#1 Read-Watch-Listen

Read

The Shifting Symbolism of the Gadsden Flag

by Bob Walker, The New Yorker

I’m still relatively obsessed with the west wing. After only first seeing it in 2013, I’ve rewatched the series about 3 or 4 times . A few years ago Joshua Malina (starred as Will Bailey in The West Wing) and Hrishikesh Hirway (podcast host, Song Exploder) started a podcast called The West Wing Weekly where they would both recap and discuss each episode with guests and fan fair etc. Between listening to the show and scrolling through reddit the question popped up of “Why does Sam Seaborn have a ‘don’t tread on me’ poster?” It was one of those small things that I had noticed but not given a lot of attention to. You google, get a basic understanding of what it is, make some assumptions about the character and move on. A few weeks ago this article came up and was a nice reminder of watching the West Wing, listening to the podcast, and studying American history and Cultural Studies. It is well worth the read and gives a great overview of the history of the flag, how and why it came about and changed with politics. Most importantly, its main message is how symbols change over time and have more power than we first realise.

Watch

ELEMENT: How Kendrick Lamar Collaborates

Evan Puschak, Nerdwriter1 Youtube

I love Kendrick Lamar - and this video helps to explain why. I realise that the video is more about the music video itself rather than Lamar, but the visuals compliment his lyrics and the emotions you feel (or he wants you to feel) while listening. I think part of the difference between being a singer/rapper and an artist are videos like this. I grew up on music videos and definitely think they are an art form worth pursuing and talking about. It’s just a bit more rare to see one polished enough to be worthy of writing or attention.

I can’t remember how long ago or how I stumbled upon Nerdwriter1 but all of his videos are fantastic and it pains me that I didn’t think to create videos like this while I was at university. He creates videos <15mins all to do with dissecting images, films, books, speeches and breaking down their process or meaning. They’re addictive and this won’t be the last time I suggest watching one in these letters.

Listen

Ep. 308 Curb Cuts

Cynthia Gorney, Delaney Hall & Roman Mars, 99% Invisible

It’s hard to think of a time where sidewalks didn’t have curb cuts. This episode from 99% Invisible might be my favourite episode. The idea of universal design is more prevalent now but for a long time people just weren’t clued in to how a simple design, a curb cut, could make a massive difference to the way people live their lives. There is something about this episode that clicked for me. It made me react and want to tell everyone about it. I know that anyone who listens will just ‘get it’. It’s the reason why I named this newsletter what I did. Have a listen and let me know if it made you look at designs differently!