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Quotes from “The World of Charles and Ray Eames” regarding their uniform-esque attire

Quotes from Alison Moloney’s essay in The World of Charles and Ray Eames regarding the couple’s uniform-esque attire.

Their relaxed, workwear aesthetic was an integral part of a carefully considered image, one that complemented the practice of the Eames Office, its philosophy and the Eameses’ own resolute work ethic.

Moloney, Alison. “The Dress of Charles and Ray Eames.” The World of Charles and Ray Eames. Ed. Catherine Ince with Lotte Johnson. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd in association with Barbican Art Gallery, 2015. 149.

Black and white photo of Ray Eames in her standard pinafore

Photo of Ray Eames in her standard pinafore dress (image source)

Ray’s aesthetic was feminine – unsurprisingly so, given the era in which she was working – but it is the habitual wearing of the same style that is most telling, and which, instead, reveals her to be uncompromising and non-conformist.

Moloney. The World of Charles and Ray Eames. 149.

Black and white photo of smiling Charles Eames in bowtie and checked shirt

Photo of Charles Eames in bowtie and checked pullover shirt (image source)

His shirts were well worn, as evidenced by numerous repairs, and reflected the Eames’ make-do-and-mend mentality, which extended to all aspects of their lives, from their routinely darned pillowcases to their wedding-gift toaster, which was said to be constantly repaired.

Moloney. The World of Charles and Ray Eames. 151.

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“Design Q & A”, questions by Mme L’Amic, answers by the Eameses

Still from Design Q & A, questions asked by Madame L'Amic and answered by Charles and Ray Eames

Still from Design Q & A (image source)

Q: How would you define yourself with respect to a decorator? an interior architect? a stylist?

A: I wouldn’t.

One of 29 questions posed by Madame L’Amic and answered by Charles and Ray Eames. The resulting Design Q & A formed the conceptual basis of the exhibition Qu’est ce que le design? (What is Design?) at the Louvre. I believe the exhibition was held in 1969, though I have seen 1972 listed elsewhere.

The transcript and video are available online. For best results however, see it at the excellent The World of Charles and Ray Eames exhibition designed by 6a architects and John Morgan studio. It’s on at the Barbican until 14 February 2016.

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On finding a suitable replacement for a Weinmann Type 730 sidepull bicycle brake

A small bike-related victory today. Converting my bike to a single speed went relatively smoothly, but as suspected, the front Weinmann Type 730 caliper brake is pure trouble with the new slimmer road wheel. Centring this brake is no small task. The whole mechanism spins freely around the bolt — seems ridiculous for a side pull — so the only way to centre it is to alter the spring tension. To do this, you need a specific female allen key to take apart the brake and adjust the spring against each arm, hopefully without harming the plastic bushing in the process. It’s all a bit much. I’m not bothered about it being an era-appropriate item, so I started looking for a replacement brake.

In the end I went with the Condor Strada XL deep drop (55-73mm) nutted front brake in silver for £17.99. It was purchased in-shop, can’t seem to find it on the Condor website at the moment. I’m pretty darn pleased with it, particularly since there aren’t that many traditional nut-style brakes to choose from. It’s a great brake at a great price, and it’s always a pleasure supporting that shop. Of course I forgot to grab a pack of cable end caps… It’s getting there.

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Article on digital preservation for artists by Ben Fino-Radin

Off the back of some recent thoughts regarding the archiving of websites, SB sent me a link to “Digital Preservation in the Artist’s Studio” by Ben Fino-Radin. The article provides an extremely thorough overview of what steps might be involved in digitally archiving studio output, along with a few real-world examples. Love this stuff.

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Maria Blaisse and her work

Maria Blaisse, Gomma, 2003, tubes. Image from Augenweide (i.e. Beatrice Oettinger). (image source)

The other evening, a friend introduced me to Maria Blaisse’s work as well as the lovely book The Emergence of Form published by nai010. The dedication evident in her output is incredible, and her canal-side studio in Amsterdam sounds pretty great. Wish I could find one of the images from the book online, it’s a black and white photo possibly taken in the 70s of her working on a woven piece with an enormous knot in the middle that’s easily twice her height. Will just have to buy the book (like I need an excuse).

Sidenote, Augenweide (source for the image) is a very enjoyable browse, glad to have come across it.

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On archiving/preserving websites

SB and I have been chatting about the whys, whens and hows involved in archiving a website. Archiving is always an uphill battle. It’s hard to take care of things as they age no matter what the material, and ageing code comes with a specific set of worries.

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Walker blog interview with Maximage

Walker blog interview with Maximage

I asked SB about people/studios that push the offset printing process when we were discussing a potential litho print last week, and he mentioned Berlin-based collective Maximage. The 2013 interview in the Walker design/art blog (linked above) sheds light on their interest in intervention.

Photo of the cover of Acid Test by Maximage

The cover of Acid Test, 2010. Image from Swiss Design Awards (image source)