(6.1) I’m really torn about this one. Tonight’s installation in the continuing “Portals: The History of the Future” film series is Woody Allen’s ‘Sleeper’ and at this point I have lost all enthusiasm for Mr. Allen*. However . . . the Q&A following the movie will be led by design historian Matthew Bird who is fantastic. I have attended his lecture-slideshows on stamps and also skyscrapers & airships and they were informative and wildly amusing. Bird is an assistant professor at RISD in the Industrial Design department.
Knowledge of contemporary product design and familiarity with manufacturing techniques got Matthew involved as an expert witness in copyright infringement cases. Matthew frequently designs and manufactures custom wares for a wide variety of institutions (including RISD, for which he designed the popular RISD tote bag, umbrella, multiple key rings and even a school tie). His passion for history has led him more recently to focus on design projects for museums. He continues to claim his only true expertise to be song lyrics from the 1930s.
And certainly the Portals series hosted by the Providence Center for Media Culture has been a great addition to the cultural calendar. Here’s the June schedule.
*Read Ronan Farrow’s piece last month. His account has what lawyers refer to as “indicia of reliability.”
Sleeper, free and open to the public, 6pm to 8pm, Wednesday, June 1, 3rd floor auditorium, Providence Public Library, 150 Empire Street, 401.455.8000, (directions)