With our new typeface/font-based gallery show, Interrobang, SPACE will be screening two films about fonts and typeface in September.
This Wednesday, September 9th: Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type. One of the the films featured type experts, Mike Parker, and the man who brought Helvetica to the storied Linotype font library, will join us afterward to talk about the film and his work.
On Thursday, September 17th: SPACE presents the New England premiere of Typeface, the new film by Kartemquin Films (Hoop Dreams, Stevie, At the Death House Door). Typeface focuses on the Hamilton Wood Type Museum where international artists meet retired craftsmen and together navigate the convergence of modern design and traditional technique. One weekend each month, the quiet of Two Rivers, Wisconsin is interrupted as carloads of artisans drive in from across the Midwest. The place comes alive as printmaking workshops led by, and filled with, some of the region’s top creative talent descend on the sleepy enclave. The museum is significant to the town’s history, but more importantly, its existence is critical to the worldwide design community who are passionate about the history of their craft and its function in the contemporary field. The film will be followed by a discussion with local typesetters discussing their craft.
Helvetica trailer: (File Not Available)
Typeface trailer: (File Not Available)