Eames: The Architect and the Painter
This documentary tells the story of the husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames, widely considered America’s most important designers. Their creations include furniture, photography, interiors, multimedia exhibits, games and much more.
Helvetica
We use it every day on our computers, we see it on street signs — and we take it for granted. Now, Gary Hustwit’s unique documentary introduces us to Helvetica, a font whose readability has made it the most popular in the world.
Objectified
Discover how manufactured objects that surround us such as cars, phones and chairs influence our daily lives with this revealing documentary, which features top industrial designers discussing their creative processes and professional objectives.
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Amateur filmmaker Thierry Guetta’s project to chronicle the underground world of street art takes a fascinating twist when he meets Banksy, an elusive British stencil artist, in this Independent Spirit Award winner for Best Documentary. Unimpressed with Guetta’s footage, Banksy takes over filmmaking duties while Guetta reinvents himself as a street artist and — much to Banksy’s surprise — instantly becomes a darling of the Los Angeles art scene.
The Invention of Dr. NakaMats
This hilarious documentary from director Kaspar Astrup Schroder profiles prolific Japanese inventor Yoshiro Nakamatsu, whose contraptions range from the whimsical (motorized roller skates) to the kooky (a mental-enhancement “Cerebrex” machine).
Urbanized
The third part of Gary Hustwit’s design film trilogy, Urbanized looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design, explores a diverse range of urban design projects around the world, and frames a global discussion on the future of cities.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
In this spellbinding documentary, filmmaker Werner Herzog offers an unprecedented examination of the Chauvet Cave, a cavern in southern France that contains the oldest human-painted images yet to be found on Earth.
Art: 21 – Art in the 21st Century
The experience of viewing art moves from static to dynamic as this PBS series takes its audience into the studios of contemporary American artists to witness their processes, hear their thoughts and see their art outside a gallery setting. With each episode focused on a single theme, viewers are treated to everything from sculptor Jeff Koons on the topic of fantasy to photographer Cindy Sherman on transformation.
TEDTalks: Rebel Design
Rebellious creative designers craft elegant solutions to our most unshakable problems and turn the mundane into the marvelous. Through art, objects and computer programs, these TED presenters are changing our concepts of beauty and practicality.
Is there a show, movie, or documentary not on this list? Let me know!
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I watched The Invention of Dr. NakaMats 3 times in about a week. It’s phenomenal.
Another one that may not fit exactly in here, but felt like ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’ is ‘Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles’ (also available streaming on Netflix). Worth a watch. Real weird.