What do you listen to while you work?
Music is like nature. Seasons come and go, then come again. And then you have the rising of the moon and the setting of the sun. You have camping. You have beach walks. You have urban commutes. For everything in life, there is music. And for everything in music, there is life.

Because of the type of work we do, the music played during a normal workday is typically more meditative and relaxed. Last week, I think we started every morning with Debussy, and ended it with The Eraser by Thom Yorke (well, not too relaxed I guess); I don’t know why or how we get into these rhythms. This has not happened this week. This week it’s been Ryan Francesconi in the morning and Leonard Cohen to close us out. Also, Nils Frahm latest free project SCREWS has been very enjoyable.

How do you listen?
Music is our first priority as we approach a work day. There’s always good music coming out of good speakers (Tivoli Speakers hooked up to AirTunes). Then, if one needs to focus in on work or something that requires audio, they are encouraged to go under with a nice set of ear-goggles.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
We almost exclusively use Rdio. If we’re not using Rdio, it’s because we’re spinning a vinyl.

Does music influence your work?
It definitely does. I remember a time where we were listening to a lot of Sigur Rós, particularly their album Hvarf — think it came out in November, because I remember we were listening to it through the cold winter. Some time later while writing the script for a video for a Vimeo promo, the track “í Gœr” was largely influential in setting the tone for the video.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
Carissa: I think my dad was extremely influential. Music was such a huge part of our home growing up, listening and partaking… The only boy bands I ever listened to were more along the lines of The Band or The Traveling Wilburys. So my roots are there, in the 60s – 80s, and Andrew keeps me more up to date now.

Andrew: Since I was a kid, crying at the age of 4 because I was so moved by a James Newton Howard score, I’ve always had a rigor in finding music that complements the current chapter of life I’m in. Music inspires so much of life and life inspires so much music. They’re very connected. As far as actually finding new music, the Internet’s pretty great. But since we recently relocated to Portland, I’ve found the local record shops to be pretty helpful in broadening my soundscapes.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
If Damien Jurado and Sigur Rós (their music from the beginning up until 2007) had a child, that child would compose the music for all our films… And probably be one of our best friends.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
The Eames Lounge Chair, with Walnut Veneer and Canyon Leather. Because what would you want to do in that chair but finish a workday the way that is best: with a record spinning, some wine, and a good relax.

Andrew + Carissa’s Playlist:
1. Come Softly (for Daniel D.), Grouper
2. Parallel Flights, Ryan Francesconi
3. Beacon Hill, Damien Jurado
4. All Waters, Perfume Genius
5. Song For Zula, Phosphorescent
6. Holiday, Jessie Baylin
7. Ivory Coast, Pure Bathing Culture
8. Spirit On The Water, Bob Dylan
9. Deep Water, Portishead
10. Story of Isaac, Leonard Cohen
11. Southern Heart, The Walkmen
12. Country Song, Jake Bugg

The Gallos welcome you to listen to their Playlist on Rdio.

Photos: Carissa Gallo

In this week’s “Why Design” series from Herman Miller, Don Chadwick discusses the camera and how it’s helped guide his eye, allowing him to see things differently. Chadwick’s unique view of the world has allowed him to redefine it with design.

His Aeron Chair is the perfect example. It introduced a completely new kind of task seating, eschewing traditional upholstery for form-fitting Pellicle suspension, which cools and focuses while offering unmatched ergonomic comfort and support.

Lifework draws inspiration from Chadwick’s words and work in this week’s Six Ways to Photography and Design.

1. Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home Camera Bag - With immense capacity, this tough-as-nails carry-all-things camera bag is water resistant, has a customizable interior, and is easy on the body. Newbie or pro, you can move your gear into a new $6M home. Get it at Crumpler.

2. Impossible Instant Lab - Bridging the gap between trend-setting and cherished nostalgia is the Impossible Instant Lab for iPhone. Simply attach your iPhone and turn digital images into Polaroid-esque reality. Back this project on Kickstarter.

3. Polaroid GL10 Instant Mobile Printer - Here’s another way to turn pixels tangible. The GL10 connects to your mobile phone via Bluetooth and prints your photos, no ribbons, or cartridges required. Print up to 35 3×4 full-color photos in a single charge. Available from Polaroid.

4. Flipbac Angle Viewfinder - This clever camera accessory helps you capture that tricky angle and avoid body-contortion. Just attach the Flipbac mirrored viewfinder to your digital camera and shoot from a host of striking new angles. Check it out at Flipbac.

5. iPhone Stutter Grip - Get a handle on mobile phone photo and videography literally, with iPhone Stutter Grip. Stutter Grip adds handle and shutter/video button right where you remember it, giving your iPhone that more familiar, SLR feel. Find one at Photojojo.

6. Gorillapod, Joby - A must-have for any on-the-go shutterbug, the Gorillapod’s flexible, multi-pivoting, gripping tripod legs balance, secure, and steady your camera just about anywhere. With eight different configurations to choose from, there’s a Gorillapod for every kind of photographer. Get a grip on one at Joby.

Photos: Linked within the text.

What do you listen to while you work? It depends on what I am doing at the moment. If I am in the studio, I usually start with R&B or bossa nova. Bossa nova seems like the perfect sound to ease into the day. And for practical purposes, it is just there and enjoyable without having to hit you over the head with its presence. But usually I end up back at the R&B vault. Lately, toward the end of the day, I have found myself tuning into jazz-inspired electronica artists like Shigeto and Shlohmo.

If I am in the workshop using sanders and saws, I put on reggae or jazz vocalists from the 50s and 60s. Especially Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Even when what I am doing is super noisy, I can still hear the music.

How do you listen? I should be a sales rep for the Bose Companion system. We have four of these. They are great for hooking up to your iPod or iPhone and also streaming Pandora or Last.fm. We use these while shooting or making surfaces.

At my desk I use Sony headphones (that I had bought to use for recording sound for video, but ended up mostly using to listen to music) and my iMac or just the iMac.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? We jump back and forth from Pandora and Last.fm. Maybe a bit more lately with Pandora.

Where do you find music recommendations? Mostly online. I’ll spend time going through the iTunes store and one thing leads to another. I also tune into NPR and Soundcheck. And of course there’s nothing like having an assistant or client plug in their iPhone or iPod to get a whole new outlook on music.

What song or artist best represents the work you create? I would say it is a toss up between Sergio Mendes and Stevie Wonder. The song “So Nice” from Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’65 is fantastic as it straddles jazz and pop and has an amazing vocalist in Lani Hall — not from Rio, but from Chicago! And “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” from Innervisions by Stevie Wonder is an all-time favorite and Latin-soul inflected. Upbeat and beautiful.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist: The Eames Aluminum Group Management Chair in black. I’m all about fun and function, plus beauty ranks pretty high on my list of things to have.

JIM’S PLAYLIST

1. Mais Que Nada, Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66
2. He’s Misstra Know-It-All, Stevie Wonder
3. Got to Give It Up, Marvin Gaye
4. Love T.K.O., Teddy Pendergrass
5. Soaring, Shigeto
6. The Look of Love, Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66
7. Let’s Stay Together, Al Green
8. Didn’t Cha Know, Erykah Badu
9. Sumthin’ Sumthin’, Maxwell
10. Places, Shlomo

cred

Photos: Jim Franco

We think of Charles Eames as a great designer but an exhibition that opened last night shows us another side to this talented man – that of photographer. Hosted by Smart Furniture in their Chattanooga, TN showroom a show of 100 photographs by Charles runs until March 4.

It was a rather cold evening last night but over 200 design enthusiasts showed up to hear Eames Demetrios talk about Charles and Ray’s design philosophy and enjoy the images. Many of the shots, which cover not just Charles’ work but also his travels and life with Ray, had never been exhibited before. I’m going to see if I can get a slideshow together of at least 20 of the images to post here. But for the moment I can tantalize you with pics of the show before the guests arrived!