#034 ☼ Creative Powerhouse: Solange
#034 ☼ Creative Powerhouse: Solange
Steve Jobs' Watch • Summer Indie Films • Artful Bus Stops
ISSUE 034
Sunset Sangria
With tasting notes of a visual technique library for camera lovers, the beautiful Cornwall home belonging to a surfer/artist couple, watches loved by the likes of Steve Jobs and Barack Obama, indie movies imbued with summer vibes, an online store for photography collectors and some of the world’s most intriguing bus stops.
The good life beckons once more!
CURATE WITH US
Our question this week is:
Who would be your ideal martini-sipping poolside guest, dead or alive?
Let us know in the comments 💭
Further down in this issue, we share the leisure-enhancing apps and software we wish existed.
Hot Hyperlinks
☼ Eyecandy is a visual technique library for visual technique lovers. Get acquainted with the details of a range of visual styles
☼ The minimalistic, welcoming haven on the British coast belonging to a surfer/artist couple
☼ Elvis is an 8 year old “keyman” in Kenya teaching us all the keyboard shortcuts we didn’t know about with his younger sister Megan. He teaches some Swahili along the way and replies to almost every comment…
☼ Our friends over at Any Distance have just released their newest update: Active Clubs, with features like Weekly Participation and Collectibles to help people lead healthier and happier lives
☼ The “affordable” watches loved by Steve Jobs, Tyler, the Creator, Barack Obama and more, from Seiko to Casio
☼ i-D recommends five indie movies with immaculate summer vibes — prepare now for the beloved season upon us!
☼ In residence with Brigitte Romanek: a tour of her Mediterranean-style Laurel Canyon mansion fit for rock ’n’ roll royalty
☼ Darklight Art is an online store for a new wave of collectors where you can shop small-edition photography prints by leading artists
☼ 12 of the world’s most unique bus stops from Georgia to Japan
SUMMER-ENHANCING PEOPLE
Creative Powerhouse: Solange
Solange Knowles is definitively a name in her own right. Despite growing up as Beyoncé’s younger sister, Solange has gone on to create a timeless and evocative body of work, not just in music but also in the visual arts as well as spotlighting Black history and creativity through her multidisciplinary studio, Saint Heron.
This week, we explore some of Solange’s most impactful work and creative highlights as well as digging into her impeccable taste demonstrated in her Hollywood loft apartment and the work of Saint Heron.
Highlights
Her definition of joy: “Joy was having nothing on my calendar, and choosing what to do with my time. Joy was having a friend who didn’t care how ugly I cried, always inviting and encouraging me to just be, however that looked that day. Joy was discovery. Joy was having someone show me beautiful worlds of their own and trusting in the journey. Joy was letting go of control. Joy was just sitting. Joy was seeing how far I had come and waving at my shadows. Joy was accepting that the work is never done, but that every day is a choice.”
Solange’s stunning visual work, “When I Get Home” and some BTS on the creative process as well as a breakdown from her stylist
Solange’s iconic feature of her Hollywood loft in Apartamento Magazine: “I was a single mother and was looking for a building with a sense of safety when I found this loft space in Hollywood. I felt really connected to its 20s art deco architecture, its exterior, and all of its original mouldings and details. And the space inside got really good light. Also Hollywood was a very different place then. There was an underground punk scene happening there, but other than that, not a lot going on. I loved its proximity to all of the recording studios that I was going to in the Valley and North Hollywood.”
Solange’s unique personal style transcends trends. Here’s how her style has evolved over the years
On expressing optimism and hope: “I think that while making the album, I actually gave a great deal of thought to how much responsibility I had to express optimism and hope. And ultimately, I decided that me expressing optimism and me expressing hope came from telling the truth — that gave me optimism that I was able to be explicitly honest about my feelings.”
On the origins of her multidisciplinary studio Saint Heron: “Saint Heron started as a music and cultural hub, with the urgency to create a time capsule of this growing community. There were a lot of fascinating experimental musical artists transforming the genre of R&B at the time, and so I created our inaugural eponymous Saint Heron compilation, featuring 12 artists, which celebrated the innovation of contemporary Black music. That album featured Kelela, Sampha, and Jhené Aiko, artists who were emerging then and have made such important impacts and contributions to R&B. I wanted to not only tell these artists’ stories, but honor those before us who really created the blueprints.”
Check out Saint Heron as well as their latest ceramics residency
COMMUNITY CURATED: LEISURE-ENHANCING SOFTWARE
Last week, we discussed leisure-enhancing software we wish existed. Check out the comment section for a foray into digital wonderland.
Hop in the comments this week as we discuss our ideal poolside guests, dead or alive.
SUMMER-ENHANCING VEHICLES
EXHIBIT A: Range Rover Classic Vogue LSE 4.2 V8 Soft Dash • EXHIBIT B: 1965 Morris Mini Moke • EXHIBIT C: 1981 BMW M1
JOIN US
🌴 Tune in to our ultra-summer radio, Poolsuite FM, on iPhone & web
🌴 Follow us: @Poolsuite on Instagram & Twitter, plus @PalmReport on Twitter
🌴 Discover our Hour of Summer mixtapes on SoundCloud
🌴 Say hey, or drop leisurely content you’ve discovered in the comments below!
Hedy Lamarr. Beautiful and intelligent. Born in Austria and was an actress. She then got married but later escaped her nazi husband. She took a cruise to the US and on the ship got discovered by a famous hollywood producer. From there she has been a hollywood sensation. Everyone wanted to look like her. On breaks from set she would go to her trailer and literally invent. She soon invented frequency hopping which then incorporated into todays bluetooth and wifi.
I'd go for a famous Chinese poet and writer, Su Shi. He was born in 1037 CE in Meishan, Sichuan province, China, and was one of the most prominent figures in the literary and cultural scene of his time. Su Shi was admired for his personality and the way he dealt with adversity throughout his life. Despite facing numerous setbacks and challenges, he remained optimistic, resilient, and humble.
For example, Su Shi was once exiled from the capital city for his political views, and he was sent to a remote province where he lived in poverty for several years. However, instead of becoming bitter or resentful, Su Shi used this experience as an opportunity to learn more about the local culture and to deepen his appreciation for the simple pleasures of life.
His talent, personality and his approach to life made him a beloved figure in Chinese history, and his legacy continues to inspire people today.