Help Save (by creating) the Andrew Geller Archives

You know those crazy (crazy-awesome!) geometric beach houses from the 50’s and 60’s like the ones pictured below?  Well those were built by Andrew Geller, and currently his grandson, filmmaker Jake Gorst, is trying to raise funds to create an archive and shoot a documentary about Geller’s works.

You can find out more about the kickstarter project and donate to the cause at this link.

More information can be found at AndrewGeller.net.

Visual Acoustics :: The Modernism of Julius Schulman

I had the pleasure of seeing a film by Eric Bricker last year at the Tivoli Center in Denver.  The film was about the life and work of national treasure Julius Schulman, who’s photographs have educated us on the beauty of Mid-century architecture.  Recently I was reminded of the film when it popped up on my Netflix suggestions.  I’ve watched it several times since then.

 

Not only was the subject matter of the film beautiful and informative, but the graphics and typography employed in telling the story were also a joy.  Trollbaeck and Company did a fantastic job with the animation and design.  I love the simplicity of the first animation sequence (right after the opening titles), the way the photos open up to one another.  It’s such a simple idea, but such a fantastic effect, and it features Schulman’s photos with a wonderful dynamism.

 

The film is narrated by Dustin Hoffman.  Bricker told some great stories about Schulman and the film during the Q&A at the Tivoli, and it was fun to hear how they got Hoffman to agree to the project.

 

If you have the chance to see Visual Acoustics on a large screen, I would highly advise you to do so.  Schulman’s photographs at such a grand size are a wonderful thing to behold.  If you can’t make it to an actual screening (and even if you do), buy the DVD.  It’s worth having in your permanent collection.

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Mies van der Rohe: Coming to a Theatre Near You (if you live in NYC)

The Clurman Theater is currently playing host to The Glass House by June Fifer.  The subject of the play is of course the Farnsworth House.  A house might seem an odd (and possibly boring) subject for a play, but the story behind the Farnsworth house is filled with drama and intrigue (the story is one of the most famous architect-patron relationships in American history).  Dr. Edith Farnsworth commissioned van der Rohe to build her “something ‘meaningful.’”  The rumor is that during the creation of the glass house, the two had an affair.  When the project was over, van der Rohe moved on to another project and another woman, thus the spurned doctor began slinging mud.  She took her grievances public in 1953 when she told House Beautiful “I wanted to do something ‘meaningful,’ and all I got was this glib, false sophistication.”  A public back and forth ensued, and eventually lawsuits followed.

The Glass House runs from May 9 to June 5 at the Clurman Theater, 410 2. 42nd St. (between 9th and 10th Avenues), Times Square, NYC

http://theatrerow.org/theclurman.htm