The Beat #39: Khruangbin, Raku Pottery, Chocolate, Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees
This week’s guest contributor, Say Lim, is a New York-based designer and art director.
Our good friend Say Lim illustrates four of his favorite things from today’s culture, including new music and an old, old, old favorite. Check it out!
Khruangbin
Based in Houston, TX, Khruangbin play a delirious blend of psychedelic soul that would feel equally at home at an urban block party and a Tarantino soundtrack. The trio took their name from a Thai word meaning “engine fly” and they draw their inspiration from 1960s Thai funk. It’s a warm, sexy, amazing sound.
Raku Firing
This Japanese style of pottery that started in the 16th century. The pottery is removed from the kiln when it’s red hot and then cooled quickly, either in the open air (Japanese style) or by placing it in a flammable material like sawdust or newspaper (Western style). The drastic temperature change causes crackling and color shifts, creating a beautiful, earthy finished product that is beloved both in rough, simple states and highly refined ones.
Chocolate
Need we say more? Dating back 4,000 years to the Olmec people, chocolate in its multitude of forms and flavors has bewitched our palates for millennia. The Mayans revered it, the Aztecs used it as currency, and today we exercise our own currency power by purchasing fair trade chocolate. Truffles, bars, bon-bons, kisses, mousse, shakes, ice cream… It’s the food of the gods.
Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree
The “it” plant of the year, the choice of influencers and interior designers alike. The Fiddle Leaf Fig is beloved for its big, stunning leaves and, even though it’s not super-easy to care for indoors (it’s pretty finicky, actually) it has only grown in popularity in recent years. Why? It’s beautiful, it adds a lush and exotic air to any room, and it photographs well.
