Design and Architecture
Production design, art and politics, the creative mind
What makes production design so special? We consider the five Oscar nominees this year for production design and why their films stand out. As artists respond to President Trump's administration, we look how art movements became weapons in the past century's great ideological battles. And what makes a person creative? And what does the Cold War have to do with it? A historic study of the minds of the greatest Mid-Century architects is described in a new book.
By Frances Anderton • • 28m ListenPhoto: A scene from La La Land, a 2017 Academy Award nominee for production design.
In this episode
3 storiesHow production designers make movie magic
At this Sunday's Academy Awards, five pairs of production designers and set decorators will compete for the Production Design award. The nominees are Arrival, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Hail Caesar!, La La Land and Passengers.
Read the story12 minArt and politics
There's been an explosion of expression in reaction to the Trump administration, from searing comedy to pink pussyhats. So how much of a role do artists play in protesting -- or promoting a regime? Joes Segal is a chief curator at The Wende Museum, the collection of Eastern Bloc art and printed ephemera from the Cold War years.
Read the story8 min'The Creative Architect'
What does creativity have to do with winning the Cold War? In the late 1950s, the top architects of the day were invited to participate in a historic study of creativity at the Institute of Personality Assessment and Research at the University of California, Berkeley. Eero Saarinen, I.M.
Read the story8 min
