Five things that Charles & Ray teach us about play (2/5)

2) TOYS ARE A PRELUDE TO SERIOUS IDEAS
Charles and Ray often said that, “Toys are not really as innocent as they look. Toys and games are the prelude to serious ideas.” One of their grandsons, Eames Demetrios, explained their love for toys with this story: “My brother once brought a Super Ball up to the house, and he promptly broke a third-story window with it—Charles thought this was an excellent proof of concept. He said, ‘This toy is gonna work.’”

The Eameses fascination with toys, and their belief in the importance of playing with them, is one of the many reasons that they designed their own. In 1951, they created The Toy (pictured above) to be enjoyed by people of all ages. This idea is exemplified by the text on the instruction sheet:

The Toy is designed for many colorful hours of fun for the whole family, and each member can share and enjoy The Toy in his own way.
The baby as a bright world to grow in–
The small child as houses and tunnels and tents to play in–
The boys and girls as towers, puppet theaters, large and exciting structures–
The high school age as brilliant party decorations, plays and pageant sets–
In college as campus and house decorations, fantastic and brilliant hanging objects
to hover over a junior prom–
Young men and women, clubs, civic organizations, floats and festivals–
The Toy gives each one the means with which to express himself in big structures
and brilliant colors.

Creating a playful experience that everyone could benefit and learn from was a common theme throughout Charles and Ray’s work.

Via hermanmiller.com 

(see: www.hermanmiller.com/why/serious-fun.html)

Five things that Charles & Ray teach us about play (1/5)

With the launch of Herman Miller’s Serious Fun article, we reflect on five things that Charles & Ray teach us about play.

1) INTERACTIVE PLAY CAN BE A FORM OF LEARNING

The Eameses used play as a form of learning; they applied this concept to their 1961 exhibition Mathematica (still on view today), thereby offering others the same opportunity. Charles and Ray pioneered the interactive exhibition format and demonstrated the merit of experiential, accessible, and fun learning environments.

The Eameses revealed the genuine fun of math and science to the broadest possible audience, letting “the cat out of the bag,” as Charles said. In organizing Mathematica, Charles and Ray worked with a talented staff and sought out experts in their field; yet they also followed one of their cardinal rules for any endeavor: They never delegated understanding. They committed themselves to unraveling every problem themselves. Philip Morrison said that, having worked as a consultant in a variety of offices, “…some of which had equally daunting artifacts around them, it was only at the Eames Office that the boss knew what they all meant.”

For decades, exhibition designers have looked to Mathematica as a model. Charles and Ray strived to develop an exhibition that would “…be of interest to a bright student and not embarrass the most knowledgeable,” in order to best reveal the inherent fun of ideas.

Via hermanmiller.com 

(see: www.hermanmiller.com/why/serious-fun.html)

Eames + Star Wars: a good combine

Hugh Doan, a San Francisco Bay Area tech professional in marketing and advertising, is a lover of authentic Eames designs and Star Wars. His collection of all two is quite impressive. Many of his photos on Instagram not only highlight scale, but also combine his interest in Eames designs with his passion for Star Wars. When asked what sparked this series of images he answered, “I have a son, and it is like reliving a second childhood.”

Courtesy Hugh Doan via eamesoffice.com

News: The Kinfolk Home - Interiors for Slow Living

Following the success of "The Kinfolk Table: Recipes for Small Gatherings", the Kinfolk team has released a second book, "The Kinfolk Home: Interiors for Slow Living". In "The Kinfolk Home", author and Kinfolk founder, Nathan Williams takes readers inside 35 homes around the globe, with several eamesian pieces. Each home reflects the values of ‘slow living’: simplifying our lives, slowing down and cultivating community. In addition to over 200 stunning interiors photographs, "The Kinfolk Home" shares the residents’ stories through insightful interviews and essays. While each home is unique – some modern and urban, others of heritage and legacy – all are connected by the ‘slow’ approach, put together carefully, thoughtfully, and with great intention.

Via www.kinfolk.com

Enjoy the Ant-Man titles !

Enjoy the "Ant-Man" movie titles by Sarofsky: they are an intentional homage to the iconic "Powers of Ten", the famous short film directed by Charles and Ray in 1977.

Christmas gift idea (3): "Charles & Ray Eames", by Maryse Quinton

In this book, the contemporary designers questioned in the insets all place them in their personal pantheon. Giulio Cappellini, for example, believes they are the greatest designers of all times. 
Maryse Quinton (with Eames Demetrios and Alexandra Forterre) reviews four decades of creation, enhancing certain key moments, such as the construction of their home on the heights of Pacific Palisades, and offers a complete panorama. It talks of their relations with big industry (Alcoa) or the intelligentsia (Billy Wilder) but lacks two must-have elements: a real chronology and an index.

Maryse Quinton, Eames Demetrios, Alexandra Forterre, "Charles & Ray Eames", Éditions de La Martinière, Paris, 2015.
Available at nb:notabene Torino, via Bellezia 12 - via Giolitti 26 a.

Off the grid: Charles and Ray Eames' Wire Chair, revisited

Fifty-one Charles and Ray Eames Wire Chairs reinterpreted by artists will be auctioned in Paris today (14 December) to raise money for La Source, a charitable association created by French artist Gérard Garouste to help children express themselves through art in four French centres.
The chairs were donated by Vitra and reinterpreted by leading artists, interior designers, fashion designers and architects, many of whom also participate in La Source workshops each year. Famous names on this year's list include Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec, Philippe Starck, Matali Crasset, Antoine + Manuel, Odile Decq, Christian Louboutin, India Mahdavi, and, of course, Garouste himself.
The designer one-offs come under the hammer of Simon de Pury, chairman of the Philips art auction house. Maître de Pury explains that the charity auction is exceptional in his experience, as artists surpass themselves to transform the object for auction into something unique.
'The Wire Chair's grid seems to have particularly inspired the artists, we're seeing a great deal of invention and a lot of humour,' he says.
5.5 designstudio reinterpreted the chair as a barbeque, Christian Louboutin added a backrest in the form of his signature red leather sole, while Philippe Starck added padlocks in a tribute to the Pont des Art bridge. Most poignantly, Sarah Lavoine and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac created a tribute to Paris following the recent tragic events.
The chairs will be exhibited in the Hôtel de l’Industrie in Paris until today; the auction begins at 8pm French time this evening.

Via wallpaper.com
Read more at http://www.wallpaper.com/design/charles-and-ray-eames-wire-chair-revisited#bCoGDGL04ZlLimqT.99

Christmas gift idea (2): "Mid-Century Modern Complete" by Dominic Bradbury

"Mid-Century Modern" offers a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the subject – furniture, lighting, glass, ceramics, textiles, product design, industrial design, graphics and posters, as well as architecture and interior design, use of innovative and affordable materials and forms of mass manufacture, and newly developed precepts of ‘good design’.
Nearly 100 major and influential creators of the mid-century period are highlighted from Scandinavia, Western Europe, America, Japan, Brazil and Australia. They include icons such as Saul Bass, Robin Day, Charles and Ray Eames, Marimekko, Isamu Noguchi, Dieter Rams, Lucie Rie and Paolo Venini, as well as architects Alvar Aalto, Philip Johnson, Richard Neutra and Oscar Niemeyer.
An additional illustrated dictionary features hundreds more key mid-century designers and manufacturers as well as important organizations, schools and movements.
The book showcases classic designs as well as little-seen rarities, and unusual objets d’art as well as mass-produced items and includes thirteen specially commissioned essays by renowned experts.

Dominic Bradbury, Mid-Century Modern Complete, Thames and Hudson, London, 2014.

Available at nb:notabene Torino, via Bellezia 12 - via Giolitti 26 a

Christmas gift idea (1): "Alexander Girard" by Todd Oldham & Kiera Coffee

Renowned designer Todd Oldham and writer Kiera Coffee have created this massive monograph on seminal designer Alexander Girard as the ultimate tribute to this design icon.
This 672-page book covers virtually every aspect of Girard’s distinctive career. As one of the most prolific and versatile mid-20th century designers, Girard’s work spanned many disciplines, including textile design, graphic design, typography, illustration, furniture design, interior design, product design, exhibit design, and architecture. Exhaustively researched and lovingly assembled by designer Todd Oldham, this tome is the definitive must-have book on Girard’s oeuvre.
Girard’s repertoire includes an incredible list of projects, including his bold, colorful, and iconic textile designs for Herman Miller (1952-1975), his typographic designs for La Fonda del Sol restaurant (1960), his celebrated retail store Textiles and Objects (1961), his own Girard Foundation (1962) that houses his extensive, personal collection of folk art from around the world, and his complete branding and environmental design for Braniff International Airways (1965).
Girard’s work continues to inspire new generations of designers and admirers, and this beautiful book is the ultimate tribute to his legacy.


Todd Oldham, Kiera Coffee, "Alexander Girard", Ammo Books, Los Angeles (Cal.), 2011.
Available at nb:notabene Torino, via Bellezia 12 - via Giolitti 26 a

Charles and Ray Eames's Kids Toys: As Wonderful as You'd Expect

In a new article posted by Herman Miller, Alexandra Lange, Curbed's architecture critic, examines the Eameses legacy of design intended for children, including playful prefab structures and boxes meant for building. It's clear from the analysis, accompanying archival images, and cool interactive toy that the duo valued playful design, and a gift for inspiring that same appreciation in others.

A central tenant of the design philosophy of Ray and Charles Eames was an embrace of play as an end in itself, the idea that creativity should be unconstrained and unburdened. While the couple will always be remembered for their contributions to furniture, design and cinema, it was their approach to experimentation, and their interest in seemingly tangential topics such as clowns, that inspired their seemingly endless sense of wonder and a constant drive towards exploration and improvement. As champions of those beliefs, it only goes to follow that they'd also be some of the world's foremost toy designers.

Ph. courtesy Herman Miller Archive