Best Visual arts, photography & architecture videos, as recommended on Hacker News

35 videos about visual arts, photography & architecture that Hacker News commenters keep recommending, mentioned between 2010 and 2026. Mostly documentary, talk, demo. Channels that come up most: Kirsten Dirksen, TED, GDC Festival of Gaming, Stewart Brand. Sorted by how consistently HN recommended them over the years.

The most recommended is 8 Bit & '8 Bitish' Graphics-Outside the Box: HN repeatedly recommends it as a master class in limited-palette pixel art and palette cycling, from an artist behind Loom and Monkey Island.

talk8 Bit & '8 Bitish' Graphics-Outside the BoxGDC Festival of Gaming · 13 HN recommenders · 2018–2026
documentary1. How Buildings Learn - Stewart Brand - 1 of 6 - “Flow”Stewart Brand · 8 HN recommenders · 2013–2020
talkChristopher Alexander - Patterns in ArchitecturePeter Petrash · 4 HN recommenders · 2016–2026
documentaryThe Great Wave - Part 1David Bull · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2026
talk!!Con 2017: HDR Photography in Microsoft Excel?! by Kevin ChenConfreaks · 4 HN recommenders · 2017–2025
otherHow To Be AloneAndrea Dorfman · 6 HN recommenders · 2010–2026
lectureMarc Levoy - Lectures on Digital Photography - Lecture 1 (21mar16).mp4Marc Levoy · 5 HN recommenders · 2019–2026
explainerHow to Make an Attractive CityThe School of Life · 4 HN recommenders · 2015–2018
otherVLT (Very Large Telescope) HD Timelapse FootageNicolas Bustos · 2 HN recommenders · 2017–2026
talkKEYNOTE / Robert ErdmannPyCon US · 4 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
explainerwhat did you doNoodle · 3 HN recommenders · 2025–2026
documentaryHow Does Kodak Make Film? (Kodak Factory Tour Part 1 of 3) - Smarter Every Day 271SmarterEveryDay · 3 HN recommenders · 2022–2022
talkBSidesLV 2013 3 2 7 Sixteen Colors Archiving the Evolution of ANSI and ASCII Art Doug Moore BrenAdrian Crenshaw · 3 HN recommenders · 2015–2022
documentaryFrancis Bacon: A Brush with Violence (2017)Wei Yu · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2021
talkJames Kunstler: How bad architecture wrecked citiesTED · 4 HN recommenders · 2011–2024
comedyWhy are we changing maps? (from The West Wing)SaltLakeUsersGroup · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
commentaryGames, Schools, and Worlds Designed for ViolenceJacob Geller · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
documentaryBuilding the Moroccan CourtThe Met · 2 HN recommenders · 2015–2021
documentaryExtreme transformer home in Hong Kong: Gary Chang's 24 rooms in 1Kirsten Dirksen · 2 HN recommenders · 2019–2024
demoMachine with Concrete - Arthur GansonArthur Ganson · 2 HN recommenders · 2015–2025
documentaryOldest US mall blends old/modern with 225-sq-ft micro-loftsKirsten Dirksen · 2 HN recommenders · 2017–2022
documentaryBehind the Film - Inside the ILFORD factoryILFORD Photo · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2022
demoIllustrating Crafting InterpretersBob Nystrom · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2024
talk30c3 - Trevor Paglen - Six Landscapes - 131228 2300KraftZeitung · 2 HN recommenders · 2013–2022
talkSee how the rest of the world lives, organized by income | Anna Rosling RönnlundTED · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2023
demoAI Live Painting in Krita - Interactive updatesAcly · 1 HN recommender · 2023–2025
documentaryGuerrilla Public Service 2011Richard Ankrom · 1 HN recommender · 2018–2025
demoINCREDIBLE ZOOM | Nikon P1000 | Ben Lomond | ScotlandThe Hovering Scotsman · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2023
demostrandbeest evolutiontheo jansen · 1 HN recommender · 2016–2022
explainerThe Art Market is a Scam (And Rich People Run It)Wendover Productions · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2022
demoThe artificial skylight that you won't believe isn't realLux Magazine · 1 HN recommender · 2016–2020
explainerThe British Museum is full of stolen artifactsVox · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2022
demoHypercentric optics: A camera lens that can see behind objectsApplied Science · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2026
otherAll Creative Work Is DerivativeQuestion Copyright · 1 HN recommender · 2012–2022
documentaryLego-style apartment transforms into infinite spacesKirsten Dirksen · 1 HN recommender · 2012–2018