Eames: The Architect and the Painter

From fiberglass to James Franco, or what Ice Cube has to do with designing the American imagination.

It’s been a grand year for Charles and Ray Eames, from the rediscovery of Charles Eames’ fantastic 1982 Q&A on design to architect-turned-rapper Ice Cube singing the duo’s praises. The Eames, of course, very much warrant cultural paeans — they not only gave a shape and style to the American twentieth century, but they also defined a new cultural role for designers as architects of imagination who invite people to look at the world differently. Today marks the highly anticipated DVD release of Eames: The Architect and the Painter — a fascinating documentary about the legendary husband-and-wife design duo, exploring their personal lives, their creative process, and their enduring influence on the American aesthetic, design sensibility, and outlook on life.

Oh, and it’s narrated by James Franco.

Beautifully filmed and brimming with insight, Eames: The Architect and the Painter is easily the most exciting design documentary since Gary Hustwit’s Helvetica / Objectified / Urbanized trilogy.

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From Beer to Life on Mars: The Seven Wonders of Microbes

What genetic engineering has to do with the English Reformation, leftovers, and the invention of Penicillin.

Microbes are the oldest form of life on Earth and they outnumber all other species. From the fine folks at Open University — who previously brought us this brilliant series of six famous philosophy thought experiments, animated — comes Seven Wonders of the Microbe World, a fascinating short documentary about what microbes have done for humanity (which, by the way, they still refer to as “mankind” — and we’ve just observed the problem with that). From microbes’ role in producing some of our favorite foods, including bread, cheese, yogurt, and beer, to nitrogen fixation as the cornerstone of modern organic farming to how the Black Death enabled a new class of entrepreneurs, the seven “wonders” covered include the history of beer, The Black Death, food preservation, nitrogen fixation, antibiotics, genetic engineering, and life on Mars.

One of the interesting social implications of The Black Death is that church leaders were not able to provide any explanation of how this disease was caused and, as a result, the authority of church leaders began to be eroded and people began to question whether they should listen to religious leaders at all. Some people have even said that the English Reformation was caused by the Black Death.”

For more on the fascinating world of microbes, you won’t go wrong with March of the Microbes: Sighting the Unseen. And for something a little fuzzier, there’s always Giant Microbes’ series of stuffed microbes — who can resist a huggable E. coli?

via Open Culture

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What is Generative Art? A 7-Minute PBS Micro-Documentary

The rhetoric of data, or how to reconcile human and algorithm in the age of collective intelligence.

After their fantastic 7-minute documentary on typography, the fine folks at PBS Off Book are back with another micro-documentary, this time spotlighting generative art and featuring creators like generative composer Luke Dubois, game designer Will Wright, and software artist Scott Draves, who discuss everything from new narratives in visual storytelling to negotiating the relationship between humans and algorithms to the rhetoric of data.

This century is the century of data, that’s the defining thing. Last century was the century of electricity.” ~ Luke Dubois

For more on this ever-fascinating and increasingly relevant subject, don’t miss this omnibus of 7 essential books on data visualization and generative art.

In 2011, bringing you Brain Pickings took more than 5,000 hours. If you found any joy and stimulation here this year, please consider a modest donation.

Brain Pickings has a free weekly newsletter and people say it’s cool. It comes out on Sundays and offers the week’s best articles. Here’s what to expect. Like? Sign up.