Edmonton Design Week is hosting the Canadian premiere of What Are People For?, Gary Hustwit's new documentary about Edmonton-raised design pioneer Patrick Whitney. Hustwit also directed Helvetica, Objectified and the Oscar-shortlisted Eno.
Whitney spent nearly three decades as Dean of the IIT Institute of Design in Chicago. His work there changed how design is taught and used around the world. The film follows his central idea: design is most valuable when it takes on problems bigger than any single product, from healthcare systems to civic infrastructure.
After the screening, Whitney and his longtime collaborator André Nogueira take the stage at the Citadel's Zeidler Hall, joined by local design leaders, for a live discussion of the ideas in the film.