Published by

Dal tadka recipe

This is the recipe I follow for dal/dhal/dahl/daal tadka/tarka. “Tadka” is a tempered spice-and-oil topping that you add before serving to enhance the flavours of the dal. The ingredients and method are based on one of the dal tadka recipes on the excellent site Vegetable Recipes of India (see recipe). It would be best to use arhar or tuvar dal, but I use red lentils generally since they’re the easiest to find and still taste great. This serves 4 people and is excellent with jeera rice.

Read recipe

Published by

Mr Rogers on disaster and tragedy

Fred Rogers often told this story about when he was a boy and would see scary things on the news:

“My mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”

From Helping Children with Scary News on pbs.org.

Fred Rogers created and hosted the classic American television series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood for more than 30 years. Since 1963, he has been a dependable source of comfort and delight for generations of children and their parents.

The quote above feels appropriate at the moment. See also his primetime special following the RFK assasination, his article advising readers on how to help children cope with disaster, and many further anecdotes on fredrogers.org and exhibit.fredrogerscenter.org.

The final new episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood aired on 31 August 2001. His goodbye message was aired on PBS a year after the 9/11 attacks. About five months later, he passed away at the age of 74.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAttFerhtnw

Published by

Video: Ice Cube Celebrates the Eames

Lots of Eames notes recently. SB recommended this video to me, I love it. Also, found the Guardian review of the Eames exhibition kind of interesting. It does seem contradictory that they managed to be so unflaggingly optimistic in their lives and output in the face of some pretty harsh concurrent events.

Published by

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.

Published by

“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.

Published by

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.

Published by

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)