I couldn’t believe the furore surrounding the Danish Mother Seeks Father of Her Child video. Actually yes I could after I realised that it was a fake orchestrated by the Danish Tourist Board with the aim of creating a viral buzz around Denmark. Another case of what were they thinking? I mean, a lucky gene pool is definitely Denmark’s USP – and the Danish girl’s MILF credentials are undeniable – but the equation with drunken one-night stands doesn’t reflect so well on Denmark as a destination and should be left to Latvia and Estonia (and incidentally the come-and-get-laid holiday theme would easily become a commodity if all tourist offices started doing the same)…

But in fairness to the Danish Tourist Board, the line between liberal and tasteless is very thin. This video certainly created a viral buzz and if it wasn’t for the backlash from angry Danish taxpayers it could have been quite a success – there are already so many parodies on youtube. The liberated ways of Scandinavians and the promise of sexual promiscuity as a travel incentive remind me of the various Bjorn Borg adverts, which I adore: they always exploit Sweden’s eugenic perfection in a very funny, sexy way and would get most of us on the next flight to Stockholm. Probably the best ad campaigns for the home country.

What this stir reflects is everyone’s double standards, from travelers to Danish taxpayers: featuring a girl who engages in one-night stands with foreign male tourists is (justifiedly) insulting to Danish women in the specific context of destination marketing. Although I love this video, it would have created a similar backlash in most European countries. Sadly when it comes to gay travel marketing, the lowest common denominator seems de rigueur and equivalent promises of casual sex encounters with shirtless beefcakes are still the backbone of most tourist office campaigns and websites, complete with a detailed directory of all the darkrooms, saunas and sex clubs available. Somehow it doesn’t seem to bother the taxpayer. Why? Still I have a soft spot for these 2 videos – Tel Aviv and Montreal – that have managed to turn around the dirty city break genre into something contemporary and funny. Well done!

Thoughts welcome!

Tags: Copenhagen, Eurotrash, Montreal, Politics, Stockholm
No Comments » Thursday, September 17th, 2009

It is with great sadness that I share the news of the end of thelondonpaper, the daily evening newspaper that was part of Turnleft’s “5 iconic London objects” last summer… Over the past few years I have enjoyed the sight of London Tube carriages littered with copies of this highbrow publication and I look with nostalgia at those endless bus journeys filled with updates on boy dad’s DNA test, Guy Ritchie’s obscene divorce settlement, Robert Pattinson’s waxed chest, Beatrice and/or Eugenie’s night out and the captivating antics of the Geldof Sisters. It has to be said, thelondonpaper’s food & drink pages were REALLY good and the daily’s contribution to the London fashion scene has been stellar throughout: every fashion party was attended, every celebrity look was dissected and they were the first to report on Agyness Deyn’s cow prints. London Lite continues.

Tags: Eurotrash, London
No Comments » Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Next week will see the start of “Paris aw 09-10 in 30 ideas”, mirroring what has already been done for Antwerp and Brussels last summer. Hopefully London will come next. There’s no shortage of wannabe secret Paris guides advising readers on everything from shopping spots to restaurants to the best baguettes… It is becoming a bit tedious – shoot me if I mention Ladurée, I promise that this blog will take you to uncharted territory and that it will offer a more grassroots perspective on the city.

If you read French this interview with Roland Castro was published in Le Monde last week. He’s a leading architect and his vision for the Greater Paris Area in 30 years is really challenging. He proposes to depart from the modernist, functional planning that has defined Paris for too long – leading to a growing divide between a historic centre and a sprawling suburb – to rethink the city as a 12-million metropolis with many pulsating hearts. In short, the end of Baudelaire’s romantic Paris or at least its dissolution. I know, it’s all a bit highbrow but you’ll get it next week: don’t be surprised if the blog takes you outside of the périphérique or if it explores the legacy of French Communist urban planning. You’ve been warned!

Tags: Architecture, Paris, Politics
No Comments » Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

We owe Sonny Vandevelde a small apology. We featured his work in a previous Antwerp guide but somehow we messed up the fashion captions and ended up crediting another photographer… Sydneysider Sonny is a fixture of the European fashion circuit and his photography work backstage brings a colourful, no-nonsense perspective to the mayhem that surrounds fashion shows. We’re big fans of his work – his exhibition, BACKSTAGE, opens in New York this Thursday.

Below, backstage at Bruno Pieters & an extract of our Antwerp guide.

BACKSTAGE, Sonny Vandevelde. Tribeca Grand Hotel, 2 Avenue of the Americas. 10 Sep – 30 Sep (opening 13 Sep)

Tags: Antwerp, Art, Fashion, New York
No Comments » Monday, September 7th, 2009

I was meant to post this BBC article earlier as a dialogue between Turnleft and our readers… according to the MPC’s latest survey (Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy), Africans in Moscow seem to be living in constant fear of aggression – 80% report regular verbal abuse and more than a quarter report physical assault. The timing is interesting because V Magazine’s September issue features Naomi Campbell living it large in Moscow – obviously in a parallel universe.

We take the topic extremely seriously and as a travel publisher, it is a dilemma that goes well beyond Moscow. At the risk of sounding alarmist East Berlin is not the safest place once beyond the safe haven of Mitte and Prenzlauerberg – the outer parts of Friedrichshain can be off-limits to many travelers (let alone Marzahn and Lichtenberg). Many European cities are everything but gay-friendly. Rome has a neo-fascist mayor. It would be tempting to downplay such concerns and to focus on the more glamourous aspects of city breaks. Moscow is a double-whammy for us because we have recently set up a pilot base in Russia , with the aim of circulating guides and posters there.

At the end, there are a few things we can do. One is to ensure that the cities we promote abide by the basic rules of democracy – as much as we would love to do a photo shoot there we won’t do a guide to Tripoli or Minsk. Another is to use our guides to enforce a vision of tolerance and responsible travel – wherever we distribute, and whilst we engage our sponsors in the editorial process, we will not adapt our content to pander to prejudice or homophobia.

What do you think? email nick@turnleftguides.com

Tags: Fashion, Moscow, Politics
No Comments » Saturday, September 5th, 2009

An unusual post for us but worth reading carefully. There’s a great article and video documentary on Nobu and Blue Fin Tuna in the online edition of Don’t Panic…

Singling out NOBU as an offender is a tad unfair – considering that blue fin tuna is on the menu of many other restaurants – but then a venue that has been thriving on media hype and celebrity endorsement should be examplary. And the godmother of all sushi restaurants can’t give us the ‘endangered species? really?’ spiel.

It’s a serious issue for Turnleft. We’re not kidding anyone – we’re not saving lives, we’re far from being do-goodies, we even encourage people to fly. But each guide recommends on average 70 venues – restaurants, clubs, fashion stores, galleries – and we’re bound to feature a few of them that don’t comply with our set of basic rules: good service, fair treatment of staff, no discrimination of any kind, etc… We try our best. If you find a venue listed in our guides that is inappropriate or offensive just let us know.

Tags: London, Politics
No Comments » Monday, August 10th, 2009

It was Funkyzeit mit Nico in Finland last week. Turnleft having produced its fair share of Helsinki guides, it’s always a pleasure to head back during summer and be treated as Finland’s own. This time it was more falling out of taxis than 1950s functional design (well, you don’t really need taxis in Helsinki) but I can name 10 good reasons why Helsinki is one of Turnleft’s favourite cities. At the risk of sounding pretentious here’s the first one – the rooms at Klaus K a masterpiece of contemporary Finnish design where birchtree-based moisturisers are kindly supplied by Helsinki Spa next door… Now before you hate us, this was research – Klaus K is a tribute to Kalevala, Finland’s answer to the Scandinavian sagas. It is a beautiful epic poem that still inspires many Finnish artists – more this week…

Klaus K Hotel

Tags: Helsinki
No Comments » Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Flow Festival is getting bigger every year – there are a few decent flights to Helsinki at the moment (British Airways from £140, Air France is €199). This year has Grace Jones, Kraftwerk, New Young Pony Club, Lily Allen and many others. 13-16 August.

Frida Hyvonen

Tags: Helsinki, Music
No Comments » Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Another Finnish artist previously featured in Stirred Up is Jani Leinonen. Jani is probably one of the most intriguing artists in Helsinki. The work we published at the time was “Undress Me”, a collaboration with fashion label IVANAhelsinki that took inspiration from retro saucy/pornographic magazines and Finnish traditional costumes (a recurring theme in the Finnish art scene). The current installation at Kiasma – Koulrofobia (the fear of clowns) – is more universal: Ronald the Clown hangs at the end of a cord. The small text is funny and sad at the same time: as Ronald complains about his loneliness to a doctor, he’s advised to go and see Ronald the Clown. “But Doctor, I am Ronald the Clown”…

Jani Leinonen - Koulrofobia

Tags: Art, Helsinki
No Comments » Monday, August 3rd, 2009