I have no interest whatsoever in reality TV. Therefore, I am not the best person to comment upon Lori Hamilton’s Project Spudway, an animated show with lessons from Project Runway told through potatoes. I had to look up Project Runway to find it is an American reality television series focusing on fashion design. Not much interested in fashion either but am aware that it is an area ripe for satire featuring egomaniacs with a ridiculous sense of their own importance. So very different from theatre.
The animation in Project Spudway is crisp and clear—the characters are cut-out figures with limited mobility but strong personalities. Presenter Christian Siriano tries to defend the fashion industry against accusations of promoting obsession with size and weight and emphasises the need for balance with those people who just want to look good. He dismisses the judges on the Panel in a condescending manner, explaining they get confused if designs are too conceptual.
None of those involved seem models of good mental health or even moderately talented. A self-harming borderline hysteric bitches about fellow contestants. A dim-witted designer claims she could design clothes for russet potatoes, but they look so much better on slender French fries. A designer is unable to sew, which one would have thought was a drawback in that profession.
The impact of Project Spudway might not last over a long running time but as a short, sharp dig at the fashion industry it hits home.