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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   "Objectified" Documentary from the "Helvetica" maker Gary Hustwit, this time about the world of objects and their design; the broad topic means the movie lacks some focus, but it's full of intriguing questions. The movie saves its greatest interest for the place where functionality and beauty coincide, and for the people who are shaping the future of more intelligent design. Rated: Not rated; probably PG for subject matter Showing: Northwest Film Forum   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, July 10, 2009 'Objectified': An interesting look at how objects are designed By Robert Horton, Herald Movie Critic The designers interviewed in "Objectified" might agree on one principle: That with a well-designed object, you often don't even notice the design. If that's supposed to be true for Gary Hustwit's movie as well, then he has succeeded. "Objectified" is a fluid investigation into the way our world is filled with things that someone designed -- and what that says about us. Hustwit's previous movie was the wonderful "Helvetica," an entire feature documentary about a single, ubiquitous typeface. This new film takes a much broader scope, and in some ways this means it has less definition. We meet a collection of international designers, all of whom burn with the kind of focus that leads you to suspect they'd probably be doing their jobs even if they didn't get paid for it. Sophisticated geeks, you might say. The film isn't really a history of design, although there's a useful anecdote about the birth of mass production. We are told a Chinese emperor ordered arrows and bows to be made to a standard size and shape, because warriors couldn't use the leftover weapons of a dead comrade if each was making arrows in whatever size they wanted. From there, we are introduced to the fat rubber handles that have lately become popular for knives and peelers, which came about because of users with arthritis. One expert notes that design shouldn't be about the average person's needs, but the user at the ends of the spectrum. A European designer extols Apple as the only American corporation that really cuts the edge when it comes to design. Sure enough, we visit an Apple workshop, where one man coos about the sleekness of the latest laptop, and the genius of placing an indicator light in such a way that we won't know it exists unless the light happens to go on. The film raises a lot of interesting questions. One designer ponders the way form has departed from function. Old-school products -- a chair, for instance -- pretty much look like what they're for. But if you didn't know already, what would you make of an iPhone? Or a CD player? The issue of what happens to all these products is brought up, since so many of them are destined to be landfill someday, no matter how beautiful or functional they are. The movie's threads don't quite come together, but you'll probably be absorbed enough so you don't see the seams. And Hustwit fills the screen with handsome items, as though in awe of them. He's all for intelligent design, at least in this sense. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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