There are many ways to get to know a place. Ask a group of people who know Venice; chances are good that everyone has some mental image of the city and its canals. Once again, ask how many have already visited the Venetian capital. Few or no one may have done so. While traveling is a complete way to experience a place, it's not the only way - images of cities, areas and buildings are everywhere, from advertising to the arts, from Instagram to cinema, and they leave deep impressions on our memory and imagination.
In films, cities and buildings are fundamental to the narrative. They can be a simple background, a supporting, or even the main character. Juhani Pallasmaa informs us that cinema and architecture are artistic expressions with a common goal: articulate lived spaces. Although this is not the only point of contact between these two arts, it is enriching for our profession to think in these terms. We design spaces that will serve as shelter for humans. Beyond that, places where life, with all its emotions, will unfold - just like a movie unfolds.
The phenomenology of this reflection brings the image of the house very intensely. It is a place where one can dream in peace, Gaston Bachelard concludes, but beyond that, it is in the house that all other aspects of human life are expressed with more intensity. Thus, one can imagine the importance of the house in the cinematographic narrative: we have, in general, about 90 minutes to know the lives of the character. Therefore, every element presented in the film - architecture, above all - has narrative value.
Get to know six houses through the cinema. The residences are not only locations for the films but also tell the narratives of each cinematographic work.
