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Four or so questions to … Paul Barritt

Paul is an animator and filmmaker. He is also the managing director of the theater company 1927 which he founded with Suzanne Andrade in 2005. Their production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”, which is running at the Komische Oper Berlin at the moment has audiences rapt. The Guardian describes their shows as “A perfect mixture of all the things worth loving: silent films, the cabaret of the Weimar Republic, David Lynch, and the brothers Grimm”. Paul will be speaking on Saturday 18 2013 at 16:00 on TYPO Hall. Check here for the full programme.

1. Which work are you particularly proud of? Which work best represents your style or approach?

The best examples of what we do at 1927 can be found on our website.

“The Magic Flute” at the Komische Oper Berlin

2. We chose “Touch” as the theme for this year’s TYPO Berlin. In your opinion, what qualities does design need to have to touch people’s lives? Can you name an example for for design work that had this effect on you?

For something to touch you there needs to be an active relationship between you and it. In other words it must require a certain amount of imagination to be able to appreciate it. It must be a stimulus to the imagination rather than a manipulation of it, something that develops the attention span rather than continually distracting it. A recently released DVD entitled “Anthology of Polish Animated Film” contains 28 very good examples of this.

Paul Barritt

Paul is an animator and filmmaker. He is also the managing director of the theater company 1927 which he founded with Suzanne Andrade in 2005.

Speaker page

3. Is there someone you always have wanted to get in touch with, but so far haven’t? Who do you especially look forward to getting in touch with at TYPO Berlin?

Anyone who has an interest in new ways of opening the imagination rather than shutting it down!!

Watch the video

Paul BarrittThe magic cinema of 1927

4. Required reading/watching: What are currently your favorite interesting/beautiful publications, exhibitions, books, TV-shows, movies, apps and/or websites?

Currently I have been very inspired by the films of Jonas Mekas (there was a retrospective of his work in London recently). I have been reading the french philosopher Bernard Stiegler. He has very many insightful things to say about the nature of the times we live in, particularly the consumerist model of economy we are all suffering under right now. Also, as light relief, the Krazy Kat cartoon strip by George Herriman, put together by Fantagraphics with Chris Ware designed front covers.