Abstract: The Art of Design

The ephemeral nature of the beauty we try to copy vs the lasting impression of experiencing the flow state of creative expression is the endearing and intriguing subject matter, one that the producers explore with varying levels of success.

The first one in the series is my personal favorite for the sheer brilliance of solving the impasse between the interests of toy manufacturers and the urgent need for gender neutral toys.

Highly recommended viewing.

anyone who loves art, or an art student, or an artist has to watch this series... 8 different artists way of thinking, way of living... and how they do and describe their art... a fantastic 6 hours full with art and love and passion... be sure you will not regret... just watch it... and make your kids watch it also...

I went 30 years without a TV and one of the first shows on Netflix that I watched after getting one was Abstract. Very high quality designers were featured so I thought I'd found a show that I could turn to to watch on a regular basis. Then it was discontinued. I still lament that and wish that whoever was producing, directing, writing the show would do it again. There are so few options in the art and design field. If the powers that be are reading this, please know that you would have a following if enough time were given to the show to get the word out.

Season 1 was amazing, each episode was fascinating and the story telling of design is riveting. However, season 2 has become a documentary about people and social issues instead of design itself. This is very sad and disappointing. I can't even finish half of the episode about Ruth Carter who is a costume designer...

Let's face it, these design episodes are meant to entertain rather than to provoke any intellectual thinking. Some designers are genuinely inspiring (such as Niemann and Devlin), it's just that the way the ideas are presented... it seems to tick all the boxes of clichés in terms of what people think of design. I'm sure if asked the right questions, some of the designers will be more illuminating.

The episode most fraught with clichés and posing? Hands down, Neri Oxman. All the superficial citations of well-known figures and mindless mentions of concepts and stories. And all the love for nature without remotely looking like she gives a d*mn about the conservation of it.