More on architecture, sci-fi and the virtual.

A sort of reply to Nicholas’s post on the Lucas Arts: Fracture terra-forming computer game.  There’s been a lot of talk about how much video games and cinema (especially science fiction) have influenced wider design culture.  With advancements in our ability to represent ‘reality’ digitally, the games and animation industry has also influenced the development of many of the software applications used by designers and architects.  We’ve also talked about different scenarios of the future, be it dystopian or utopian or somewhere in the middle.  This 2005 article by Eric Mahleb* traces these themes through the history of science fiction cinema design – from Metropolis to Blade Runner to Minority Report and beyond and discusses in depth the influence of science fiction concepts on architecture, how the line between film (the ‘virtual’) and reality has become progressively blurred.

There is a wonderfully Geoff Manaugh-y article on the same subject at BLDGBLOG (really? no kidding). It’s promoting a 2007 Architectural Film Festival and contains “a few examples of cinematic thinking in architecture or architectural thinking in cinema, as it were”.  It also features a bunch of really gorgeous artwork (Flickr).

Further affield to a very interesting 2008 inteview with Nic Clear (UCL Bartlett School of Architecture) on the influence of the late science fiction writer J.G. Ballard on architecture theory and concept of synthetic space. (Both are cited by Geoff Manaugh as influences)  Included are some beautiful short animated films by students.

* If the link goes out of date the original post is here: http://www.yume.co.uk/architectural-representations-of-the-city-in-science-fiction-cinema