We Three Things | Lip Reading
If the eyes are window to the soul, then the mouth is window to the gut, revealing anxieties, turmoil and hidden appetites. My partially deaf step-aunt lip-reads, and she understands me better than any other member of my family. The way a person smiles clues us into their disposition and emotional state, and whether painted, bitten or sealed, lips are constantly speaking volumes.
Last week a friend mailed me a book. When I unwrapped it and saw the cover, I felt like a kiss had been blown to me all the way from Berlin. “Interview” is a series of questions asked by Hans Ulrich Obrist and answered, photographically, by Hans-Peter Feldmann, one of my favorite artists. (It is an homage to a similarly formatted interview Feldmann made in the 1970’s with Avalanche magazine.) While Obrist’s philosophical and expansive questions are rich material to begin with, “reading” Feldmann’s pictorial replies opens up a passage of memory and reverie that mere verbal response cannot.
I first came across Yazbukey’s jewelry at my favorite store,Kokon to Zai, in London. Sisters Yaz and Emel create pieces that are coy, pop and beautifully crafted, twisting culture into bon mot baubles. A favorite of mine is a Plexi brooch they call “Marilyn’s Red Lips” which evokes America’s favorite pout, from their collection “my Heart Belongs to…” Other collection titles include “Love me i’ll be your nightmare,” “Look at me, copy me” and— with a nod to The Pet Shop Boys— “I love you, you pay my rent.” From the mouths of babes.
Emel Kurhan is one half of the team of two sisters that create Yazbukey, a range of quirky, fun and beautiful accessories and jewellery. Emel was born in Cairo, an Ottoman princess and descendant of Mehmet Ali Pasha, King of Egypt no less! After a spot of globe trotting Emel decided to settle in Paris with her sister, Yaz. She worked with Christian Lacroix’s textile prints department for three seasons before studying at Studio Bercot. In 2000 Emel and Yaz launched Yazbukey. Their point of inspiration was dressing up the Little Black Dress – adding jewellery, shoes, bags, belts – anything that would make a classic piece fabulous! Emel and Yaz are inspired by a variety of eccentric and interesting sources – from old musicals and Tim Burton films to fairytales. Their current collection features otherworldly High Priestess medallions, cording and ropes and….Sebastien Tellier! You can buy Yazbukey at 
