Rolex honors heritage of exploration with African 'Perpetual Planet' expedition
January 31, 2023
Perpetual Planet
Since 2019, Rolex has been embracing that changing landscape of exploration through its Perpetual Planet initiative, supporting the work of exploring conservationists.
Part of this project involves the work of Rolex Awards for Enterprise winners, who work to protect the livability of the planet and the welfare of people. Rolex is also working with the National Geographic Society, collecting data in the fight against climate change.
Dr. Boyes is a National Geographic Explorer, leading one of the Great Spine of Africa expeditions along over 500 miles of the Lungwevungu River.
The river is a tributary water source of the Zambezi River, which is vital to 20 million people and an inordinate amount of plants and animals, supporting Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
The Great Spine of Africa Expeditions: Lungwevungu River – Ep. 2
Traversing the highlands of Angola to the border of Zambia, the team is collecting measurements and data on their journey. With his Rolex watch and team in tow, he is floating in dug-out “mekoro” canoes and camping along the river, documenting the data.
“It’s almost biblical,” said Dr. Boyes in a statement.
“During the day you are constantly stung, and at night beetles, flying ants and moths fill the air,” he said. “It’s a very difficult place to do science, to live, to do anything.”
Despite its importance, much of the Zambezi’s tributaries and life cycles is a mystery to scientists, making this expedition key in building local climate resilience. Being the birthplace of the Zambezi, the Lungwevungu is a key point in these conservation efforts.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="465"] Dr. Boyes takes measurements along the river, wearing his water-resistant watch. Image credit: Rolex[/caption]
The other expeditions taking place in the Spine of Africa will explore the Congo, Niger and Nile rivers– all just as important to 400 million Africans. Like this Lungwevungu expedition, much of the data collected is being sourced from places never studied by scientists before.
“If it’s measurable, we are absolutely going to measure it,” said Dr. Boyes in a statement.
“It is incredibly important for us to be able to measure change over time, to be able to pick up limits of acceptable change, then take those to the government and say that we need to change policy.”
Nature of luxury
Rolex is not alone in this undertaking of scientific exploration.
De Beers recently supported National Geographic’s conservation efforts in the Okavango Delta ( see story ).
Ms. Rashed, whose artwork mixes texture and surrealism, explores the natural world and identity in her oeuvre. For this project, the Kuwaiti artist created two handbags inspired by her home country, with one spotlighting the Failaka Island and the other memorializing the pink humaith flower, which can be found blooming during the spring in Kuwait.
The Korean-born artist and philosopher Mr. Ufan, who splits his time between Paris, New York and Japan, created a total of three textured, monochromatic handbags: blue, white and black. The three styles all feature a small splash of color.
“The bag is an item that many women own, and rather than trying to do something complicated, I chose to simply add a small touch, an accent, an idea, while respecting its already accomplished form,” Mr. Ufan says, in the video.
“I didn’t want to completely impose my own vision, but rather to offer something very subtle, simple and minimalist to allow, even in our complex times, a way to approach things in a simpler and more philosophical way.”
The Lady Dior art project began in 2016 ( see story ).
Bonds that bind
While global art sales are down by 12 percent from last year, according to research from Art Basel and UBS Global ( see story ), collaborations between luxury brands and creatives allow artist to translate their work into a different medium while luxury brands cement their status as arbiters of culture.
Though one-off collaborations allow brands to generate buzz, it is through continued engagement and longstanding partnerships that luxury brands an
The cast includes a young man who plays the piano with abandon, a dapper gentleman in suede who nearly misses his train and a set of twins who pilfer the silverware from the dining room, popping cutlery int
