Visual Acoustics

Eric Bricker’s Documentary Film, Visual Acoustics, takes us through the life, art, and inspiration of acclaimed architectural photographer, Julius Schulman. Through interviews, archived video, on site explorations, and playful outlines of Modernist architecture’s history key players, Visual Acoustics brings to light the perhaps overlooked importance of Julius Schulman and of architecture photography in general. Bricker’s film showcases how the legacy of an architect's work really lays in the hands of the photographer. In the opening scene, the narrator Dustin Ho man articulates that “for every person who visits a private house, there may be 10,000 who only view it as a photo”.

In Julius Shulman’s case, this responsibility pertained mostly to capturing the spirit of Modernism which sang through the medium of Los Angeles Architecture. In a way, Shulman’s eye de ned how Modernism’s legacy became instilled for us today. The lm points out his craft in a technical sense, but also his unmet ability to capture that uplifted spirit and personal utopia that Modernist Architects were aiming to convey.

Beyond Julius Shulman’s important work in photography, Eric Bricker’s piece of documentary lovingly displays Julius Schulman himself. There is a sweetness to the story that is told of this man and his work and relationships with some of the greats of his time: Richard Neutra, Rudolph Shindler, and Frank Lloyd Wright among several others. In a sense, Eric Bricker’s Visual Acoustics, will teach you not only about Schulman and the art of architecture photography, but about why you view Modernism the way that you do now. Beautifully, Julius Schulman’s work took that sensibility and froze it in time.