Welcome to this week's selection of links. Enjoy.
Late Bloomers
Malcolm Gladwell has a fascinating essay in the New Yorker about artists who don't peak until late in their careers (like Monet), unlike others who are recognized while very young (such as Picasso) — and the difference between the way they work and think. Inspiring and a highly recommended read for all creatives.
Joanna Goddard Interview
Lovely Joanna of A Cup of Jo was recently interviewed for Imprint Magazine by Jessie Cacciola (of the fab Zest & Thyme blog), about her career as a magazine writer. Loads of great and inspiring advice!
Ken Adam Designs the Movies
This looks like a totally fun read. Ken Adam Designs the Movies is a new book published by Thames & Hudson on the work of the celebrated film production designer, written by Ken Adam and cultural historian Christopher Frayling. Adam is most famous for his design for the War Room in Dr. Strangelove, but he established the look of the early James Bond films, too, creating the missile launching pad hidden inside a volcano in You Only Live Twice and the faux Fort Knox in Goldfinger, as well as creating the lovely candlelit 18th-century drawing rooms of Stanley Kubrick's film Barry Lyndon. He also designed brilliant props, such as Bond's armed Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger and the flying-floating car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. A must for any film and/or design fan. Via things magazine.
The Slow Decline of Sea Glass
Interesting article in Smithsonian Magazine about how true sea glass is becoming rarer and rarer these days. It'll make you look with new eyes at that jar of sea glass and shells sitting on your shelf, souvenir of a childhood seaside holiday...
Despot Birdhouses
Super Kingdom is a fascinating installation work by Bruce Gilchrist and Jo Joelson, now on show in King’s Wood, near Ashford in Kent (England). It's a series of bird houses, with each design based on an infamous dictators’ palace. The installation was created as a comment on the displacement of animal (and human) communities in the face of urban development, and will eventually be filmed once the houses are tenanted by wildlife. Via the Creative Review blog.
Haruo Suekichi: The Steampunk Watchmaker
PingMag interviews Haruo Suekichi about his work — beautifully hand made watches that look like they're straight out of a Jules Verne novel. Go look at the pix!
Saul Bass: Work From the 1950s to the 1980s
A website featuring the poster designs of Saul Bass, with more recent work alongside his classic posters for the films The Man With the Golden Arm and Anatomy of a Murder.
Today
Several months ago designer Eric Baker began sending images of odd and interesting things he found online that day to a friend, and then more and more friends and colleagues. A fascinating collection of visual ephemera. Via Design Observer.
The beautiful photograph of squash soup is by Ngoc Minh Ngo.