May 25
Dezeen Screen: this movie filmed by Dezeen in Milan features Nick Regan, one of the co-founders of kinetic object company Laikingland, presenting their recent work at Ventura Lambrate. Watch the movie »
May 24
Rock Paper Photo
Posted in: thebeatlesFamed Beatles photographer Tom Murray on the debut of the ultimate online gallery of pop culture images
Last week online photography gallery Rock Paper Photo launched, ambitiously making thousands of the most sought-after images in pop culture history available to the general public. Shot by top photographers, all images are carefully selected, available in limited editions and hand-signed by the lensmen themselves. Connoisseurs can snap up Richard E Aaron’s archival pigment print of Jerry Garcia peering over his glasses for thousands or, if you’re just an endearing fan, a few hundred will get you a Richard Beland print of the Beastie Boys.
To learn more about the new site and its featured photographers we were lucky enough to chat with Tom Murray, the award-winning photographer who shot the series of Beatles photographs now known as “The Mad Day: Summer of ’68,” which are widely considered some of the most important color photographs of the group ever taken. We caught up with Murray here in NYC just minutes after he signed the first editions to be sold on RPP and hours before hopping on a flight back to England.
How did you find yourself involved in Rock Paper Photo?
For a long while we have only been showing through art galleries, and the really great galleries are booked up for two or three years in advance, so when RPP told us what was happening and asked would we like to be involved I said sure. Now, any fan can shop online and they can see some great rock-and-roll photography by quite famous photographers, including my Beatles work.
Aside from the accessibility, what about Rock Paper Photo really piqued your interest?
First of all is, it is very well designed. They also explain what the different types of prints are—the platinum prints, the chromogenic color prints, which I produce, and also giclée (Archival Pigment) prints. And a lot of people don’t know the difference between them. I think they’ve been very clever with the pricing. If you’re a Beatles fan you can a giclée image at a good price. If you’re a photographic collector and also a Beatles fan then you’ll go for the chromogenic print. I love black and white and they’ve got some wonderful platinum prints there, which are great.
How do you feel about the quality of images sold on the site?
I think they showcase it all very well—such high standards. I’ve spent three days just going through different proofs, till we got it perfectly right. I am very fussy. When people now see the prints they will realize why I am so fussy. The whole website is very high quality, limited-editions, fabulous prints, fabulous giclées. I’ve had many offers before to release my work in different ways, and I’ve not liked it. Some of the digital quality that people are settling for now is not very good. But [RPP] really does bring my work alive and they seem to understand what i want as a photographer.
Was getting the Beatles photos available to the public your biggest driving factor in working with Rock Paper Photo?
Well, yes. To be quite honest I’ve had Beatles fans nagging that they frankly couldn’t afford the limited-edition chromogenics, and for a fan they’re quite expensive. I don’t produce tiny little prints, I grew up the old-fashion way with chemicals and papers. So when Rock Paper Photo said they were going to do a giclée edition. I said fine, that will be great for fans.
Tell us a bit about the progression of your lengthy career.
I’m very lucky, I’ve been a photographer since I was 15. I’ve just been snapping my way around the world and it is just very fortunate for me that I’ve frequently been in the right place at the right time and skilled enough to produce some work. I started in newspapers in the ’60s, I worked there for years, then I went to Africa and worked there for years. And I came back and became the staff photographer for the Sunday Times Magazine. Then opened my own studio and started getting American clients and moved to New York, then to Los Angeles. Then I went back to England about 10 years ago. and we started seriously thinking about putting these images out for people to purchase in around the year 2000.
Now back in England, what takes up most of your time nowadays?
I’m actually semi-retired so now I’m going through fifty years of my photography. And its amazing, I’m coming across work that I’ve forgot I’ve did, found pictures of Norman Mailer, Richard Burt. I found a whole set of pictures of Eli Wallach, and some more of John Huston the film director. And some of that starts to become historically valuable now, so that may end up also on this website.
So you intend on showcasing more long-lost images on the site as well?
Anything that they’re interested in, I’m going to showcase. So much of the stuff is in slide form, transparencies, negatives, and the rest of it I’m actually just scanning it so that my agent in NY can see it. Once it’s scanned, I got to go back into it and caption everything and put little story in so people know the reason I got to photograph it. It’s the old stories that are interesting to people.
Why is it important to have all of this available online?
A lot of photographic collectors will be buying the rock-and-roll prints, whereas rock and roll fans will be buying the giclée edition. Because they’re fans of the singers, they’re not necessarily collectors of photography. That’s the way it works. And a lot of galleries won’t sell both together. With the way things are going, more and more people buy stuff online. I know I do and I’m 68 years old. My mother is 92 and she occasionally buys things online, so it is the way of the future.
All images by Tom Murray
May 20
Dezeen Screen: In this movie we filmed in Milan last month, the Royal College of Art‘s head of design products Tord Boontje talks about the exhibition of student work presented at Ventura Lambrate and describes the themes and trends occupying young designers today. Watch the movie »
May 18
Dezeen Screen: NewspaperWood by Mieke Meijer and Vij5
Posted in: Arjan van Raadshooven, Milan 2011, NewspaperWood, Vij5
In this movie, filmed at Ventura Lambrate in Milan, Arjan van Raadshooven from Vij5 talks to Dezeen about Newspaper Wood, a wood-like material made from recycled newspapers. Watch the movie »
May 12
Somewhere To Disappear
Posted in: Uncategorized Two young filmmakers follow photographer Alec Soth on his quest to document people escaping from society
Somewhere to Disappear directors Laure Flammarion and Arnaud Uyttenhove admitted to the packed audience at the Q&A session following the film’s NYC premiere that they initially had no real game plan when setting out to follow Magnum photographer Alec Soth, the subject of their new documentary. While there may not have been a detailed outline of what the duo would capture, they told Cool Hunting that as fans of his work and self-proclaimed “photo book addicts,” they knew Soth was an avid traveler and a good storyteller, so they thought documenting his process would make a great road-trip movie.
Shooting for roughly one month at a time on three separate occasions over the course of 18 months, Paris-based Flammarion and Brussels-based Uyttenhove documented Soth as he roamed across America in search of reclusive individuals, for what would become his photo book “Broken Manual“—although none of those stills actually appear in the film. The directors offer a valuable glimpse of the photographer’s slight yo-yo-like process, on how he goes about finding his subjects, interacts with them, and ultimately gains their trust to sit for a portrait.
While at the beginning you may wonder if the young filmmakers are going to find their focus, in the end you understand the rhythm of the film follows that of Soth’s. At times it’s exciting, there are moments of real discovery, and then there are long shots showing the vast countryside (which both directors say they really miss) and Soth sometimes frustrated with “wasting time.” A list taped to his steering wheel attempts to keep him on track of things or people he’s looking for, but throughout the film it becomes clear that Soth mostly follows his instincts when in his search of people retreating from civilization.
Encountering some extreme personalities and occasionally frightening living situations, Flammarion says “for us those people are not weirdos.” As the film beautifully depicts, many people share this feeling of wanting to disappear, including Soth himself, who remains in search of his own personal cave.
One of the more dramatic scenes—that Soth dubs as “Silence of The Lambs”—is almost tear-jerking, as a malnourished man in his boarded-up macabre home tells them the sad story of his life, comprised mostly of parental beatings and drugs. This scene features a dark and moody original song by Ghinzu‘s Greg Remy, which Flammarion says was their “way to express what they did not show.” While the rest of the film is set to an original score by L’Aiglon (who often tours with the band Phoenix), Uyttenhove says as one of the more fictional moments in the film it was important to him to set that scene apart.
Somewhere to Disappear is an authentic take on an oft-overlooked American subculture. From a man living in the desert for 27 years to hermits hiding out, the film is an ultimately interesting portrayal of Soth, the people he photographs and their shared fantasy of wanting to escape from it all.
While the three-city tour has come to an end, Flammarion and Uyttenhove are taking the film on the road to festivals around the world. To find out where, follow the film’s Twitter feed.
May 04
Four Seasons in Yosemite
Posted in: Uncategorized L.A. Times photographer Mark Boster shares tips and his new travel series
Most days find Los Angeles Times photographer Mark Boster on what he affectionately calls “the crash and burn shift,” taking photos of courthouses, accidents and crimes to accompany the news of the sprawling metropolis of Southern California. But ask Boster about travel photography and you’ll get a twinkle in his eye and his unabashed enthusiasm for the subject. Born and raised in Fullerton, Boster has lived in California all of his life and considers traveling around the state to be one of the best ways to see diverse topography and unique vistas. His love for adventure led him to his latest project, a feature series for the Times showing the Yosemite’s seasonal changes that will run on the first day of each new season.
With almost as much relish, Boster’s eager to talk shop with just about anyone who will listen. Last month that was a large audience at the L.A. Times’ Travel and Adventure Show, where, armed with a slide show of his favorite images, Boster talked about everything from how to follow the rule of thirds to not forgetting to pack extra digital cards, batteries and chargers. We followed up with Boster to learn how football, Cesar Chavez and nature has inspired his career.
Do you remember your first camera?
My first camera when I was in college was a Minolta SR-T 100x film camera—it was just a big metal tank, but it was great and a lot of fun. My fist big serious camera was a Mamiya RB67, which was a big giant 15-pound camera. After that I had a series of Nikon cameras.
What do you shoot with now?
All Canon digital. Canon EOS 5D Mark II and a Canon EOS 7D because they both shoot 1080p HD video as well. I transition both of those back and forth between video and still.
Can you remember the first image you took that inspired you to think, “I really want to do this”?
I went to college to play football at Cal State Fullerton. I started messing around with photography and I really loved photojournalism. I thought photography was more fun than getting my head bashed in everyday on the football field. I met people in the photo department who I thought were cooler than cool. Those days a long list of well-known people visited college campuses, including Cesar Chavez, Jane Fonda in her Hanoi Jane days, Russell Means from the America Indian movement. They all came to campus and we got to practice our portraiture.
During my college years I ran into Chavez again on the streets of San Francsico. I started photographing these people and my friends. I met Buckminister Fuller. I couldn’t even tell you where all of the pictures are right now, but it launched into what I am doing now. My photography started progressing and football became less and less in my life and photography became more and more important to me. I dropped one for the other because I got a really bad concussion in football and the doctor just flat out said, “You’re done or you are going to be a vegetable.”
Where did you work before the Times?
I have worked for three other newspapers. I did a nine-month internship at the L.A. Times in the Times Orange County Edition. From the L.A. Times I went to work as a staff photographer at the Whittier Daily News for two years, then graduated to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for two years. After that I went to the Orange County Register for 4-1/2 years. I have been with the L.A. Times for 28 years.
How did the Yosemite project come about?
The Yosemite project came about very innocently. About a year and a half ago I went there on vacation and the water was gushing. The waterfalls were full. The rivers were roaring and I took a bunch of pictures for myself and really had a good time documenting the water. I went back and showed them to the editors at The Times. They suggested that I go back for all four seasons. Then it went from being really fun to being really serious and I thought, “this is pressure!” Now I realize it is going to take the rest of my life to really do it justice. There is so much there. There are photographers who live there and specialize in photographing Yosemite.
Where do you love to go in your off time to shoot photos?
Besides Yosemite, I really love the Carribean Islands. I love traveling here in California. There are so many amazing things to explore here. California is my place, I love it here.
Can you share some advice for people who want to improve their travel photographs?
—Buy a good camera and familiarize yourself with it before the trip. Don’t forget to bring extra batteries and digital cards.
—Invest in a good camera . You’ve paid a lot of money for the trip. Make sure you have great equipment to document your adventures.
—Keep the camera steady. Buy a small light tripod that you can throw in your suitcase.
—Take the time to think in black and white. Since black and white employs the use of subtle tones, gradations, and contrast can be more mysterious and dramatic.
—Embrace the light. Sunrises, sunset and nightfall are the best and usually render more interesting colors.
—Organize your old photos including scanning the ones with slides and negatives.
—Store everything on Gold discs to ensure they last.
May 03
Paul Loebach
Posted in: audiiconsHistory, science and design vernaculars in the work of an emerging Brooklyn designer
by Meghan Killeen
Engaged in the timeless debate of form over function, Brooklyn-based furniture designer Paul Loebach seamlessly reconciles the two pillars of design through his distinct approach to craftsmanship. “The forms of our material environment carry a collective meaning, just like a spoken language,” explains Loebach, continuing that his goal is to “communicate through my designs with as much impact as possible. Form and function are inseparable, so functionality is an imperative element of any good design.” With a hand in the past and a nod to the future, Loebach’s designs call upon the ingenuity of Americana and the curvy couture of neoclassicism, backed by progressive manufacturing tools and techniques.
Loebach’s historical homage shows in the simplicity of his American Shaker-inspired nesting tables, a trio of interlocking wooden step-stools painted in varying pop colors of green, blue and charcoal (available through Areaware). Loebach’s Great Camp Collection (available exclusively through Matter) is a throwback to the handcrafted, country chic of Adirondack furniture popularized in the mid-to-late 1800s. Using a four-axis CNC router, Loebach creates an organic-looking furniture set comprised of a dresser, credenza, chair and coat rack, engraved with the hand-hewn appearance of cross-hatching reminiscent of forest branches. CMYK color accents make the collection’s rustic re-interpretation contemporary.
Loebach also explores historical motifs with his foray into textiles, introducing a wool quilt (in collaboration with Jessie Henson) stitched together from laser cut felt and bearing the proverb, “Gather up the fragments, let nothing be lost”—an adage adopted by American quilters from the Civil War era and a philosophy that permeates many of Loebach’s own creations. Frequenting museums and flea markets, Loebach draws much of his inspiration from “the notion of ‘the unknown craftsman’ and the evolution of objects over time.” He further pays tribute to the pioneering spirit of Americana with his rococo wallpaper print, playfully dubbed “Yee-Ha!” (available through Studio Printworks) for its Texan imagery of gun-touting cowboys and industrial oil rigs set in a damask interlace.
With designs bridging themes of the past with current innovation, it’s no surprise that Loebach grew up “with a ‘hyper-awareness’ of manufactured objects,” descending from a family lineage of German woodworkers and industrial designers. Loebach’s grandfather built airplanes for the U.S. military and his father is a manufacturing engineer. Born against the industrial backdrop of Cincinnati, OH, Loebach studied Industrial Design at RISD before moving to NYC, where he apprenticed under fellow RISD alum and furniture designer John Davies. Loebach’s talent quickly earned him a roster of private clients as well as the attention of Williams Sonoma and Martha Stewart, leading him to set up his own “design laboratory” in a converted knitting factory in Brooklyn—an area that Loebach describes as the “hotbed of artistic and cultural creativity in the U.S.”
Loebach’s authentic approach to design continues to evolve, blending artistry with technology. Armed with a toolkit that is equal parts power tools and digital software, Loebach begins the process of design through a series of “impromptu investigations.” Loebach’s latest design, The Watson Table (which premiered at Milan Design Week 2011, pictured above) is an examination of how design and function inform each other. Referencing DNA scientist James Watson, the tables showcases his twin skills of deft tool mastery and artistic intuition with its helical shaped legs made from wood and carbon fiber, laminated over a 6-part plywood mold. Loebach’s says, “The most important skill I posses as a designer is my capacity to shift seamlessly between multiple, seemingly disparate modes of operation and thought.”
Paul Loebach’s new collection called “Glacier” will premiere at Matter Gallery during NYC’s upcoming design week, 14-17 May 2011, when he will also debut “Halo,” an LED chandelier designed for Roll and Hill at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair.
Inspired by the all-new Audi A7, Cool Hunting is highlighting a group of notable individuals that share a similar spirit of creativity in their approach to their craft. From architecture to paper art, the people we’ve chosen to profile all bring something unique to their work that positions them as future leaders in their respective fields and beyond.
Over the course of the next two months we’ll debut profiles of 16 leading figures, united by their dedication to innovation and design. Each week, we’ll profile two Icons, their work, and explore what drives them to create.
Apr 27
Dezeen Screen: our latest film made at Ventura Lambrate in Milan earlier this month features industrial designer Yves Behar of fuseproject talking about VUE, the watch he designed for Issey Miyake. The watch can be bought at Dezeen Watch Store. Watch the movie
Apr 26
Max Wanger
Posted in: weddings Reinvented wedding photography captures modern love
Cover bands and Jordan almonds aside, the real make-or-break wedding detail comes down to the one thing that may even outlast the vows—the photos. One wedding photographer reinventing traditional wedding photography is Los Angeles-based lensman Max Wanger. With a confident eye, Wanger captures effortlessly elegant images of love-filled weddings, engagements or couple’s lives, creating tangible memories that wouldn’t look out of place in a glossy publication. Describing his work as “offbeat, whimsical and romantic” and inspired by everything from Mos Def to “little kids who are way cooler than me,” this blogger-photographer-retailer had plenty to tell us about love, lens choice and lifelong commitment.
Big one first, what does love mean to you?
I’m not sure how to adequately articulate that. As a photographer, I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by love all the time and I’m lucky enough to be able to capture it. In that sense, love is what I see all around me.
Who inspired you to get behind a lens?
I built my first camera when I was seven-years-old. I made a Polaroid out of paper and scotch tape. I suppose that was the beginning of my photography career.
Did you plan to start shooting couples and wedding or was it something you just fell into?
As silly as it sounds, it just happened one day. I thought there might be a way to put my own spin on weddings, to photograph them differently. So I tried. Now, two years later, here I am.
How do you capture such intimate and private moments in your pictures without interrupting the moment?
I try to stay invisible as much as I can. The beginning of a shoot is always the hardest for clients because very few are comfortable in front of a camera. After a few minutes though, you get into a rhythm and it becomes all about them, and at that point I’m just an observer.
You are married yourself?
Yes, I got married last year. Shooting my own wedding would have been a pretty impressive feat, but, thankfully and luckily, we have amazing friends who are also amazing photographers so they shot it for us.
What are your tools of choice?
Photo mechanic to sort through images, Photoshop to process… Oh yeah, a few 5D Mark IIs, a handful of Polaroids and a Contax G2.
How did your popular blog and now online shop come about?
The blog was a necessity to get the work out there, to establish a voice. The shop was started because I wanted to do something different; I wanted to push myself in another way. The original idea behind it was to sell limited edition shirts based on my photographs. The hope was to sell a different shirt every month so people could collect them. I’ve since changed it so it isn’t monthly anymore. When I feel inspired to put another design out there, I do it. We actually just released our first hoodie and we also sell prints and postcards.
What is the greatest compliment you’ve ever received?
Someone once told me that I made them believe in love again. That was a pretty good one.
Does being behind the lens ever stop you from fully embracing the moment?
I don’t think so. If anything, I feel like I embrace it more behind the lens. When I’m behind the camera, I feel like I’m seeing a world no one else sees. I think that every photographer needs to feel that way, otherwise what’s the point? Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the moment that I have to be careful—I’ve almost fallen off of a cliff and a roof, and I’ve actually fallen into a pool. Not my finest moment.
What do you think of apps like Hipstamatic and Instagram?
I like them. I think they’re fun. Ultimately, that’s what photography is about—having fun, experimenting and letting go.
What do you do when you’re not shooting?
When I’m not shooting, I’m processing. When I’m not processing, I’m responding to e-mails. There’s no end to learning how to run a business.
What inspires you?
Off the top of my head—Rodney Smith, Tim Walker, Paolo Pellegrin, Mos Def, New York, Tokyo, negative space, simplicity, little kids who are way cooler than me.
What’s next for you?
The immediate are trips to New York, London and Ireland. In the future are commercial gigs, personal projects, a little golf and a lot of sleep.
Apr 26
The Borscht Film Festival
Posted in: Uncategorized An interview with Miami’s champion of independent film
Speeding through Miami in a 1992 Toyota Corolla after midnight is just another day on the job for mastermind and self-proclaimed “Minister of The Interior” of the Borscht Film Festival Lucas Leyva. Leaving his own after party, the head of the city’s premier independent film event was on a mission for Miami’s rapper-turned-mayoral candidate, Unkle Luke Campbell, who told Leyva that he wouldn’t go onstage without three bikini-clad women to back him up—totally normal for a festival the Miami New Times calls “a wildly creative three-week event akin to Sundance on psychotropic mushrooms.”
Semi-nude performances aside, the films included works by award-winning director and Miami native Barry Jenkins, up-and-coming sketch comedy dynamo Duncan Skiles and recent Guggenheim Video Biennale winner Jillian Mayer, who collaborated with indie powerhouse directors Rakontur Films. (“La Pageant Diva” pictured above.) In a city of excess, Leyva’s unassuming disposition and generosity have made him an unlikely candidate for an independent cinema impresario, but his efforts prove that the 305 area code isn’t always synonymous with South Beach debauchery.
We sat down with Leyva to learn more about the independent film festival and his role in making it all happen.
How many of the films in Borscht did you have a hand in personally?
All of them. I was really involved in “Play Dead” from the concept stage throughout, but I had a hand in every film screened.
How was it possible for you to create Miami’s serious foray into independent cinema?
It wouldn’t have been possible without grants, like the one from the Knight Foundation or the support of individuals who really understand the cause. In Miami, until recently, people didn’t get it. They liked watching movies, but for people to invest in Miami cinema, they would expect to see Michael Bay films or “Burn Notice” type of stories. There’s been a huge brain-drain here and because of that typically really talented film makers from Miami have left to L.A. or New York as soon as they had the opportunity.
How long was the process to get the festival to where it is now?
This is the seventh year. Borscht was really started in high school, when a group of my friends and I wanted to make movies, but needed a place to show them. Since then it has grown by leaps and bounds, and become a launching pad for Miami artists to show their work at festivals around the world, including Cannes, Sundance and South by Southwest.
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.