Film review: Mau examines the life of an iconic Canadian designer

Sudbury’s Bruce Mau has had a number of what might be deemed successful failures

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It’s easy to imagine an edit of Mau, a new documentary about Canadian design icon Bruce Mau, that makes him out to be an abject failure. Not to take away from the man’s accomplishments and genius, both of which are towering, but some of his more grandiose plans have fallen a little short of their goals.

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Look at his commission to redesign Mecca, the holiest site in the Muslim world. Asked for a 10-year plan for its development, he countered that a thousand-year timeframe would make more sense given the importance of the location.

Then there was bizarre call he took from officials in Guatemala, suffering from a decade of civil war and asking him to help restore the country’s ability to dream. He suggested adding an “A” to its name, changing Guatemala (mala means bad) to Guate-amala (amala means to love). He also had a plan to take his Massive Change exhibition to China.

The Mecca project fell apart over concerns about a non-Muslim leading the charge. In Guatemala he was accused of being a CIA plant. And the China coproduction disintegrated due to worsening relations between China and Canada. Nevertheless, as the documentary from Austrian filmmakers Benjamin and Jono Bergmann makes clear, in each case the project’s failure masked a smaller success, like the Muslim designers now considering aspects of Mau’s plan in their own work, or the 20,000 Guatemalan volunteers who signed up to help spread Mau’s positive message.

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The 78-minute film whisks us through Mau’s early life – born and raised in Sudbury, he briefly studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto before moving out into the wider world. And to be honest it continues in the same breezy vein, occasionally dropping slogans that seem to have been printed on buttons. Break through the noise. Think forever, design for perpetuity. Think like you are lost in the forest. And so on.

It’s not the deepest dive into Mau’s life, but it is an exciting primer on the man and his methods. Mau has said that one of his desires is to help put the tools of design into the hands of everyone. By that thinking, what you take away from Mau, and what if anything you decide to do with it, is entirely up to you.

Mau opens May 20 in Toronto and Vancouver, May 23 in Ottawa, May 27 in Waterloo and Hamilton, June 2 in Sudbury (Mau’s hometown!) and June 21 on demand.

3.5 stars out of 5

Sudbury’s Bruce Mau has had a number of what might be deemed successful failures

Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.

Article content

It’s easy to imagine an edit of Mau, a new documentary about Canadian design icon Bruce Mau, that makes him out to be an abject failure. Not to take away from the man’s accomplishments and genius, both of which are towering, but some of his more grandiose plans have fallen a little short of their goals.

Article content

Look at his commission to redesign Mecca, the holiest site in the Muslim world. Asked for a 10-year plan for its development, he countered that a thousand-year timeframe would make more sense given the importance of the location.

Then there was bizarre call he took from officials in Guatemala, suffering from a decade of civil war and asking him to help restore the country’s ability to dream. He suggested adding an “A” to its name, changing Guatemala (mala means bad) to Guate-amala (amala means to love). He also had a plan to take his Massive Change exhibition to China.

The Mecca project fell apart over concerns about a non-Muslim leading the charge. In Guatemala he was accused of being a CIA plant. And the China coproduction disintegrated due to worsening relations between China and Canada. Nevertheless, as the documentary from Austrian filmmakers Benjamin and Jono Bergmann makes clear, in each case the project’s failure masked a smaller success, like the Muslim designers now considering aspects of Mau’s plan in their own work, or the 20,000 Guatemalan volunteers who signed up to help spread Mau’s positive message.

Article content

The 78-minute film whisks us through Mau’s early life – born and raised in Sudbury, he briefly studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto before moving out into the wider world. And to be honest it continues in the same breezy vein, occasionally dropping slogans that seem to have been printed on buttons. Break through the noise. Think forever, design for perpetuity. Think like you are lost in the forest. And so on.

It’s not the deepest dive into Mau’s life, but it is an exciting primer on the man and his methods. Mau has said that one of his desires is to help put the tools of design into the hands of everyone. By that thinking, what you take away from Mau, and what if anything you decide to do with it, is entirely up to you.

Mau opens May 20 in Toronto and Vancouver, May 23 in Ottawa, May 27 in Waterloo and Hamilton, June 2 in Sudbury (Mau’s hometown!) and June 21 on demand.

3.5 stars out of 5