Screening of Rima Yamazaki's "Nakagin Capsule Tower" (9/13/17)
Rima Yamazaki at filming at Nakagin. Photograph courtesy of the artist.
The UB School of Architecture and Planning will host a screening of Yamazaki's film Nakagin Capsule Tower: Japanese Metabolist Landmark on the Edge of Destruction (2010), Wed. Sept. 13, 6 pm - 7:30 pm, in Hayes Hall 403 on UB's South Campus. The screening to be followed by a Q&A with Yamazaki and Nicholas Bruscia, clinical assistant professor of architecture, who leads UB's study abroad program in Tokyo. This event is FREE and open to the public.
The Nakagin Capsule Tower, completed in 1972 and designed by Kisho Kurokawa, is a rare built example of the modern Japanese architectural movement Metabolism. Tracing the history of postwar Japanese architecture and reviewing the characteristics of the Nakagin Capsule Tower, this documentary examines the controversy over the building's future.
Rima Yamazaki is an independent documentary filmmaker who specializes in contemporary art and architecture. Yamazaki will use her Fall 2017 CAI residency to create a documentary film about architecture in Buffalo, NY, in partnership with Preservation Buffalo Niagara.
Yamazaki's practice is an exploration of cinematic expression in documenting, studying and reflecting on the arts. She works as a one-person film crew; all her films are directed, photographed and edited by herself. Her films have been shown at various film festivals and venues internationally.
Yamazaki's video project will examine the architectural culture of Buffalo from various points of view. Yamazaki is especially interested in capturing the ironical ‘architectural imbalance’ happening in Buffalo. Buffalo is a good example that embodies various aspects of architecture. For example, architecture could be a treasure or a burden to a city. A building is a big and expensive thing, not only to build, but also to maintain. It is not just a place for people to live and work, but also it reflects the society and people’s life.
The film is not intended to be a journalistic, educational, or advocacy documentary. Yamazaki is more interested to create a ‘creative’ documentary video in a unique style. Descriptions of the history of Buffalo or explanations about the problems the city is facing would be very minimal, if included. Many scenes will be shot in an observational style. The video will juxtapose, for instance, shots of architectural masterpieces and abandoned houses, preservation and demolition. In the video, Yamazaki would like to reveal something that cannot be expressed in words, visually and sonically. This is to be a cinematic study on the relationship between architecture, society, and people.