Anton Corbijn tells us about his first documentary ‘Squaring The Circle’ and the power of rock’n’roll art studio Hipgnosis
12.07.2023 - 08:57
/ nme.com
NME about his new documentary Squaring The Circle, which focuses on Hipgnosis, the art studio behind iconic album sleeves from Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Wings, and more.From their psychedelic debut album artwork for Pink Floyd’s ‘A Saucerful Of Secrets’ in 1968 to their dissolution in 1983, Hipgnosis – which consisted primarily of Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell – created some of the most striking cover images in rock’n’roll history.Now, the company behind Pink Floyd’s famous ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’, ‘Wish You Were Here’ and ‘Animals’ covers, as well as equally memorable images for Led Zeppelin, Wings, 10cc, Peter Gabriel and many others, is the subject of the new, feature-length documentary. The film includes interviews with Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, and other key players and is set for a cinematic release on Friday (July 14).NME spoke to Corbijn about the new documentary, the power of Hipgnosis and their turbulent journey from down-at-heels hippies to rock art heroes.“Po came to Amsterdam and asked me to be the man making the documentary about Hipgnosis.
I was very reluctant initially, but when I met him, he’s such a great storyteller. I thought, well, we have this person who could tell stories firsthand with all these record sleeves that are great.
With a bit of luck, we could get the artists to participate and all the ingredients for the documentary are there. I’ve never made a documentary before.
I wasn’t really sure what was needed from me, but I learned.”“In as much as I thought record sleeves were important in my life. When I grew up, that was a major thing, especially if you’re an aspiring photographer.
That’s where I saw my pictures ending, record sleeves, or magazines. I didn’t
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