gary hustwit

it wasnt until six months ago when I got netflix instant that I really got a taste for documentaries. I have always had a minor obsession with typography and fonts stemming from the days when me and my father would attend tampa bay lightning games, at a time when tampa was really bad. so, with the hockey not worth watching I began to take an interest in the array of logos and typefaces around the ice palace, in particular the old numerical font for the lightning (the new one is so boring). The documentary Helvetica by gary hustwit really delves into the emotional connection which people instantaneously form with fonts and typography. Hustwit interviews designers of fonts who originally designed helvetica and the circumstances around the creation of it. Helvetica seems to articulate ideas that everyone has about the signage and design that surrounds us everyday. there are people in the documentary who have an entire artistic vocabulary which many of us have never even fathomed, but when spoken it makes perfect sense. For anyone else who is frustrated and stimulated by design in the world, particularly if you live in a hyper designed city like los angeles, Helvetica is an engrossing film that I have watched repeatedly to satisfy certain visual cravings.

last night I watched another of hustwit's documentaries, objectified. again I was totally blown away watching this movie. at one point the film delved into the design of the handle on a pair of hedge clippers which was absolutely amazing. understanding the thought and intention of every object we touch is amazing. as an artist who stands in front of people in a 'look at me' sort of way, seeing these other artists intentionally mining away in total anonymity but having a much more profound effect on people's lives it was pretty humbling. I go back and forth on how I felt watching this movie, from being completely absorbed by it, to feeling a slight depression at how fundamentally silly it is to worry about the handles on a pair of clippers.

I routinely feel overwhelmed by the world, and how vast it is. I have trouble going on vacation because actually putting a face to all these other people that exist is really troubling to me, and the fact that I will never get to know them, and that they have whole background stories, and commutes, and toasters and favorite t shirts is totally inconceivably huge. Objectified touches on that same idea, only considering objects instead of people. The amount of backstory which goes into something as simple as a toothpick which can be a deeper reflection of cultures is really inspiring. The documentary essentially views everyday items from an anthropologist's perspective, except, where as anthropological studies usually focus on historic or antique objects, this is about the present.

I highly recommend setting aside an evening to watch one of these movies then to sit and soak in the amount of design all around you.