Behind every great design is a person. Abstract, a new docu-series from Netflix, explores design disciplines by profiling leaders in the field and their methodology.
Similar to what Netflix’s popular series Chef’s Table did for cooking, Abstract does for design. The new series explores how and why people make things they way they do.
The series looks at illustrator Christoph Niemann, graphic designer Paula Scher, photographer Platon, shoe designer Tinker Hatfield, architect Bjarke Ingels, interior designer Ilse Crawford, car designer Ralph Gilles, and stage designer Es Devlin— each profiled in one the eight episodes. An underlying theme throughout the series, every designer’s work is shaped in some way by their personality and perspective.
Those intangible aspects are, in turn, reflected in their tangible products—whether it’s a Ingles-designed building or a pair of Air Jordans by Hatfield. “Bjarke’s work really does kind of have an agenda—he has all these catchphrases like hedonistic sustainability—of trying to make things better for the world but also for the client,” executive producer Morgan Neville said in an interview with Architectural Digest.
Unless you’re an industry insider, that can feel like a dark art. This is something Abstract is acutely aware of. ” It cuts through the opacity of a finished product and helps you understand, if not entirely explain, why some things are attractive, why they work, Wired‘s Liz Stinton writes. “But even better, the show does that by dealing as much with the maker as the made.”
Ultimately, Abstract is just as accessible for part-time aesthetes as it is for industry professionals. Watch the trailer for it below.
—RealClearLife
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