Local Talk Series: Q+A with NJ Monthly Deputy and Dining Editor Eric Levin

Eric, we met a year ago while sitting on a panel at Montclair Design Week. How time flies! What have you been up to this past year?

I had the privilege of putting on a large solo show of my work in Jersey City. It was up from early July to the end of October. We had a great turnout at the reception, and many others came by during the run. My best friend and roommate from college, a professional photojournalist, even flew over from London. That was an honor, and we had a ton of fun. He said he wanted a great cheeseburger, and I found him one. I won’t say where, because, in my job, I don’t want to offend anybody or give anyone something to crow about unless it’s a finished piece of work in the magazine.

You are Deputy Editor/Dining Editor of New Jersey Monthly. How has this relationship with the Garden State influenced your photography work?

I am often on the road. I try to get all around the state during the course of the year. Wherever I go, my antennae are always out, looking for things in the ordinary, everyday world that stop me in my tracks. They stop me because they don’t seem ordinary to me at all. I often say that things that seem inanimate to others don’t seem inanimate to me.

You have self-published several books of your photography. How did you arrive at the point when you knew you were ready to publicly share your photography story?

When I discovered how good the blurb.com interface was, and that the paper and printing quality were quite good, I was off and running. I have a large body of work—in digital, going back to 2002, and on film going back to the ‘70s and ‘80s on Kodachrome.

At what age did you begin your craft and what was the initial driver for you to consider photography as a path?

I began by taking a course in black-and-white photography as a freshman at Boston University in the fall of 1967. Yes, I am that old. I learned by using a hand-held light meter and adjusting shutter speeds and apertures manually. A great grounding. I also learned to develop black-and-white film and to print in a darkroom, often staying up all night blasting the Beatles and Clapton and Coltrane. I still have the passion, for music and photography, but my heart has always been with color. As for stamina…I gave up all-nighters some time ago.

Of the current collection of images @ Local, which one brings you back for re-interpretation?

I’m not sure what you mean by that. All the pictures at Local are ones I feel good about, but they all represent a distinct moment in time and space, and if I came across those same things again, I would probably walk right by them if the light was dull. The light is always the key thing. 

Photography is an evolution, personal development as well as technology and equipment. Do you like where we are today and where photography is going or do you prefer a past time with arguably simpler options?

I’m glad I learned the basics with film, and a lot of great artists I admire still shoot film. But I for one would never go back. Digital does everything so well. I have a Canon digital SLR, but honestly, the iPhone has gotten so insanely good that it is now my daily camera. I got the iPhone 11Pro Max in September, and it is ridiculously good, opens with a single swipe, is sharp, with true color and now even includes geometrical as well as light and color corrections right in the phone.

I would like to name a few of my favorite photographers. For color, no one has been more influential in getting the art world to take color seriously—and no one has been more inspiring and awesome to me than William Eggleston. He is world famous, and there is no one like him. His pictures are quiet, calm, simple yet unsettling and resistant to explanation. Also deeply beautiful. Check him out! 

In black-and-white my top-line heroes are Lee Friedlander, another world-famous artist, and John Gossage, ditto but less well known to the general public. Both guys have the genius of imbedding pictures with some insinuating energy (and humor) that is hard to pinpoint but is always more than the sum of its parts.

What's next on your journey? Is there a project you are working on or working towards?

This winter I would like to make a book of my recent solo show, which was called Vehicular. I define the term broadly. It includes everything from a rainwater-filled wheelbarrow to an overturned canoe to a beach guard’s skateboard to bulldozers, haywagons, people on a cruise ship and people standing around waiting way too long for an elevator. You can see their impatience in their body language.

What's your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

I am a cold brew devotee. I make it at home by the pitcher. But I also love a good double espresso.

Follow Eric on Instagram @ericlevin

Local Talk - Interview with Local artist and Classic Man Barber Mike Lasovski

You are a barber by trade, and an amazing one - when did you know that you had a desire to capture and share your photography?
 
I've always had a passion for art, and I've been drawing ever since I can remember. I love fashion and music, and used to do styling for short films and sing in a progressive metal band.   Photography is just another creative outlet for me. I've been perusing it  for the last 3 years.    

In this age of cameras built into cellphones, do you take pictures on your phone or do you use an actual camera? If so, what type of camera?

I take pictures with my phone and make it more artistic by shooting different angles and using  effects. I use what I have for now, but would love to buy a camera in the near future to get better quality and details. 

Do you plan for time to go out and capture images or do you take photos here and there as you go throughout your day?

It is more about "capturing the moment" for me. If I see something interesting in the aspect of colors and angles or anything that I think would look good as a photograph, I'll stop what I'm doing and take a picture.

How does you full time job as a barber translate into your approach for taking photos? I know from hanging photos with you at the shop that your eye is quite good!

I am a perfectionist at my job as a barber and my clients know that! I don't like to leave out anything for the chance, and risk a haircut coming out not looking good. I see everything, every piece of hair. I treat my artwork the same way.

You are originally from Israel, how does your childhood in a different country inspire your approach to photography?

I grew up in the city of Jerusalem, a place that is very rich in history and culture. Jerusalem has spiritual energy, and that by itself inspires any creative individual. Also, growing up, I was surrounded by artistic friends (who later became musicians, fashion designers, photographers etc). Being surrounded by such people pushed me to develop the creative side in me as well. Photography has a universal language with which I can express myself.

What's next for building your photography craft? Are you seeking any type of arts + photography education?

I would love to take some additional photography classes and develop the skill further. I'd like to do more exhibits in the near future and reach a wider audience.

Tell us a bit about the photos you have shared with us @ Local.

The photographs reflect how I see the American culture. It is about my life as a barber. The pictures I have chosen have a dark vibe, capturing the spirit of Halloween 

follow Mike on Instagram @mikey_thebaba.barber

Local Talk: Interview with Bobbi Brown

Bobbi, we share a love of Montclair, New Jersey. I first discovered Montclair as a teenager visiting the area as a dear friend lived here on Upper Mountain. How did you come to find Montclair and make it home?

My husband found Montclair through a friend when we first started dating. We took a ride from the city and fell in love with its charm, parks and the way of life here. However, as a full time working makeup artist in New York, I had no intention to move to the suburbs. My husband convinced me to just look at houses and we fell in love with the first house we saw. We bought a total fixer upper and kept our apartment in New York for a while but then never stayed there once we moved.

What are the characteristics of our community that sealed the deal for you to stay long term?

The culture, the diversity and the lifestyle that exists here, all sealed the deal for me. We got a dog, and quickly met other dog parents. Then we had our first baby, and met other parents. By the time we had all three boys we were meeting great friends, joining swim clubs and the golf club, and adopting the amazing Montclair school system. The relaxed, casual feel of the restaurants and the plethora of culture, music, art that exists here makes this town what it is. I'm optimistic about the ever-changing stores and businesses that is keeping this town current and really great.  
 

We're living in an era of entrepreneurism where technology as well as readily available information has paved the way for many to succeed across a variety of business and social cause platforms. What do you think of of the current environment, provided you built a brand at a time when the leaping off point was a lot more challenging?

Social media has certainly changed the game as far as getting the word out to as many people as possible, as fast as possible. With that said, you have to be careful as these platforms of course come with some downfalls regarding the integrity of the content being posted as well as the filters and retouching that set up unattainable ideas of 'perfection' and affect people’s self-esteem. Overall however, especially in regards to local businesses, social media has provided an affordable way to market and bring awareness to your brand. User Generated Content has helped propel small, local companies to be authorities in the area and has greatly contributed to their successes.

For anyone setting out to follow their passion in business, could you share a mantra to keep steady focus and continued perseverance?

 Find what you love to do, work hard at it, take risks, surround yourself with good people, and be nice to everyone. 

You are a catalyst behind Reach Out Montclair. What was the reason you joined this critical platform? What does it say about a brand's need for greater levels of community mindfullness?

A bunch of us saw the need for a support system to help the underserved who live in town and whose children go to our schools. There are so many of us who are grateful for the lives we've been able to lead with support from others and we love giving back this way. The Montclair couple Officer Garth and his wife Maddie had actually been doing all of this on their own. We are supporting their mission to help the community.

What does local mean to you? (philosophically, socially, environmentally)

Local means supporting small businesses in our town. I have been a regular customer of so many local businesses, and the relationships that evolve with each of these are convenient and very meaningful to me.  

Tell us one thing about Montclair that only you or few people know.

Yogi Berra always rented a horse and buggy on Thanksgiving for his grandchildren and the neighborhood kids every yea

What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

I love to start my day with an espresso, with a tablespoon of LAIRD coconut powder.

Local Talk: Q+A with Josh Miller from Montclair State University

I'm inspired at the entrepreneurship and innovation coming out of Montclair State University. Tell me a bit about about MixLab and the genesis of the department.

The MIX Lab is an innovation center at MSU where students utilize technological tools to think and create in an innovative manner. We all work on projects both personal and with outside clients to help push the boundaries of innovation and entrepreneurship. Altarik and I work extensively in the lab to create innovate on everything from packs to other ceramics. The classes taught in the lab allow students the opportunity to think in the world from a different perspective. To us, Innovation is not just about using the newest technology, but to continue moving forward in progress and problem solving. 

What are the types of projects that draws your team's interest?

All our work in the lab has led us to form our own startup Urban Nomadic (urbanomadic.com). We are drawn to projects that have a strong ecologically and design focus. Plus collaboration is really important to us. Being able to work with other designers and innovators is critical to us. 

What are some of the team dynamics that create a healthy and effective approach to innovation?

I’d be lying if I said we (Altarik and myself) didn’t argue a lot. Yet, I find that it’s the respect through arguing that keeps us working together so well. We aren’t just colleagues and co-workers. We are friends and brothers. having that kind of dynamic among us allows us to be able to work through differences and come to great innovations. The other key part for us working others — we are always looking for people who want to design something transformative.

In our current environment, what brands or people do you consider to be driving true innovation?

I don’t search for innovation among well-known large corporations. I’m surrounded by innovation both here in the lab and in the local design ecosystem of Montclair. Through the lab we have met people who have some brilliant ideas and have seen some products that are surprisingly non-mainstream. MADLab, the architects behind the design of the Local coffee shop are a great example — they taught us a lot. When it comes to people, I’d like to point towards the two people that have taught me how to be an innovative individual: Iain Kerr and Jason Frasca — the co-directors of the lab

What are some of the short term as well as long term goals for the department?

The MIX Lab as well as Altarik and I strive to continue the development of innovations. In the short term, there are a few projects we are working on, some of which could become viable businesses in the future. As Urban Nomadic we are working on a long-term project to eliminate fashion waste through the use of revolutionary biodegradable materials. Altarik and I would love to continue to develop our innovative custom ceramics with restaurants or individuals who are in search of some really unique designs. In regards to the MIX Lab’s long term goals, we are continuing to expand our capabilities as well as who we contact and how to continue to foster innovation. 

What were your major product design inspirations for developing and ultimately building the bowls?

When creating this design, I was given the guideline of coffee culture while incorporating local celebration. I believed that if I dug deep into the roots of coffee culture I would find ideas that were no longer “the norm”. This is where the bowl concept came into play. Originally, this bowl was designed as a coffee bowl, but the design had a few uncomfortable niches to it. I discovered along the way the idea of a known face on a cup or bowl and decided to try to create angles that were not usual in bowls. From this, I found a designer who had a work of art like the bowl and felt that I was on a good path. The rest of the design process comes from working closely with Rob and Adele to create a product that they would be proud to use and present. As for the local part, we found a river bank in Glen Ridge (with great help from an MSU professor) with an abundance of rich clay and believed that it was only fitting to use a little part of the world right here in creating these bowls.

What were some of the challenges that your encountered along the way?

Earlier, I spoke about learning new things as being a key goal. When I asked Altarik to join this project, I found very quickly that time was against us. When learning new skills, and trying to meet a deadline all at once becomes stressful, one tends to look at their partner for stability. That was something we did with each other constantly as we did our best to meet (and sometimes fail at meeting) deadlines and tasks. All in all, I would say this was a challenging project by nature, but well worth the time and effort.

What were the most important takeaways for this project?

The most important takeaways are that it is possible for local designers to do things that no one else can do. It was humbling to see Local so ready to put the bowls out for display and use. We learnt that we could do some much more than we realized at first: we could dig up local clays, we could design custom products, we could work with great clients like Local and that the design and architecture community is generous and supportive. Basically, we can away excited to continue this work of collaborating with others in the local community to develop new products and innovative concepts.

Tell us something about design that very few or no one knows.

This design is an accidental design. I was still learning to use the software in the beginning and was going for a different structure to represent known faces and used a feature wrong that presented me this shape. Sometimes accidents bring out the best products. Design is all about processes and truly anyone can be innovative. I think that we need to move away from the notion of a “creative genius” but instead look at things from a set out processes to get towards a place. Really, it is all about doing things and if you fail, the worst outcome is that you will learn from it. 

What is it about being in Montclair that supports and drives the program forward?

It has a lot to do with the aspect of “Local”. In Montclair, there is a large culture of innovation and generosity from MSU to MadLab, to Local — everyone was more than willing to help us far beyond what we could ever have imagined. There is a community with a lot to teach and share. I find that Altarik and I connected well with Rob and Adele and that helped us to want to bring them a great product. For other students, here at MSU, it’s the passion of not only solving problems but creating new problems for worlds worth making and innovating that continues to progress the program.

What does local mean to you?

Local to us means the belief in what the community can provide to us and what we can give back in return. It is a symbol of support and love from people that we may know or soon meet that continue to help push in a positive direction. Local is the embodiment of positive goals with belief in each other.  It is really about making and emerging with the things you have around you. We also believe that local is about sustainability and collaboration. Through our newest project, Urban Nomadic, we are not only looking to work for people who are trying to make a difference, but we are trying to make a difference ourselves through the use of renewable resources. Local is not just about the people, but also about the environment we share with everything in the world and our aim is to protect as much of that as possible.

https://www.montclair.edu/entrepreneur/3d-printing/mix-lab/

Local Talk: Q+A with our fine artist Maria Saidi

Tell us a bit about your background as a Fine Artist. 

As a young student, I studied at the Art Student’s League in NYC and went on to get a Fine Art degree at Parsons School of Design.  I continued my studies here in Montclair with Gary Godbee.

Who and what have been your inspirations?

In art, my inspirations are too numerous to name but the standouts are John Singer Sargent, for his economy of line, Egon Schiele (Gustave Klimt’s student) for his raw and invasive expressions of the human figure, Franz Kline who is hands down the best abstract expressionist and Jenny Saville whose images are disturbingly imposing and beautiful.

Can you tell us about a current passion project?

I’m currently working on a painting that was inspired by the Women’s March in Washington.  It’s an homage to the courageous women who worked, and continue to work, tirelessly to make strides in the fight for gender equality. 

How long have you been in Montclair?   

We moved to Montclair when James (husband) joined a practice here.  We came from Manhattan where I was born and raised.   

What is your favorite part of being part of this community? 

All it has to offer- good people, good art, good food and access to Manhattan- in precisely that order.
 

What does local mean to you? (local as a concept)

“Near" home thereby comfortable and warm; a second home perhaps.

Thank you so much for being a part of our narrative at Local. Your contributions have been so valuable to building our brand. What inspiration did you leverage in developing the logo? 

The logo was developed based on your vision and your requirements -the word LOCAL and arrows to suggest direction or compass points.  All roads now lead to LOCAL.

What are some words of wisdom to share?

Honestly, it’s quite simple, be kind to people; the universe returns it in spades.   

And of course, what is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?  

Coffee- Espresso in any form.

Tea - Rooibos

website     www.oddo-saidi.com

Local Talk: Q+A with our architecture and design firm - Madlab

What was the inspiration in founding Madlab?

After working in other design firms for over 10 years, we felt ready to launch our own vision of a firm. MADLAB stands for Morozov Alcala Design Laboratory, and in a simple sense, that’s also our business plan. Two professionals willing to go beyond conventional practices in order to carry out innovative design. That was in 2003, and we’ve never looked back.

We are definitely at our most creative and satisfied when we’re not just designing, but when we’re making and testing, and learning from that process. It was a no-brainer for us, really, and we probably have our immigrant families to thank for that! We inherited a solid work ethic with a sense of adventure and a tolerance for the unknown.  It’s helped us find a balance between having a creative vision, and having the know-how and guts to execute it. Once we set out on our own, we soon realized there was a steep learning curve when it came to getting our design work executed by contractors. We became more and more frustrated, and moved to building prototypes, just to demonstrate that it could be done. Without a proper workshop, we set up a space to tinker wherever we could. In our basements, in our living rooms - wherever we could to carry things out.

Today, Madlab is a hybrid design practice in a 2,000 sq ft space that is part office and part workshop. We love when clients come visit to see where all the magic comes together. They immediately get what we’re all about once they walk through our doors.

What is about a coffee shop that piqued your interest?

The sharper a client’s vision, the better more guiding power it offers us. This is key to a great outcome. With this project, we had the added benefit of knowing the town and seeing the chance to roll out something entirely fresh and unique to Montclair. A coffee shop is an open-ended program. It serves a social purpose in our communities. We wanted to hone this into an environment that isn’t just a backdrop, but adds to the conversation in very subtle ways. We deliberately created little touches throughout the space that catch your attention, but doesn’t overpower it. It’s how we wanted to see “Local” stand out from the crowd of other coffee shops around the world.

The other thing that came through early on was that our clients Robert and Adele are great storytellers. They elevated that cultural aspect of taking a moment for a coffee, alone or with friends, as an important thing to do. Their hospitality background was heartwarming and important. Trusting us was the driving force - and ultimately the opportunity - to deliver something special.

What is the biggest surprise looking back at when we started this project?

Everything! We came into this project with our talent and dedication and an open-ended approach. Once we arrived at a schematic design, the rest was pure energy, blind faith and constant testing of ideas. It made the project fun! It all came together organically as we worked at a feverish pace.  There were times when we could have taken shortcuts, but we stuck it out and it was worth it. 

What is that something special that you will take with you from this experience that you will take with you on your next journey?

This was by far one of our fastest turnaround projects, and it could not have happened without an all-hands-on-deck design-build approach. It brought out the best in our staff. There’s not a single design element that wasn't touched in some way by our entire crew. There’s a real pride knowing your efforts are contributing to something bigger. ‘Local’ proved that this approach is not just good for our clients, it’s good for us, too. You want to evolve as a business and this project was a tipping point. We should be doing more of these projects. People want it, there is space for it.

We also take away how vital it is to establish trust with our clients at the beginning, especially when there’s just no time for lengthy design reviews and revisions. It’s really easy for an unconventional process like this to unravel - having your clients’ trust is the only way through that. How can we best cradle their needs so it doesn’t become a crisis, but it becomes innovation? We’re excited to explore that more in the future.

About Madlab

Madlab is an award-winning and internationally published architecture firm noted for its research and innovative design services.

More here: www.madlabllc.com