From the gleefully anthropomorphic to more measured states of affection, six directors cross cut the disciplines of film and architecture with 30-minute narratives that transform iconic buildings such as the National Library of Russia and Berlin’s own Philharmonic from concepts to living spaces. Culture palaces are a given – but where else can you fall in love with a high-security prison? Filmic narrative of iconic buildings is not new (Sokurov’s Russian Ark) but this special variant on visionary voyeurism is worth a second look.
Cathedrals of Culture | Directed by Wim Wenders, Michael Glawogger, Michael Madsen, Robert Redford, Margreth Olin, Karim Aïnouz (Germany, USA, Norway, Russia, France 2014) documentary. Starts May 29
Originally published in issue #128, June 2014.