Portraying Motion in Architecture
By Eamonn Burke
Architecture Through the Lens of Photodynamism vs Cinematography
Humans have a natural tendency to reproduce reality. Ever since the earliest humans scribbled drawings on the inside of ancient caves, we have attempted to understand the world around us by recreating it visually. We have come a long way from these rudimentary representations, but the intent of creating what we now call “art” remains the same: to understand the world. We have added a major new facet to these works of art since our beginnings, however, which is projecting emotion and sensation onto these works of art. We want to understand our physical world, but also the world we don’t see. A prime example of this endeavor is photodynamism — the idea of conveying a sensation of movement. This phenomenon has been extended beyond just photography and art to architecture, which produces a beautiful manifestation.
In order to understand photodynamism, one must first understand futurism, the movement that preceded it and inspired it. The movement came to life in early 1900s Italy, where avant-garde artists were challenging classical techniques and representations in painting, sculpture, and architecture (Taylor, 1961, p.9). It sprung from the related experimental paths of art such as Impressionism and Cubism, but when the Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti coined the term in 1908, he was careful to distinguish it with a name that “would stir the minds of the hopeful young.” (Taylor, 1961, p.9). The new form of art was indeed different from these other styles in that it saw movement as something continuous and expanding, not something to be isolated in a canvas. Motion was the lifeblood of futurist work, its defining characteristic, it’s vehicle for emotion. (Taylor, 1961, p.11)
These ideas became the foundation for the Italian artist and writer Anton Giulio Bragaglia when he wrote his manifesto on “Futurist Photodynamism” in 1911. In his manifesto, he declared that static photographs were essentially the death of reality and he proposed a radical new form of photography that perpetuated this reality through movement (Bragaglia, 1911). It focused on the sensation of movement, just as Futurism did: “If we reproduce only the trajectory of a movement, then our sensation of it will be still fuller and easier.” (Bragagalia, 1911) It also emphasized the dynamic not only of the image, but of how it was created. Photodynamism was intended to be a form of art that was ultra-accessible, and therefore it emphasizes the interplay between the human taking the photo, the machine taking the photo, and the subject of the photo, all working together to create an appealing image (Vanvolsem, 2015, p. 3).
Bragaglia was also intent on asserting the superiority of photodynamism over cinematography. While photodynamism analyzes movement, cinematography simply “subdivides” it, without truly representing it sensually. Certainly there is value in cinematography that exists within its own unique facets. There is value in showing motion in a simplified way, a more tangible way that is easier to understand. This is precisely what cinematography does in it’s subdivision of motion: It is simplifying reality, and therefore wielding it as a storytelling device. In fact, according to Patrick Keating in his book Cinematography, many cinematographers would say they are responsible for developing the directors’ story (Keating, 2014). Keating explains that there is also cinematography as a pure art, in the way that it is constructed and filmed by the human mediator. Essentially, both photodynamism convey a sensation — one does it in a single entity and the other in a compilation. This contradiction can be projected onto the scale of buildings and observed acutely there.
Photodynamism is represented in architecture in buildings that convey a sense of dynamism in their static structure, similar to a single photo. The architect most renowned for realizing these types of structures is the Iraqi born Zaha Hadid. Inspired by Russian Suprematists, she used fragmentation and distortion to create dynamism in complex structures (Hiesinger, 2011). Eventually, along with the development of Computer Aided Software, Hadid’s style evolved into more flowing and curving structures that represent movement in large gestures, which strikes the heart of what photodynamism is (Hiesinger, 2011).
The Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan and pictured above gives a sense of flowing, which comes from its use of folds rather than corners to convey one cohesive form.
If photodynamism is expressed best in buildings which are static in their representation of motion, then cinematography is expressed best in buildings that do truly move. None of these buildings truly exist, only ones that have been proposed. The most prominent of these proposed “moving buildings” is the Dynamic Tower, a London-based project spearheaded by architect David Fisher. If realized, the tower would consist of individually moving floors, constantly rotating and morphing the shape of the building (McMenamin, Edwards, 2008). This form of architecture shows movement, like cinematography, rather than invoking it as photodynamism does. The Dynamic Tower is a performance on a massive scale, but it wouldn’t always have to be so big. Spanish architect Luis Vidal proposes a house which has a shifting interior rather than exterior. Rooms move throughout the building based on what is needed — the kitchen would appear during the day, but rotate out at night time to be replaced by the bedroom, perhaps. Similarly, this is a building composed of “actors” putting on a performance, as a movie does. These buildings have a certain drama and selfishness to them, which they share with cinematography, but opposes them from photodynamism. Like cinematography, they must be functional and convey motion while also being aesthetically appealing. (Keating, 2014)
The nearly 1400 foot structure has 80 floors that complete a full rotation every two hours (McMenamin, Edwards, 2008).
The most dynamic form of architecture is not one that is truly seen, but one that is seen and felt. Aside from the actual structure of a building, there are countless other intangible and dynamic factors that an architect must consider. These include heat, sound, and most importantly, humans. Unlike some facets of architecture, humans cannot be predicted. They can be influenced, but never fully accounted for, and thus they are the most dynamic part of architecture. It may not be for long, however, with software like Arch-OS that are creating hyperdynamic buildings that react to their surroundings (Phillips, 2004). It is essentially the foundation for sentient architecture that can think and breathe like a living being. This relates to what my vision of a “hip hop” architecture is — a fluid and dynamic structure that is capable of perpetually reflecting it’s physical, spiritual, and cultural surroundings, for better or for worse.
Looking deeper into even more convoluted and intangible dynamics of architecture is time. Architecture changes form throughout the day as the light outside changes. It defines the space itself and therefore the feeling that the space evokes in those who pass through it. Architecture is also dynamic over longer periods of time, as the structure change in their physicality, in their definition, and in their context. The world around a building is dynamic force too, and therefore the definition of a building within this context cannot remain the same.
If the motion of objects can be captured and interpreted in buildings, what would a building that interpreted the motion of these intangible dynamics look like? Could these dynamics ever even be captured by a camera? 4D cinema, which incorporates feelings and smells, is hinting toward this concept, but it still has an element of preparation and calculation to it. A form of the cinematic that could reflect reality in its truest form is intriguing. This is when the boundary between cinema and reality would be removed, and it would become integrated in our memories and sensations. Photodynamism is approaching this phenomenon, because it is a visual way of representing motion as something truly felt and projecting that sense of motion unto it’s viewer. The possibility of capturing the movement of things that are not seen but instead felt, known, or heard contains potential for a new artistic and architectural phenomenon.
Annotated Bibliography
Directly Related
- Bragaglia, Anton Giulio 1890–1960, and Lawrence S Rainey. “Futurist Photodynamism (1911).” Modernism/modernity 15, no. 2 (2008): 363–379.
Description: Anton Bragaglia’s (the pioneer of photodynamism) own manifesto that preceded and birthed the movement, which itself came from futurist painting. Discussing how to reproduce a sensation of movement by tracing it, and capture a more dynamic reality — how to make the photograph the perpetuation of reality rather than the death of it. An inspiration for how architecture could reflect this “dynamic reality” in a static building. This paper outlines the basis for photodynamism and serves as the base concept that I reference in my paper.
2. Keating, Patrick. Cinematography. London: Tauris, 2014.
Description: The evolution of cinema, and how it’s aesthetic affects the way we react to it and remember it. Questioning technology’s role in cinematography. Explains the constant battle for balance needed between storytelling and aesthetics in cinematography. A cinematographer must cater to their directors needs but also create an art form and add their own personal touch. This storytelling is akin to the movement of the buildings mentioned in my essay: they must be functional, and convey a “story”, being motion, while also looking appealing.
3. Scharf, A. 1976. “Note on Photography and Futurism”
Description: Comparing chronophotographic images and futurist images, and the relationship between photography and futurism. Also asserts the unique qualities of photodynamism, largely in that is is unbiased and representative, less of a dramatic performance and more of a humble presentation, which is the contradiction that I apply to architecture in my essay. Chronophotography, as Scharf explains, subdivides movement just as cinematography does. I am writing about buildings that showcase the differences in these forms of cinema.
4. Vanvolsem, Maarten. “Photography Beyond The Still Image.” Afterschool, 2015, 67–78. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt180r0x4.8.
Description: Exploring beyond the photograph to things that are implied, things that are not shown. The harmony between the human photographer, the machine photographer, and photographed. This could be extended in an architectural sense to the relationship between the building and the person. Detailing the use of the “Strip technique” to capture not an instant but a string of them. Capturing a flux rather than a stand-still. Photodynamism was originally meant to be an art form that “broke down the fourth wall” which is what this essay explains.
Tangential
1. Müller-Helle, Katja. “The Past Future of Futurist Movement Photography.” Getty Research Journal 7 (2015): 109–23. https://doi.org/10.1086/680738.
Description: An argument on the shift of the trajectory of film and photo history from technological advancement to retrospect and recreation of older practices, such is “futurism”. Photodynamism challenged the linear progression of technology, and was set to “replace” many other forms of media. To consider the historical aspect of architecture in relation to the history of cinematography/photodynamism and it’s trajectory.
2. Taylor, Joshua C. Futurism. New York: Doubleday, 1961.
Description: A background of futurism as applying to painting, where the movement was born. The futurist philosophies of famous modern painters, architects, and sculptors and how they applied them to their work. Futurism would become the movement upon which Bragaglia’s concept of photodynamism would be based. It was a breakthrough in art that focused on movement and haptic energy, while also borrowing some tactics from movements such as Cubism. Motion was it’s form of emotion, and its form of vitality, it was seen as the crucial difference between life and death for futurists. It inspired many movements to come, but their were also negative beliefs among the Futurists. This book gives a great overview of the implications and intricacies of the futurist movement.
3. Latsis, Dimitros. “Landscape in Motion: Muybridge and the Origins of Chronophotography.” Film History 27, no. 3 (2015): 1. https://doi.org/10.2979/filmhistory.27.3.1.
Description: Detailing the early forms of chronophotography in Muybridge’s work, more specifically his photography of landscapes. Landscapes, like architecture, are so still so concept of taking a motion photograph of them is intriguing. This delves into this question, of how to portray a sensation of movement and project it onto an unmoving landscape, which is essentially what designers of dynamic architecture are doing. Muybridge is trying to tell a story of a land unknown to his urban audience.
4. Phillips, Mike1, mphillips@plymouth.ac.uk. 2004. “Soft Buildings.” Technoetic Arts: A Journal of Speculative Research 2 (2): 99–108. doi:10.1386/tear.2.2.99/0.
Description: Detailing the software Arch-OS, which renders buildings that respond to their surroundings, and are therefore constantly in flux. This relates to my idea about what the concept of “hip-hop architecture” could be. The base of these buildings is an interface of data, they are built by a core system of media alteration, and presented with a combination of audio and visual. A common software interface is used to control aspects of the buildings. Approaching sentient architecture. This is architecture in its most dynamic state possible, and is a projection of a future in which architecture, like photodynamism, can begin to capture the dynamism of reality.
Korg, Jacob. 1988. “Futurism Past and Present.” Papers on Language & Literature 24 (2): 212–18. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asu&AN=505546222&site=ehost-live.
Description: Details the much of the politics behind the futurism movement. Explains that it did not begin as art, but rather a series of manifestos and public forums expressing the ideas behind it. Originally meant to be an accessible art form, it was actually received poorly, as many were not open to the avant garde new form of art. Gives a strong idea of how futurism developed and came to be the basis for photodynamism.
Architects
David Fisher — N. E. 1971. “David Fisher, Richard Kline.” ARTnews 70 (7): 22. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asu&AN=26223604&site=ehost-live.
David Fisher is an Italian and Israeli Architect who is best known for his proposed dynamic tower, the first ever rotating building. As founder of Dynamic Architecture Group, many of the projects that he leads are focused on creating buildings that appear in motion, or even ones that truly are in motion. This proposed dynamic tower in London can serve as an example of an architectural manifestation of cinematography and chronophotography: a performance that truly shows movement.This kind of futuristic thinking gets at the concept of architecture through the lens of futurism and photodynamism.
McMenamin, Mark, and Meghan Edwards. 2008. “ECO.” Interior Design 79 (9): 36–38. http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.cmu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asu&AN=33535964&site=ehost-live.
Basic information about the Dynamic Tower.
Zaha Hadid — HIESINGER, KATHRYN BLOOM. “Zaha Hadid: Form in Motion.” Philadelphia Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, no. 4 (2011): 14–60. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41501092.
Description: Describing Zaha Hadid’s strongly inter-disciplinary techniques, like the use of math in her structures and Euclidean spaces. Also her use of distortion, as seen in the building here, to create a sense of motion. She transitioned in her career from more volume and shape-centric style of building to the flowy and curvy style that she is best known for, largely due to technological advances. Pictures provided.
Zukowsky, John. “Zaha Hadid.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., October 27, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zaha-Hadid.
An Iraqi architect, known for deconstructivist designs and dynamic architecture using geometric and fragmented designs. Details her career, her awards, and her style of architecture, including how it has changed. Includes important background information to be included in the essay when mentioning her.
