Building Asteroid City

Production designer Adam Stockhausen in person; discussion moderated by curator-at-large David Schwartz

Production designer Adam Stockhausen is responsible for creating the physical worlds of Wes Anderson’s movies. The two have collaborated on every Anderson film since Moonrise Kingdom, and they are both at peak form with the incredibly inventive Asteroid City. In this special screening and discussion, Stockhausen will give an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how the film was created. The sparsely populated locale of Asteroid City evokes the world of John Ford westerns and Road Runner cartoons, and Anderson’s dizzying narrative structure gives us a theatrical production within a documentary within a television production, layered with references to 1950s Hollywood movies. Using set photographs and drawings, Stockhausen will offer first-hand insight into this unique and multilayered collaboration. In addition to his work with Anderson, Stockhausen has also designed films for Steven Spielberg, Steve McQueen, Noah Baumbach, and Wes Anderson.

Screening information:

Asteroid City

Dir. Wes Anderson. 2023. 104 mins. DCP. With Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody. Asteroid City, a fictional American desert town circa 1955. The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.