Brazilian designer Sergio Rodrigues is famous for his Cornuto chair. While you might find architects and designers with elaborate theories and explanations for their vision and work, Sergio's are most personal, whimsical and lyric. He put a hole in the headset of a chair for his grand daughters ponytail.
12.2.10
Sergio Rodrigues and His Chair
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 11:12 AM 0 comments
Labels: Architecture, furniture design, Sergio Rodrigues
20.8.09
Sky Chefs
Our luggage being loaded on NWA Flight to JFK
Our flight was delayed on the ground in Minneapolis. As I watched them load our luggage onto the NWA plane, I wondered how much longer these aircraft would have NWA paint and when they'd be switched over to Delta and NWA planes will disappear from the sky.
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 12:43 PM 1 comments
Labels: Delta, MSP Airport, NWA
15.8.09
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 10:38 AM 0 comments
Labels: Modern Cafe, Nygaards, Ritz Theater, swordfish
2.8.09
Akli & Lee
Lee and Alki at Overflow Coffeeshop in Minneapolis
Akli and Lee catch up on the family trip Alki took the boys and Shabha to Paris and Algeria for the entire month of June 09. Michael and Dylan were very excited to ride or the RER high speed train to Brittany. Apparently it was extremely hot in Algeria. No monkey's were observed this trip to Algeria because they didn't go far enough into the mountains.
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 2:50 PM 1 comments
Labels: Akli Mansouri, Lee Mathis
3.7.09
They Don't Care About Us
Michael Jackson's controversial video was shot in Brazil's notorious Rio favila's by Spike Lee. MJ collaborated with 200 members and drummers from the social club Olodum to combine 'samba-reggae' music and hip-hop for this song.
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 9:21 AM 0 comments
Labels: Brazilian Film
Sao Paulo 1943
Described as the "fastest growing city in the world" Sao Paulo had a population of 1.5 million in 1943. Today the city has a population of more than 11 million with a surrounding metropolis of over 20 million people. As a world leader in the production of coffee, cotton, and sugar, it was Sao Paulo's diversified industries that lead to it rapid and sustained growth for more than 60 years.
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 8:06 AM 0 comments
Labels: Brazilian History, Sao Paulo
2.7.09
Grafica Fidalga in São Paulo
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 11:39 AM 0 comments
Labels: Brazilian Art, São Paulo
10.4.09
26.3.09
Paris - Sainte-Chapelle
When you look at Versailles, the underlying theme is Greek gods and their struggle in nature and with water. In contrast the fierce threat of gargoyles are popular with the cathedrals of Christendom.
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 9:30 AM 0 comments
24.3.09
Le Louvre - Aile Richelieu
QUESTION: Do we skip the Louvre all together or what collections and portions of the Louvre do we summarily dismiss or breeze past quickly?
Of course, we also need to go to the Musee d'Orsey, Center Pompidou and Picasso Museums in addition to the Louvre.
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 1:46 PM 0 comments
Copyright Violation
Theft! Copyright Violation! Call the intellectual property lawyers in America!
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 11:49 AM 1 comments
23.3.09
Marais Museum Directions
Most definitely, we will want to visit the Musee Picasso that houses more than 1000 works of the master and then pieces he held in his collection of peers and contemporaries. Also, the Jeu de Paume at the Hôtel de Sully is a museum devoted to film and photography.
The Musée Carnavalet-Histoire, also located in Marais, is an historical museum where you will find paintings, furniture, and some personal items of French notables, from the time of King Henry IV to present and the history of the city of Paris.
As Patricia says, we might be lucky if we do a museum a day. With all the other attractions in Marais, we might be lucky of we get out of the district.
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 11:38 AM 0 comments
19.3.09
Place des Vosgues
In one month Patricia and I will be traveling to Paris and will stay at Place des Vosgues. This is one of Paris' oldest squares built originally as a palace for Queen Catherine d' Medici and Henry IV. The palace has been divided up into 36 residences and over the years has housed famous tenants such as Victor Hugo.
Place des Vosgues is located in the Marias district of Paris, a vibrant neighborhood of young and old, gay and straight and is known for art galleries, cafes, shopping and many bakeries, bistros and bars.
During the late 1500s the square was the location for many public events such as jousting which led to the tragic death of Henry IV being poked in the eye and his death after which Queen Catherine vacated the palace. Much history has passed since with the upheaval of the revolution in the nearby Bastille. Marais became a poor section of Paris in he early 1900s and place where Jews were rounded up and children sent to camps in Germany.
We look forward to discovering this rich Parisian history.
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 12:52 PM 0 comments
Labels: Paris, Place des Vosgues
17.12.08
On Location of "A Serious Man"
"A Serious Man" follows Larry Gropnik, a Jewish academic played by Michael Stuhlburg and his existential struggle as his wife Judith considers leaving him for his colleague Sy Ableman. Complicating his life, Larry's ne'er do well brother Arthur (played by Richard Kind) is living in the basement and won't leave and his daughter is stealing to pay for a nose job and son is dealing for marijuana.
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 1:45 PM 0 comments
15.12.08
Habanero Bill Wins Throwdown
My colleagues at Mpls/St. Paul magazine, Steve Marsh, Bill Swanson, and Stephanie March decided to challenge each other under the guidance (or threat) of Food Editor Adam Platt. The resulting winner may be of great surprise given popularly held theories of aging and digestion!
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 8:09 AM 0 comments
Labels: Adam Platt, Bill Swanson, Mpls/St. Paul magazine, Stephanie March, Steve Marsh
5.12.08
Boulangerie du Paris
My friend Mike is currently living in Paris and running a tech company there. His life in Paris reminds me of when I traveled to Paris to shoot a film back in the 1980s and especially those amazing breads, pastries and coffee's at the Boulangerie.
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 5:37 AM 0 comments
Labels: Boulangerie, Paris
12.11.08
What's This Masterpiece Doing Here?
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 2:46 PM 0 comments
Labels: Arnolfini Portrait, Jan van Eyck, National Gallery of Art London
11.11.08
Conservatives Voted for Obama
I especially want to thank the Conservatives and Republicans who saw the light in this election and voted for Obama. An interesting statistic from the recent vote totals was that only 22% of all counties in the nation voted for McCain and most of them were in the deep South. This number shows that county's that voted for Obama were wide spread across urban, suburban, exurban and rural counties.
Thank you. I am optimistic it is possible to find common ground.
If you are a Christian you might want to watch this testimonal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBLnwMbYmUw
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 8:33 AM 0 comments
Labels: Barack Obama
10.11.08
6.11.08
5.11.08
A Beautiful Day in America
As an American born in the 1950s, witness to the 1960s, raised in the 1970s, came of age in the 1980s, disillusioned in 2000 and 2001... I am overwhelmed today. It's the dawning of a new age in America.
I would have to say that one of the most defining aspects of American life for my generation is the civil rights movement. As a kid my parents were Republicans and we moved to Washington, D.C. in 1967. Although my older brother and sister got caught up with being "Clean for Gene" and I was fascinated by seeing the Nixon administration up close as well as what went on inside Capitol Hill -- my parents were totally in favor of Civil Rights. They admired Dr. Martin Luther King and Jackie Robinson during his speaking tour across the country to break down racial barriers and segregation stayed in our house.
Yes, I repeat, Jackie Robinson stayed in our house because no hotel would allow him to rent a room in Moorhead Minnesota.. As kids we were thrilled. Robinson was a baseball legend. We didn't see race as an issue. We didn't find his black skin to be anything but cool.
Today, in America, a barrier went down. It is very satisfying and brings us all closer together as a nation.
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 9:29 AM 0 comments
Labels: American Politics
4.11.08
The Ground Game
As you can tell I think and feel in my heart that this election will be won today on the ground. I believe Barack Obama when he says that this election is not about HIM it is about US. And what that means is that in every corner of the nation the young people and the old, the black brown, yellow, red and the white people make up of movement that will not be divided by hate, anger and extremism.
When I woke this morning I felt a palpable sense of expectation for something great about to come. I also was slightly haunted by the sense in this country of missed opportunities. For instance, a huge transformation of possibility was cut short when Bobby Kennedy was shot down in Los Angeles. And of course one cannot ever erase the pain in our hearts that Martin Luther King's life was cut short when he still has so much to offer the country in terms of moral leadership.
But today we have a huge potential in front of us for change and transformation. All those young people working in Obama office around the country are a movement. All I will say to them today is: YES WE CAN! This is election ours if we step up and take our country back.
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 6:53 AM 0 comments
Labels: American Politics, Barack Obama
31.10.08
Listening to Charles
In this time of nasty and dirty politics filled with lies and divisive attacks its is wonderful to hear a Charles Alexnader in Colorado talk honestly. Honesty is severely lacking in todays public life. Let's listen to Charles.
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 10:44 AM 0 comments
Labels: American Politics
"A great moment: When the press was hitting hard on the pregnancy of Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter, he did not respond with a politically shrewd "I have no comment," or "We shouldn't judge." Instead he said, "My mother had me when she was 18," which shamed the press and others into silence. He showed grace when he didn't have to."
-Peggie Noonan, Wall Street Journal 10/31/2008
Posted by Robb Mitchell at 7:54 AM 0 comments
Labels: American Politics, Barack Obama