HANG | MOBILES BY CIRCLE & LINE
Circle & Line is an Austin-based design studio that produces elegant, singular home goods, and we’re going to let the secret loose here that they are A+ amazing! Founder and designer, Corie Humble, focuses to use her work to elevate the aesthetics of any space. She loves to pare down her design process to the most essential elements, to play with execution while remaining committed to the integrity of each piece, resulting in beautiful mobiles - objects suspended in space. In every piece, Humble combines a deep knowledge of the practical aspects of production with her signature minimal design aesthetic. The magic of balanced parts combine to make a perfect and complete work of balance. Circle & Line clients include Anthropologie and Citizenry, so it’s pretty special that you can still order pieces directly from their website, and their small production team makes everything in their Austin studio. How are they local and authentic? They partner with Texas suppliers to purchase their materials, and literally every aspect of the production process—sanding, drilling, scaling, weighing, balancing, fastening, or hanging—is done by hand in Austin! The result is always a one-of-a-kind art object that possesses its own movement and grace. Hang one in your space, and let the harmony of balance begin.
CONSIDER | GAME CHANGERS
Meat = Protein = gain more strength and muscle. Right? Well, not exactly...at least not if you ask Arnold Schwarznegger. He says, “That’s just marketing and not based on reality.” According to this new documentary, “Game Changers,” some of the strongest most ample athletes in the world are on plant only diets. Directed by Oscar®-winning documentary filmmaker Louie Psihoyos and executive produced by James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan (and many more big names in careers of physical performance) this is the story of James Wilks, elite Special Forces trainer and The Ultimate Fighter winner, as he travels the world on a quest to uncover the optimal diet for human performance. Showcasing elite athletes, special ops soldiers, visionary scientists, cultural icons, and everyday heroes, what James discovers permanently changes his understanding of food and his definition of true strength. An Olympic weightlifter on a plant based diet breaking records he’s never thought possible; a female cyclist on a meatless diet begins to ride like a machine. A groundbreaking science challenges everything athletes thought they knew about animal proteins. Woah, this is definitely worth the viewing because whether or not you’re an athlete, there’s a lot to be considered here about human health, meat consumption, protein and strength.
EAT | GJUSTA // LOS ANGELES
Gjusta is our favorite Los Angeles deli and that’s a big statement. Maybe we haven’t eaten at every deli in the city, but we’ve definitely dined at quite a few. This one includes a superb bakery, café, and market influenced by traditional East Coast delis, European markets, and Parisian bakeries. Because they bake on site, you can smell all of the special breads as you approach the sprawling warehouse-like space. They source nearly all of their fresh produce directly from SoCal farmers, and most of the meat and seafood is from local ranchers, fishermen, and co-ops. Their team shops at farmers markets throughout the week plus receives deliveries daily to ensure the highest available qualities and freshness, and you can tell. Anything you have will be splendid, but for breakfast we usually get the Mushroom Bowl (mushroom sugo, sautéed kale, fried egg, brown rice, harissa), and for lunch our pick is the Chicken Dumpling Soup with a classic Pastrami Reuben. We haven’t even begun to be able to sample all of the plates, but we can attest that the Lamb Gyro plate is traditional yet modern, simple yet rapturous. Trust us when we say that all of the food is served “Instagram Worthy,” but please consider putting your phone down and enjoying the moment. Focus, eat slowly, and make a memory. You won’t regret it. P.S. While you’re there, grab a gift from Gjusta Goods - so darn cute!
GET | LOWER RIVER
We’ve been eagerly awaiting this project and are so excited that it’s finally out. The debut solo release from the co-founder of Balmorhea, Michael Muller, is a fluid instrumental soundscape that explores the place where time, space, and self are occluded. The energy throughout is constant and uninterrupted, and as you listen you can almost experience the inspiration and ideas. Inspired by Muller’s own remote travels throughout the US and Europe and his personal exploration of a meditative practice, it’s a sonic soundscape that feels like you don’t have an option but to deeply listen and be immersed in the creativity. Muller began Lower River as a sound experiment spanning from the isolated Oregon coast to rural Southern Italy and remote fishing villages in the South of France. With a tape recorder in hand, he chronicled his journeys through sound, contemplating along the way what it means to deeply listen amid a modern narrative underwritten by distraction. Merging his field recordings with original compositions recorded in his home studio in Austin, he compiled a venture of sound into other worlds and into the depths of his own mind, angling it away from what we think an album “ought” to be. The final composition includes works by avant bass clarinetist, Jonathan Sielaff, (Golden Retriever) and vocals by Heather Woods Broderick (known for work with Sharon Van Etten & Efterklang). The album cover art was made by renowned Dutch photographer Awoiska Van Der Molen. Listen to first single “Fixed Shadow” on Soundcloud, and watch the corresponding video by Andrew Gallo, featuring Marc Menchaca (Ozark, Black Mirror), on YouTube. Go here for dates and locations of upcoming performances.
WATCH | HUMAN VOL I
First off, this film is free to view, and it’s true value is indescribable. While watching this film, we were moved to tears, joy, anger, frustration, elation...so many emotions. The faces, the eyes, the words and the stories are beautiful, powerful, evocative, and heart wrenching. The question and synopsis is this: “What is it that makes us human? Is it that we love, that we fight? That we laugh? Cry? Our curiosity? The quest for discovery? Driven by these questions, filmmaker and artist, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, spent three years collecting real-life stories from 2,000 women and men in 60 countries. Working with a dedicated team of translators, journalists and cameramen, Yann captures deeply personal and emotional accounts of topics that unite us all.” This film helps us remember that the world is so much bigger than our day to day, and to consider the amounts of culture and lives that exist outside of our norm. Be careful though, this piece has the power to shift your paradigm to a completely different angle, but isn’t that what we all need sometimes? We think so. If you’d like to see more from project HUMAN, you can check out their YouTube channel here.
LISTEN | THE MUSIC OF HOTEL SAINT CECILIA
One of our favorite Austin hotels just released this killer music mix, and we wanted to be sure you got a heads up. 30 songs of love, light, fun, peace and magic, this list includes all you need to feel like you’ve been blessed by the Patroness of Musicians herself. From Otis Redding to Kurt Vile, A.N.I.M.A.L. to White Denim, throw in a little Shuggie Otis and who knows what track will come up next. A perfect mix to turn on and turn up just loud enough to invite the muse.