I’m very excited to go see the new documentary film Eames: The Architect and the Painter by Producer/Writer Jason Cohn this Friday night with my lovely friend Lisa (whose cat is named Eames) at the Laemmle’s Music Hall 3 in Los Angeles. Opening Friday November 18th, it’s playing in limited release around the US. Check for info here and here. I have a picture of the Eames’ living room hanging over my desk as a source of inspiration and it never disappoints or gets old. Watch the film trailer here.
The film exposes Charles and Ray as the true artists they were. Painters, Architects, Industrial Designers, Furniture Designers, Graphic Artists, Toy Designers, Filmmakers. The Eames’ defied labeling and defined themselves not by what they did or were but by how they looked at the world. Charles once said, “Eventually everything connects—people, ideas, objects… the quality of the connections is the key to quality per se… I don’t believe in this ‘gifted few’ concept, just in people doing things they are really interested in doing. They have a way of getting good at whatever it is”.
Wire Mesh Chair, 1951-53, Design: Charles and Ray Eames, Manufacturer: Herman Miller
Wooden blackbird sculpture from the Eames’ American folk art collection
Plywood Chair, 1945-46, Design: Charles and Ray Eames, Manufacturer: Evans Company
“The Charles and Ray Eames House Preservation Foundation was established in 2004 in order to preserve and protect the Eames House and to provide educational experiences that celebrate the creative legacy of Charles and Ray Eames.” Nestled on a meadow at 203/205 Chautauqua Boulevard in Pacific Palisades, the Eames moved into Case Study House #8 in 1948 and lived out the rest of their lives there. For $10 you can tour the grounds for 2 hours, by appointment, and as of late last year you can, for a substantial fee, have a picnic or a wedding on the grounds, you can even spend the night in their studio. All proceeds go toward furthering the dynamic of their design philosophy with a tangible primary source material and to maintain the Eames’ legacy. As a Southern California dweller I’ve had the opportunity to see the house…now if only I can get $10,000 to spend the night! You can also get a glimpse at LACMA’s California Design, 1930-1965: “Living in A Modern Way” as the entire living room was moved and recreated and is on view in the Resnick Pavilion through June 3, 2012.
Above B&W images c. 1950, Prints & Photographs Division B-32 a-m, Library of Congress.
Above a drawing by Eames house visitor Alina Chau
just in love of this note book