Nº 1: Felix Antony Brown
The photographer and natural wine dealer talks wild swimming, Georgian wine and his favourite destinations.
God Save The Scene’s first guest, flâneur Felix Brown, has arrived. Read on to find out what he’s into, and if you’re new here, hit subscribe for secret recommendations every Monday and Wednesday.
Felix Antony Brown is a British fine-art photographer and natural wine dealer. After having spent a considerable amount of time over the last few years in Georgia, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Russia, Felix is moving back to his home city to open London’s first Georgian wine bar and gallery space. In between getting lost, taking pictures of the people and places he comes across, and generally acting as a flâneur, Felix fell in love with qvevri wine. Not just the drink – its culture and history too. On a recent trip, Felix partnered up with two young wine producers and invested in a vineyard in Kakheti. Both his collage-like wine-labels and his NFT animations (attached via QR code on the bottles) are created using his own method of post-photography. He’s here to tell us what he’s into:
☞ PERMANENT ADVICE: I have this saying that I came up with as a teenager – “The shy child does not get many sweets”. I got it tattooed on my back shortly after and am yet to regret it. I live my life by this mantra – if you don’t ask you don’t get!
☞ UNDERRATED DESTINATION: Georgia, Georgia, Georgia. Maybe I’m a bit biased because I’ve lived there, but I can’t recommend it enough – it’s honestly the most beautiful country I’ve ever visited. Fly into Tbilisi (or Kutaisi/Batumi – super cheap flights to Georgia’s second & third cities respectively) and stay at Stamba hotel. Some highlights:
Rolling mountains mere minutes from the city!
The Black Sea from late March/early April is lovely and warm, and the coast is largely untouched.
Super affordable – a Bolt/Yandex from one side of Tbilisi to the other is $1/$2, a visit to a traditional Georgian restaurant for two people with wine will cost you $15 in total!
Art scene is next level (Window Project – check it out)
The clubbing is better than Berlin. Most people have heard of Bassiani, but Khidi is probably better and the pre-clubs like Left Bank and Drama Bar are sick.
☞ CURRENTLY READING: I’m just about to finish How Do You Live? by Genzaburo Yoshino. It’s just recently been translated into English and it’s by far one of the best books I’ve ever read. It was the favourite childhood book of Hayao Miyazaki – the creator of Studio Ghibli – and is actually the basis of his upcoming new film... Need I say more? Read it, fam.
☞ ST JOHN: My favourite place in London to eat or drink is St John in Clerkenwell. St John has everything! An incredible selection of both natural and conventional wines, a bakery which produces some of the best bread and pastries in London, and Michelin star British food... Sounds like an oxymoron, but trust! It’s not super bougie small portions, but just quality, yummy food that’s just perfect for a date, a Sunday lunch or when you have friends visiting London/the UK. stjohnrestaurant.com
☞ WILD SWIMMING: In Hampstead Heath Mixed Ponds or the Serpentine, of course. It’s no secret, but most people just go in the summertime. I score a regular dose of adrenaline by visiting all year round.
♪ LISTENING TO: Back to Nature by Fad Gadget
☠︎ HATES: The shitty alcoholic beverages at art gallery/exhibition openings.
See you Wednesday, when our next guest will be revealing their secrets. ☞