To celebrate the launch of our new fragrance, we’ve partnered with a series of multi-disciplinary artists based in London who all use slow-living to inspire their craft, to bring the creative spirit of Hydra to you. We sit down with ceramic artist and sculptor, Ana Kerin, founder of KANA London, to discover more about her work and the inspiration which fuels it. Where do you find inspiration? LIFE. People, meeting new people, spending time with people, I get inspired by stories, truths, life and its sweet, savoury and bitter flavours... I love life. I have a rule: I try to stay away from practices that are too similar - and for long periods from exhibitions too. I need space and mental cleanliness. I don't like my subconscious mind to be influenced by things that will affect my practice. I love food, experiences, and contemporary ballet. I look for influence from things that are pure in a way that is remote from my medium and practice. I am a strange mix of introvert and extrovert and I think that's the reason I need the social aspect of life and my work and working with people, as time in the studio is solitary. What are your favourite materials to work with? The mix of them. It must be clay, but not really as an end material. I love working with it, as I love its softness, fast speed, forgiveness and sensitivity to carry fingerprints and catch the traces of movement. I also like it as a material to capture the metamorphosis. I miss casting things into plaster, wax, and bronze, and combining materials with stone, marble and wood. That's when the energy of different processes and materials comes to life and the softness of clay in contrast with the sharpness of other materials is such incredible dialogue. It's great to see the pieces made in one material and then realised in another; the journey from clay sculpture being made into a mould and then cast into plaster or hand-blown into glass. What feeling do you hope to evoke in your work? I love working with emotions in general, but mostly I want to create work that holds your emotions as a vessel, that reflects them, that allows space and time for the emotions to be evoked, even provoked in the most gentle ways. I think as a sculptor I am incredibly tactile. I don't know what was first my obsession with materials and touching them and the sensorial experience they gave you, they are so calming and create a conversation you might not expect. Or it might have been first just the fact that I was always very touchy-feely and tactile. I resonate with different bodywork practices, spiritual practices, dance, and the study of the body and touch as a form of self-expression and connection, and I always saw my work and sculpture/sculpting as an extension of that... I want you to be connected and grounded. Connected to materials and people, world and moments around you. Holding, seeing, touching, and experiencing my work makes people stop and enjoy the moment, creating a ritual out of mundane and everyday essential things.  Photo credit: Ola O Smit How do you take time to recharge? If possible, I spend time by the sea (and swim in the sea as much as possible), I am a water baby. water gives me clarity, calms down my nervous system, and somehow puts things into place in my mind and on my emotional landscape. On more of an everyday basis, I have to make my own food to really feel nourished and fed. I think that from picking up vegetables in the shop and making the ideas flow through my mind a lot when cooking the dishes and eating them something is healing and nourishing in a different way than just in nutritional value of food. I process many emotions through food, and when feeling sad, overwhelmed, anxious, sad or just have a lot on my mind I have to sometimes just take a break and make a meal, with chopping the ingredients the thoughts fall into place, with creating the dish the nervous system calms down and often I get great ideas and emotions resolved. I often feel I would be the happiest running a cafe with 5 tables no menu, just what's on the blackboard. Who knows maybe that lies in Kana's future... How do you find beauty in the everyday? Try to be present. And see each one of the moments and experiences for its beauty and value as part of a mosaic of life. We can not see the light without its shadows... Photo Credit: Sarah Victoria Bates You offer a holistic approach to art and lifestyle – where did this come from? My family upbringing and the fact that I was born in former Yugoslavia and grew up through my formative years in a space that was strongly embodying socialist values while I was exposed to spirituality from an early age created a very interesting foundation for how I see life and how I experience life. I grew up with the land, exposed to life rotating around the seasonal relationships with the land and plants you grow, harvest, and forage. With a strong sense of community, sharing, valuing every resource, and sharing time, skills and experiences. The time of my upbringing was crucial in the history of former Yugoslavia and living through its separation, the values dying, the socialism falling and capitalism interrupting the flow of life. Seeing these changes made me hyper-aware. I feel my senses and intuition are very much in tune and heightened. A lot of my work and especially birthing Kana studio was to bring awareness and connection back to natural materials, crafts, skills and objects that are meant to last for a lifetime and be passed down through generations... where art meets life. The simpler life, elevating your everyday moments. Visit the Kana London website to discover more about Ana and her work.Â
We travelled to Hydra with London based photographer Louis Sheridan to explore how the slow living pace and rich natural habitat of the island can cultivate creativity. Here we sit down with our campaign photographer to find out more about his work, process and explore how getting back to your roots and how getting off the well-trodden path, can help you document the beauty in everyday. Where do you find inspiration? Maybe it’s trite to say but really, everywhere. I’ve always been taught that everyone has a story and being bored isn’t an option. I love meeting new people, seeing new places, and reading new stories. But there’s inspiration in repetition too – walking or driving the same route everyday there will always be something new to see. What are your favourite things to photograph? I’ve always been drawn to the moments and spaces in between. Whether that’s scoping out the quieter streets of a teeming city, or turning the camera on people instead of place at an iconic destination. I also love to shoot nature brushing up against urbanity and vice versa. E.g the way ancient trees might frame a brand new construction, or a heavily branded motorbike stands in otherwise untouched wilderness. When did you become interested in photography and more specifically travel photography? I’ve had a camera as far back as I can remember – originally a primary-coloured kids 35mm (usually without film loaded because I was so trigger-happy). I was fortunate to travel a lot growing up and so saw firsthand how important it seemed to document what we were seeing. For a long period of time I was focussed only on shooting fashion, but found that it was the moments outside of the shoots that I enjoyed capturing most. The locations, the relaxed post-shoot feel, the journeys etc. And so gradually everything shifted back into travel photography which seems to be the common thread. What feeling do you hope to evoke in your images? A feeling of what it’s like to stand, sit, think or fly in that place. I think we’re all so used to seeing an easily replicable, quite formulaic take on a landscape that things start to feel almost abstract in how neat they are. Like brochure images or screensavers that pop-up everywhere. And so if there’s a way to capture the actual senses of a scene and what it feels, sounds and smells like, rather than nailing every single detail, then I suppose that’s the rough aim. Favourite artists / writers? I always come back to Thomas Mann and Haruki Murakami for prose that strays into the surreal. For a first person perspective I love both A.A. Gill and Patrick Leigh-Fermour’s tales from the road. On the art side, I’m usually drawn to abstract artists like Joan Mitchell and Gerard Schneider. Or artists that took reality and reshaped it, like Alberto Giacometti. How do you take time to recharge? Get outside as much as possible. Whether it’s walking the city or exploring somewhere wild. The more I focus on what’s happening outside; light, people, textures etc, the more meditative I feel on the inside. What do you like about Greece and Hydra more specifically? Greece has a raw beauty, rich history and deep culture that in most places would result in an inflated ego. Here, there’s still a level of insouciance and openness that makes it such a fun place to explore. And along with that, each island and region has such a distinct personality, with Hydra there’s a shared commitment to a slower pace that has made it magnetic for artists and authors over the years – for me the island’s dedication to this slower, more creative path makes it unique.  How do you find beauty in the everyday? I think when you start trying to find it, you realise it really doesn’t take much searching – I used to think it was about slowing down but increasingly I think pace is less important than just keeping your eyes open, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. Is there a scent that holds significance to you? Rain, woodsmoke and leather – I grew up with horses in a usually cloud-covered Yorkshire and so these scents are the right mix of adventure and home. Is there a song / couple of songs that always appear on your playlist when working that we can add to our Hydra Playlist? This varies a lot by the day/mood but my recently played looks like: Heatwave – The Star of a Story, Mall Grab – You, Daniel Caesar – Toronto 2014. You can discover more about Louis and his work on his website.Â
In partnership with Suitcase Magazine Follow in the footsteps of the literary jet set of the 60s on the go-slow Greek island of Hydra – the inspiration behind our new, planet-friendly Eau de Parfum, Hydra Figue.   Words by Grace Lee  How would you describe the fragrance of Greece? To our mind, it's notes of sweet honey, jasmine-scented sea breezes and wild herbs, all laced with fresh fig and zesty citrus. A Greek island that has always moved to its own sensory beat, Hydra has long lured artists and musicians with its intoxicating blend of salty air, floral excess and the reassuring clip-clop of donkeys' hooves and the gentle rhythm of lapping waves. Among them is French perfumer Emilie Bouge, who was drawn to the island's wild beauty as the inspiration for her latest fragrance with couture British fragrance house Miller Harris. An ode to the island's enchanting nature and free spirit, Hydra Figue by Miller Harris combines fig, sea salt, Greek saffron and upcycled oakwood to encapsulate Hydriot slow living at its finest. Opening with fresh citrus notes of cedrat and lemon, the fragrance is intended to transport you straight to the island, glass of ouzo in hand. Just breathe in its scent and you'll be lifted across to the fresh fig trees of Hydra, before an afternoon breeze lands you gently into the salty azure waves of the Aegean. Ready to be whisked away? Apply a liberal spritz of Miller Harris' Hydra Figue and plan a summer escape to the bohemian island paradise with our tips on what not to miss. Three reasons why we love Hydra Bountiful natural beauty Framing natural botanical ingredients with bold colour has always been part of Miller Harris' creative process, so it's no surprise that Hydra's natural splendour and rainbow-like palette was the perfect canvas for the perfumer's latest fragrance. To experience the island's multi-hued beauty up close, begin by meandering between the centuries-old whitewashed houses that line its cobbled streets, pausing to appreciate the shocking pink bougainvillaeas that bloom above blue-painted doorways as you go. After a restorative night's sleep, wake at sunrise and watch as the waves shimmer like azure sequins in the morning light. Whether you visit in April or October, you'll find the waters that lap Hydra's shores sparkle in a particular Pantone shade of blue that's only ever seen on the Greek isles. Grab a warm pastry from a seafront bakery, then scramble down to a rocky cove for a refreshing dip. Artistic inspiration Creativity is the bedrock of all Miller Harris formulations, and is also evident in the perfumer's forward-looking approach to sustainability. Through its use of upcycled materials (such as oakwood harvested from pre-used wine barrels) and ingredients (including hydrolat sage, a byproduct of sage oil extraction), the house makes every effort to minimise its impact on the planet. Yet long before the perfumers of Miller Harris ever set eyes on Hydra, there was another Miller finding quiet inspiration on the island. American novelist Henry Miller, who described Hydra's beauty as "wild and naked perfection", lived on the Greek isle in the 30s, alongside many other writers who flocked here in search of creative refuge. Since then, artists including Allen Ginsberg, Leonard Cohen and John Lennon have all retreated to Hydra's timeless shores for inspiration. Fancy walking in Cohen's footsteps? To visit his former home, climb the steep steps that lead away from the centre of town until you reach the Four Corners grocery shop, then turn right. Look ahead and you'll find the musician's former front door, replete with a fittingly artistic door-knocker in the shape of a hand.  The slow life Hydra is a car-free island - a move that seems to have suspended the pocket of land in time and sees it standing in beautiful defiance against the frenetic pace of our modern world. As a result, slow living is what it's all about. There's no rush hour; only the call of church bells and the gentle daily chorus of fishing boats as they chug their way into the harbour after a day at sea. Just like the perfumers of Miller Harris, who seek beauty in the everyday, the people of Hydra find inspiration in the leisurely rhythm of daily ritual. Join them in the slow lane by taking a long lazy walk along the seafront, before dropping into a taverna to savour a well-oiled lunch. Come sunset, amble through the island's rugged hills, stopping to pick saffron, mountain thyme and oregano to enhance a home-cooked Hydriot dinner. The scent of the artist’s idyll. Journey, to a Greek Bohemian paradise. Discover our new Eau de Parfum, Hydra Figue
