Influence: Ray Eames

Ray Eames (December 15, 1912 – August 21, 1988) is one of the earliest modern design icons. Textiles, photography, architecture, film, and toy-making are some of her contributions to the contemporary art sphere. Mid-century 1900s was a man’s world, and the women were in the kitchen. While Ray and her more notable husband, Charles, were collaborative partners, she still was just outside the spotlight. My relationship with Ray was her dedication to cataloging and organizing photos, fabrics, and how the materials would use them in the Eames’ work. The House of Cards is a result of her keen eye. I have given the House of Cards to my friends over the years. When I have a deck, I’ll give it to them if someone is interested in it. It’s easy enough to get another one from the Eames Office, and that one will probably go to a friend at some point!

The short film Powers of Ten, one of Eames’ more universally popular works, has influenced film, advertising, space travel, and even Google maps. Many aspects of the design world inspired her research. Among her key inspirations are materials like plywood, plastics, and metals, along with the processes that came into play when designing their furniture and other works. 

Influence: Ennio Morricone

I was introduced to the alternative side of Ennio Morricone (November 10, 1928-July 6, 2020) in the late ’90s. Most people have heard at least one of his compositions or an homage to his work. The most recognizable and influential soundtrack was The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood. His unabashed technique utilized unusual elements such as whistling and yodeling to resemble a coyote, and human voices with no intelligible words, just wailing sounds. He set the pace for all future soundtracks of the Western genre.

Another favorite for American fans of art-house films was the film music for Cinema Paradiso. It’s a film about relationships, camaraderie, and patience. The music is one of the most beautiful scores of all time. There is a repeated theme throughout the film, with slight variation. His son, Andrea, collaborated with him on this particular soundtrack. 

My friend, Mark Cuadrado, introduced me to Maestro’s lesser-known films and worked with international pop artists. My musical world immediately grew another size. The sultry moans, dramatic swells, and builds were over the top! New Order, Stereolab, Broadcast, Air, and countless bands and artists are inspired by his work. Some of my favorite artists are “Se Telefonando” by Mina, “Funny World” by Astrud Gilberto, and “Deep Down (Diabolik 1968)” by Christy. I’ve linked these three below. 

My Mother is a recent Morricone convert and affectionately refers to him as “Ennio.” She’s always finding new pieces from him and making playlists to listen to while painting. She often recounts her experience with the latest music and is still so happy she is discovering new music well into her 70s. 

Influence: Chris Burden

Pioneering performance and conceptual artist Chris Burden (April 11, 1946 – May 10, 2015) received his first U.S. museum (20 year) survey, organized by the Newport Harbor Art Museum and shown at the Boston ICA. I was invited to the opening in 1989 and was overwhelmed by his work. From sadism to overwhelming beauty, I had never experienced such an eclectic trove of work. The entrance to the exhibition is one of his works, and it's a hair-raising introduction to the ICA experience.

Samson is a 100-ton jack attached to an entrance turnstile and a gearbox. As patrons go through the turnstile, the jack pushes two massive timbers against the overbearing museum walls. Furthermore, visitors are all able to view the exhibition. However, one would first need to pass through the turnstile for this to happen. Theoretically, Burden wishes to use it to tease your mind by making you believe that Samson is capable of destroying the museum if more visitors arrive.

My personal favorite is All the Submarines of the United States of America. There were over 600 model submarines at varying lengths in a large gallery. The slight swaying of the submarines in unison gave me a feeling of being underwater.

David Bowie paid tribute to Burden in the song "Joe the Lion." The track is a tribute to him for famously crucifying himself to a Volkswagen in 1974 ("Nail me to my car and I'll tell you who you are") and for having an assistant shoot him in the arm at an art gallery in 1971 ("Guess you'll buy a gun / You'll buy it secondhand").

Samson

All the Submarines of the United States of America

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Influence: Peter Saville + Factory Records

(From Wikipedia, I donated) Peter Andrew Saville CBE (born 9 October 1955) is an English art director and graphic designer. He became prominent for the many record sleeves he designed for Factory Records, which he co-founded in 1978 alongside Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus. 

Peter Saville designed many record sleeves for Factory artists, most notably for Joy Division and New Order. Influenced by fellow student Malcolm Garrett, who had begun designing for the Manchester punk group Buzzcocks and by Herbert Spencer's Pioneers of Modern Typography, Saville was inspired by Jan Tschichold, chief propagandist for the New Typography. According to Saville: "Malcolm had a copy of Herbert Spencer's Pioneers of Modern Typography. The one chapter he hadn't reinterpreted in his work was the cool, disciplined "New Typography" of Tschichold and its subtlety appealed to me, and I found a parallel in it for the New Wave that was evolving out of Punk."