Hasta La Ideas

We talk to the filmmaker about his foray into Champagne

Spending an afternoon with David Lynch in the penthouse of the Chateau Marmont isn’t necessarily an everyday occurrence—the filmmaker, known for his surrealistic visions, actually admits that he rarely leaves the house if he doesn’t have to. As the son of a forester, Lynch grew up spending time with his father in their woodshop, and now enjoys time at home creating his own art, photography and sound studios.

Lynch did venture out recently to the home of his friend, special effects designer Gary D’Amico, to collaborate on a bottle and package design project for Dom Pérignon. The two experimented with welding torches, shot beams of light into crystals, sprinkled sparkles and powered up smoke machines and other lighting effects to capture images for the resulting wraps. Shrouded in dreamy, glowing light streaks is Lynch’s scrawled label, “Dom Pérignon by David Lynch” sliced horizontally across the dark Champagne bottle.

We asked Lynch for insight into his growing interest in collaboration, and what inspires his work.

You have collaborated with Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, and have been part of several collaborations from fashion to the recent suite at Hotel Lutetia. Why collaboration? What do you get out of it? How does it influence your filmmaking?

I always say commercial work is money and a chance to do something, a chance to experiment. A lot of times a chance to experiment with the latest technologies. So I always learn something and feel really good about the result and the experimentation and the process of getting that result. It is a collaboration in a way, but I really like the things where I have a freedom to experiment. Obviously the client has to like the result. This idea of experimenting to get something was embraced by Dom Pérignon. Luckily it turned out good.

For you is Champagne an every day or a special occasion beverage?

It’s a special occasion, but like I say, I learned a lot about what goes into Dom Pérignon. So now when I take a drink, it is a very rich experience.

Can you talk a little bit about some of the visual artists whose work really speaks to you?

There are a lot of great DPs out in the world. There are a lot of great painters. A lot of times you will see something and it will be very inspiring. There might be a painter where 90% of the stuff doesn’t talk to you but 10% really talks to you. Inspirations can come from so many places. I always say my greatest inspiration came from the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. So many reasons, the mood of the place, the architecture, what I saw and heard and felt. It was very magical, but laced with a deep tormenting fear and sickness. And I ate many steak sandwiches there.

Lynch’s designs for the Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003 and Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2000 will be available on 1 October 2012.

Licorice, coffee and malted milk flavor the world of purist chocolate

When we first wrote about Askinosie Chocolate back in 2008, the young company was on the vanguard of bean-to-bar production. Since then, the direct-source chocolatier has grown into an industry icon and a prime model for responsible food production.

The last several months has seen a series of “CollaBARation” bars from Aksinosie, in which they team up with other notable members of the food community to create new flavors. A departure from their standard, purist approach, the new bars incorporate flavors that reflect the partnerships. The bars—we can attest—are delightful and reflect a new direction for the brand.

With four bars to date, the “CollaBARation” line includes a eye-opening java bar from Intelligentsia
Coffee, a licorice-infused flavor with Sweden’s Lakritsfabriken, a vanilla bean wonder through Zingerman’s Deli and a creamy malted milk bar from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream. More flavors are planned to drop throughout the year, and you can keep up by checking into the Askinosie online shop. The company is also working on a redesign of their packaging, replacing their makeshift look with a somewhat more sophisticated design.

Beyond selling chocolate, Askinosie takes sourcing seriously through a personal relationship and profit-sharing program with each of their farmers in the Philippines, Tanzania, Ecuador and Honduras. In their hometown of Springfield, MO, Askinosie runs the Chocolate University in partnership with Drury University. The school educates local children on the art and business of artisanal chocolate, equipping them with a valuable understanding of small business and social responsibility.

Portland craftsmanship meets Parisian style in a sustainable tote

Setting out to make the perfect tote, Parisian design label Jardins Florian teamed up with the Portland-based craftsmen of The Good Flock. Together they have created a stylishly minimal bag that speaks through its quality materials and handsome detailing.

Made by hand from waxed cotton canvas and vegetable tanned leather, the tote reflects the conscious design approach of both makers, who share a desire to make beautiful functional products with the least environmental impact possible. As Florian Gonzalez, founder of Jardins Florian, explains, the design process was dedicated to the art of “keeping things simple.”

“We did not want to use any hardware or zips, so that the bag would be made of only two materials, both bio-degradable,” says Gonzalez about their effort to make a tote with a closure. “The design battle to find how to close the bag in an original and functional manner led us to months of prototyping and eventually to the beautiful leather flap one can see on the final model.”

Such rigor is evoked in The Good Flock’s three design principles: “Use wholesome materials, work with a conscience and design with minimal waste.” Marco Murillo, founder of The Good Flock, heralds their work as “products that can be buried in your backyard. They are made of wholesome things that won’t hurt the earth or trees or worms, even the mean ones.”

Gonzalez describes Jardins Florian as a “modern-day Maison” that designs and sells quality goods. With an exceptional eye for design, Gonzalez also benefits from a savvy approach to collaboration, so far working with luxury brands to create his products. Currently this includes an organic scented candle made with spa brand ila and a customized limited-edition Rolex Watch with Bamford Watch Department.

The Good Flock + Jardins Florian tote bag is available online for £250 (about $387) for a limited time (they indicate the next edition will come in different colors and at a higher price).

Visitors are in for a multi-sensory experience pulling ropes to play music at Sonos Studio

Bringing their passion for the emotional connection to sound, Sonos opened the Sonos Studio in LA to celebrate the listening experience. The new event space will host listening parties, screenings, lectures, workshops, concerts, and art installations. At their first preview event, reggae legend Jimmy Cliff shared tracks from his upcoming album and an intimate live set for the first 100 people to visit the Sonos Studio. On the other side of the room, about 100 ropes hang from a large square pegboard by LA artist Luke Fischbeck for his installation, “Center of Attention”.

Each rope ends in a colorful metal tube resembling the aglet on a shoelace. A close look at the elements of his striking sculptural piece reveals tiny wires strung through each strand that when touched emit sounds from the wireless Sonos music system rigged above the grid. Instructions for how to interact with “Center of Attention” are posted on the canted gallery walls: “Touch more than one rope to play. Each rope carries a signal which is carried through your body. Touch another person. Combine the signals. See what sounds you can find.”

The sounds in “Center of Attention” have a mysterious, magical quality. Random tones flow together in the kind of piece that might be composed for a contemporary dance concert or modern production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, pairing nicely in the lighthearted activity within the space. After Jimmy Cliff’s set, the crowd gravitated to the installation and interacted with it by touching the ropes and each other, playing with the different tones made by the six colors for some sophisticated, fun Twister-like game play. Deeper investigation by studio visitors inspired some hand-holding, concentrated listening and happy smiles all around, it seemed.

The playful experimenting with sound is just what the creators of Sonos had in mind when they hatched their plan to open an interactive studio space. Their new studio in the La Brea Art and Design District features everything they need to experience state-of-the-art sounds through live and recorded music, multimedia events and art installations. The custom-built pyramid-shaped red and black foam sound tiles that line the ceiling not only help the acoustic but also add a graphic element to the 4,000 square foot room.

With the intention of creating a community space, Sonos asked architect Rania Alomar of RA-DA, interior designers from The Studio Collective, Tyler King of Coffee Commissary, and furniture deisgn by Knibb Design to all collaborate on the space. Skateboarding legend Natas Kaupas also created a skateboard lending library complete with a playlist to accompany each deck.

Fischbeck’s “Center of Attention” is the first major art installation in the Sonos Studio. The artist often collaborates with Sarah Raha under the name Lucky Dragons on work exploring and experimenting with sound and touch for shows at MOCA and in the Whitney Biennial. We caught up with Fischbeck to learn more about the process behind creating “Center of Attention”.

How did the idea for the piece about?

It started as a way of trying something out, to see what would happen. I’ve been wondering about the way our sense of touch connects us through technology, as an easy way to extend ourselves into the world. On the other hand, when we touch one another directly we share a sense, actively. There’s a choice in this that is often playful, kind, sympathetic—and can bridge many differences.

Why is the Sonos Studio the right space for this installation?

As a site-specific installation, this piece would have turned out completely differently in any other space. I was drawn to the idea of Sonos Studio as a sort of in-between space. It’s both a gathering place, defined by a series of public happenings, and a place for objects, a place to listen and touch. It’s a platform for the presentation of things, but also a thing in itself, with its own very strong identity. Visitors taking part in an event find themselves caught between engaging with one-another and engaging with things. The installation tries to build on this in-between-ness, it’s a potential performance at all times, waiting to be activated in a playful way by anyone who stops by, and until then, just a part the wild background.

What materials did you use?

Pegboard, oak, painted steel, electric fence rope with conductive wire braided into it so that it carries a current along its length, a few electronic components, a lot of connecting wire, and a computer running custom software.

What was the process for installing the piece into the gallery?

Actually way more intense than originally planned: I’d wanted the installation to be an extension of the ceiling, hanging down almost to the floor so that it appeared to be both a part of the space and also floating independently off the ground. It turns out it takes four friends to help properly attach and align a floating rectangle! Then there was a lot of tedious wiring to get the electronics to work right, but hopefully now it just goes on its own.. until we have to take it down!

How long did the installation take from conception to installation?

There was a long quiet period after the initial idea, and then a big hurry at the end while we figured out the practical details and put it together…altogether about six months I think!

Explain how the touch activated elements work.

Each of the conductive ropes carries its own signal, a tuned circuit at an individual frequency. When you touch a rope you carry that tuned signal on your skin—touching another rope, or another person who’s also touching a rope, will combine signals, creating combinations of frequencies that are turned into sound by the software. Different kinds of touch, from gentle tickles to full grasps, affect how much of each signal is combined, meaning that each point of contact contributes to the overall sound.

How does the number of bodies in the space change the sound?

Any number of people can play the installation directly, by touching different ropes. People can also change the sound by bridging between those playing it directly. Any point of skin contact affects the ways the different signals mix together. There’s a range of effects that can be heard, from drastic swooping melodies to very subtle changes in texture, hopefully enough chaotic possibilities that it’s fun to play with…experimenting together with other people!

What other projects are you currently working on?

A community radio station, a platform for collaborative drawing (“Sumi Ink Club“), a few light-sensitive synthesizers… we’ll see!

“Center of Attention” by Luke Fischbeck in on view at Sonos Studio 9 May—6 June 2012.

Likeminded artisans gather in a collaborative workspace in Portland

For some people, the constant rattling of trains outside their window might be irritating. But for Beam & Anchor co-founders Robert and Jocelyn Rahm, it sounded just right. “I grew up in a small town in Missouri,” said Robert. “The trains sound like home.”

For years the Rahms had dreamed of opening a collaborative workshop for a dedicated community of likeminded artisans. The first step was finding the appropriate space, which they did in a beloved, but neglected, warehouse in the heavily industrial north Portland neighborhood of Albina. Surrounded by the eerie echoes of bands practicing in nearby garages and puffs of steam from Widmer Brothers Brewing the next block down, the space was theirs after eight months of persuading the owner to hand over the keys. “The owner really loved the building and didn’t need the money,” says Robert. “We had to convince him that we were really using it, that we’d honor it and were trustworthy.”

Earlier this spring, Beam & Anchor finally opened its doors. Stepping inside is not unlike stepping inside the Rahms’ home, which is understandable given that their primary goal for the space was that it should feel like one in its decor and furnishings. The upstairs floor of the two-story building houses a half-dozen “makers” and their employees, like Taylor Ahlmark and Nori Gilbert of Maak Soap Lab and Wood & Faulk‘s Matt Pierce, where they painstakingly craft the richly detailed soaps, furniture, bags and other goods to sell in the retail store below. Robert accents their displays with interesting vintage finds like an antique gurney from the Korean War, among others.

To characterize the space as merely a workshop and store, however, would ignore the building’s animating spirit. Upstairs, an open kitchen with a large dining table serves as a gathering space, and most of the workshops are separated from each other with floor-to-ceiling curtains instead of walls—except for the wood shop, which is partitioned off because of sawdust and noise. However, even that wall has a glass viewing panel through which visitors to the building can see furniture coming together.

Some of the craftspeople, like Jocelyn’s brother Bren Reis, knew the couple beforehand; Reis is a woodworker who founded Earthbound Industries. Others sought them out once word of the project spread. “Community is so central to what we do here,” says Jocelyn. Robert adds, “We aimed to pick people that we would have over for dinner.”

That community spirit serves as a foundation for the Rahms’ plans to host community events like “maker networking” suppers and a summer music series, are underway, and there’s been some interest in setting up food carts in the parking lot.

Beam & Anchor’s early and enthusiastic reception belies the popular belief that creativity thrives in isolation. With support, encouragement and a constant infusion of new ideas, Portland makers have a haven in which to nurture their ideas. The best part is that the building, as a dynamic experiment, is not that difficult to duplicate. All you need is a germ of an idea and an empty building to see it grow.