It seemed such a simple idea – to illustrate the recent success of Oy
Moomin Characters, the company behind the Moomins, we’d shoot
a Moomin living the good life in a swimming pool, enjoying the
trappings of wealth (and a pair of Primark swim shorts). But while we wanted
to recreate an idea of the holiday dream, unfortunately the British weather
had other ideas in the form of an almost never-ending winter.
That wasn’t the only problem. After buying our Moomin from Covent
Garden’s Moomin shop, someone from the office kidnapped our dear troll,
thinking the editor had told her she could take it. After a trek across London
to rescue said Moomin, we then took it to be shot – not in Monaco, Ibiza or
Split, but in Kilburn, West London, on the closest thing to a sunny day March
could offer. Alas, in the end, our Moomintroll did look pleased with himself.
RickardWestin, Art Director
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What’s been on our minds
Enthused
Amused
Bemused
Confused
Reactions
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Eurovision 2013 entries
Norway
Margaret Berger’s ‘I Feed
You My Love’ is a decent
bit of Scandi electro-pop
with big beats, a big voice
and a rousing chorus –
a Malmö frontrunner?
France
Amandine Bourgeois’
‘
L’Enfer Et Moi’ (‘Hell and
Me’) is a sultry, seductive
waltz with shades of Serge
Gainsbourg – it might be
too good for Eurovision.
Greece
An ouzo-addled, bouzouki-
driven ode to boozing,
‘
Alcohol Is Free’ may well
lighten the mood in Greece
–
alas, it has almost no
chance of winning.
Finland
Krista Siegfrids sings “I
feel like a sinner skipping
dinner to get thinner –
where’s my proposal?” in
the brilliantly camp ‘Marry
Me’. We’re considering it.
Our Moomin lives the good life
in Kilburn, West London, with
photographer Liz McBurney (right)
and assistant Hongmiao Shi
REX, CORBIS
We approve
Magnus Carlsen
Norway’s louche chess
superstar may be the
world’s top-ranked play-
er (and a G-Star model)
–
but only after winning
the recent Candidates
tournament in London
will the 22-year-old get
the chance to be world
champion. He’ll play
Viswanathan Anand for
the title in November.
Roy Andersson
returns
Sweden’s master of
surreal cinema has
made only four films
in 45 years, and all are
considered greats – so
next year’s release of
the snappily titled
A
Pigeon Sat on a Branch
Reflecting on Existence
is excitement-worthy.
Stool samples
It’s been 80 years
since Finnish designer
Alvar Aalto created the
Stool 60, the stackable
three-legged stool that
became a functional-
ist classic. A series of
commemorative versions
by some of Finland’s
top designers are now
on sale.
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