The cinematic in architecture

Abstract

The catalyst for this research is current theory on film and architecture. Jean Nouvel, and many other contemporary architects, posit that architecture and film have a correlation. Jean Nouvel states that, "Architecture and Cinema are very close. Architecture exists like film in a dimension of time and movement" (Connolly, D 1993 pg 14). Nigel Coates takes the position of montaging in architecture, collating many different craftspeople together to create a juxtaposed, chaotic space redolent of our time; a time involved with dynamism, technology and change, much like film. Bernard Tschumi uses the notion of storyboards creating narrative, event-charged architecture very suggestive of film in works such as The Manhattan Transcripts. The notions of film and film watching, and whether the elements and factors of each can shift to architecture will be discussed. No particular films will be looked at, rather I will focus on the process of film construction and viewing. Film is a multiplicity of images being presented to the viewer, fast, at 24 frames per second. Architecture viewers and users set their own pace and time, focusing on architectonic areas of personal interest. The tectonics of film are examined in this report and whether the issue of their transcribing into architecture is a valid concept. The element of control fabricated by the architect and the cinemaker are important notions to analyse when comparing film and architecture. The issues of cinema and the issues of architecture are not always comparable. The purpose of this paper is to suggest that architecture and cinema are not consanguine to one another. Each have their own agenda's and as such produce different results.