Latest News

  • I once had a friend ask me, “What exactly is graphic design?” The answer seemed pretty easy, as the name appears self-explanatory: design using graphics. But, truthfully, it was harder for me to get into the details of what exactly it is, even though it has been one of the most prolific and widely-used art forms in the modern era. And not unlike some other forms of modern art, there is the hackneyed response, “I could totally do that” while viewing graphic design that has been elevated to a higher status. In fact, I even heard it at the Cooper Hewitt’s long-running installation How Posters Work.

    poetry reading

    Amazing to hear that response, given the museum’s breadth of information presented about not only about the history of the medium but also contemporary approaches to it. Furthermore, the beginning of the exhibit, before really immersing the viewer in the posters themselves, contains a section attempting to relay just how graphic designers see, and how it subsequently affects how we decipher messages from images, be they subversive or overt. For example, how designers use black space, how they visualize colors to lay over each other and blend, and the ways in which they see text aligned on a poster to result in certain reading patterns. That was particularly interesting as areas of posters are darkened except one swirl-type shape, and it notes that eyes begin at the thicker portion of the illuminated swirl, and move down to the thinner part across the page. Images are placed alongside text  strategically to guide the viewer’s eye. If this sounds like manipulation, it’s because it is, and the exhibit doesn’t attempt to hide it.

    Most of the works are deeply rooted in the art of the advertisement, as posters were a major tool for mass information. Some of Cooper Hewitt’s posters (and all are from their permanent collection) take a step away from the traditional ad’s goal of capturing the essence of the subject in order to proliferate a message. Alexander Gelman’s Poetry Readings (1996) uses, as the wall text notes, an “off kilter” symbol of a sole lamp and minimalist text against a bright orange background to promote poetry readings at Biblio’s. Then there is the dramatic application of the mundane in Food is a Weapon (1943), published by the Office of War Information. It almost violently encourages people not to waste food, just like you wouldn’t waste a weapon. The implications are strongand the design fitting. And, both pieces highlight the firm connection graphic design has with the everyday, more so than other art forms.

    poster welformat ch

    What I found especially appealing is the connection graphic design has with collage in the relationship to the everyday and in technique. The museum dedicates a section of the exhibit to poster artists employing the practice of layering, just as collage artists do. A significant piece in the world of contemporary graphic design, René Put’s Poster No. 524: Focal Point (2012) is one of the first pieces on display, directly next to the vitrine’s glimpse into the different ways a graphic designer visualizes objects. Put, along with Rianne Petter, collected 523 posters from the street, decided what the focal point was for each, and cut it out in the shape of a circle. They then layered the circles on top of and against each other to create a new poster from the segments. It’s a testament to the creative process and allowing individual parts to speak both for themselves and for the whole – a crucial part of both collage and graphic design. Other works up also show the painterly aspect of creating digital layers, such as Weltformat (2013) for a festival.

    And finally, nearing the end of the show, there are radical political advertisements – some promoting funding for AIDS research, others denouncing the need for war – on a wall across from movie posters under the subsections of “doubling the meaning” and “telling a story” respectively. Yet both highlight the use of the uncanny to tell a story in essentially one frame. A movie poster for The Stepford Wives (1975) is one of the larger works. Though most of us are familiar with the story (and it’s pretty terrible remake) closer examination of the specific approach to this poster reveals all that is at work underneath the images we see on a daily basis and file away in long term memory. A wife’s face is central, yet the broken fragment from her head reveals the mannequin-aspect, as does the broken off hand laying at the foreground. Yet the face itself is utterly human, thereby posing the question to the viewer of what strangeness lies beneath, and where will this story take us? Again, the parts make up the whole yet their separate components are like the words making up a sentence – alone each has its own meaning.

    stepford

    The point of posters is to allow for pleasurable ingestion of images with the meaning right there for the taking – therefore, they are one of the most accessible works of art. What Cooper Hewitt successfully does, however, is highlight the level of mastery of the craft by these artists. In this light, the name of the exhibit is not so much about how posters work, but how their creators do. And furthermore, the show elevates the amount of craft and drafting required to create one truly successful popular image. To bring up another hackneyed expression, “they make it look easy.”

  • Talk about ‘art for progress!’ Label Pyer Moss has left a strong impression at their New York Fashion Week debut on September 10, with what many believe to be one of the most “powerful” showcases ever.

    Screen Shot 2015-09-12 at 4.13.23 PM

    Photo Credit: Pyer Moss

    The much buzzed-about menswear label has recently branched out into womenswear. Last week’s NYFW was Pyer Moss’s way of introducing this new foray for the label to the world. Instead of presenting themselves with frills and fantasy, they’ve allowed current events to penetrate their work, bringing the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement to the forefront.

    And from the overwhelming response online, it seems as though the politically-charged gamble has worked!

    After the jump, find out more about this challenging and nerve-striking event.

    Read More

  • Samuel Goldwyn Films

    Samuel Goldwyn Films

    The title of Morgan Matthews’ narrative film debut, A Brilliant Young Mind, immediately evokes Ron Howard’s A Beautiful Mind, and both films have in common a protagonist who is an exceptionally bright mathematician with mental challenges. Unlike John Forbes Nash, though, who suffered from schizophrenia, A Brilliant Young Mind’s Nathan Ellis is merely on the autism spectrum. And unlike Nash, he’s a fictional character, though the film is based on Matthews’ 2006 documentary Brilliant Young Minds, about British teens competing in the International Mathematics Olympiad.

    Matthews, who has made several documentaries, does a solid job with his first fictional feature; the film is nicely paced and well-acted, with a lovely soundtrack and striking visuals. James Graham’s script is both sensitive and witty, including enough real math to be authentic without making the story incomprehensible to civilians.

    Diagnosed with Asperger’s, nine-year-old Nathan (Edward Baker-Close) is told that he is unique by his dad, who explains, “You have special powers like a wizard and we’re just muggles.” One of Nathan’s “powers” is synesthesia, wherein he experiences one sense (sound) as another (color); he’s often distracted by lights and patterns. He’s also a math wiz. His mom Julie (Sally Hawkins) tries but cannot connect with Nathan the way his dad does. When the latter dies in a car accident, Nathan sinks further into himself, until he meets Martin Humphreys (the excellent Rafe Spall), a rebellious, dryly witty teacher at school who was once a math prodigy himself and understands Nathan’s preoccupation with the subject. Martin, who blames his multiple sclerosis for never having achieved his potential as a mathematician, takes Nathan under his wing; the two slowly develop a bond.

    Samuel Goldwyn Films

    Samuel Goldwyn Films

    Flash forward to teenage Nathan (Asa Butterfield), whose obsessive behavior includes the need for prawn balls in a Chinese takeout order to add up to a prime number, or he won’t touch them. He’s clearly a handful for the soft, emotional Julie, whose infinite patience belies her exhaustion.

    With Martin’s help, Nathan applies to the British Math Olympiad and is accepted to train in Taiwan for a spot on the UK team that will compete in the international competition. The other kids vying for the team come off a bit like the cast of a more sophisticated Big Bang Theory. Nathan is instantly uneasy; he isn’t comfortable with their quick banter and doesn’t get their jokes. When each English kid is teamed with a counterpart from the Chinese team, the lovely, friendly Zhang Mei (Jo Yang) enters Nathan’s orbit and shakes up his world.

    UK team coach Richard (Eddie Marsan, another outstanding actor) knew Martin Humphreys back in the day. “It wasn’t his body that failed him,” he explains to Nathan. “It was his character.” In fact, Martin’s body is failing him more and more; we see him popping anti-depressants and refusing his shrink’s suggestion to join an MS support group. With Nathan away in Taiwan, Julie and Martin connect in their loneliness when she hires him to teach her math, hoping it will bring her closer to her son.

    Samuel Goldwyn Films

    Samuel Goldwyn Films

    At training camp Nathan doesn’t join in the math-themed rap throwdowns or arguments; nor does he speak up in class. (Butterfield is great at conveying distress). Slowly Zhang Mei brings him out of his shell, as they wander around Taipei and he’s overcome by the lights and sounds of the city. (Matthews shows us what Nathan hears and sees; it’s often quite beautiful.) He finally gets up in class and demonstrates a problem to the applause of his classmates. “There’s rare beauty in your work, but you’re unfocused and unpredictable,” Richard tells Nathan, who is having a hard time with both math and relationships. As he and Mai become closer, he struggles to understand emotions.

    Much of the movie is a build-up to the International Math Olympiad in Cambridge (including a classic slo-mo walk to the testing room), but the story is ultimately about the ability of individuals to connect despite major obstacles, as several characters eventually succeed in doing.

    There’s a lot of heft to A Brilliant Young Mind, which narrowly skirts predictability thanks to a smart script, interesting characters and strong cast. Though several of its characters seem too good-looking to pass for true geeks, the film doesn’t try to pretty up the reality of people with serious challenges or the pressure to succeed for these kids, for whom failure is particularly devastating. As one notes, “If you’re not gifted, then you’re just weird.”

    A Brilliant Young Mind opens Friday at Angelika Film Center.

    Marina Zogbi

     

     

  • It’s been a great summer for music. Taylor Swift is on tour, both the Cobain and the NWA documentary hit theaters, someone finally told off Miley Cyrus and One Direction is going on hiatus. Joy. Although summer isn’t officially over until mid-September, the steady drop in temperature and fading light make it feel like it is almost fall. Before the leaves start to brown and fall, let’s look back at the season and all the great releases that came with it:

    1. “Run Away With Me” by Carly Rae Jepsen
    Carly Rae Jepsen has gone from that one girl who sang that one sort of creepy song that everyone loved a couple summer ago to a legit pop artist. 2012’s one-hit-wonder has triumphantly returned with possibly one of the best pop albums of the summer. Maybe even of the year. Her new record, E•MO•TION, which was released last month, has already surpassed the popularity of “Call Me Maybe” and her sophomore album, Kiss. It’s no 1989, but it’s shockingly close.

    2. “Leave A Trace” by Chvrches
    In a recent interview with the Guardian, Martin Doherty of Chvrches told the publication that the band “could have sold 200,000 more albums” if they had “put Lauren [Mayberry] on the cover of every magazine.” However, Chvrches didn’t want to be “that band with the pretty frontwoman” and chose to sell themselves as their full outfit. The issue of female representation has been brought up repeatedly this summer, starting perhaps with Sophy Ziss and Mariel Loveland’s Pixable article that animated all-male acts out of concert posters to highlight the lack of all-female or mixed gender acts. Ironically, the band’s most recent video for “Leave A Trace” only features Mayberry (or are those silhouettes Iain and Martin…?) Either way, it’s an awesome song.

    3. “Gold Steps” by Neck Deep
    Similarly to Jepsen, Neck Deep released one of the most genre defining records of their era. The band’s sophomore attempt is easily the best pop punk album of the summer and perhaps of the year. Life’s Not Out To Get You is just so good. Even Mark Hoppus agrees:

    As of July, the album had officially entered the Top 10 Official UK Charts at number 8. The Welsh band now head triumphantly back to the UK having just finished playing Warped Tour.

    4. “HELP” by The Front Bottoms
    New Jersey’s folk-y indie rock act The Front Bottoms signed to the once grand powerhouse Fueled By Ramen in June. The label, which still houses bands as popular as Fun. and Paramore, has somewhat faded from conversation. Compared to the grand renaissance FBR experienced in the early aughts, their recent activity dwarfs in size. The union of TFB and FBR is either going to be the triumphant return of the label or the horrific downfall of the band. Luckily, their first release with FBR, “Back on Top”, sounds great so far.

    5. “Return to the Moon” by El Vy
    Most people know Matt Berninger as the guy with the dad-glasses who fronts The National, one of the most popular acts in indie rock music. He’s appeared on the odd song for bands like Grinderman and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, proving that he also has the voice and songwriting abilities to strike out (sort of) on his own. While he isn’t exactly going solo, Berninger did announce a new project with Menomena/Ramona Falls’ Brent Knopf. El Vy sounds goofier than anything The National ever wrote, but it fits Berninger well.

     

    -Zoe Marquedant