Eric – The Goods

Uncommon Knowledge: What’s the Longest Song in History?

November 15, 2015

Longplayer, an epic musical composition and A.I. project initiated by Jem Finer (of Pogues fame) has been playing for less than two percent of its intended duration. Designed to last a millennium without repetition, Longplayer is barely getting warmed up as it approaches the fifteen-year mark of its sonic lifespan. To put that in perspective, the longest Pink Floyd track is about 25 minutes (“Shine On You Crazy Diamond”), and Wagner’s Ring cycle clocks in at over 16 hours. But these compositions are mere blips compared to Longplayer’s thousand-year run. If you spent your entire life listening to the meditative tones of Longplayer (and who has the time?), you couldn’t hope to hear more than ten percent of the evolving composition. But regardless of how long you can listen, the piece offers a sensory analog to the expansiveness of time and the difficulty that the human lifespan poses to our perception of much beyond “the now.” In an age of music by instant-gratification download, Longplayer serves as a contemplative antidote to the impatient listening encouraged by MP3s or streaming audio.

Drawn to Music | $20

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: What’s the World’s Rarest Cheese?

November 10, 2015

There are as many as 2,000 varieties of cheese in the world—something for every taste, toasted cheese, and fondue pot. Just stroll into any cheese shop in Paris worth its fromage, and you’re likely to find scores—if not hundreds—of varieties of French cheese alone. But if you’re looking for something truly unique in the realm of fermented curd, you have to go to Bjurholm, Sweden to sample the moose cheese made by Älgen Hus. That’s right, Älgen Hus (“Elk House,” because moose are also known as elk there) is the world’s only producer of cheese made from moose milk. The unusual ingredient and sole source makes this Swedish cheese the world champion for rarity. Now, a polite warning to artisanal entrepreneurs who might be thinking of venturing into the Maine woods to milk a moose and make your own moose cheese: the three (yes, just three) milk-making cow moose at Älgen Hus—Gullan, Haelga, and Juna by name—are domesticated, whereas wild moose are formidable, 1,000 pound animals that definitely haven’t signed up for cheese-making.

Cardboard Animal Heads | $30 – 61

Maker Stories

Portable Art de Vivre: Shujan Bertrand’s Designs for Living

November 5, 2015

San Francisco-based Shujan Bertrand draws design inspiration from many quarters and cultures—from her Korean-American extended family, from her husband’s French heritage and her time in Provence, and from the sustainability-focused culture of the Bay area. But her innovative àplat collection of totes was born in an “a-ha” moment related to a gift of flowers, a universal gesture of kindness and expression of the simple, shared beauty of life. Recently, we asked Shujan to discuss her love of designing for the “art of living,” and found that she’s in good company—from the Nabis to Ani DiFranco.

Shujan Bertrand

You’ve said that your àplat line is inspired by the French art de vivre. What do you think defines that movement or lifestyle?

The French notion of the “art of living” is truly a way of life in my family. My French husband and I lived and designed in Italy and France for several years before returning to San Francisco. I created àplat in memory and translation of my family lifestyle in France and the daily rituals of sharing good food, drink, and good company. I’m Korean-American, born and raised in Manhattan Beach, CA, and although my husband and I shared similar family values and daily rituals, they were of course completely different culturally. My life changed after meeting my husband and then living in Europe, where I started to experience l’art de vivre. Everyday routines took on new meaning, and the mundane things around me felt like art and poetry.

My in-laws home in Nice—which they built with their own hands—is perched on a small hill overlooking the Mediterranean. They have a small fruit and vegetable garden that they pick from seasonally. In the summers, the lavender is harvested to make sachet pouches and the home is always filled with friends and neighbors, coming over to eat and drink homemade wine. Every member of the Bertrand family started their personal wine collection at an early age, and it’s stored in the basement cellar. Each bottle has a personal story of where it came from, and when you decide to share the bottle that story gets shared. You might call this an old way of living, but it was new for me. It was beautiful.

Lavender Growing in Provence

How does l’art de vivre inform your designs for the àplat collection?

There are many types of tart or pie carriers out there, but the ones I admired in France were my mother-in-law’s made of old linens by her mother. I also admired the bread bags and pouches that hang in every French kitchen, and the crates and baskets used to carry wine. These are products that have been around for a very long time in Europe—I simply brought them together into one community, into the àplat collection of culinary totes. This is why I say that àplat originated in France, and is deeply rooted in a culture of friendship, where socializing is not a verb but a life philosophy, and where generosity is a daily ritual. Àplat reminds us to find joy and pleasure in making the everyday beautiful.

Nabie Bertrand carrying the Sac a Fleur

The first tote in the collection was the à fleur bouquet tote. I was on the way to Renee Zellweger’s gallery opening at Summer School, and I wanted to give her a beautiful bouquet for her new launch. When I picked up the bouquet, I couldn’t see the flowers anymore because they were covered in paper and cellophane with a ribbon. It didn’t feel like a gift anymore. This was my moment of insight: that a bouquet should be quiet (not crinkly plastic), and you should be able to see the flowers and let them be seen. That evening I began to sew prototypes of what I thought a bouquet tote could be, and shared the design idea with my husband and his parents who were in town from France. The next day, we brainstormed the possibilities of something good, something new. I was so excited about the flower design that I extended the line to carry wine, food, and bread. In less than a few days, the design of the entire collection was complete. I let the samples incubate for about a month, then decided to share it with someone I trusted to give me honest feedback. I showed it to Cathy Bailey, owner and creative director of HEATH Ceramics, who loved the collection and wanted to help me test it.

Shujan’s sketches for the àplat collection

How did the design challenge of the àplat line differ from some of the other product design work that you’ve done?

The design challenge was very different because I was responsible for everything—from the raw material I sourced to the lifespan of the product. I committed to achieving a “cradle to cradle” design, and the àplat design challenge was to leverage local manufacturing to create a global brand. I committed to sustainability and designing products that produce zero waste in production, and most importantly are designed to last for generations. Part of this design challenge was designing a collection that consists of squares and rectangles so that I use 100% of the yard and end with zero waste. Another part of the key to sustainability is to not over-produce and exhaust resources. Currently, àplat is made to order by seasonal projections. To make the designs last, the straps are double locked in two locations, and four bar tacks help to keep seams steady to hold 15-20 lbs. These products are designed for my 9-year-old daughter’s and 5-year-old son’s generation, but made to be passed down to their children.

Sac a Plat

Are there certain artists, designers, or movements that have inspired your work?

I love and respect the Nabis so much that we named our daughter Nabie after them. Like other progressive artists at the turn of the century, they pursued the goal of integrating art with daily life. Also, Nabi means Butterfly in Korean, so the art movement and the beauty of nature brings a lot of meaning to me.

I like designer Eileen Fisher for her approach to design and manufacturing. Her background and efforts to put herself through college and build a beautiful business inspires me to do the same with àplat. I also put myself through college, and thankfully was given a full scholarship to the ArtCenter College of Design (I would have never made it otherwise). I hope one day to give back to the community and maintain local, sustainable manufacturing like Eileen Fisher. On the food front, I strongly support the farm-to-table movement, buying local and eating from small local producers.

Sac a Pain

Do you have any favorite quotations that provide a philosophy to live and work by, or inspiration for your work?

Many…but perhaps a few that come to mind:

“To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour.” – William Blake

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa

“I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort, where we overlap.” – Ani DiFranco

Reinforced strap detail and tools

Can you describe your studio space? What are some of your favorite features and the inspiring qualities of where you work?

For a year, I worked out of my home/office while I still had my corporate job, and inventory was in my garage and a local factory in San Francisco’s Mission Bay. For three months now, I’ve been working out of a shared space, thankfully across the street from my factory. The studio’s most inspiring aspects are the people I share it with! From Stanford tech engineers to MBA folks and amazing accessory and apparel designers. Visually, the studio is a melting pot—a representation of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, from hardware to software. We share a fully equipped prototyping lab and machine shop with 3D printers and several industrial sewing machines—perfect for making anything. It’s a great reflection of my past in tech and my future in soft goods.

Sac a Plat at the farmer’s market

Can you give us a peek at your working on now or what’s next for you?

Yes—very happy to share! I’m collaborating with Top Chef Melissa King to create a limited edition àplat tote. We will feature it this holiday and extend the line in Spring 2016. Also, I’m eager to collaborate with the Museum of Food and Drink. I don’t know anyone there yet, but I’m hoping they’ll be interested!

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Is it Easy Seeing Green?

November 3, 2015

For all humans reading this, the answer is yes! Human eyes can perceive more shades of green than any other color. But why green? Shouldn’t we be able to see all colors equally? On a purely scientific level, our vision gives green more weight because two out of the three types of cones in our retinas—medium and long cones—are most sensitive to the part of the spectrum of light that we perceive as green. Short cones favor the blue end of the spectrum, but the other two overlap in the middle, which is the sweet spot for all things green. But basic biology aside, is there a reason that our eyes evolved this way? There’s more interpretive debate here, but most scientists agree that it’s because we evolved in predominantly green environments like forests and jungles where, Darwin would argue, our ancestors who could perceive more shades of green were better equipped to distinguish the tastiest food sources. So, with this high-def color vision, human eyes are pretty sophisticated, huh? Enter the mighty mantis shrimp, which has twelve types of photoreceptors (versus humans’ three), which allow them to perceive a wider slice of the EM spectrum. Also, unlike mere humans, the peacock mantis shrimp can punch with the acceleration of a .22 caliber bullet. That’s 50 times faster than the blink of a human eye. It’s enough to make people green with envy…

Motherhood Tree of Life Custom Necklace | $125 – 155

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: How Old Are Drones?

October 27, 2015

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or “drones”) as we know them have only been around for about 15 years, but like so many things in modern culture, they may have ancient ancestors. Best known for their controversial military uses, drones also have many peaceful, civilian applications, from sweeping aerial shots for films to dropping off your packaged instant gratification. But the oldest aerial drone or robot might just be the steam-powered pigeon of Archytas. In the 5^th century BCE, the Greek polymath Archytas invented a self-propelled, pigeon-shaped flying machine. Assuming his design worked, it may have flown several hundred meters, powered by a jet of steam or compressed air from an internal bladder. Archytas may have been most interested in testing theories of aerodynamics, rather than spying on the Spartans, and his wooden robot bird is a far cry from the hovering, high-tech drones of today, but I’m droning on…and this history is for the birds anyway.

Formation | $225

Uncommon Knowledge

Uncommon Knowledge: Why Do We “Throw” Pots?

October 16, 2015

The first time you hear that a potter is “throwing a pot,” you might get a quizzical look and picture pottery flying across the room, reduced to smithereens in the destructive chaos of a good Polterabend. But of course to throw a pot is to create it, not destroy it; the term refers to the process in which a lump of clay takes shape on a potter’s wheel, becoming a beautiful vessel through centrifugal force and the action of the potter’s hands and tools. So why call that “throwing?” Turns out, the term hails from the Old English word thrawan, meaning to twist or turn, a specific and appropriate meaning that’s become obscure in the shift to Modern English. And there’s another twist to this etymological tale: the words “throw” and “throe” are both spin-offs of thrawan, so the twisting tension you might feel when in the throes of some stressful situation shares a word family with an essential pottery process—a feeling all too familiar to novice potters trying to get things to turn out right.

Stoneware Apple Baker | $25

Maker Stories

Going with the Flow: Brian Kunkelman’s Handmade Pottery

October 14, 2015

Brian’s home and studio near Lancaster, PA, Photos by Emily Dryden

Brian Kunkelman is a potter who seems to go with the flow, a metaphor that runs through his studio and craft—from the water that flows through the cultivated pond outside his studio window, to the variety of music that flows through his speakers (equidistant from his potter’s wheel), and the meditative motion of working with stoneware clay to throw his Soup and Crackers and Berry Buddy bowls. “There’s a fine line between a rut and a groove,” Brian likes to say, paraphrasing singer-songwriter Christine Lavin and underscoring the delicate balance required to hand-throw his designs with the right mix of consistency and hand-crafted variation that makes each piece one-of-a-kind.

Brian with his faithful friend, Mungho

Brian starts with stoneware clay and wedges the required amount with his pugmill to remove air bubbles, then cuts it into cylindrical chunks that are the right amount for either soup or berry bowls. Each prepared chunk goes on a bat—not a flying mammal or baseball equipment, but a wood disc that locks onto the potter’s wheel so the thrown pot can be removed easily once complete.

Prepared portions of clay

Brian’s wheel turns through a hybrid of foot and electrical power. An electrical motor sets it in motion, but its heavy flywheel provides the majority of spin through centrifugal force. “The action is really smooth with the flywheel,” Brian comments as he deftly coaxes the desired forms from the clay, slip splattering the wheel’s alcove in an ever-changing, Pollock-like clay painting. He uses little more than his hands through the whole throwing process, gauging the height and diameter of the emerging forms with the span of his fingers and length of his thumbs. The beauty of such human scale applied directly to these vessels instills an unmistakable handmade appeal that runs deep.

As one of his most essential tools, Brian’s wheel has had quite a workout. At one point, he had to replace an inner rubber wheel that had worn out. “We’ve never sold that part before,” said the perplexed manufacturer. Brian seems proud to have put the device through its paces, a reminder of the years and rigorous work they’ve been through together. And when it’s time to stop, the wheel’s braking mechanism is pretty simple: Brian’s shoe. “My right shoe always wears out faster than my left,” he quips.

Both Berry Buddy and Soup and Crackers bowls start their lives as similar double-bowl forms, like large cups with attached saucers. But in the next steps, they take on their distinct shapes and functions. Using handy turntables, Brian quickly cuts away 180 degrees of the lower saucer and attaches the cut walls to the main form to create the Soup and Cracker bowls. The excess clay will go back in the pugmill; “that’ll be a pot in another day,” Brian says, summarizing the recycling process inherent to his craft. For the Berry Buddy, he keeps the lower saucer intact, but pulls a spout on one side, and adds a series of colander-like drainage holes to the main bowl. Then, for both designs, strips of striated clay extruded from the pugmill are added in graceful curves to become handles.

Building the form of a Soup & Crackers bowl

At this point, the vessels are called “greenware,” and go to hang out on ware trucks for a few days to dry. Bisque firing adds additional stability to the forms, which are then dipped in a series of contrasting glazes that will play diagonally across the finished bowls in warm zones of blue, green, and cream. Brian adds a final, decorative stripe of glaze to the bowls with a gestural flourish evocative of Japanese brush painting.

Adding a decorative accent

They’re ready to be loaded into his kiln, a hand-built brick and steel structure that he calls his “controlled volcano.” The propane-fired inferno slowly heats up to 2400 degrees, vitrifying the glazes to their final colors and finishes that will seal and protect the pottery for years of use. Although Brian is constantly “tuning” the kiln—refining it with baffles to improve its performance—he embraces the inevitable variations in every load, another dimension of the process that makes each piece a unique variation on the theme of his designs.

Berry Buddies on kiln shelves

Trial and error is an organic part of Brian’s work, and he emphasizes the patient perseverance required to “dial in” and find your groove (avoiding the ruts): “…you get in the zone. It’s like one long thought…you’re thinking but you’re not thinking. Sometimes when it’s late at night and you don’t want to do it, five to ten pots into it, you’re like ‘this is exactly what I should be doing now.’ Once you get started it starts to become really comfortable.” And in that zone, he celebrates the unique nature of every piece he throws: “Each pot is still its own pot, requiring the same care and attention, whether you’re making one of them or a hundred of them…and I try to be conscious that this pot’s going to be part of someone’s life…”

Finished Berry Buddies

The Uncommon Life

Brews You Can Use: 10 Uncommon Facts About Beer

October 2, 2015

14th Century Beer Stein

With evidence of brewing dating from 9500 BCE, beer is an ancient elixir with an ancestry almost as old as civilization itself. After water and tea, it’s the third most consumed liquid in the world. So, with a history encompassing over 11,000 years and billions of barrels, it should come as no surprise that the story of beer includes many fascinating facts, astounding ingredients, and colorful characters.

In honor of Oktoberfest, when Munich welcomes thousands of revelers to quaff its best brews, here’s an uncommon look at the history of beer in the form of ten trivial draughts:

Oktoberfest Ale Beer Brewing Kit

1) Beer was your best beverage bet in medieval Europe, when a drink of contaminated water could be fatal. Beer slogans at the time almost wrote themselves—“Beer: the Cholera-Free Alternative!” But the rise of beer as an everyday staple meant that unscrupulous brewers were prone to cut corners. Enter the Reinheitsgebot—a family of laws governing brewing first introduced in Bavaria in 1516. The best-known part of the law dictates that beer must contain only three ingredients: water, hops, and barley (yeast is essential, but hadn’t been discovered yet). While brewers through the centuries have continued to experiment with other ingredients seeking either distinctive results or cheaper production, the Reinheitsgebot set the gold standard for beer purists, with the diversity of styles stemming mainly from the types of malt and hops used.

The Magnificent Multitude of Beer Wood Engraving

2) But is it healthy? Citizens of the Czech Republic, who consume the most beer year after year (an impressive 150 liters per capita in 2014), would answer with a resounding “YES!” Along with their caloric content, many beers are good sources of B vitamins, which aid metabolism, and silicon, which helps improve bone matrix quality. Also, hops contain an antioxidant that’s been shown to ward off dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. So, a beer a day can help keep the doctor away…but everything in moderation, of course.

Beer Tasting Flight

3) Now, about those calories. Because about 75% of the calories in beer come from its alcohol content (ABV, or alcohol by volume), lower alcohol beers are generally lower in calories. Dry stouts like Guinness (with an ABV of 4.2%), are less likely to make you stout than Belgian ales with higher ABVs. It’s a common misconception that darker beers are “stronger,” and therefore more calorie-laden, when in fact the opposite is often true. On the extreme end of the caloric / ABV spectrum is a barleywine with the intimidating name Snake Venom which boasts an ABV of 67.5% and a yellow warning flag on each bottle neck that resembles police caution tape (for good reason).

HTML Beer Glasses

4) Drink-on-a-dare beers aside, how do you get your daily dose of restorative, relatively healthy pilsner, lager, or stout? Beer delivery systems themselves provide some fascinating facts. Danish brewer Carlsberg established an “honorary residence” next to its brewery to laud “a man or a woman deserving of esteem from the community by reason of services to science, literature, or art…” Along with his Nobel Prize, physicist Niels Bohr received an invitation to occupy the residence, and lived there for thirty years (1932-62). Better still, the house came with an awesome amenity: a perpetual supply of beer, piped into the home directly from the brewery. Who says science has to be dry?

Beer Towel

5) There are other, longer examples of beer pipelines. The Veltins-Arena, a German football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, boasts a 5 kilometer-long pipeline to supply beer to over 60,000 thirsty spectators at its 100 eateries. And in ale-loving Belgium, the city of Bruges plans a 3 kilometer-long underground pipeline to connect the De Halve Maan brewery to a bottling plant, diverting disruptive trucks from its historic cobblestone streets.

Tankard Stein

6) Still not convinced that beer should be your beverage of choice? Looking for a divine sign? How about a blessing from a beloved American “Founding Father?” These impulses have encouraged the conviction that Benjamin Franklin once said “beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy.” Healthy, historic, and encouraged by such an august figure—how perfect is that? Unfortunately, this beer drinker t-shirt favorite has little basis in fact. Franklin did write a similar sentiment about wine, musing on the miracle of the Biblical wedding at Cana: “Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.” (letter to André Morellet, 1779). Apparently, this statement has been paraphrased through the years, and “wine” replaced with “beer”—perhaps by someone in the beer lobby with a love of colonial wit.

Das Horn

7) Short of “proof that god wants us to be happy (beer drinkers),” there’s a surprisingly long list of saints who bless beer culture. The roster includes Augustine of Hippo, Luke the Apostle, and Nicholas of Myra. If that last one sounds familiar, it’s the St. Nicholas—aka Santa Claus. Other saints have more specific, local associations, such as Arnold of Soissons, the Belgian patron saint of hop pickers. But if there’s one saint-like figure beloved by brewers, it’s Gambrinus. Likely an amalgamation of a Flemish king and other historic figures, Gambrinus is depicted as a jovial, bearded monarch of malt, often bearing a stein or a keg as attributes. The renowned Czech brewery Pilsner Urquell (originator of pilsner beer) honors Gambrinus with their beers of the same name.

Home Brew Journal

8) Back to that Bavarian assertion that beer should only have a four-ingredient recipe. For reasons good and bad, brewers through the centuries have thrown other things into their worts. Early American brewers had to improvise with what they had available, adding pumpkin, spruce tips, and verboten adjuncts like corn and rice to their beer. More recently, the craft beer revival has encouraged experimentation that’s scrapped the Reinheitsgebot—with mixed results. This pursuit of novelty includes ingredients from the questionable to the downright revolting: chili peppers, wasabi, mustard seeds, oysters, pizza crust, and coffee brewed from beans recovered from the droppings of a civet. But the grand prize for off-putting beer ingredients must go to the Oregon brewery that used a yeast strain cultivated from the brewmaster’s own beard. Waiter, there’s beard yeast in my beer…

Gold Leaf Upcycled Beer Bottle Tumbler Set

9) Whatever its unusual ingredients, no beer can promise everlasting life, but at least one fictional tale casts a beer as a powerful potion and plot device. In Tim Powers’ fantasy The Drawing of the Dark, an inn in Vienna brews a mystical beer called Herzwesten (“the heart of the west”). Tapped only once every 700 years, the beer is a sort of earthy eau de vie, which ultimately helps revive the Fisher King, spiritual protector of the West against an impending Ottoman invasion. This portrayal of beer as a sort of alchemical avatar is a reflection of how highly prized it is European lore, history, and culture.

Beer Jelly Set

10) Bonus: the brewmaster in The Drawing of the Dark is the aptly-named Gambrinus.

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