Prospectus: The Framed Image as a Plastic Space Megan Fitzgerald Fall 2012
ABSTRACT
Table of Contents Research Essay Methedology Frame 1: Program Frame 2: Site Design Probe Bibliography 1
Acknowledgments 2
Research Paper Architecture and film have long since been celebrated for their depictions and representations of space and time. Film moves the observer through a narrative of framed images depicting time and space. The use of architecture in film allows an expressive form to become a means of describing the depth and movement of a space. Film s ability to use architecture as a framing mechanism provides an insight into what is to come and what has passed. Architecture also uses these cues to narrate a movement through space using frames. The experience of space, as a narrative of movement, is meant to heighten our awareness of the built form as well as the environment. In addition to film, narrative is evident in the work of Alvaro Siza. Alvaro Siza s work does not become expressive through ostentatious aesthetics but through the experience from site to form and back again. He provides this provocative narrative through a movement of space and by arousing our senses. This process of movement is also evident in film; it reinforces our awareness of place and the episodic framework of the images presented. The cinematic effect of framing can be applied to a built form in order to achieve a visual and emotional association with the physical surroundings.
The relationship between film and architecture developed during the period of the modernist movement. During this period, Elie Faure derived the concept of cineplastics, 1 to describe architecture on film as, express[ing] form at rest and in movement. 2 Film is typically experienced as a flat medium but is a plastic space to be molded, 3 and defined to create space. Both architecture and film provide a conscious expression of space, revealed through movement, giving life to space. 4 Architecture s participation in film helps orient the viewers understanding of the space by taking on characteristics distinct to specific programs; architecture becomes a character in the film. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari utilizes this technique to personalize and affect the emotion of the moment. This 1920 silent film tells the dark tale of a murder by a somnambulist fortuneteller, Cesare, in an obscure attic space. Although this space is out of place, the attic could be any interior space, but resonates as a dark elevated space with reveals of tight spaces lit by narrow gashes of light from a small, elevated opening. The application of cineplastics is evident in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari for its manipulation of a space by overcoming the forms of 1 Vidler, Anthony. The Explosion of Space: Architecture and the Filmic Imaginary. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1993. p46 2 ibid 3 ibid 4 Vidler p47
the outer world [ ] by adjusting the events to the forms of the inner world, namely, attention, memory, imagination and emotion. 5 The attic is a common space utilized by the film. The action of the murder and attempted murder take place in this subdued atmosphere. The attic utilizes varying shapes of light to disorient the time of the place; [the] attic is out of time, but in space. The roof chimneys of another world arise and scowl through the splintered window-pane. 6 Film has the ability to mold space, as a flat medium, to allow built forms to express a narrative of events that resonate an emotional connection to the spectator. These, events, on screen, are seen in continuous movement, and yet the pictures break up the movement into a rapid succession of instantaneous impressions. 7 Events on screen utilize architecture to mold a flat space to impress upon the viewer real world associations, providing narrative within a single image. 8 The movement of images in an organized succession influences the viewer s association to the space on screen. 9 Ian Wiblin is interested in the ability of images, with 5 Vidler p50 6 Vidler p48 7 ibid 8 Vidler p46 9 Vidler p47
no definite story, to recollect moments that have passed, and what is to come, through formed spaces. 10 The narrative of film influences the use of architecture to define space and is evident in the work of Michaelangelo Antonioni. Antonioni s interest in the image utilizes the absence of the narrative to define space; space forms what is not said or explicit. 11 Ultimately, architecture [has the] potential to express human experience and emotion, by asserting its presence in moving images, or still, to imply the absence of the narrative. 12 In the film Rear Window, a film by Alfred Hitchcock, inserts the viewer into an interior courtyard of a city block in New York City. Our crippled hero, L. B. Jefferies, resides in his apartment peering on his neighbors as they carry out their daily routines. As he peers into their lives he must interpret what the context of the conversation and activities is based on cut and framed moments of the interactions beyond. His line of sight only provides him access to fragmented moments of the narrative. Beyond the obvious use of the literal frame as a means of viewing, the architecture dictates how much and how long we experience the actions taking place. The glimpse of moments effects the viewer s emotion and connection by imposing the possibilities of the events occurring; the lack of clarity effects the emotion of the viewer. 10 Wiblin, Ian. "The Space Between: Photography, Architecture and the Presence of Absence." In Cinema and Architecture, 104-112. p105 11 Wiblin p106 12 Wiblin p111
Antonioni s film L eclisse utilizes the movement of images of built forms to narrate what has not been explicitly expressed. The film uses series of framed spaces to narrate a sequence of emotions and associations. Similar to Caligari s use of programmatic spaces to emphasize the emotions of an image, L eclisse uses succession and movement to narrate emotion and time. 13 These spaces are easily comprehended, within the context of the narrative, due to commonly understood forms. This images follow the disolution of the relationship of the main characters. This image of a floating object may seem insignificant among the lengthy final sequence but it holds emotion and memory of past events. It is presented quickly but the viewer reflects on the moment when our heroine abandoned it in the bucket of water. As the scene goes on the object moves to the bottom as the water leaves its container. This moment is representative of events past and symbolic in its own entity. Movement, on screen, allows a succession of spaces to enhance our experience of a narrative. Architecture also provides movement as a passage of space to narrate a transition from place; a procession from the exterior to the interior built world still provides a visual association to the place one started out from. This narration through a physical realm is expressed in the work of Alvaro Siza. Rafael Moneo critically examines 13 Wiblin p112
Siza s work as architecture at its purest, 14 to provide an experiential space. In particular Siza s swimming pool in Leca da Palmeira allows the environment of the building to be captured and emphasized. 15 He uses the building as a control to express important moments of the site context. 16 The building does not overtake the site but rather becomes a transition of place from the busy city to the water. The simple form exists in the landscape to guide and move inhabitants through space of enclosure and openness. We move through space unaware of moments that are expressive of a place. Architecture can allow these moments to be held stagnant to evoke the atmosphere of a place. Movement is paused, each pause framing moments of importance to express a collective narrative of place. The pool provides an awareness of place with a procession from one realm to another without a hint of destination but rather with reveals of the site which one moves through unconsciously. Cinema, on the contrary, utilizes movement to be expressive of a situation; movement narrates the sequence of space. Absence in an image is expressed through the formation of space and the movement of the images in an ordered narrative. Although space is formed to narrate a story, it is the belief of author Walter Benjamin, that 14 Moneo, Jose Rafael. "Alvaro Siza." In Theoretical Anxiety and Design Strategies, in the work of eight contemporary architects, 200-251. Barcelona: Harvard University Graduate School of Desing, 2004. p200 15 ibid 201 16 ibid 203
the images we view have transitioned film from a plastic medium 17 to a [collective] mode of distraction. 18 Benjamin s outlook on film, as a collection of distraction, is expressed in Mark Lamster s Architecture and Film. Distraction is a means of expressing moments sporadically to describe how we experience a space, in comparison to art as a prescribed method of viewing. 19 Benjamin suggests that both film and architecture provide movement to our perception through distracting images, enhancing our experience. Jacques Tati s film Playtime emphasizes the ability of film to provide a narrative of a, dialect of attention and distraction. 20 The film utilizes techniques in the framing of space to prohibit the audience from a state of complete absorption. Architecture is manipulated using cinematic devices, such as the manipulation of our peripheral view, to activate our sense of space and, counteract the illusion of depth. 21 In some instances the film includes, minor disturbances and comic business occurring simultaneously in various planes within the frame counteract[ing] the illusion of depth, creating a curious spatial effect akin to entrances and exits. 22 17 Vidler, Anthony. The Explosion of Space: Architecture and the Filmic Imaginary. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1993. p46 18 Lamster, Mark. Architecture and Film. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000. p184 19 ibid 20 Lamster p185 21 Lamster p186 22 ibid
Jacques Tati s character, Hulot, is the distracted spectator through exaggerated comic relief. His comic movement directs the audience to follow along within a chaotic environment. He holds the viewer within a space of depth and distraction manipulated by the activity in our peripherals. These sporadic movements on and off screen narrate transitions in place that further alter our perception through space. Architecture also manipulates our perception of place through an episodic narrative derived from individual movement and experience. Architecture does not absorb, or remove, the inhabitant from the context of place but rather utilizes sporadically framed moments to orient and describe one s association to the environment of the built form. Movement is also subjective based on the inhabitant, changing the order of the narrative. Siza s work holds true to this experience stating, each of my designs seek to capture, with the utmost rigour, a single concrete moment of a fleeting image, in all its nuance. To the extent to which one manages to capture that fleeting quality of reality, the design will emerge more or less clearly, and the more precise it is the more
vulnerable it will be. 23 Siza s architecture is enhanced and momentous due to the framed moments of the fleeting image. Siza utilizes framed moments as one passes through space to emphasize a moment beyond. This narrow gash highlights a point in time that allows the inhabitant to orient their position and dramatize the narrative of place. The relationship between architecture and film has primarily been focused on architecture s presence on film to define and manipulate space. Additionally, architecture began as part of the story of the film but the relationship between film and architecture extends beyond the story; through the methodologies of creating a narrative these two visual mediums utilizes similar techniques to manipulate ones perception. The relationship between these two mediums also goes beyond depiction; the effects evident in film used to alter perception and influence emotional connections can also be applied in the experience of architecture. Film s ability to move and move us is a vital element in the crafting of space. 24 Martin Seel investigates the formation of space, in both architecture and film, and our experience through perception, emotional and visual 23 Moneo p203
associations. A relationship of spaces, interior passages, and interior and exterior connections, opens the inhabitant to the surroundings that define the narrative. 25 The narrative of film or architecture can only be understood through movement. Film is a moving space [while] architecture is a space of physical movement, 26. Although these spatial forms of art utilize movement differently, they both provide a narrative to provide a deeper, and complete, understanding of the intent and plot. Movement gives rise to the scenes in which their stories take place [ ] we dwell with our senses, without really being in the world. 27 Without movement the experience set before us by the transition of framed spaces would be lost. The movement we provide then effects us visually, emotionally and sensory. Film provides a stable, ordered movement that is, independent of the position of the viewer. 28 The inhabitant determines movement in architecture; it can vary or be similar to that of another. Further, the movement that is implied, or experienced, evokes emotion determined by the framed moments that capture the environment or setting. The use of movement provides an understood relationship between interior and exterior spaces. 24 Seel, Martin. "Film as Architecture." In Paradozes of Appearing: Essays on Art, Architecture and Philosophy, edited by Henrik Oxvig and Michael Asgaard Andersen, 112-118. Baden: Lars Muller Publishers, 2009. p112 25 ibid 26 Seel p113 27 Seel p115 28 Seel p116
One of the most prominent scenes, in film, utilizing an openness and connectivity to space is the final scene of John Ford s film, The Searchers. 29 Shot from the interior of the house, the viewer is inserted into the frame looking out onto the vast landscape that exists as the background for John Wayne. The interior is framed by darkness but quickly fills the void of the exterior world. This scene is a composition of framing in which the events of the story are subjected. Our perception of the space is manipulated by the expanse of the landscape being ordered into a framed image. The landscape continues beyond but only being provided a systematic decision to hold the viewers attention halts the movement. The frame insinuates the landscape as a space to move towards but it is the frame that holds what is happening in the space; the absence of movement is the action in the moment on screen. Image depicts our visual perception of a space. The expression of image as a narrative device has commonly been used in the work of film. Using architecture in film to mold space is a means of bringing awareness to the events of the story. Film also utilizes architecture to mobilize the viewer through a series of events. Film s use of movement enhances our experience of the narrative. Image is captured and represented through the cinematic device of framing. Framing a space influences the events of a place and moves the viewer, 29 Seel p118
physically and visually. Architecture also embodies this technique in order to orient the inhabitant within the built form. This becomes evident in the work of Siza; he emphasizes moments that are quickly passed in movement and pauses these instances. The use of framing in architecture acknowledges the environment providing distinct narratives to the inhabitants that move though the space. Utilizing this cinematic effect a visual and emotional connection is established to enhance the experience of place.
Methedology The process of framing a thesis allows one to orient their methodologies. Frames can begin to answer why with explorations of design solutions. The juxtaposition of methodologies provides a deeper understanding of a broad exploration. The uses of program and site have been vital in understanding the relationship of film and architecture.
Frame 1: Program Narrative and Images: As a preliminary approach to developing an appropriate program, the exploration of an episodic experience through framed moments was developed. To avoid applying a program to solve the thesis, an abstract experiential approach initiated a written narrative of the intent of place: A familiar site announces its presence. She moves through thick and thin to discover a transition in place. Sound is transformed and an overwhelming sense of insecurity sets in. Desire to discover draws her further through this narrow passage, pronounced by a quick decent. Guided by a bend, lit by a narrow gash, she is inserted into a moment in time. A brief pause defined by edges is broken by an untouchable landscape beyond. Her decision to move forward leaves no question. Darkness is momentary as she finds escape through a sensory passage of changing tones. Warmth. Light. Reflection. Once again her path is set like a stage waiting to be given life. She provides character to the stagnant domain set by an eclipsed backdrop of the familiar setting. Light breaks the enclosed form, trickling down like the start of rain. She finds her passage out, still obscured by an overhanging guide. At last! Like the crescendo of an overture she emerges into an unforeseen world. Her discovery, like the answer to a mystery, is a pleasant awakening. She reflects on her journey and attempts to trace the change from the familiar world above of chaos to this decadent escape adorned by light, a vast sense of space and moments of peace. Coupled with this narrative, images were created to visually represent distinct moments within the text that hold the essence of the inhabitable form.
Perception: As one moves through space perception of place, in relation to the overall site, is altered and varied. Each individual who inhabits a space has the potential to have a unique narrative as they move from exterior to interior, and back again. The transition of place also manipulates what is viewed and hidden and what guides the individual to move from uncertainty to clarity. This model manipulates the perception of what is visible and the remnants that remind the viewer of the original image beyond. With the movable pieces, each interaction with the model alters the narrative of visibility and clarity.
Storyboard: Through the technique of a film storyboard, an abstraction of framed moments narrates the experience of a frame and defines the potential of the frame. Although this study does not apply the depth that film utilizes, it clarified the need to introduce time, association, orientation, and movement. The potential in the frame lays in its ability to reveal a moment, hint at what is to come, and guide the inhabitant.
Narrative Transitions: Film s use of a frame is enhanced with a transition from one framed moment to another, initiating what is in the foreground, middle ground and background, as well as what is in view or beyond. The movement of frames guides the inhabitant with glimpses to the site and built form to narrate movement. The views and movements are sometimes seamless and others are cuts but easily understood as transitions. Ensembles of spaces crafts a space for spaces by forming transitions and passageways [ ] views to the outside and views into the inside. In this way the locations it creates corresponds to one another-not only internally, but also externally [ ]. In short a building corresponds to everything that constitutes the surroundings to where it opens itself. (Moneo)
Frame 2: Site Framing Site: Clarity, of the possibility of the effect of the frame, initiated the introduction of site. Eliminating the abstract and providing a location introduced a new layer to the narrative one experiences. Narrating a transition in place reminds the inhabitant of their journey, unique to each. The varying site conditions provide depth of place and the journey is interchangeable.
Site Criteria and Exploration: As a secondary investigation, in the development of the relationship of film and architecture, site criteria evolved supplementary to determining the experience of program. The site criteria desired for applying the experience are: a historically and culturally prominent urban location, with consideration to the development of architecture and film, a green landscape with changing topography to sectionally enhance the space, a visual connection to the city skyline, a relationship to water, and a location with changing seasons. These conditions can improve the experience of a frame and provide changes in visual and audible connections, manipulating the narrative one experiences when approaching the built form and when moving through the built form. With these criteria in place, the process of elimination, to determine location and place, became clear. Sites: Jamaica Pond vs. McConnell Park Jamaica Pond and McConnell Park provide a green escape for recreation and leisure for the dense urban surroundings. These successful spaces have similar qualities but differ in their relationship to the city of Boston. Both green spaces boarder the city of Boston and provide topography changes with a relationship to a body of water. Although the key site criteria elements are evident Jamaica Pond provides seclusion to the city while McConnell Park brings the city to the site with a clear visual connection. McConnell Park does not remove the inhabitant but brings awareness to the entrance to the city with its connection to a main interstate, 93, and the commuter rail. These busy passages of circulation and the activities of the yacht club and surrounding community enhance the experience of the narrative.
Jamaica Pond McConnell Park