250 Word Abstract

As part of the module we had to write a 250 word extract about our proposed project and the rationale behind it. I found it a useful exercise as felt that it was worth posting to clearly outline what it is I am aiming to do for the main project.

Futurism as a means of exploring narrative in contemporary architectural visualisations

Throughout the early 1900s, Western society looked towards an increasingly technological future with expectancy and curiosity. Trains, the most exciting transportation method in the period, were a frequent subject in contemporary art as well as in the emerging medium of cinema. In 1903 Porter stunned audiences with his film ‘The Great Train Robbery’ while Futurist architect Sant’Elia’s 1914 sketch for a train station intrigued and angered viewers, sparking debate in the practical and theoretical realms of architecture. Showcased in Sant’Elia’s ‘New Tendencies’ exhibition, the design embodied Futurist architectural principles and remains influential in the medium of contemporary cinema. Despite its influence however, the design was never realised on an actual site, solely existing as a single perspective sketch.

By combining CAD and live-action footage, this project aims to create a short film which visualises Sant’Elia’s Futurist vision imagined upon the site of Waverley Station Edinburgh, the second largest station in Britain catering for 19.2 million passengers per annum. Waverley’s urban situation, between the historical Old Town and more modern New Town, makes it ideal as a ‘Futurist’ metaphor. In visualising Sant’Elia’s design at Waverley, this project aims to explore the role of narrative within the field of commercial architectural visualisation using Futurist models as a framework for theoretical debate to elicit an emotional response from the viewer and re-establish creativity in an increasingly unimaginative environment for as Venturi argues: “Architecture is the most fragile of all the media – it has a practical application as well as an artistic application”.

Electronic Resources

Network Rail, (2010). About Edinburgh Waverley. Stable URL: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/7092.aspx [Accessed 23 October 2011]
Porter, E. S. (1903). The Great Train Robbery. Stable URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCc4y5Wmvfs [Accessed 22 October 2011]
Vidler, A. (1993) The Explosion of Space: Architecture and the Filmic Imaginary. Assemblage, No. 21 (Aug. 1993),pp.44-59 (article consists of 15 pages). Published by MIT Press. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3171214 [Accessed 20 October 2011]
Woods, L. (2009) Sant’Elia’s Words. November 2 2009. http:lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/santelias-words/
[Accessed 23 October 2011]


Books

Apollonio, U. (1970)  Futurist Manifestos, Translated from Italian by Brain R., London, Thames and Hudson
Banham, R. (1966) Theory and Design in The First Machine Age, London, Architectural Press