"Architecture and atmosphere certainly form a theme that deserves to be explored both from design pragmatics and from the viewpoint of philosophy, social studies and aesthetics." “Humans are in the process of becoming designers of urban atmospheres”, professor Jean-Paul Thibaud "installing atmospheres", professor Jean-Paul Thibaud “architecture is not about bodies but about space – space as you feel … Continue reading →

Mies-en-scenè = “The arrangement of everything that appears in the framing [of a film].” (http://www.elementsofcinema.com/directing/mise-en-scene-in-films/) Epoche = “ Zeitgeist = “The defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.” (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/zeitgeist) Genius Loci = “the spirit or guardian deity of a place” (http://www.placeness.com/spirit-of-placegenius-loci/) Gestalt … Continue reading Terminology: →

"One might then say there has been an attempt to coerce or stampede society into accepting certain trends which the architect favours, under the guise of making them appear inevitable." - Charles Jencks

Juhani Pallasmaa's "The Architecture of Image - existential space in cinema" is complied of four essays that explore how sets are designed to create the directors desired. He uses the five films as case studies to analyse how particular images and scenes "evoke distinct feelings, characterisations or meanings". As a highly praised and experience phenomenologist … Continue reading “The Architecture of Image – existential space in cinema” →

"A powerful experience of architecture likewise, turns our attentions outside itself. The artistic value of great architecture is not in its material existence but the images and emotions that it evokes in the observer. Behind every moving image of architecture there  is an image of real life. A great building makes us experience gravity, time … Continue reading →

"[Michaelangelo] Antonio uses architecture to emphasise his themes of alienation and isolation. Walls, in particular, illustrate the ability (or inability) of his characters to relate to each other. For Antonio, blank walls - whether concrete, brick or stone - often symbolise mute feelings, an inability to express oneself or connect with others, metaphors for a … Continue reading →

Rear Window is another of Hitchcock's single set films. Hitchcock's calculated thought of every camera angle and spatial and audience awareness makes this ones of his most celebrated pieces of work. Shot, mainly, from the perspective of the protagonist, L.B. Jefferies, the entire film gives the audience a complete insight into the mind and sight … Continue reading REAR WINDOW (1954) →

Hitchcock's love of long take films were challenging in terms of set design. The spatial constraints of a singular set, such as the small New York apartment in Rope, means the set has to work even harder to produce a number of different atmospheres. Of course, the single set works to films advantage in this … Continue reading ROPE (1948) →

Books: Jacobs, S. (2007). The Wrong House: The Architecture of Alfred Hitchcock. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers. IN-TEXT: (Jacobs, 2007) Penz, F. and Thomas, M. (1997). Cinema & Architecture. London: British Film Institute. IN-TEXT: (Penz and Thomas, 1997) Fortin, D (2016). Architecture and Science-Fiction Film. London, Routledge. IN-TEXT: (Fortin, 2016) Schönning, P., Löffle, J. and Azevedo, R. … Continue reading BIBLIOGRAPHY →