This weeks way back when is in honor of the amazing Eva Zeisel. Born in Hungary in 1906, Eva is well know for her work with ceramics. She was the first woman to have a one woman show at MoMA and continues to design at age 103. She gave a lovely talk at TED at age 92 that is definitely worth a watch as well.
Louis Kahn was one of the greats. In this compelling 2003 film My Architect, his only son Nathaniel explores the relationship that he never had with his father. The clip above is the first 10 minutes of the film. The DVD can be purchased from Amazon for $10 - $30.
This Fridays "Way back when" is a film by Eames Demetrios on the history and the production of Charles & Ray Eames' famous Aluminium Chair. I'm always fascinated to watch the actual design and manufacturing of furniture, and this video doesn't disappoint.
Never heard of Robert Rummer? Don't feel too bad, most people haven't. Robert Rummer was a builder in the 1960's in the Portland area who built many gorgeous mid century modern homes. Here is a great little interview with him that also shows a couple of the homes that he built. Enjoy!
Here is a fantastic hour long documentary on the life of the great master Le Corbusier. Done by Jacques Barsac in 1987 this film is full of wonderful vintage footage. Unfortunately it's all in French and the only subtitled version I have found is in German.
If anyone knows of a version with english subtitles, please share!
Here is a trailer for another great film by Design Onscreen that is due out sometime this year. Currently in post production, Desert Utopia: Mid Century Architecture in Palm Springs traces the history of modern architecture in Palm Springs from the earliest days to the preservation issues facing the region today. This looks like another fantastic film, and kudos to Design Onscreen for focusing on this wonderful documentary niche.
Suport Design Onscreen by buying DVD's or making a donation.
Never heard of Stephen Mcdonald before? Well it's about time. While Utah doesn't have a mid century architecture legacy like some of the other places in the country, we did have some great architects back in the day, and Stephen Mcdonald is one of the good ones. The photo's above are from a photo set that was recently posted on the Salt Lake Modern Facebook page.
More photo's of the house here.
Find out more about Stephen Mcdonald on the Utah Heritage Foundation website.
Join the Salt Lake Modern Facebook fan page.
Since we were talking yesterday about buying "designer inspired" egg chairs, I thought it only fair to show some footage of the brilliant Arne Jacobsen himself. I don't know about you, but watching the video makes me want to grab a nice pipe and some beech wood and lock myself in the garage until I come up with something brilliant.
I posted a clip of this last year about this same time. Even if you watched it then, it's worth a replay. Happy New Year!!!
World renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer turned 102 yesterday. According to Designboom, instead of spending a day relaxing with his family he spent the time working on "piles of projects". To celebrate his birthday I thought I would share a clip from an interview several months ago. Enjoy!
A vintage film (mid-1960's) on the importance of architecture in everyday life. Produced by Ann Seltman Smart, formerly of WPTF-AM in Raleigh, North Carolina. Narrated by Ted Daniel.
Here is another great film that I would love to see. Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler is a new film released by Design Onscreen that has some wonderful footage of Donald Wexler and the homes he designed. The world premier of the film was this February in Palm Springs during Palm Springs Modernism week. The film is now available from Design Onscreen for $30.
One more trailer for you viewing pleasure after the jump.
Here is a fascinating look into the life of Richard Neutra through the eyes of his grandson Justin Neutra and other friends, family and clients.
Here is a teaser for a great looking documentary. I'd love to know more about German Samper Gnecco, unfortunately my spanish is horrible. Here is what I have been able to pick up. He is one of Colombia's most influential architects in the 50's 60's and 70's, he studied under Le Corbusier and did some amazing work in Bogota.
Anyone have more information?
Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer is perhaps one of the most important names in international architecture. At 101 he might just be the oldest practicing architect ever. I've got a special place in my heart for Brazilian architecture, and Niemeyer is the builder of it.
Here's a great little retrospective on the work of John Lautner, architect of the famed Chemosphere. Enjoy!
[Thanks, Andrew!]
The arts and architecture have always been heavily connected, and this Saturday that tradition continues. As part of the DOCOMOMO's US Tour day Salt Lake Modern is hosting an evening of Arts and Architecture in this beautiful home designed by John Sugden. John Bell, the current owner of the howe will be displaying his art and will be talking about how living in a mid-century home has changed the way he paints.
If you are looking for something to do tomorrow, make sure you check DOCOMOMO's website to see if there are any local chapters next to you.
For the Utah crowd, see Utahmodern.org or the SLModern Facebook page for more details.
Here is a short clip about Frank Lloyd Wrights masterpiece the Guggenheim. The clip comes from the PBS documentary by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.
A clip from the retrospective exhibit that Cranbrook did on Eero Saarinen a year ago.
The video for this weeks "way back when" comes from findmetheoriginal.com, a uk website dedicated to helping people distinguish the difference between knock offs and original pieces. They have several great video's that provide a brief history of the particular piece of furniture as well as the design points that often set it apart from "inspired" reproductions.