ARCHIDISIAC

Gonna go see Alice and Wonderland next week probably. Can't wait.

I watched Helvetica and Objectified this past weekend. Both great films by Gary Hustwit. The first is a documentary on the type face which used to be known as Die Neue Haas Grotesk...so glad they changed it to Helvetica. Anyways, it speaks to its unique history and more importantly discusses why designers love typopgraphy and why it's essential to all our lives whether we notice it or not. Objectified is similar in that it also discusses why design, more specifically of everyday objects, is important in our lives. I think of the two, Helvetica is the stronger film since it delves further into the specifics of its design, history, social influences etc and, I think, gives a fairly unbiased viewpoint. Objectified is a bit more vague and isn't as diverse in its story. In any case, both films are quite spectacular and a definite must see esp if you are in any sort of aesthetic field or just appreciate good design. These are the types of films that make you observe the environment in a slightly different light and makes a solid effort in revealing what goes on in the heads of those in the design profession.

A little still life today because my friend Jon insists that I don't draw from life enough...I have to agree...I blame the cold weather. I should really take a picture of my workspace...I have a very small secretary desk because my room isn't big enough for a big drafting table. It's organized mess and mostly full of trinkets and art supplies with one corner devoted to my laptop.

I spent most of today hungover in bed from too much tequila. I got up once to use the restroom, another time to eat a bowl of cereal, and another time to watch the last quarter of the Capitol One bowl game before crawling back to bed. I finally got out of bed for good around six and proceeded to spend the rest of the night watching the Law and Order SVU marathon on USA. All in all a pretty unproductive but necessary day.

I did want to write about the James Cameron film Avatar. I saw it last Tues and had mixed feelings. First of all, I paid $14 which is a little ridiculous considering I spent the first fifteen minutes adjusting to a headache the 3D glasses gave me. Avatar was the first film I saw in 3D and I have to say some of it is pretty impressive especially when the film transitions from focusing on the foreground to the background and vice versa. The effect falls short, however, in creating continuous depth throughout the film. Some scenes seemed only to have three layers of depth and that objects on each layer were flat, almost like paper cutouts. Most of the time it was fine, I only noticed the lack of volume a few times.

I don't have much praise for the story itself. Much of the plot and scenery reminded me of Ferngully, Disney's children's film about pixies and the destruction of the rainforest...in Avatar's case, it was on steroids. The depiction of the Na'avi was pretty horrendous and offensive. James Cameron basically hits his audience over the head repeatedly with corny and stereotypical primitive behavior and really shows a complete lack of sensitivity toward the subject matter. I did, however, love the aesthetics of the film. The overall color scheme and design of the creatures and environment were absolutely beautiful. I would love to work on a production team that does this sort of stuff. Coolest job ever.