‘Abstract’ is a way to view the world through the eyes of some very influential, popular, and not so popular designers. From the origin of the present Instagram logo to making costumes for theaters and movies. This show allows each designer to present his or her life and works personally.
Beautifully crafted, funny, and witty this show is for everyone. You don’t necessarily need to be in the various fields said in the show to understand the methodologies and workings of the designers
Some of the designers in the show include:
- Ruth Carter: She won an Oscar for her afrofuturistic costume design in the marvel movie “Black Panther”.She has mastered the look of multiple periods and genres in envisioning the clothing and overall appearance of a character or performer. Her costumes do not feel like clothes instead they are portrayed on the big screen as part of the characters’ personality.
- Ian Spalter: He is a contributor to the origin of the present Instagram logo. He had also previously worked on the Nike Fuel Band. The Nike Fuel Band was developed in 2012 when the technology for smart wearables was being developed and conceptualized. It was one of the first bands that had goal tracking so that you can track whether you reached your goal or not. Ian was one of the people who developed the band so that it is user-friendly.
- Tinker Hatfield: One of the designers who worked on the iconic Nike Air Jordan Series. Tinker Hatfield wanted to integrate a part of the legendary basketball player Michael Jordan into the Nike shoes thus the Air Jordan was born. He also envisioned the Nike project E.A.R.L who made shoes that could fit the wearers’ feet perfectly just like in the movie Back To The Future which had self-lacing shoes which were also done by Tinker Hatfield and his team.
- Ralph Gilles: The global head of design at Fiat Chrysler who steers the brand into the future with futuristic cars. He explains his passion for fast cars and how he had got attracted to the brand Chrysler from a young age. The show also shows how they made a prototype of a futuristic car.
- Platon Antoniou: Known for his amazing portraits of world leaders and common people alike. I think his specialty is his famous black and white photos of people.AS a lot of people say in that show the eyes of the people in the photograph seem to convey something beyond you. One image of a mother resting her head on the tombstone of her Islamic son had died giving his life for his country really hit me hard.Here is it below:
These are just some of the people mentioned in the show. I could easily able to relate with these people and understand what they do that is I mentioned them.But I am pretty sure that the other people in the show are just as good.
Even though I may not the actual ability to judge shows, I can certainly say that the team behind Abstract has put a lot of effort behind the shows. I know the pain of making videos, making sure that everything is right for the shot, handling the actors, the angle of the camera, and the list goes on. This was just for a video but I can imagine the work the team of abstract must have done on the show.
This is a Beautifully edited,well-directed series. I particularly loved how in some episodes, they made use of animation and green screen to great use. For example, like how they made illustrations by Christoph Niemann come to life with animation or him being chased by a giant pencil.
This show is available on Netflix.
Links:
- Abstract :The Art Of Design https://www.netflix.com/title/80057883
- Abstract : The Art Of Design Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYaq2sWTWAA
- Ruth Carter : https://ruthecarter.com/
- Ian Spalter : http://www.ianspalter.com/
- Tinker Hatfield : https://tinkyhatter.weebly.com/
- Ralph Gilles : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Gilles
- Platon Antoniou : http://www.platonphoto.com/
