Among the first things I learnt in Abu Dhabese - those delightful turns of phrase that pepper our lives in the capital - was backside. Tell a delivery man that the entrance is behind a building and you'll find yourself in a comedy of misunderstanding. Say "backside" and you're sorted. So the name of this sofa was immediate reason to smile.
But the pun (intended by its designers) is not really what makes it an object of desire. Having followed the work of the hugely talented Indian-British duo Doshi Levien for some time, I have been increasingly captivated. And I can't wait to see what they will show at this week's London Design Festival. The couple has said that their work (which ranges from saucepans for Tefal and shoes for John Lobb to the furniture they design for the Italian company, Moroso) is driven by their idea that globalisation need not mean homogenisation. Instead, think hybrid and harmony.
The result, epitomised by My Beautiful Backside, is designs that are full of visual energy and originality - pieces where the cross-cultural references are neither literal nor overt, yet they are at once familiar and new. MBB (for short) was inspired by an antique miniature painting of a Maharani sitting on the floor surrounded by cushions (reproduced in Naveen Patniak's fascinating book about plants, The Garden of Life). The cushions appear almost to float above the sofa's structure, while the crisp lines of the seat anchor them firmly. This rigour and precision, as well as the choice of felt and wool fabrics, was inspired by finely tailored English suits, say the designers. And on the sofa's backside, the tailoring analogy is taken even further, with decorative stitching that makes it truly beautiful.
My Beautiful Backside by Doshi Levien for Moroso, available to order at Boutique 1 Living, The Walk at JBR, Dubai; 04 425 7888; from approx ?11,000 (Dh59,850)
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
