Who knows what fuels the creative process. My wife recently turned to me and wondered how songwriters come up with the tunes we enjoy. I can guess, but there are probably as many ways as there are those in that craft. That said, I can't imagine sitting down with a blank piece of paper (or computer nowadays), piano or guitar and suddenly coming up with music that's entertaining, powerful or meaningful in some way.
Then again, I might have a better chance of that than doing what an architect does. After all, for those involved in big projects, tens or hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake, not to mention people's lives and the potential of permanently changing a skyline, city block, or neighborhood. So what exactly motivates such building designers and how do they proceed from that blank canvas to a finished project?
While it obviously won't speak for all architects, "Sketches of Frank Gehry" makes for a compelling sit regarding that man and his famous and often highly acclaimed works. Among them are the Center for the Visual Arts in Toledo, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. And in watching this film from Gehry's friend, filmmaker Sydney Pollack ("Tootsie," "Out of Africa"), you might be amazed how they came to be. Admitting that it's hard starting and being scared that he won't know what he's doing, Gehry starts out with crude sketches that look like something a 3-year-old might create upon putting pen (or crayon) to paper.
But to him, they're obviously something more and they then turn into paper models that he and his production team create, play with and modify, seemingly almost at whim. Yet, you know the creative process is whirring away in that head, trying once again to infuse art into what was otherwise before him just a rather conservative field. Being somewhat conservative myself when it comes to my tastes in artwork, I can say that I don't "get" all that he does, at least regarding his projects on a whole, completed basis.
Nevertheless, I do appreciate the various elements of his work, including how they interact with their environs including, most notably, an ever-changing light source. Moreover, one can't ignore the fact that at least he's trying to do something unique with structures that still must be fully functional as originally intended. After all, a house of cards might be pretty and fun to build, but if it can't stand up to gravity (and architectural critics), one probably won't be long for that industry.
As a documentary, the film is rather insightful regarding that creative process, as well as the man himself in regards to what made and still makes him tick. The somewhat odd thing, however, is that Pollack -- who admits he had no idea how to make this sort of film before starting -- puts himself into it far more often than he needs to. While one expects that of someone like Michael Moore (who's often the catalyst for what he's trying to capture on film) and we don't mind hearing a documentarian's questions to the subject at hand, I don't think we actually need to see the filmmaker at work.
But there Pollack is, handheld camera up to his eye as he poses his questions and chats with his friend about their individual and similar creative methodologies. It's not a huge distraction, but it almost reeks of a filmmaker wanting to finally get his face on film (which shouldn't apply to Pollack since he's appeared as an actor in many movies).
Through interviews with experts in the field, those who've hired the architect in the past or now live in his personally crafted homes, as well as hearing from the title man himself, "Sketches of Frank Gehry" is an interesting and eye-opening examination of the man, his works, and what makes him tick. If anything, it will certainly make you take note of buildings and their architectural elements upon next seeing them. The film rates as a 6.5 out of 10.
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