our life but also our work, our business strategies and communication activities. Now, how we use this gift, it’s entirely up to each one of us, so I’d like to take this pause in time to share with you a few of my PR tips to make the most of your quarantine.

  • Acknowledge the COVID-19 crisis. This first tip is actually something that most brands have done fairly quickly. To address the seriousness of this crisis, and take measures to protect their employees, partners and clients. This decision may be a tough one to make at the business level, of course. But in the end, it humanizes the brand while reassuring the public that it is conscious about the dangers of the situation but not afraid to take appropriate actions.
  • Create content. If there was ever any doubt about the importance of content creation, well now more than ever, brands need to get this done. Their customers are at home 24/7, craving for a distraction from this crisis. So, a social media focus during this period is key. It’s inexpensive, easy and your creativity can be unleashed! There are so many ways to create relevant and current content; what about creating a video mash-up of your employees working from home? Make it fun, make it sincere and authentic! Your customers will sympathize, and your teams will appreciate the shout out!
  • Help any way you can! We’ve seen a few companies stepping up to help their communities. LVMH producing hand sanitizer, or Kering ordering surgical masks, or even FIFA donating 9-million euros to the WHO. Obviously, each business is different but the key here is to do what you can. Donate proceeds from sales, start a food-drive, support a local hospital. Whatever you can do, again will humanize your brand and show the world you care.
  • Reconnect with your journalists. We now have all the time in the world so reach out, re-kindle those relationships, share content with them. Journalists are craving content at the moment. So why not partner up with them to organize a live talk around a subject/ a product or organize the classic takeover of your social media accounts. The ideas here are endless, and they’ll be so thankful in the end.

PR may be the last thing on everyone’s mind at the moment, but I hope that these PR tips will be useful during your quarantine. And, since we do have the time and we’re not going anywhere anytime soon, let’s get our PR teams together (virtually of course) and have fun designing creative PR activities in the meantime, to continue reaching out to our employees, partners and clients. 

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