Perhaps you've read the criticism of self amusement with toys as "Cartman's Tea Party"

On the positive side of presenting .... Check this out
https://www.frameweb.com/article/why-hbo......-deserve

But he does set a new benchmark for what would impress when taking out ones toys to amuse an audience.

As a guy who spent his career in design -- theatre, architecture, and entertainment -- I think this is bull.

Design is about solving problems; art is about expressing yourself. There's a place in the world for both, but the mentality and the purpose for the final result are different. I could go on about this all night, and yes there's overlap between the two, and yes some of the same skills are applicable to both, yadda yadda yadda, but it comes down to do you want to do your own thing or do you want to work with others to solve problems.

Back in my architecture days, I had to work with many architects who were far more interested in how the building looked (the monument to themselves) than in whether it would serve the needs of the people working inside it. It irritated the crap out of me but there was nothing I could do about it. It's so easy to solve the problem first and then enclose it in a galaxy-shaking envelope, but no, they had to do the monument first and then (try to) squeeze its purpose into it. They weren't designers: they were artists and wanted to do their own thing regardless.

@George, folks,

I agree that form follows function as set by what you described as "problems". This is not about monuments or designers needing to show their shapes. When the shape does not serve the problem - it serves the artist... and maybe not the audience, the space, or the context.

The author claimed some shows on Netflix could have looked better and lauds the HBO comedy special. The set worked for the performer.

Have you seen Julio Torres's comedy special? He does much more to present his "shapes" than most in magic do to introduce their odd props. In his case, he designed the set and conveyor belt to get the items into focus and move them on. He set the problems . The design team worked from there and the set looked great.

Julio is the focus here for getting his props onstage and giving them context in a way that engaged the audience. Imagine how that could work when the props are used in magic.

Bravo Julio!

It’s all about the circumstances, as Steve Forty says.

In my experience, hustlers, create their own circumstances; steer games etc, are shaped to fit the bill. The suckers lured into playing, tend to go along with the setup, the hustlers’ procedures and so on.

So, anyone look at his comedy special?