In 2002 we were offered an opportunity to make a long-term observation film about the radical expansion of a well-known small museum in the Berkshires, the Clark Art Institute. It was built in the 1950s in a neo-classical style. Sterling and Francine Clark, passionate collectors of Impressionist paintings, had been planning to build a museum for their collection on Manhattan’s Upper East Side close to the Frick Collection. Cold War concerns about...

Life in the megacity is exhilarating and difficult. How do urban spaces enhance or disturb our interactions and intimacy with others? How can we make our streets more accessible by foot or bike, nd make our cities more inclusive? Through his acclaimed urban theories and practices, architect and professor Jan Gehl is leading a revolution to transform cities worldwide.. Nominated for the Nordic Dox Award and the Politiken's Audience Award at the Copenhagen...

The first documentary retrospective of Harry Seidler’s architectural legacy, Harry Seidler: Modernist reveals an intimate portrait of his extraordinary life and internationally recognised work. Seidler is acclaimed as one of the greatest modernist architects. He won every architectural major prize in Australia, is represented in every major city, and was embraced internationally by the likes of Norman Foster (the London Gherkin) and Renzo Piano...

A poet among architects and an innovator among educators, John Hejduk converses with poet David Shapiro at The Cooper Union about the mystery and spirit of architecture. His own sketches and structures are shown.

Muslim belief and tradition specifies that there should be no depictions of God or the Prophet Muhammad. In religious contexts, this constraint on what artists can depict extends to human figures and other living creatures as well. These prohibitions have inspired a rich visual culture based on calligraphy, Arabesque floral designs, and geometry, all of which feature strongly in the art and design found throughout Islam.

A cinematic homage to one of the most distinguished engineers of the late 20th century, An Engineer Imagines traces the extraordinary life and career of Peter Rice from his childhood in Ireland to his work on the Sydney Opera House, The Pompidou Centre and the Lloyd’s Building, to his untimely death in 1992. Marcus Robinson uses stunning time-lapse photography and revealing interviews to tell the story of a genius who stood in the shadow of architectural...

From Nothing, Something profiles creative thinkers across a variety of disciplines to find the common techniques, habits and neuroses that lead to breakthrough ideas. This is an inspiring, intimate, often funny look at the creative process — straight from the brains of some of culture’s most unique and accomplished talents. The film draws a line from a-to-b, charting the journey of an idea from "fanciful notion" to "real world actuality." Featuring...

In his new documentary, photographer Don Freeman explores the homes designed and lived in by notable American artists, revealing the inventiveness derived from the dialogue between each artist's practice and the construction of their handmade homes. Ranging from the romantic (Hudson River School painter Frederic Church's Olana, framing views of the Catskills to echo his paintings), to the futuristic (Paolo Soleri's silt-casted structure Cosanti growing...

10 Towns that Changed America focuses on ten “experimental” towns that did not evolve organically over time, but instead were designed (or redesigned) from the ground up by visionary architects, corporations, and citizens, who sought to change the lives of residents using architecture, design, and urban planning. Some of these visionaries were driven by an ideology, others were trying to serve their own financial interests, but all had one thing...

Over half the world's population now lives in an urban area, and 75% will call a city home by 2050. But while some cities are experiencing explosive growth, others are shrinking.The challenges of balancing housing, mobility, public space, civic engagement, economic development, and environmental policy are fast becoming universal concerns. Yet much of the dialogue on these issues is disconnected from the public domain.