Heavy Metal 1977-81

From Ebay.
AAAAA+++++!

Related: Bowie at the Beeb:

Braun Aromaster KF 20

Without a doubt the best designed coffee maker ever made.
Designed by Florian Seiffert for Braun in 1972, it was immediately a classic of design and technology, with its vertical automatic drip system, dual heaters, and stunning aesthetics. We bought ours from a man who bought it new at Zabar's (Eli Zabar, food impresario and Wary Meyers Painting Pillow owner) in 1972, made 2 pots of coffee and then felt that it was too nice to keep using, and kept it as a design object instead. When he told us that I said, "That's exactly what we were going to do with it!" We made one pot of perfect coffee and then cleaned it up and put it back in its box. Occasionally it'll come out for an admiration, usually after (or during) watching Alien (it was the spaceship Nostromo's coffee maker).



Braun design links:
http://radio.gort.dk/braun/
http://www.braun.com/global/world-of-braun/braun-collection.html
http://www.braun.com/global/world-of-braun/braun-design.html
http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future

Where is this place?

And what does it have to do with my story? And what are those pink bulbs?

All questions J.R.R. Tolkien asked when he saw Barbara Remington's cover painting for The Lord of the Rings.

In her defense she hadn't had time to read the books as the publisher was rushing out the paperbacks to squelch the sales of a pirated version. (see here also).

Anyway, the question I asked an indifferent Linda when we found the giant poster in the basement of an estate sale was "Oh my God! Can you believe it?????!!?"

Collagical

Collage, signed "RC '76" from a yard sale.

3263827 (empty)

This is a painting I did as an idea for the cover of our book Tossed & Found, wherein die-cut photos of some of the projects would be floating in front of it in a clear plastic cover, referencing the book Italy: The New Domestic Landscape and of course the Death Star trash compactor #3263827.

It would've been awesome, but unfortunately it turned out to be too expensive to produce and (likely) far too obscure to understand.

Mackworth Island

Closer than the grocery store.

Our summer plan is to hang out here at least once a week.

Tensor's Floating Disc? Check.

The Ritva Man

Allen Jones

David Hockney

Goat's Head Soup

Patrick Hughes

Liz Frink

 We were looking up something on Christie's London website and came across a treasure trove of awesome Ritva Man sweaters which were auctioned off a couple of weeks ago. I've had the bottom photo of Allen Jones in an images folder for a few years but never new the yarn behind the sweaters until last week. 

From the V&A website:

The knitwear business Ritva (1966 - ca.1980) was started by Ritva Ross, who had the idea of using crochet squares to make a dress, and her husband Mike Ross. The first designs were ordered by Annacat boutique in South Kensington. One was purchased by Lee Radziwell and appeared on the cover of Life magazine in November 1966. Having rented a flat in Chelsea which doubled as a workroom and showroom, Mike and Ritva Ross built up a network of out-workers using hand-operated frames.

The firm offered a limited number of styles but allowed customers to have garments made up individually in a range of colours and patterns. The brand was first publicized in Nova magazine and sold through stores and boutiques in London and in the U.S.A.. In 1969 Mike Ross started the Ritva Man label with sweaters inspired by baseball uniforms, and a Ritva boutique was opened at 8 Hollywood Road, Chelsea. Ritva knitwear was heavily influenced by popular culture and contemporary art and introduced innovations such as the knitted minidress. Mike Ross collaborated with David Hockney, Allen Jones, Elizabeth Frink and Patrick Hughes to produce the limited edition artists collection of sweaters. A Little Ritva label for childrenswear was also started and commissions were undertaken for the film and music industries. Mike and Ritva Ross separated in 1977 but Ritva Ross continued to operate the Ritva business abroad until ca.1980.

Michael Anthony Ross was born in 1936 in Portland, Maine, U.S.A. and was educated at Syracuse University. He settled in London in 1960 and attended the Royal College of Art painting school from 1963-1964. In 1973 he launched the Bear Creek General Store at 10 Hollywood Road to sell imported traditional American goods.

Ritva Ross (née Tera) was born in Helsinki in 1941 and moved to London in 1961 where she attended the London School of Printing and Graphic Arts. Prior to starting Ritva she also worked as a fashion and showroom model."

The collage of labels on each sweater is a little work of art in its own right as well. 

All photos are from Christie's except the Goat's Head Soup Ritva Man, which is from the book Vintage Rock T-Shirts, and Allen Jones & friend.

Unfinished idea

One of my favorite objects, from an estate sale, deep in the abandoned basement workshop. To me, everything about this is perfect. The design, the scale/math, the craftsmanship, the mistakes, the patina, and the magic marker "unfinished drill index box". It opens perfectly in half on hinges that stay open at any degree. There's a chunk of pine which looks as if it was poured into the box it's so seamless. The patina and little dings and abrasions make you wonder how many years this was going to be left unfinished-- or did whoever made it realize that it actually was finished, since really in the time it took to write "unfinished drill index box" they could have just drilled the holes.

Taking some inspiration from it, I think it would make a really great chair (/loveseat/sofa), the basis of which is the closed box. Enlarged,  it would have the feeling of a brutalist Tony Smith sculpture, and opened, like a Tony Smith sculpture opened up by Josef Albers into a canopy chair. Not to be presumptuous, but I think if Donald Judd had been in this basement he would have had the same idea. 

conceivable in-situ view:

This would have been the perfect jumping-off point for this project, and conceivably what it could look like at the landing. Unfortunately it was too unaerodynamic too put on top of the car for the drive back from Florida a couple of months ago. The price was right though (free).