Objectified is a fairly interesting documentary about the design of objects in our daily lives and the designers who make them. The film features interviews with a variety of influential designers discussing their thoughts about the meaning of design, the objects that get produced, and the relationship between objects, humans, and the environment.
Sustainability gets some brief treatment which can be summarized by Alice Rawsthorn's comment that sustainability is not driven by the designers, rather it's consumer driven -- and that supposedly Walmart has embraced sustainability. If she's using Walmart as a prime example of sustainability, it's quite worrisome. Also, according to Rawsthorn, "design tends to be the indulgent medium of the developed economy and a mature culture." Apparently, other "developing countries" aren't as mature.
Jonathan Ive talks about how incredibly hard design is. Mark Newson heavily criticizes children's products, and can't wait to get rid of his child's high chair. Paolo Antonelli has collected 172 definitions of design. Andrew Blauvelt defines design as anything that is touched by man, transformed by man. Chris Bangle goes on and on and on about the design of the BMW X6.
Dieter Rams makes an interesting statement: "If I had to do something in this world again, I would not want to be a designer anymore, because I believe, in the future, it will be less important to have many things, but more important to exercise care about where and how we live. And to think carefully how we can preserve nature."
Rob walker talks (critically) about how "good design" is considered to be a mark of progress, and how if you can recognize good design, it distinguishes you from all the naive and corny bourgeois of the past -- the past being everything up to that minute. Corporations don't necessarily design what people need, but rather their goal is to simply produce more stuff.
Some objects are downright fetishized such as a BMW X6, a valentine typewriter, and an Alessi spoon that will supposedly stimulate four out of the five senses. There are some interesting discussions on how an object should go beyond its functional aspect and establish a meaningful emotional relationship with the human being. Unfortunately, I think this is just wishful thinking. The novelty of objects dies fast, and any supposedly meaningful relationship with an object is always fleeting and unsatisfactory. In fact, a designer in the film admits that most of the products he's designed will end up in a landfill pretty soon.
The documentary ends with the following quote: "The value, and especially the legitimization of design will be in the future measured in terms of how it can enable us to survive."
Overall, I think the film presents a decent coverage of the various points of view on design, but unfortunately, it also reflects an obsession with materialism, a perceived sense of superiority, and a state of affairs that has a long way to go before it can reach any level of sustainability.
Don't forget to watch the special features on the DVD which includes a whole bunch of interesting interviews.
