GIMME SHELTER! NEW STREAMING PLATFORM SEEKS TRUTH BY DESIGN

How the human race fills its earthbound space is the central theme of the new streaming service Shelter, which launches globally on July 31. The brainchild of actor/producer Dustin Clare, the subscription content provider will drill down on architecture, design and lifestyle in its cutting edge exploration of mankind’s relationship with the aesthetics of modern living.

“Design is at the centre of our lives, from our homes and environment, to our aspirations, our holidays and escapes,” said Clare, via press release. “The reality of lockdown has made us re-examine our connection to home, our immediate environment, and the world around us. There are so many films and TV series which explore our relationship to our space [and through] Shelter, we invite you to explore, be inspired, be entertained and most of all, be engaged.” (Pictured, top; a scene from Jesper Wachtmeister's Microtopia)

Shelter has sought creative partners for the launch that share similar goals in the fields of design, sustainability and innovation. Global publishing giants Design Anthology and Green Magazine will host and present content, fronted by trusted personalities such as Charlie Luxton, Dermot Bannon, Tim Ross and Sarah Beeney. (Pictured, right; a selection of the Shelter program line-up) 

A key initiative undertaken by Clare and his team is pairing with Eden Reforestation Projects, a global not-for-profit organisation that has replanted over 300 million trees in nations such as Ethiopia, Nepal, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, and Central America. Shelter will fund a new tree for every paid subscriber that signs on for the streaming service, aiming to contribute in excess of a thousand new-growth plants in the months ahead.

As well as presenting over 200 hours of long- and short-film films curated from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, United States and South America, Shelter will commission and premiere exclusive content. The first of these is award-winning filmmaker Jim Lounsbury’s Inspired Architecture series; six 15 minute episodes that explore such uniquely Australian structures as JR’s Hut in Gundagai, Permanent Camping in Mudgee and Hart House at Great Mackerel Beach. Utilising interviews with both architects and their clients, the landmark series explores the narrative of the buildings and their creators, and draws the viewer into an active exploration of modern architecture and design.

Elsewhere across the platform, subscribers will find such fascinating works as Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s Homo Sapiens (2016), a study of the finite fragility of human existence and the end of the industrial age; Eric Bricker’s account of the life of legendary architectural photographer Julius Schulman, Visual Acoustics (2008; pictured, right), narrated by Dustin Hoffman; Life Architecturally (2012), director Britt Arthur’s insight into the husband and wife team of architect Robert McBride and interior designer Debbie Ryan; and, Daryl Dellora’s Harry Seidler: Modernist (2017), a retrospective celebration of the life and work of Australia's most controversial architect.

Register now for updates and more information at the SHELTER website. Download the SHELTER APP for iOS and Android from 31 July or watch online.

Shelter Inspired Architecture Official Promo-1 from Shelter on Vimeo.