Proposals of films and series for designers and architects (Part 1)
19 / 03 / 2020
COVID-19 is greatly affecting our lives. Virtually all countries have implemented confinement measures, which force us to stay at home and only allow us to go outside for exceptional reasons. In view of this situation, we all look for ways to spend all those hours indoors.
Teleworking is certainly one of the more productive ways of doing it, but we have long weeks ahead of us and we cannot work all the time. But if there is one activity that can be equally fun and inspiring for the work of architects and designers it would be watching series and movies. Please find below our list of suggestions, both fiction and documentaries, to spend some time while boosting our creativity.
- Powers of Ten and the Relative Size of Things in the Universe. This 9-minute short film from 1977 is one of the best known films about the architects and designers Charles and Ray Eames. In this film, they employed the system of exponential powers to visualize the importance of scale. It’s a must-see!
- Eames: The Architect and The Painter. And continuing with these fantastic and influential characters, this 2011 documentary, written by Jason Cohn y co-produced by Bill Jersey, moves between a narrative about the husband and wife team to one about the Eames Office and its accomplishments, starting with chair design, but also moving through architecture, photography, and film.
- Mon Oncle. This wonderful 1958 comedy by Jacques Tati is an ironic critique of modernity taken to the extreme, of mechanical efficiency and of consumer society: plenty of modern inventions, objects and shapes can be found in a film that, apart from making you laugh, is extremely thought-provoking.
- Objectified. Conceived for product designers, this documentary directed by Gary Hustwit and released in 2009 examines the role of everyday objects and the people who design them.
- Abstract: The Art of Design. This is a series of documentaries portraying eight of the most influential designers in different disciplines and fields. The first season profiled illustrator Christoph Niemann, Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield, stage designer Es Devlin, architect Bjarke Ingels, automotive designer Ralph Gilles, graphic designer Paula Scher, photographer Platon, and interior designer Ilse Crawford. This is a very interesting series to take a look at the creative process of these designers.
- The Human Scale. Experts predict that by 2050, 80% of the world's population will live in cities. It is clear that the urban model of the last century cannot be the same as that of the 21st century. The Danish architect Jan Gehl documents in this film how modern cities repel human interaction, and argues that we can build cities in a way, which takes into account human needs for inclusion and intimacy.
- Koyaanisqatsi. This can be also a good time to reflect on humanity and on the built environment we are all responsible for. Directed by Godfrey Reggio in 1982, this visual poem consists primarily of slow motion and time-lapse footage of cities and many natural landscapes across the United States.
The list of proposals could be endless, because fortunately, there is plenty of audiovisual material. And since it is now time to stay at home, what better way to make the most of it than to learn by having a good time?