Dossier: April 2026
A collection of records compiled around a particular subject.
Each month, Marle Dossier gathers the subjects that have recently piqued our curiosity and files them here as entries for deeper exploration. Each is presented with context and notes, open to further discovery.
Dossier: APril 2026
A collection of records compiled around a particular subject.
Each month, Marle Dossier gathers the subjects that have recently piqued our curiosity and files them here as entries for deeper exploration. Each is presented with context and notes, open to further discovery.
I. PLACE —
MIL Centro
Set at 3,568 metres above sea level in Peru’s Sacred Valley, MIL Centro is a restaurant situated on the archaeological terraces of Moray, a site once used by the Inca to study agricultural microclimates.
The experience unfolds over seven hours and is shaped by a philosophy centred on native
ingredients sourced across Peru’s varied altitudes, from the Amazon rainforest to the Andean highlands.
Before dining begins, guests are guided through the surrounding landscape, walking the terraces and spending time with the Warmi women. Here, traditional practices
such as weaving, cooking and ingredient preservation are shared, with knowledge passed down through generations.
The menu reflects this connection to place, with each course tied to a specific elevation and shaped by what can be grown, foraged or cultivated within that ecosystem.
I. PLACE —MIL Centro
Set at 3,568 metres above sea level in Peru’s Sacred Valley, MIL Centro is a restaurant situated on the archaeological terraces of Moray, a site once used by the Inca to study agricultural microclimates.
The experience unfolds over seven hours and is shaped by a philosophy centred on native ingredients sourced across Peru’s varied altitudes, from the Amazon rainforest to the Andean highlands.
Before dining begins, guests are guided through the surrounding landscape, walking the terraces and spending time with the Warmi women.
Here, traditional practices such as weaving, cooking and ingredient preservation are shared, with knowledge passed down through generations.
The menu reflects this connection to place, with each course tied to a specific elevation and shaped by what can be grown, foraged or cultivated within that ecosystem.
II. PUBLICATION —
Shin Bijutsukai
First published in 1902, Shin Bijutsukai was a Japanese art and design magazine that played an understated yet influential role in shaping visual culture during the early 20th century. Produced in the late Meiji period, it brought together illustration, pattern and typography in a way that still feels contemporary even now.
Its pages are filled with graphic studies of flora, landscapes and everyday objects, rendered with a clarity and control that would later influence both Japanese and Western design movements. Ornament and discipline sit in balance, with repeating motifs that feel considered rather than decorative and excessive.
Originally intended as a resource for artists and designers, the publication now reads as an archive of visual language. One that continues to inform contemporary approaches to composition, colour and form.
Further Reading:
I. PUBLICATION — Shin Bijutsukai
First published in 1902, Shin Bijutsukai was a Japanese art and design magazine that played an understated yet influential role in shaping visual culture during the early 20th century. Produced in the late Meiji period, it brought together illustration, pattern and typography in a way that still feels contemporary even now.
Its pages are filled with graphic studies of flora, landscapes and everyday objects, rendered with a clarity and control that would later influence both Japanese and Western design movements. Ornament and discipline sit in balance, with repeating motifs that feel considered rather than decorative and excessive.
Originally intended as a resource for artists and designers, the publication now reads as an archive of visual language. One that continues to inform contemporary approaches to composition, colour and form.
Further Reading:
III. CULTURE —
James Webb Telescope
Captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s 2026 image release offers some of the clearest views yet of our solar system and beyond. Designed to observe infrared light, the telescope reveals planetary atmospheres, distant galaxies and star-forming regions with a level of detail that was previously out of reach.
Recent imagery show Jupiter’s shifting storm systems, Saturn’s rings in sharp definition, and atmospheric patterns moving across entire planets. There is also a visual clarity to them. Swirling gas formations and layered bands of colour give each image a sense of structure as much as scale
These images are released publicly through NASA, forming an archive that continues to grow with each new observation. Their release comes alongside the ongoing progress of the Artemis program, marking a period of renewed momentum in space exploration.
III. CULTURE — James Webb Telescope
Captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s 2026 image release offers some of the clearest views yet of our solar system and beyond. Designed to observe infrared light, the telescope reveals planetary atmospheres, distant galaxies and star-forming regions with a level of detail that was previously out of reach.
Recent imagery show Jupiter’s shifting storm systems, Saturn’s rings in sharp definition, and atmospheric patterns moving across entire planets. There is also a visual clarity to them. Swirling gas formations and layered bands of colour give each image a sense of structure as much as scale.
These images are released publicly through NASA, forming an archive that continues to grow with each new observation. Their release comes alongside the ongoing progress of the Artemis program, marking a period of renewed momentum in space exploration.
IV. PORTRAIT —
Emily Cumming Harris
Emily Cumming Harris was among the first
professional women artists in New Zealand,
known for her detailed botanical studies of
native flora. Working in watercolour, she
documented flowers, berries and ferns,
shaped by close observation of the natural
world.
Her work beautifully intertwined art and
record-keeping. Produced during a period
when much of Aotearoa’s plant life was still
being catalogued, her paintings reflect both
scientific attention and a considered
approach to composition, where colour and
form are carefully composed.
In 1890, she published New Zealand
Flowers, New Zealand Berries and New
Zealand Ferns, alongside illustrating
Fairyland in New Zealand by Sarah Moore.
While widely circulated at the time, her work
has since been revisited with a renewed
appreciation for its contribution to both
botanical study and visual culture.
Further Reading:
Groundwork, The Art and Writing of Emily Cumming Harris
IV. PORTRAIT — Emily Cummings Harris
Emily Cumming Harris was among the first professional women artists in New Zealand, known for her detailed botanical studies of native flora. Working in watercolour, she documented flowers, berries and ferns, shaped by close observation of the natural world.
Her work beautifully intertwined art and record-keeping. Produced during a period when much of Aotearoa’s plant life was still being catalogued, her paintings reflect both scientific attention and a considered approach to composition, where colour and form are carefully composed.
In 1890, she published New Zealand Flowers, New Zealand Berries and New Zealand Ferns, alongside illustrating Fairyland in New Zealand by Sarah Moore. While widely circulated at the time, her work has since been revisited with a renewed appreciation for its contribution to both botanical study and visual culture.
Further Reading:
V. OBJECT —
Sotheby’s Catalogue: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Published in 1996, the Sotheby’s catalogue for the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis offers an incredible glimpse into a life often kept at a distance. Produced in an edition of 100,000 copies, it became a way for people to access the sale without ever being in the room.
Spanning over a thousand lots, the catalogue moves between the significant and the deeply personal. A 40-carat diamond engagement ring, the desk where
President Kennedy signed the nuclear test ban treaty, and a Norman Rockwell painting sit alongside more intimate objects, including a French school textbook filled with hand-drawn sketches, a cigarette lighter, and a string of imitation pearls.
What’s most interesting is the combination of pieces of history and everyday items, each offering insight into how she lived and what she returned to over time.
Across four days of bidding, every lot was sold, reaching a total of $34.5 million. The catalogue remains as a record of it all.
Further Reading:
The Estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Sotheby's Catalogue (Book)
V. OBJECT — Sotheby's Catalogue: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Published in 1996, the Sotheby’s catalogue for the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis offers an incredible glimpse into a life often kept at a distance. Produced in an edition of 100,000 copies, it became a way for people to access the sale without ever being in the room.
Spanning over a thousand lots, the catalogue moves between the significant and the deeply personal. A 40-carat diamond engagement ring, the desk where President Kennedy signed the nuclear test ban treaty, and a Norman Rockwell painting sit alongside more intimate objects, including a French school textbook filled with hand-drawn sketches, a cigarette lighter, and a string of imitation pearls.
What’s most interesting is the combination of pieces of history and everyday items, each offering insight into how she lived and what she returned to over time.
Across four days of bidding, every lot was sold, reaching a total of $34.5 million. The catalogue remains as a record of it all.
Further Reading:
The Estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Sotheby's Catalogue (Book)
