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- DirectorEric BrickerStarsFrances AndertonWim de WitBeth Edwards HarrisNarrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the worldÕs greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream.
- DirectorNathaniel KahnStarsEdmund BaconEdwina Pattison DanielsBalkrishna DoshiDirector Nathaniel Kahn searches to understand his father, noted architect Louis Kahn, who died bankrupt and alone in 1974.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsBrigitte HelmAlfred AbelGustav FröhlichIn a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.
- DirectorFreida Lee MockStarsMaya LinA film about the work of the artist most famous for her monuments such as the Vietnam Memorial Wall and the Civil Rights Fountain Memorial.
- DirectorPeter GreenawayStarsBrian DennehyChloe WebbLambert WilsonAn architect supervising an exhibition starts to have mysterious stomach pains while his life slowly falls apart.
- DirectorKen BurnsLynn NovickStarsEdward HerrmannPhilip BoscoJulie HarrisA biography of the life and work of the American architect.
- DirectorCarlos CarcasNorberto López AmadoStarsNorman FosterDeyan SudjicThe film traces the rise of one of the world's premier architects, Norman Foster, and his unending quest to improve the quality of life through design.
- 1985– 1h 23mPG-137.1 (1.6K)TV Episode71MetascoreDirectorSydney PollackStarsFrank GehrySydney PollackJulian SchnabelA look at the life and work of the renown architect.
- DirectorMarkus HeidingsfelderMin TeschStarsDirk BaeckerCecil BalmondRene DaalderRarely has an architect caused as much sensation outside of the architecture community as Rem Koolhaas. His outstanding creations--such as the Dutch Embassy in Berlin, the Seattle Library and the Casa da Musica concert hall in Porto--are working examples of the Dutchman's visionary theories about architecture and urban society. But Koolhaas' work is as much about ideas as it is about constructing buildings; he is equally celebrated as a writer and social commentator. For Koolhaas, what is essential is not to create individual masterpieces, but to provoke and excite through the wide range of his activities. REM KOOLHAAS: A KIND OF ARCHITECT is an engaging portrait of a visionary man that takes us to the heart of his ideas. Directors Markus Heidingsfelder and Min Tesch have made a visually inventive, thought-provoking portrait of the architect, prompting Rem Koolhaas to state, "It's the only film about me that I have liked."
- DirectorPeter RosenStarsI.M. Pei90-minute special on the architect. Filmed throughout the world over a two-year period.
- DirectorHiroshi TeshigaharaStarsIsidro Puig BoadaAntoni GaudíSeiji MiyaguchiThe work of Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí, as seen by Japanese New Wave director Hiroshi Teshigahara.
- DirectorPatrick DemersJoseph HillelREGULAR OR SUPER is a fascinating and informative introduction to the work of Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969), one of the 20th century's most influential architects, and a thought-provoking demonstration of the social and artistic contributions that architecture at its best can make to our urban environments.
- DirectorHeinz EmigholzStarsChristian ReinerRudolph Schindler built many houses across Southern California. Today, we ask what the houses say about the architect.
- 2006–TV EpisodeDirectorTad FettigStarsBrad Pitt
- DirectorChristopher TuckfieldStarsRenzo PianoRenzo Piano has intentionally defined no signature style because "each time the story you are telling is a different one, using a different expression." This documentary explores his passion for visual lightness.
- DirectorJason CohnBill JerseyStarsCharles EamesRay EamesJames FrancoThe relationship between Charles Eames and his wife Ray ignited a burst of design ingenuity whose impact on the world can still be felt over half a century later.
- DirectorThom AndersenStarsEncke KingBen AlexanderJim BackusA documentary on how Los Angeles has been used and depicted in the movies.
- DirectorChad FreidrichsStarsSlyvester BrownIrvin DagenElmer Fiedler2011 "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" explores the rise & fall of titular housing complex in St. Louis, examining racism & gov. Policies through interviews with former residents & historical footage. Ft racism, urban poverty & inequality in America.
- DirectorTomas KoolhaasStarsRem KoolhaasA documentary about legendary architect and master provocateur Rem Koolhaas.
- CreatorStan BertheaudMichael SelditchStarsByron MoutonLauren AndersonMichael Lee WongThis six-part documentary series from creators Michael Selditch and Stan Bertheaud follows a group of students enrolled in Tulane University's School of Architecture, a proactive and socially-conscious architecture curriculum, as they design and build an affordable house intended to be sold to a needy and qualified home-buyer in post-Katrina devastated New Orleans. "Architecture School" opens a window onto the art and science of architecture while telling a unique and uplifting story about the literal rebuilding of New Orleans. Filmed during the 2007-2008 school year, the series follows the construction of the third home in Tulane University's URBAN/build program, which offers fourth-year architecture students the opportunity to design and build a low-cost single-family home over the course of the school year. Co-founded in 2005 by Reed Kroloff and Ila Berman, URBAN/build is a partnership between Tulane's prestigious School of Architecture and Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans (N.H.S.), a 32-year-old nonprofit agency that works to restore urban neighborhoods and offers assistance to first-time low income home-buyers. N.H.S. facilitates the sale of the URBAN/build home, and also provides the capital and land. Tulane provides the creativity, expertise and manpower, in the form of the students themselves. For the students, URBAN/build represents a chance to see their ideas realized at an unusually early stage of their professional careers, not to mention a way to contribute to a city still struggling nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina. For residents of New Orleans, URBAN/build offers a chance to own an exceptional new home, one built with their needs in mind.
- StarsDan CruickshankHistorian and writer Dan Cruickshank celebrates architecture as a creative force as he explores the world's greatest cities, buildings and monuments.
- DirectorFredrik GerttenStarsJohnny ÖrbäckSantiago CalatravaA dramatic, behind-the-scene-story about the building of Santiago Calatravas Turning Torso in Malmö. A 190 meter high, twisted residential building which was appointed "worlds best residential building project" at Mipim in Cannes, 2005.
- DirectorAngel Borrego CuberoStarsNorman FosterFrank GehryZaha HadidA raw account of how some of the best architects in the world, design giants like Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry or Zaha Hadid, struggle to beat the competition for the National Museum of Art in Andorra. While nearly as old as the profession itself, architectural competitions became a social, political and cultural phenomenon of the post-Guggenheim Bilbao building bubble. Taking place at the dramatic moment in which the real estate bubble became a global crisis, this is the first competition to be documented, producing an unclassifiable piece of art that may be an intense thriller, an ethnographic report as well as a cult movie around the icons of the contemporary architecture
- DirectorBanksyStarsBanksyMr. BrainwashSpace InvaderFollowing the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
- DirectorMeghan EckmanStarsPatrick BaranJohn BeersChris FarinaHailed as the "most feel-good film" of the South by Southwest Film Festival 2010, The Parking Lot Movie follows a select group of artistic and overeducated parking lot attendants as they wage war against the people who park in their lot.
- DirectorJim BrownGary BurnsStarsDaniel JefferyBob LegareJane MacFarlaneAn examination of the nature of modern suburbia.
- DirectorBen LoetermanThe film captures John Portman's approach in an intimate portrait that, by turn, assesses and appreciates Portman's work.
- DirectorGary HustwitStarsManfred SchulzMassimo VignelliRick PoynorA documentary about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsRolf FehlbaumFrank GehryBarbara Jakubeit"Frank Gehry: An Architecture of Joy" illustrates the unique intertwining of art and architecture throughout Gehry's spectacularly eclectic career. In this portrait, Gehry explores his work of the 1990's including The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum in Minneapolis, as well as his first European commission, the EMR Communication and Technology Center in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. Seeing himself as an artist first, Gehry discusses his early relationships in the art world and how sculpture, painting and small scale work has influenced his architectural style. Like Rauschenberg, Johns, and Warhol, he has introduced "bad taste" into his concepts, while keeping himself outside of the contemporary dialogue between modernism and post-modernism. He has translated the vocabulary of contemporary art into an architectural language of his own, disobeying the rules of his profession and questioning its historic conventions.
- DirectorAlison KlaymanStarsAi WeiweiDan AiLao AiA documentary that chronicles artist and activist Ai Weiwei as he prepares for a series of exhibitions and gets into an increasing number of clashes with the Chinese government.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsPeter EisenmanFrank GehryMichael GravesWhile visiting four architectural practices in 1982, we discuss the postmodernist movement through its meaning and motives. Beyond Utopia: Changing Attitudes in American Architecture features Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, Frank Gehry, Michael Graves and Peter Eisenman, all of whom are protégés of Philip Johnson. Guided by their mentor, these innovators rejected the European modernism of Mies and Corbusier in search of alternative directions. The architects show and discuss their buildings of the time both in their personal offices and on location.
- DirectorChristoph SchaubMichael SchindhelmStarsPierre De MeuronJacques HerzogUli SiggSuperstar architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron must negotiate between two cultures, two architectural traditions, and two political systems to build the new National Stadium for the Olympics in Beijing. Bird's Nest, available exclusively via Amazon Unbox.
- DirectorKathy BrewRoberto GuerraStarsPaola AntonelliBarry BergdollMichael BierutA documentary on two of the world's most influential designers -- Lella and Massimo Vignelli.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsKenneth FramptonPeter ZumthorArchitect Peter Zumthor lives and works in the remote village of Haldenstein in the Swiss Canton of Graubünden where he can keep the politics of architecture at a comfortable distance as he enjoys status and praise for his unique modernist buildings. In "The Practice of Architecture", critic Kenneth Frampton visits Zumthor at his studio where the two are surrounded by models, designs and plans for current and future projects throughout Europe and the United States. Frampton questions the renowned architecture on the motives and methods behind some of his most famous works, including his Zinc-Mine-Museum in Norway and the highly acclaimed Therme Vals, a stunning hotel and spa built over the thermal springs in Graubünden. While walking us through his career, Zumthor discusses his penchant for minimalism, the importance of landscape, light and material, and the architectural theory behind his stunningly precise style.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsÁlvaro Siza VieiraKenneth FramptonIn "Álvaro Siza Transforming Reality", Portugal's renowned architect discusses his work and tours 15 projects with architectural historian Kenneth Frampton, who has referred to Siza as "one of the most important architects working today". In 1974 the end of the dictatorship in Portugal opened up this previously isolated part of the world to current ideas about design, architecture and urban planning. 'Critical regionalism', or the melding of indigenous architectural forms with international ideas defined the architectural revolution in and around Oporto, Portugal. This movement became know as 'the Oporto School' of which Siza is the leading figure. Siza's approach to architecture is centered around the idea that the setting of a building is integral to its design, and that a structure's design should reinforce its surroundings by both enhancing and highlighting its potential. Frampton discusses with Siza his most significant architectural innovations at the actual sites in Portugal, including his large-scale housing project in Evora, the architecture school of the University in Porto, the Teachers' College in Setúbal and the recent Serralves Museum in Porto .
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsTadao AndôKenneth FramptonItsuko HasegawaJapan's establishment as an economic superpower led to a Golden Age of Japanese architecture. Six innovators stand out particularly, fusing Japanese traditions with modern materials and technology.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsSteven HollLebbeus WoodsArchitects Lebbeus Woods and Steven Holl have been friends for many years, brought together by their creativity, philosophy and visionary architectural pursuits. While both are theorists, Woods finds himself preoccupied with bold, speculative designs that push back against notions of time and space, not waiting or searching for any kind of commissions but instead forming his own aesthetical world through the freedom of drawing. This approach stands in direct contrast with Holl's body of work, which consists of many physical buildings both in the United States and abroad. This known order between the two architects has recently been interrupted by Holl commissioning Woods to design a four-story pavilion for his large-scale multi complex Sliced Porosity Block in Chengdu, China. Getting together at Woods' workspace in downtown Manhattan, the longtime friends recall their careers while discussing the current project and their mutual architectural practices.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsMagda ClaesgesSiegfried GohrChristian A.J. KleinA visit to the studio of Ernst Wilhelm Nay, a remarkable, if somewhat solitary German artist, who established his status at age 30, just before the advent of the Nazi takeover. Nay belonged to the persecuted generation of German artists who, just as their work began to blossom, were forced out by Hitler's art dictatorship. Labeling the art "decadent", the Hitler regime called for the removal of Nay's paintings from museum collections and the artist was banned from showcasing his new work. After the end of World War II, Nay returned to painting and worked tirelessly to make up for lost time, producing new pieces year after year and quickly becoming one of Germany's leading painters. Ernst Wilhelm Nay died in 1968 at the age of 65 yet his studio, still intact, offers a retrospective of his work starting from the 1920s. His wife, Elisabeth Nay walks us through the studio, offering insights into her husband's process and creative intent.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsDavid ChipperfieldWhen the Tuscan city of Pisa commissioned David Chipperfield to create a master plan that would bring new vitality to this historic spot on the Arno, an exhibition of selected works produced by him in the last 25 years was also invited. "David Chipperfield: Form Matters" documents the architect as he leads the way through his models, drawings and photographs, explaining his designs in the process. Chipperfield's vast array of international work spans over Europe, China, Japan, the United States and Mexico and as he guides us through his career Chipperfield offers a detailed accounts of his creative direction at every stop.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsAndrea ZittelMonika SosnowskaTheodora VischerAn exhibition at Schaulager in Basel in 2008, curated by Theodora Vischer, filmed with the participation of the artists and the curator. The exhibition 1:1 was dedicated to the artists Monika Sosnowska and Andrea Zittel. The exhibition title, 1:1, refers on one hand to the resulting "parallel realities" and on the other to the actual scale of certain works by Sosnowska and Zittel.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsBeth GillJohn JasperseRalph LemonApart from the work itself, it is the fragile, ephemeral quality of dance that creates a bond of intimacy between a performer and the viewer. Seven choreographers work tirelessly to both question and embrace their chosen form, producing work that celebrates the strange, startling and poetic beauty of dance and performance. Curated by Gia Kourlas. Narrated by the choreographers.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsCecil BalmondSanford KwinterSarah Herda"Cecil Balmond: Visionary Engineer and Architect" is a compelling documentation of a unique thinker and practitioner at the height of his architectural career. Through his conversation with architecture theorist and critic, Sanford Kwinter, Balmond reveals his vision and talent while the two tour his retrospective exhibition at the Graham Foundation in Chicago. Since the early 1980s Balmond has collaborated with many of today's important contemporary architects such as Toyo Ito, Rem Koolhaas and Daniel Libeskind. With his astounding aesthetic algorithms, Balmond has introduced innovative structural concepts that have resulted in some of the most challenging buildings in the canon of contemporary architecture.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsStephanie BarronSabine EckmannDuring the Cold War (1949-89) in both Germanys, the creation of art, its reception, and its theorization were closely linked to the respective political systems: the Western liberal democracy of the Federal Republic of German (FRG) and the Eastern communist dictatorship of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). In reaction against the legacy of Nazism, both Germanys revived pre-World War II German artistic traditions. This exhibition examines the internalization of historic German art, the increasing importance of popular and mass culture, the fashioning of two distinct national identities, and the engagement with Germany 's political and artistic past. By tracing the political, cultural, and theoretical discourses in both German art worlds, the exhibition shows the role of conventional art, new media, new art forms, popular culture, and particular domestic and international contemporary art exhibitions that played a role in the establishment of German art in the postwar era. We accompany Stephanie Barron, curator of the exhibition, and Sabine Eckmann, curator of the exhibition catalog on a walk-through of this critical re-consideration of German post-WWII art. They retrace the curatorial reasoning for the selection of works by artists which would best reflect the key social and political developments on both sides of the iron curtain during those 4 decades.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsPeter GalassiJeff WallJeff Wall is one of the most important and influential photographers working today. His work played a key role in establishing photography as a contemporary art form. Jeff Wall describes his recent work as "near documentary," a plausible account or a report on real or imagined encounters. Wall usually spends weeks painstakingly recreating these encounters and taking many pictures, from which he selects his final image in a critical process. His photographs are mainly displayed as backlit Cibachrome transparencies. In an interview with Sheena Wagstaff, Chief Curator at the Tate Modern, he said: Evaluation of quality is the core of the pleasure of the experience of art; the simultaneous pleasure of enjoying something intensely and of recognizing that it is a good work. I always judge my picture - daily, hourly, all the time. Even though it's disappointing to have to say "that one is not good", or "not as good as that one", it is still a pleasure to go through that process and experience a work afresh. Nothing has been as destructive to the condition of art as the idea that qualitative judgment is unimportant, and that art is important for cultural reasons. Art can only be important if it is good, because if it is good, it pleases us in ways we don't anticipate and don't understand, and that pleasure means something to us even if we can't specify what, exactly.
- DirectorFabiano MacielStarsChico BuarqueCarlos Heitor ConyLúcio CostaA documentary on the life, works and philosophy of a genius and a human being of unique "largesse d'esprit".
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsHarrison FordRutger HauerSean YoungA blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
- DirectorAndrew NiccolStarsEthan HawkeUma ThurmanJude LawA genetically inferior man assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.
- DirectorSam Wainwright DouglasIn rural Alabama, architecture students cross the threshold of poverty to build communities, not just structures, and leave snakebit to make a better world.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsStanley AronoffMichael BarzJay ChatterjeeWith the participation of famed architects such as Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind and Zaha Hadid, Peter Eisenman: Making Architecture Move provides an intimate look into the work of the daring and controversial creator. Filmed in the U.S. and Germany, Eisenman takes the viewer through several of his buildings, including the Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio, while explaining his upcoming projects such as the Rebstockpark community in Frankfurt and the Max Reinhardt monument in Berlin. His predecessors and contemporaries offer praise and commentary on Eisenman's complex body of work including their own thoughts and theories surrounding his unique style.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsChristoJeanne-ClaudeIn 1969, Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped 2.5 kilometers of coast and cliffs up to 26 metres along the coast of Little Bay, in Southeast Sydney, Australia.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsShingo HondaSusumu KoshimizuUfan LeeA documentation of Japanese avant-garde art and artists made during the remarkable economic boom, symbolized by the EXPO 70 in Osaka. To find the right artists, Isamu Noguchi suggested we seek the advice of Shuzo Takiguchi, an art historian and critic who was also a close friend of Marcel Duchamp. Takiguchi in turn recommended three younger critics who introduced us to exceptional young artists.
- DirectorChristian BlackwoodMichael BlackwoodStarsCelia BirtwellOssie ClarkDavid HockneyRenowned English painter, David Hockney, takes us on a visual journey as he shares with us his treasured photo diaries. Consisting of polaroids Hockney has been collecting since 1967, the diaries act as both a tribute and an artist's notebook, often times including images the painter used for his large canvas works. A fine example of Hockney's pictorial inspiration are several photographs of castles he took during a boat trip down the Rhine that were later adapted for a suite of etchings to accompany six Grimm's fairy tales. Seeing his projects long before the work begins, Hockney used his camera to slow time and capture images that would go on to boast his unique style of realism. In David Hockney's Diaries the artist is seen at work on a large canvas of his friends Celia and Ossie Clark and their cat Percy, commissioned by the Tate Gallery.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsJohn CageLeo CastelliRon DavisPop culture and modern media flooded the art world throughout the 1960's, giving artists new means and methods for a cultural revolution. Leading the scene of experimental and avant garde art were innovators such as Robert Rauschenberg, George Segal, Claes Oldenburg and Andy Warhol. American Art in the 1960's follows said artists and many others as they venture through the movements of pop art, abstract expressionism, collage, sculpture and Expressionistic Cubism. Their audience followed along loyally as the artists' dove into new imagery that held a mirror up to society and examined the roots of culture. Narrator and writer, Barbara Rose makes the insightful observation: "As art was integrated into American life, it became more difficult to shock the public. Serious, profound, frivolous, absurd and ultimately tragic, the contradictions and paradoxes of the Sixties were reflected in American art of that revolutionary decade." (Barbara Rose) With no fear of experimenting with new mediums, the artists discuss the inspiration behind their work and the desire they feel to create.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsWillem de KooningMorton FeldmanAdolph GottliebThe band of American artists known as the New York School toyed with tradition and rebelled against the Renaissance. In the early throes of Abstract Expressionism artists such as Jack Tworkov and Robert Motherwell were intent on working from the unconscious, eager to stray from the structured composition of the European work they had studied throughout school. Feeling as though free association yielded their best results, the painters, poets and performers of the New York School took a surrealist approach that was concerned less with aesthetic and more with expression. Those associated with the School were unified by their desire to create from within. While walking through the studios of Adolph Gottlieb, Philip Guston, and Lee Krasner, writer and narrator Barbara Rose notes, "Many were immigrants to America, but slowly they turned their eyes from Europe, looking into themselves and into their own subjective conflicts and experiences. As a result, they created a monumental, dramatic art that remains a singular expression of the crucial modern quest for individuality and personal freedom." Never knowing exactly how their pieces would turn out, the artists of the New York School embraced their own complex humanity and worked from a place of bold, sporadic realness.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsJohn CoplansRoy LichtensteinClaes OldenburgIn the beginning stages of Roy Lichtenstein's career, the artist found himself saddled with side jobs that utilized his creative energy. In the gaps of time between his personal projects, Lichtenstein worked on window displays, sheet metal designs and architectural sketches. It is not hard to forge a connection between Lichtenstein's work experience and his own artwork. When watching the artist map out his creations one can feel these past experiences seeping onto the paper, notably in his precision and line work. Lichtenstein is methodical in sketching out his concepts, stating that most of his thinking "occurs on the drawings". To watch the development of Lichtenstein's pieces is to understand the delicacy and design that goes into each one. While the artist may feel like a staple of the pop art movement, Lichtenstein is hesitant to box himself into one genre and his work showcases a broad scope of styles ranging from abstract paintings to expressionistic cubism. Lichtenstein's most notable pieces are those involving his famed use of Ben-Day dots, with which he creates a comic like image. Through pieces in the early sixties such as Look Mickey and Drowning Girl, Lichtenstein solidified his unique style of painting. Focused deeply on providing his subjects with complex emotion, Lichtenstein morphed commercial art with palpable human energy. He saw the creation of these pieces as way to "take these sanitized symbols and project emotions into them" (Roy Lichtenstein) and in doing so Lichtenstein offered an astute commentary on society's own sanitization of human feeling.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsSamuel FrancisKoyama FujioJoan MitchellDriven by his dreams, the subconscious and the complexities of color, Sam Francis began his career from a hospital bed in 1945. While recovering from the injuries he sustained during his time in the Air Force, Francis felt he was fueled by a force larger than himself and recalls his early explorations of painting and the compelling need to work with his hands. Though often considered to be a Second Generation Abstract Expressionist, Francis did not limit himself to a specific movement. Inspired deeply by the time he spent in Paris and Japan, Francis's paintings seem to evoke both the physicality and spirituality of the places he loved. Always searching within himself for answers, Francis connected with color on an intimate level stating that "a color in a way is a receptacle of a feeling." (Sam Francis) To watch him work is to share in these feelings. Francis allows us to venture behind the curtain and gain rare insight into the mind and musings that surround his work. Enthralled by Jungian psychology, Francis drew inspiration from the often outré scenes he faced in his dreams and in doing so encouraged his viewer to explore their own subconscious. He tells his spectators, "the space at the center of these paintings is reserved for you." (Sam Francis)
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsChristoJeanne-ClaudeWrapped Walk Ways, in Jacob Loose Memorial Park, Kansas City, Missouri, consisted of the installation of 136,268 square feet (12,540 square meters) of saffron-colored nylon fabric covering 2.7 miles (4.4 kilometers) of formal garden walkways and jogging paths.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodThe first chapter in our Masters of Modern Sculpture series looks at groundbreaking work from the brilliant minds that reshaped sculptural art and inspired generations to come. Narrated by George Segal, The Pioneers explores famed pieces from sculptors such as Rodin, Maillol and Picasso. Through historical footage we are allowed a glimpse into the creative process and the thoughtful contemplations behind each work of art. The featured sculptors are now known and applauded for introducing the defining concepts of abstraction, ambiguity, and metamorphosis that laid the foundation for Modernism. Featuring Auguste Rodin, Edgar Degas, Merdardo Rosso, Antoine Bourdelle, Aristide Maillol, Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Jacques Lipchitz, Henri Laurens, Jacob Epstein, Umberto Boccioni, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Julio Gonzales, and Costantin Brancusi.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsArmanCésar BaldacciniJoseph BeuysCentered around the emergence of Constructivism, Futurism, Surrealism and Dada, Beyond Cubism takes a closer look at the artists who ignited the new movements and the alterations of artistic culture brought forth by World War II. Creating out of their philosophy and ideology, artists such as Vladimir Tatlin, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore pushed sculpture to new limits of abstraction and possibility, feverently building on their predecessors.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsCarl AndreLouise BourgeoisJohn ChamberlainThe Masters of Modern Sculpture series concludes with a look at post- World War II America, where sculpture became a deeply innovative art form. Using the objects at their disposal and the inspiration surrounding them, artists such as George Rickey, Claes Oldenburg, and Louise Nevelson cast sculptor in a new light. The New World observes the sculptors creatively utilizing wood, metals, and junkyard finds, bringing forth lively and shocking work. America's remote spaces, discarded objects and abundant materials enabled them to add to the concepts of European modernism in daringly unique ways.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsValantine BargmannPeter BergmannBanesh HoffmannFilmed during the commemoration of Einstein's centennial at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Studies, with former colleagues who provide insight and recollection. The panel includes Banesh Hoffman, Peter Bergman, Valentine Bargmann, and Ernst Straus. An understanding of Albert Einstein emerges, giving the audience a sense of the personal side of one of the 20th century's greatest thinkers.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsJohn CageMerce CunninghamGilda RadnerWatching Robert Rauschenberg interact with his own work, from its early stages to a finished product, is to understand how much of himself he places into his art. Noting that in his first attempts at painting, he used his own hands as opposed to a brush, Rauschenberg expresses to us his need create and be present within his work. Rauschenberg explains how he strays from specific images or items that may isolate his audience and focuses on commonly seen content. Much like his relationship with the materials he finds himself working with, Rauschenberg wants those viewing his pieces to create a spur of the moment connection. He feels as though anything preconceived, whether it be materials or interpretations, throws off the authenticity of art. Rauschenberg states that he "would substitute anything for preconception or deliberateness" and goes on to say "if that moment can't be as fresh and as strange as what's going on all around you then it's false". (Robert Rauschenberg) Strange, indeed, is what a viewer may feel when looking at one of Rauschenberg's notable Combines, in which his art defies all former notions of composition and plays boldly with texture, sculpture and genre. Rauschenberg's desire to interact with his art is palpable and it is that passion that drives us, as viewers, to seek a similar connection when face to face with his creations. Robert Rauschenberg: Retrospective includes important examples of the artist's diverse and extraordinary accomplishments, tracing his development from his student years and his earliest experiments to a retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. From explorative early pieces like Erased de Kooning Drawing (1953) to his famed collage works such as Buffalo II (1964) and Autobiography (1968) Rauschenberg's work stands out with a daring boldness.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsHans BetheJon Bird"Hans Bethe: Prophet of Energy" is a portrait of the eminent Nobel Prize winning physicist who greatly advanced our knowledge of the atom. Bethe discusses the milestones of his career: his student work in Germany, his flight from the Nazis, his work on the Los Alamos Atomic Bomb project under Robert Oppenheimer, and his research on the energy production in stars. In working to help solve the energy crisis of the 1970's, Bethe established himself as one of the country's leading spokesmen for a safe way to use nuclear energy. Speaking in support of a sensible use, he represents a side of this controversial issue that deserves more attention. The film provides crucial insight into this complex issue by one of the world's authorities.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsGraham BealMartin FriedmanBilly KlüverGeorge Segal constructs a type of human form and vulnerability that feels rare in the world of sculpture. As we follow his process at the isolated New Jersey farmhouse that serves as his studio, the intimacy between Segal and his art is contagious. He casts people who he knows, respects and admires, making the final outcome of the piece seep with personality and humanity. Segal is focused on creating a mold that does not necessarily subscribe to society's notion of beauty. Weary of the department store mannequins who root themselves in unrealistic perfection, Segal strives to capture the beauty of individuality and human flaw. By doing so, he gives his subjects and undeniable sense of life. Segal states, "Specific individuals have an enormous complexity, almost to the point of miracle." (George Segal) This complexity is demonstrated to us through pieces such as The Costume Party and Abraham and Isaac, in which Segal creates an overwhelming portrayal of human fear and emotion. Segal also applies his love of painting to his sculptures, using color to portray feeling and to dictate the context within his scenes. Through his bold exploration of body and mind, Segal casts both the physical and emotional trials of human life and presents them to us through a riveting display of work.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsJennifer BartlettDominique BozoPierre BuraglioFlooded with astute analysis and discussion surrounding his motifs, movements, and methods, "Picasso: The Legacy of a Genius" walks us through the artist's timeline and the complex stages of his life's work. Guided by the prolific artists who followed Picasso such as, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein and George Segal, we journey through the artist's spectacularly diverse collection of work from his melancholy Blue Period to the introduction of Cubism. When confronting Picasso's natural tendency to explore and excel at vastly different painting styles, Anthony Caro stated, "I don't know anybody that could change their whole artistic persona so variously and so quickly as Picasso." (Anthony Caro). Always deeply inspired by the poverty and hardships he faced in the early years of both his childhood and career, Picasso did not shy away from the ugliness of his experiences. Following the rapid success of Demoiselles d'Avignon Picasso threw himself into Cubism, creating many of the images that would inspire artists involved with the Abstract Expressionist movement in the years to come. His abstract figures and and settings illustrate the complexities of humanity, presenting inner emotion through his subject's contorted and curious forms.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsHerbert StraussLotte StraussIn 1943 Herbert and Lotte Strauss made the courageous decision to escape from Germany and almost certain extermination in a Nazi concentration camp. This is a personal account of their dramatic flight, building a new life in the United States, and coming to terms with the Holocaust. "We Were German Jews" grapples with the torment of living with the legacy of the Holocaust. The film chronicles Herbert and Lotte Strauss' return visit to Germany. They were not trying to assuage any sense of guilt over having survived; they wanted to confront the past by going back to where they had lived before the onslaught that claimed most of their relatives. This understated, very personal story adds significantly to the body of evidence that explores human behavior in the face of genocide and insists that we remember the past and learn from it.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsGeorg BaselitzSandro ChiaFrancesco ClementeNarrated by critic Donald Kuspit, A New Spirit in Painting: 6 Painters of the 1980's explores the creative paths being forged by a collection of modern artists. Through observations of their pieces and intimate discussions ignited by the meaning behind the work, we gain a rare insight into the minds behind the rousing new wave of painting. Often times dark and daring in their aesthetic, the artists have recovered myth, history, symbols and eroticism to use as subject matter, recharging the gestures of previous generations with new intensity and inspiration.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsBrooke AstorLouis AuchinclossHerman BadilloGuided by seasoned New Yorkers, political figures, and cultural connoisseurs, "Empire City" examines Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs in order to paint a portrait of the ever-evolving metropolis. Appearing to be both adaptable and stubbornly stagnant, New York is a city of juxtapositions. As our narrator notes, "The city is too big, too diverse, and too complex for anyone to comprehend. New York is many cities interlaced with one another, each in constant independent motion." In "Empire City" we see proof of this dynamic through both footage and discussion of extreme wealth, economic success and increasingly expensive real estate versus the hardships faced by the city's minorities such as people of color, immigrants, and the lower class. Leaders and residents such as David Rockefeller, Edward Koch, Norman Mailer, Jane Jacobs, and Herman Badillo offer their insight into the best and worst of New York while tenderly noting the pride and loyalty it's inhabitants hold onto.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsArata IsozakiAiko MiyawakiKenzo TangeRenowned architect, Arata Isozaki creates with a rare and specific hand, blending his Japanese culture and education with classic Western aesthetics. Inspired deeply by the architecture he saw in Europe, Isozaki's buildings appear both grand and delicate, entirely aware of the space they occupy. Of his particular style Isozaki tells us, "Even though my buildings look very Western and not Japanese, conceptually and fundamentally, I feel that I have been very influenced by Japanese traditions, both in architecture and in traditional concepts of time and space." (Arata Isozaki) Arata Isozaki: Early Work in Japan takes a detailed look at the architect's pieces, exploring applauded projects such as the EXPO '70 Osaka Festival Plaza, Gunma Prefectural Museum of Modern Art and Kitakyushu Municipal Library. The extraordinary series of architectural breakthroughs made during this time contributed significantly to the evolution of contemporary architecture worldwide, and eventually gained him his first foreign commission: The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsColin AmeryCharles JencksRichard RogersJames Stirling takes us from Germany, to London, to Boston, guiding us through three of his widely famed museums. Though the buildings designed and created by the established architect contain some of the world's most notable works of art, Stirling reminds us that architecture serves as its very own long standing piece. Influenced greatly by both the European avant-garde and classic Victorian structures, Stirling is bold and daring in his designs. Both his colleagues and critics reject the classification of Stirling as a Postmodernist, believing the term "rogue architect" to fit him better. In reference to his design process Stirling states, "I do not believe that no matter how complex a building is, it should be consistent in its expression, consistent in its scale, consistent in its materials. I think the building can be inconsistent in its materials, varied in its scale, and different in its expression." (James Stirling) With no desire to abide by the rules of a specific and timely movement, Stirling creates with a free and explorative hand.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsColin AmeryAlvin BoyarskyPhilip FinkelpearlDriven by their mutual admiration of classical architecture, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott-Brown have worked together to create a space of unique post-Modernist construction. Filmed during the design and realization of the Sainsbury extension to the National Gallery in London, the husband and wife team discuss their past work and the shared principles that led to their precise, historically inspired approach to modern architecture.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsBilly Al BenstonRon DavisKurt ForsterNarrated by the architect himself, Frank Gehry: The Formative Years explores his long standing career and unique eye. The film looks at a number of Gehry's projects from private homes to complex public institutions, all of which echo his experimental style and vision. Works such as The Norton House, The Aerospace Museum and Loyola Law School demonstrate Gehry's eccentric and distinctive touch. The Formative Years is a survey of his beginnings when Gehry experimented with his own house in Santa Monica, giving him notoriety in the architecture scene.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsArthur DantoAdam GopnikJenny HolzerArt in an Age of Mass Culture pulls back the curtain and takes a look at the cultural climate surrounding MoMA's now famed exhibition, "High and Low: High Art and Popular Culture". Opening in the fall of 1990, the show placed a spotlight on the rapid merging of consumerism and the artistic avant-garde. Curated by Kirk Varnedoe and Adam Gopnik and featuring work from artists such as Jeff Koons and Roy Lichtenstein, "High and Low" ignites conversations of mass culture and our society's ever-changing relationship with the arts.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsIsa GenzkenDavid HammonsMike KelleySince the 1960s, other disciplines, cultures, and artists previously excluded from modernism's privileged canons have become absorbed into an ever expanding field of activity and influence. Younger artists are a new breed of cultural scavengers, anything or anyone is fair game for appropriation or reinterpretation. Fascinated by notions of space, time and the human body, artists such as David Hammons, Laurie Simmons and Richard Wentworth have carved their own path through conceptual art.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsJohn HejdukDavid ShapiroA poet among architects and an innovator among educators, John Hejduk converses with poet David Shapiro at The Cooper Union about the mystery and spirit of architecture. His own sketches and structures are shown.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsJean NouvelAntonio CruzKristian GullichsenFeaturing six young, renowned innovators, The New Modernists: 6 European Architects explores the ideology, method, and influence surrounding modernism. Critic Kenneth Frampton sees this group of architects, working from Seville to Finland, understanding and interacting with the ideas and structures of Aalto, Saarinen and Mies to form a confident new European identity.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsSteven HollTod WilliamsBillie TsienThis installment of The New Modernists looks at nine American-based innovators and their work for housing projects, commercial architecture, private houses and renovations from California to Italy to Japan and beyond. New York architect Billie Tsien, who participates in the film along with her husband and creative partner Tod Williams, states "Making architecture is about the process of making something and the thing, when you are finished, is never perfect, it is always slightly changing, it gets the scratches of the people who move in, fingerprints, it is like life itself, it is not static." (Billie Tsien) The featured architects discuss their methods and efforts towards building on the principles of Modernism while evolving a new language- one drawn from politics, film, literature, theory and the state of the world.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsMichael EisnerToshio HaraArata IsozakiThrough a blend of Japanese history and Western influence, Arata Isozaki has built a career around his boldly distinctive architectural style. Constantly challenging the concepts of space, form and tradition, Isozaki's work dares us to imagine a merging of cultures where artistic movements and methods bind together in riveting new forms. Arata Isozaki II (International Projects) follows the architect to many of his most famous sites including the Barcelona Olympic Sports Palace, Disney's Team Building in Orlando, New York's Palladium nightclub, as well as the newly completed Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsVito AcconciTuula ArkioSteven Holl"Steven Holl: The Body in Space" explores the career of the innovative, highly renowned American architect. In this portrait Holl presents some of his most acclaimed works, including the Makuhari Housing Complex in Chiba, Japan and the Chapel of St. Ignatius in Seattle. Centered around the completion of Holl's Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, the film observes his process and reasoning throughout the duration of the project. Constantly creating through the concept of phenomenology, Holl infuses his work with his philosophy explaining, "Phenomenology, for me, is the study of essences, and I believe that architecture has the potential in the twenty-first century to put essences back into existence." (Steven Holl)
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsPeter AltJulia BollesThomas Britz"The New Modernists: German Architecture for the 21st Century" presents a visit with seven architectural practices at the sites of their best work in many parts of Germany. The eleven architects, all born after World War II, give insight into the situation of architecture and its position in Germany today, a country which played a key role in the advance of modernism. Discussing landscape, culture, structure and form, the architects offer their own views on modernism and what it means for them and their work. On the subject, Thomas Herzog says the following, "Modernism, as an offspring of the enlightenment, represents not just an aesthetic vision, but also a technical one- a deep belief in the potential of the natural and technical sciences." (Thomas Herzog). In their juxtaposing ideas, the eleven featured designers shed new light on the past, present and future of modern architecture.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsGary GarrelsSol LeWitt"Sol LeWitt: 4 Decades" presents an opportunity to accompany one of the great artists of our time on a tour of his work, from his formative years to the present. Joined by curator Gary Garrels, LeWitt offers context and motive behind his 2000 retrospective exhibition at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. A heavy emphasis is placed on LeWitt's spectacularly large scale wall drawings, for which he is best known. Garrels, who with LeWitt, spent three years on the creation of the exhibition, leads the artist through his breakthroughs of four decades, from the 1960s to the present.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsPaul AferiatPreston Scott CohenDouglas Garofalo"The New Modernists: Folds, Blobs and Boxes, Architecture in the Digital Era" approaches the topic of artistic technological advances, and the modern architects who were educated with this new influx of electronic techniques. In this detailed portrait we visit the exhibition entitled Folds, Blobs + Boxes at the Carnegie Museum of Art where ten architect/designers discuss their approaches to digital architecture with curator of the exhibition, Joseph Rosa. By abandoning the traditional notions of aesthetic beauty, scale and proportion, a new freedom has formed amongst these contemporary creators.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsDaniel LibeskindAlan RidingThis extraordinary haunting building, a zig-zag form reflecting an invisible matrix of addresses of Jewish Berliners who once lived in the area, is Daniel Libeskind's first commission. It took ten years to build, and it has become an integral part of the cityscape, attracting vast numbers of visitors and signaling a new era of Jewish-German history. Libeskind is questioned by Alan Riding, New York Times journalist, as he takes him through the building, which was initially intended as a simple annex to the adjacent baroque Berlin Museum. His concept for the new wing, though, was intentionally so incompatible with the main building that there was no way to connect them above ground. To arrive in the Jewish Museum, visitors must enter through the 18th-century building and then descend to underground passageways and "voids," which in themselves give a strong sense of the tragic fate of the German-Jewish population during the Hitler years, even without any exhibitions in place. During this walking tour, Libeskind lays bare to Riding the entire architectural and philosophical concept of the building, an absolutely unique construct of innovation, intellectual prowess, and direct allusions to the lives and work of Berlin's pre-Nazi population of Jewish literati and artists, such as Walter Benjamin and Arnold Schonberg.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsZaha HadidWhile guiding us through her retrospective exhibition "Zaha Hadid Has Arrived", the renowned architect recalls her career from its beginning, discussing her education, inspiration and technique. The exhibition, located at The MAK in Vienna, features a new sculpture from Hadid entitled "Ice Storm" that serves as the centerpiece of the show and captures her sleek signature. From her famed Bergisel Ski Jump to Rome's Museum of Contemporary Art, Hadid's architectural resume shines in its diversity and exploration. A Day with Zaha Hadid reviews Hadid's work of the last decade and celebrates her perpetually modern and daring designs.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsCarl AndreRonald BladenMel BochnerFeaturing notable Minimalist artists such as Bride Marden, Claes Oldenburg and Donald Judd, What is Minimalism: The American Perspective 1958-1968 explores the movement during an explorative exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Los Angeles. Exhibition curator, Ann Goldstein, walks us through multiple rooms of the exhibit and offers her insight on Minimalism and its role in our society, stating that "It marked a fundamental, and critical and pivotal and irrevocable change in the course of art history," (Ann Goldstein). This film observes and analyzes the compelling creative choices behind some of the featured artists most applauded works of art.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsBernard TschumiFilmed at his final lecture as Dean of Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Bernard Tschumi: Architect and Theorist documents a compelling and driven discussion of space, time, and movement. Despite his time-consuming responsibilities as Dean, Tschumi managed to produce an impressive body of work, practicing both in New York and Paris. Throughout the lecture Tschumi cites the theories behind contemporary architecture while giving an overview of the outstanding examples of his own work.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsLaure de MargerieThierry DufreneOlivier GabetJoel Shapiro, the eminent sculptor, was invited by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris to participate in their project series titled Correspondences, the aim of which was to achieve new insights into the complexity of art through confronting some of the museum's masterpieces with ambitious contemporary works. Shapiro chose to juxtapose Jean Baptiste Carpeaux's La Danse, a large-scale manifestation of human sensuality which once adorned the exterior of the Paris Opera. The camera follows the assembly of 20 boldly colored wooden elements, a shining example of Shapiro's brilliant use of joinery, as the artist and two assistants work on putting the sculpture together and placing it in just the right spot in relation to La Danse. The film represents a unique opportunity to meet the artist and experience a rare art historical event as historians and curators question him on the issues of this daring engagement with Carpeaux.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsJoseph MeierRichard MeierNigel RyanKnown for his bold, abstract and stark white buildings, American architect Richard Meier now takes on the challenge of building the Jubilee Church in Rome. Holding the location in high regard, Meier praises the vibrant visual layout of the city and tells us, "Rome is a city of architecture; it's a city of walls and columns and spaces and places and defined places and wherever you look there's architecture" (Richard Meier). Staying true to his signature design style, Meier has created a structure resembling grand soaring sails which appear steady and peaceful as they stand in striking opposition to the city's landscape. Three curved walls separate three distinct spaces: the main sanctuary, the weekday chapel and the baptistry, each with its own entrance. As a contrast he shows us his favorite churches in Rome by his famous colleagues from earlier times.
- DirectorKen RussellStarsHuw WheldonAntoni GaudíA study of Antoni Gaudí's architecture (especially the Church of the Holy Trinity in Barcelona), his sources of inspiration, and his influence on Picasso.
- DirectorPeter CohenStarsRolf ArseniusBruno GanzSam GrayAn absorbing and chilling documentary about the National Socialist aesthetic, and how attempts to create the Aryan Ideal caused the extermination of millions. Aspects covered include: Hitler's epiphany while viewing Wagner's opera 'Rienzi', the rise of the homo-erotic Grecian/Nordic ideal, the parallels drawn between the 'degenerate' art of the cubists and dadaists and the mentally ill/physically deformed, the Nazi obsession with purity and cleanliness, and, finally, the descent of the Jewish people to the level of a virus/vermin.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJoseph Gordon-LevittElliot PageA thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.
- DirectorJulia CaveStarsFrank WhitfordCharles JencksChristopher FraylingTraces the development of the Bauhaus movement (1919-1933) from its formation in Weimar by Walter Gropius to the establishment of the Bauhaus School in Dessau to its last stand in a derelict factory in Berlin.
- DirectorJesper WachtmeisterStarsPeter CookJacque FrescoBuckminster FullerThis film takes the viewer on a journey through possible and impossible architecture projects - from the beginning of the 20th century to today. From concrete illusions of grandeur to round grass covered dwellings under ground. The viewer will meet world famous architects and visionaries like Buckminster Fuller and Le Corbusier and experience their visions and ideas of how to build us a better world. With the help of animations unrealized projects come to life in this documentary that shows astounding visions of a world - as it could have been. Since the end of the 19th century industrialized man has been confronted with new kinds of possibilities and problems, all of which in one way or another are the consequences of a storm of technological progress. Amidst the smoke and wars, architects and artists saw early on that this was a world full of possibilities, with plenty of room for visionary ideas. They were motivated and driven by the problems of the day, be it a shortage of housing, urban decay or pollution. Their visions brought changes in our ways of living and dwelling that challenged our concepts of the good, the true and the beautiful. In this documentary we encounter the Anthroposophist head quarters in Switzerland, the functionalist cities of Le Corbusier and Archigram's projects where pop-art meets architecture. We also meet the self-taught inventor Buckminster Fuller and his light weight constructions, and Antti Lovag - the protector of round houses. Also we visit Habitat 67 - a building conceived from LEGO, Superstudio and their world without objects, Paolo Soleri's crystal like cities in the desert, and ecological housing under ground. Great Expectations is a film about architecture projects and visions which have brought changes in our ways of living and dwelling that challenged our concepts of the good, the true and the beautiful.
- DirectorJesper WachtmeisterStarsTadao AndôSverre FehnKristian GullichsenKOCHUU is a visually stunning film about modern Japanese architecture, its roots in the Japanese tradition, and its impact on the Nordic building tradition. Winding its way through visions of the future and traditional concepts, nature and concrete, gardens and high-tech spaces, the film explains how contemporary Japanese architects strive to unite the ways of modern man with the old philosophies in astounding constructions. KOCHUU, which translates as "in the jar," refers to the Japanese tradition of constructing small, enclosed physical spaces, which create the impression of a separate universe. The film illustrates key components of traditional Japanese architecture, such as reducing the distinction between outdoors and indoors, disrupting the symmetrical, building with wooden posts and beams rather than with walls, modular construction techniques, and its symbiotic relationship with water, light and nature. The film illustrates these concepts through remarkable views of the Imperial Katsura Palace, the Todai-Ji Temple, the Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum, the Sony Tower, numerous teahouses and gardens (see link below for complete list), as well as examples of the cross-fertilization evidenced in buildings throughout Scandinavia, and shows how 'invisible' Japanese traditions are evident even in modern, high-tech buildings. KOCHUU also features interviews with some of Japan's leading architects as well as Scandinavian contemporaries including Pritzker Prize winners Tadao Ando and Sverre Fehn, Toyo Ito, Kazuo Shinohara, Kristian Gullichsen and Juhani Pallasmaa (see link below for complete list and bios). KOCHUU is a compelling illustration of how the aesthetics of Japanese architecture and design are expressed through simple means, and also shows that the best Japanese architecture, wherever it appears, expresses spiritual qualities that enrich human life.
- DirectorMark Richard SmithStarsMadolyn Smith OsborneMark Richard SmithDocumentary about the revolutionary and brilliant Chicago architect Louis Sullivan (1856-1924); his rapid rise to fame, tragic decline, and the ultimate triumph of his creative spirit.
- DirectorBenjamin MurrayAlysa NahmiasStarsVittorio GarattiRoberto GottardiRicardo PorroCuba's ambitious National Art Schools project, designed by three young artists in the wake of Castro's Revolution, is neglected, nearly forgotten, then ultimately rediscovered as a visionary architectural masterpiece.
- DirectorGodfrey ReggioStarsEdward AsnerPat BenatarJerry BrownA collection of expertly photographed phenomena with no conventional plot. The footage focuses on the relationship between nature, humanity, and technology.
- DirectorGary HustwitStarsAmanda M. BurdenRem KoolhaasNorman FosterA documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world's foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.