Minnesota

Monday Inspiration. “Legends of the Isles”, by Tony Franklin.

Over the weekend I posted a short film and a little write up about how video production and quality has changed so much in the last ten years. Another great example of that is below. Film maker  and a crew of six have produced a really nice short film. The seven minute short takes you on a journey of friendship and the bond that is developed around a game and tradition. Franklin blends some really wonderful slow-motion footage with interviews, archival footage, and really fluid shots following hockey players on the ice. Through out the film there is a simple repeated gesture that becomes more clear in the last two minutes of the film through the skilled editing of Nate Maydole and Eric Schleicher. Great stuff for a frigid winter morning here in the midwest.

Director: Tony Franklin
Director of Photography: Eric Schleicher
Second Camera: Josh Becker
Editor: Nate Maydole / Eric Schleicher
Music / Sound Mix: Nick Mihalevich / Cape Status
Graphic Design: Mike Forester
Archival Footage: Tom Dunn

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Sixty Years of Modern Design, Ralph Rapson’s Biography from Afton Press.

When you think of Ralph Rapson, you normally think of the architecture he produced from his offices in Minneapolis, or you think of the iconic Case Study House 4; which was part of the Case Study Houses program sponsored by California Arts and Architecture magazine from 1945 through the early 1960’s. Most of us don’t think of Rapson as an artist, furniture designer. The thing is, like so many of his generation, his creativity was never siloed into a single category. Rapson was a prolific architect, designer, and artist until his death in 2009. Over sixty years Ralph Rapson maintained a consistency and commitment to the basic and best principles of modern architecture, and design without distraction.

There are a number of books about the architect, but this release from Afton Press seems to be the definitive biography on the man. At 256 pages with 300 plus illustrations the book covers the entirety of his career.I recently had the chance to check out this visually stunning book in our corporate design library. (Yes I work at a place that has an absolutely killer design library that rivals any research library in the world)This really is a fantastic biography of one of Minnesota’s most influential architects of the last 60 years.

On another note, if you happen to have some extra change lying around, Rapson’s furniture is now available for purchase from Rapson Inc.