IMAGING THE SPACE OMID KHEIRABA- DI THESIS INDEX Master of Arts in Interior 4 Introduction Architecture 6 Appropriation of the reality Maastricht Academy of 16 Subjective matter Architecture Faculty of Arts 29 Interior drama Zuyd University of Applied 39 Conclusion Sciences 41 References Referent: Drs. Marion Zwarts 44 List of figures 46 Bibliography 2018-2019 INTRO- DUCTION figure 1 INTRODUCTION IMAGING THE SPACE Loos belonged to the generation of Last year on my birthday, I architects before the second world war received a gift that changed my idea and Le Corbusier, although started his of writing the master’s thesis. It was career earlier, to the after-war generation John Berger’s book “Understanding a who were influenced by Loos. After Photograph”. I was familiar with Berger’s visiting Villa Muller, by Loos, in Prague, work from his BBC series, “Ways I realized why he was always against of Seeing”, where he flirts with the images of architecture and proudly boundaries of what an art piece or what said his spaces are ineffective in two a commodity and object are. His writings dimensions. Adversely, after visiting Le on images and photography are not Corbusier’s Villa Savoye, I was almost actually only about seeing but also about shocked because of what I had seen how the world and is being seen and before from the images of Villa Savoye perceived by us in different manners. and what I experienced by actually being While reading the “Understanding a in the space. Photograph” about various ways that a photograph can be interpreted, I thought Loos in his essay “The Principle of that architectural spaces can be highly Cladding” (1898) writes: “There are influenced by photography and the way architects who work in a different they are photographed. Or better to say way. Their imagination doesn’t form that the representation of architectural spaces, but mass. Whatever the mass spaces can be deceiving for the viewers of wall leaves over, are the spaces”. and can actually work as “Propaganda” This fragment makes a fundamental for the innocent architects behind their difference which is the main subject of desks! What are we are faced with when this comparison between Loos and Le we are presented by representations Corbusier. This difference is closely of architectural spaces? How can we concerned with the way in which space be sure next time when we are looking is experienced. On the one hand, at some colorful Instagram posts from spaces in which the entire body can famous architectural firms that we are not dwell - all the senses being involved; being directed to see some qualities that on the other hand, spaces where there actually don’t exist? is perhaps only room for the roaming eye. Spaces for use as opposed to 1 This phenomenon doesn’t begin with spaces for looking at . But this doesn’t Instagram as some might imagine but mean that Loos himslef didn’t use goes back to the history of architecture. images of spaces for his own purposes. As long as there have been architects and architectural drawings, people were Firstly, I’d talk about appropriation of being faced by the representation of reality through images and films, then spaces, but not the real space until the in the second and third chapters, I will buildings were built and commissioned look at how Le Corbusier and Loos were paid. The qualities of spaces cannot used images in the presentations of their be judged only from the drawings. Two work. In the end, I want to see whether great opposing examples of this can architecture today is really suffering from be seen in the different architectural some sort of widespread diseases or style of Adolf Loos and Le Corbusier’s. not. A visual disease. 5 figure 2 APPRO- PRIATION OF THE REALITY figure 1 APPROPRIATION OF REALITY IMAGING THE SPACE figure 2 figure 3 capture something first hand and special importance, interest, beauty. (“That has involved himself in the action which The limitations of images for for the first time in his career. In this would make a good picture.”) Cameras is going on in front of the camera, that is making the reality as it actually is quite footage (figure 1) he is trying to encourage implement an industrial view of reality by why this scene is really important. The obvious , but here I wanted to have an the man in white to fight with the guy in gathering information that enables us to cinematographer is actively trying to example in which these constraints are black. It seems that nothing matters to make a more accurate and much quicker change what is happening in front of his more visible, “The Cameraman” (1928), him except what he is going to shoot, response to whatever is going on. The camera, an active effort to change the a silent movie by Buster Keaton (the there is no question of morality or response may, of course, be either reality. He is filming for the news agency movie was directed by Edward Sedgwick humanity; a film should be made whether repressive or benevolent: military and for the sake of a report to people and Keaton himself which is uncredited). some people hurt or even destroy each reconnaissance photographs help snuff who weren’t there themselves, but in this Buster in this movie is a clumsy other. And as soon as they start fighting, out lives, X-rays help save them.”1 And case, the reality is being appropriated. cameraman who is working for an MGM Keaton without showing any emotion in here interestingly, Keaton tries to have a He is filming his own version of the reality news agency and now is in love with a his expressions begins to film them as picture of a probable murder, although that he himself appropriated. girl who works there as a secretary. He’s nothing happened a few seconds ago. we know that this is a comedy and trying to get closer to her by finding a job (figure 2). Not expressing any emotion, of nothing serious is going to happen in the Here is important to note the intrinsic there. But all his attempts to take valuable course, is one of Buster Keaton great end. differences between photography and footage in order to prove himself to the abilities, but here is more sarcastic which cinematography. The most noticeable producers of MGM have been disastrous can be read as the gap between reality After a few seconds of shooting, he difference is that every second of a film and unsuccessful. Finally, with the help as it is and as it is pictured. (figure 3) realizes that this fight is going nowhere consists of at least 16 frames per second of the girl who tells him about a fight which can be read as the gap between because it is getting settled. Therefore It (up to 48 fps), which they are all non- before anybody else knows, he finds a reality as it is and as it is pictured (figure is not worth being shot anymore when identical images being reeled after one chance to go there as the first 5). there is nothing interesting happening in another creating the magical effect of the correspondent and take a really precious front of the camera. That is when he moving pictures. But that is basically footage of that fight. Susan Sontag in her book “On decides to participate again in the action, what makes these two mediums so look Photography” writes: “Cameras but this time he has to make a major alike. Phillip Prodger2 in his article, In this scene from the film, he is being implement an aesthetic view of reality by impact in order to get a better result or a Photography and Cinema: A Tale of Two sent to Chinatown to film the brawl being a machine-toy that extends to “better fight”. He finds a knife on the Closer-Than-You-Think Siblings, writes: between two Chinese gangs. And we everyone the possibility of making ground and gives it to one of the fighters “The basic idea is simple. The camera know that it is really crucial for him to disinterested judgments about (figure 4). Keaton as a cinematographer freezes time, and the projector starts it 7 APPROPRIATION OF REALITY IMAGING THE SPACE Phillip Prodger “The basic idea is simple. The camera freezes time, and the projector starts it up again” figure 4 8 APPROPRIATION OF REALITY IMAGING THE SPACE figure 5 figure 6 up again.” He also mentions the creation frame, first appeared in the religious aiming to talk about what is being seen reinforces a nominalist view of social of moving pictures by Eadweard paintings depicting the life story of Jesus, as images through the eyes (and the reality as consisting of small units of an Muybridge, the great motion picture where he is crucified and in the same reality which is being created) and not apparently infinite number - as the pioneer: “He began by making painting/frame he is descending to the talking over the differences of these two number of photographs that could be sequences of instantaneous sky. Douchamp was just following the mediums. taken of anything is unlimited. Through photographs of a horse’s gallop in the western traditions of painting, in a more photographs, the world becomes a 1870s—at that time a subject of abstract and somewhat radical way. Back to the subject of images, John series of unrelated, freestanding widespread scientific interest—creating Berger implies that: “An image is a sight particles; and history, past, and present, photographic grids recording phases of Adversely, in a film, we are faced by a which has been recreated or reproduced, a set of anecdotes and fait divers (short the animal’s gait.