Typeface, and the dilema of art in the Modern (or Post-Modern?) world.

Last night I watched the film "Helvetica" which is a documentary on the type face Helvetica. I'd like to give you an example, but blogger does not offer Helvetica as one of it's fonts. It does have ARIAL (arial) which is essentially a knock-off of Helvetica.

The film is both interesting and superbly crafted. The interviews are informative, the shots are both cinematic and contain a sence of uniformity, which is where the type face Helvetica came from. It was made durning the Modernist movement, which focused on functionality. It is clean and functional, which is very much in the vien of Modernism. This film spurred a long discussion with Drew and I on art, Modernism, and Post-Modernism.

This got me thinking. Many people say we are now in Post-Post-Modernism, while others contest we are still in Post-Modernism. Which is true? If you think about it Post-Post-Modernism would just be a throwback to Modernism, right? And the truth of the matters in some ways a lot of design and art has gone back to the roots of Modernism. Be it conformity to specific rules, use of white space, or the idea that text (Helvetica) should be clean and clear; the text should not show the emphasis, the ad/art/design should show the emphasis.

Some still contest that we are in Post-Modernism, that having progressed this far with art and technology we can only build upon the ideology of Post-Modernism. Drew brought up an interesting argument about Post-Modernism in film. Looking at a director like Michele Gondry one could make the argument he is a Post-Modern director. He acknowledges the intellegence of the audience and our synicism towards the world, but asks us to suspend disbelief and step into a world that is both magical and very "home-made" ("The Science of Sleep" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" both do this). This understanding of irony as well as the look at what is magical and beautiful in the world really embodies the ideology of Post-Modernism. The other film she used as an example of this outlook, this embodiment of Post-Modernism in film, is "Singing in the Rain."

On the surface "Singing in the Rain" and "The Science of Sleep" are two very different films, but there is a kindred spirit to both. These films accept life's injustice and irony but also ask the viewer to look at the world for what is wonderful and magical. These films ask us to suspend the pessimism and synicism of our everyday lives and cherish what we have and what is really important.

But I digress.

Look at the world that you live in. Whether it be Seattle, New York, Stockholm, London, or Copenhaagen, look at the text that surrounds you. How much of it is Helvetica? You would be surprised to see that this little Modernist type face is everywhere and on everything. Your tax forms and W-2s are in Helvetica. "Washington" on the Washington state liscence plate is in Helvetica. Ads, signs, nutrition facts, logos (ARCO, Olympus, American Airlines) all are Helvetica.

For myself I am still trying to suss out what this means in my life. Maybe the Post-Modern foundation I have built my ideology on has slightly crumbled. Maybe it is the fact that I am getting older and that the cold hand of death looms closer everyday. Or, could it be the fact that I have been stagnant and now am awakening to the creative in myself again? I don't know. What I do know is that we are surrounded. Like the Force of the Star Wars saga, Helvetica "Surrounds us, penetrates us and binds us to the Galaxy." Or at least our own little corner of the Galaxy. But it is up to you, in this Post, or Post-Post, or Post Post-Post Modern world, to decide what it means for yourself.