One of the most important jobs in the media, that of the editor, often goes unseen. A well-edited film is seamless in its delivery. There are no awkward cuts or pauses, and the plot transcends time and distance effortlessly. Recently Detroit has been a prime topic of interest both in the national media and in film. With the copious number of photographs and footage of the city circulating the Internet and television, I can’t help but wonder, what is the edited version of Detroit that resides in the minds of the most of Americans? What are the parts left behind on the cutting room floor? (more…)
Last year, our chapter of the AIGA, hosted a very special lecture at the College for Creative Studies in downtown Detroit. Three legends of the Detroit design community – Nelson Greer, Ron Rae and Ed Fella –presented highlights of their portfolios and offered anecdotes about their adventures in graphic communication. First amongst equals was Fella who combines a no-nonsense nonchalance with an uncanny talent for raiding the history of Western Art to create wild pastiches and parodies. At one point in his talk, Fella noted, somewhat pointedly, that he never considered himself anything more than a commercial artist. You could see more than a few creatives in the audience reaching to fidget with their designer eyeware and check their iPhones. The truth hurts. (more…)
Photo by Geoffrey George
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am not from Detroit. I moved here 5 years ago and knew little about the economics or the politics that encompassed the city and surrounding suburbs. My first real education was listening to the 2005 Detroit Mayoral debates featuring then incumbent Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and challenger Freman Hendricks. One of the more memorable moments was the heated debate about the need to demolish homes. Due to the mass exodus over the past 20 years and increasingly poor tax base, the city didn’t have enough money to demolish all the homes nor did they have the resources needed to rebuild. (more…)
