Spots in Shots: Narrating the Built Environment in Short Film
Mélanie van der Hoorn
nai010 Publishers, March 2019

Hardcover | 8-1/2 x 10-1/4 inches | 240 pages | 120 illustrations | Dutch/English | ISBN: 978-9462084568 | $50.00

Publisher Description:
Spots in Shots explores a selection of little-known but fascinating short films made in Europe and the US between 1990 and 2017 that tell stories about architecture and urban development. Based on interviews with the filmmakers, the book asks how cinema can stir public interest in the oeuvres of architects.

Among the numerous cinematic gems discussed here are John Smith?s Blight (1996); Kibwe Tavares and Factory Fifteen?s Jonah (2012); Assembly Studios? Fort Dunlop Green (2004); The Neighbourhood?s Saxton Leeds (2008); Imagen Subliminal?s El Espinar House (2013); Squint/Opera?s Post Barnsley (2003); Jem Cohen & Luc Sante?s Le bled (Buildings in a Field) (2009); Gabriel Kogan & Pedro Kok?s Casa Redux (2014); and Jordi Bernadó & 15-L Films? Hic Sunt Leones (2013).dDAB Commentary: I have a sometimes unhealthy obsession with architecture and film, to the point that I'll be drawn to settings in films rather than stories. Likewise, I'm also a big fan of books about architecture and film, although there aren't many that tackle the subjects together. Some of my favorites include Mark Lamster's Architecture and Film, Juhani Pallasmaa's The Architecture of Image: Existential Space in Cinema, James Sanders' Cellulo...