Movie Reviews

[Sundance ’23] ‘Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)’: Remembering a time when art and artists mattered

When pigs fly.

January 26, 2023

Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) is an insightful documentary that explores an important piece of music history. Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell formed the innovative design studio Hipgnosis. The duo are responsible for iconic album covers from Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. The duo are also an example of how much the music industry has changed.

Broken down into chapters, the film chronicles the work done by talking with the people that were there. Squaring the Circle includes interviews with rock legends like Robert Plant and Paul McCartney. Noel Gallagher brings a perspective from a different era. The stories behind the covers are entertaining. From how Storm and Po just kind of fell into album design to stories of burning stuntmen and taking photos in the Sahara Desert, nothing ever seemed simple. What was something of a calling card became more of a problem in the late 1970s, even as excess ruled the industry.

For over a decade, Hipgnosis were synonymous with rock music. The covers they created brought an additional narrative – even when there was no point to any of it. Po is a great interview and explains the creative process behind some of the most recognizable works of all time. Squaring the Circle does a great job of making what could be a limiting subject interesting for everyone.

A running theme is how much the music industry has changed. Gallagher is the bridge between when album covers were almost as important as the music itself. His comments being almost interjected into the film in a nice touch. This includes a funny story about him trying to explain album art to his young daughter who is unable to grasp the concept until he shows her a thumbnail on iTunes.

[Sundance '23] 'Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)': Remembering a time when art and artists mattered

Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) is appointment television for all music fans. It does not have the silly beefs or arguments with Ticketmaster that seem to dominate conversation today. Instead, it celebrates the art and artists.