Eames, the Eames, and Herman Miller

We recently had the privilege of hanging out with Eames Demetrious, grandson of legendary designers Charles and Ray Eames. For those who don’t know, The Eames’s changed the world through their designs. It’s almost guaranteed that everyone in the modern world has encountered an Eames design at some point in his or her life.

Eames Demetrious, head of Eames Office and an artist in his own right, was stopping through Jakarta in conjunction with the launch of the new book 100 Quotes by Charles Eames and an exhibit of his grandfather’s photographs. Herman Miller, producer of the Eames furniture, organized the exhibition at O House Gallery. We were very excited to see the selection of photographs in person, and be able to talk with Eames about his personal connection with them. One image that we particularly liked was a self-portrait of Charles and Ray’s reflection in the window of their case study house.

Eames ended his visit with a lecture at Aksara bookstore in Kemang. A small but dedicated crowd turned out to meet him and learn first hand about the history behind the family and business. He told great stories about visiting his grandparent’s house as a child, his first camera (given to him by Charles), and Charles’s friendship with designer, Eero Saarinen. Even though Eames was there as an ambassador of the Eames Office and Herman Miller, we had a chance to speak with him privately about his own work as an artist and film maker. You can check out more about his various projects here and his parallel universe here.

Eames speaking at the exhibition opening

Our favorite quote from Charles Eames

Herman Miller asked us to show our chair in the exhibition

Self portrait of Charles and Ray

At Aksara

Indoneisan Architect, Han Awal

Eames signing a photo of Han Awal's son with the House of Cards

Star-struck!

C+C Projects: Nike Sportswear Launch Jakarta

In August we worked along side Future 10 Productions to launch the new Nike Sportswear line in Jakarta. This was part of a global launch to coincide with the Beijing Olympics, in which countries all over the world held locally organized events. Aside from collaborating with Future 10 on the creative concept, we curated a video art exhibition, worked with designer, Leo Theosabrata on the exhibition space and developed a limited edition set of flip books. The video exhibition featured 8 Indonesian artists/ art groups who created new works inspired Nike's 8 icon products. Each of the videos stood out with the artist's unique style, and were an amazing contribution to the show.

Thanks to the guys at WhatNot for all their help, and a special thanks to all of the artists: Ademus & M. Akbar, Adel Pasha, Anton Ismael, Darbotz, The Secret Agents, Irwan Ahmett, Ate (Open Labs), and The Slyndicates.

Check out pics of the space and event. Also, keep an eye out for another posting about the flip books.

The Air Max

Installation by Ademus & M. Akbar

Leo Theosabrata

Installation by Ate (Open Labs)

The Flip Books

Sanchia (The Slindicates) and her monsters

Mapping Invisible Cities at Goethe Haus, Jakarta

This was another show that I thought was worth mentioning. Mapping Invisible Cities included works from several photographers throughout south and southeast Asia.

Julia Sarisetiati (one of our favorites in the show)

Davy Linggar show at Ark Galeri

I know this is really old news to some, but I came across some pics of Davy Linggar's show at Ark Galerie and thought I should post them.

Jamie Livingston: a Polaroid every day

I came across this post on mentalfloss today and thought the subject was absolutely amazing. Jamie Livingston, an independent filmmaker and photographer in New York, took a Polaroid every day from 1979 to the day before his death (which happened to be his birthday) in 1997. The images tell an intimate story of his life through snapshots of his friends and everyday surroundings. Thankfully, the entire collection of images has been posted to a website for us to see. It reads like a movie, describing how wonderful and how temporary life is.

Update:
The more I think about this, the more I'm completely floored by it. It seems that I'm not the only one that feels this way. After doing a bit more research I found this site that appears to have compiled a number of responses to the original mentalfloss post (only created a week ago). This is not the first time this work has been shown to the public, but its new exposure has caused an uproar in many parts of the world. It's amazing that a simple (yet extremely complex) personal sentiment of a complete stranger has touched many peoples lives nearly 30 years after it started. As I've been looking through the images, I find myself checking significant dates in my own life to see what was happening in Livingston's. What also blows me away is the clash of mediums. Livingston's Polaroids, intimate one-of-a-kind images, sat (nearly) unseen in boxes for more than 20 years. In the coarse of a week it the entire collection has been newly exposed to (potentially) millions of people through blogs. Please look at the images and read the responses.

Walter Gropius on Google

We thought it was pretty cool of Google to honor Bauhaus founder, Walter Gropius today.

Yoshitomo Nara in Yogakarta, Indonesia

Yoshitomo Nara at Cemeti Art House in Yogyakarta! Can't wait to see the show.

Stefan Sagmeister Video

While making my usual rounds through the endless supply of art and design blogs, I came across this video on thedesignfiles.net. Created by Hillman Curtis Inc, the video shows the installation of Stefan Sagmeister's exhibition, Things I have Learned in My Life So Far. I thought it was a pleasant reminder of life's simple lessons. Read more about it here.

Eko Nugroho: "Pleasure of Chaos"

Last week we attended a very successful and well presented show by Eko Nugroho at the Ark Gallery in Jakarta. The show, titled "Pleasure of Chaos" featured large scale paintings of monstrous characters in various states of unpleasantness. In our opinion, the stars of the show were his massive tapestries, representative of flags and family crests. The show sold out soon after opening, partly due to being blessed by one of Indonesia's most influential curators, Jim Supangkat. Unfortunately, we were without a camera during the opening. Check out the Ark Gallery for more of his work, and dothewhatnot.com to see photos of the installation.

Singapore: Tania's place

I always imagined living in a Singapore high-rise apartment would be drab and quite boring, but our friend Tania proved us wrong! She managed to make the place very cozy and full of character. It's simple and airy, and inspiration lies in every corner.

Singapore: Chua Chye Teck, Wonderland

Another goal for our weekend in Singapore was to see some art. Unfortunately, however, we ran out of time. Luckily, we stumbled across the Wheelock Art Gallery on Orchard Rd. This temporary art space is hidden in a covered walkway next to a construction site, but it's huge windows make it impossible to miss. The current show, Wonderland, is a photo installation by artist Chua Chye Teck. The images are a commentary on consumer culture, featuring objects reclaimed from the salvation army. The irony about this show is that it's presented on Orchard Rd., the epicenter of mass consumerism in SE Asia, in a gallery created by a corporate commercial property developer. None the less we're very happy to see art presented in a high-traffic public place, easily accessible and inviting for the non-art going public.

Swankglossy.com

Check out the photo shoot we did for this months issue of Swankglossy.com. They're an online fashion magazine based in Jakarta. The spread features one of a kind pieces by designers: Adrienne Schaffer, Tasha D., Priyo Oktaviano, Green Eyes Placid Tree, and Tomas DeLucia, as well as one of our original designs.

Singapore: Brunch on Dempsey Road

Last weekend we took a quick trip to Singapore for various reasons, including seeing and experiencing things we can’t easily find in Jakarta. Although we have Koi Kafe to hold us over at home, one of the things on our to do list was a nice brunch. With Cynthia’s life-long friend, Tania, as our guide we headed to the inner-city oasis, Dempsey Road. Our brunch at Jones the Grocer was a beautiful but simple combination of fresh, high quality ingredients. Although the meal left a bit to be desired, the casual gourmet atmosphere kept us at our table for almost 2 hours. Afterwards we strolled around the Dempsey Hill complex to find several other restaurants, shops, and a couple galleries. Camp, a restaurant/ bar with creatively themed private rooms such as the “Kubrick” room was another great find. On our way back down Dempsey Rd. we stopped by the mid-century styled PS. Café to enjoy a quick drink on their deck, and the view overlooking a shady hillside and lush trees.

Shots of our breakfast at Jones

Heading down to Camp. Sorry, no interior photos allowed.

PS. Cafe. This photo doesn't do the place justice! Check out the website to get a better idea.