Viktor Kossakovsky's latest cinematic work, 'Architecton', packs a punch, largely through its consistent omissions.
In the thought-provoking documentary Architecton, Italian architect Michele De Lucchi guides viewers through a profound exploration of humanity's relationship with construction and the Earth. The film, directed by Russian filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky, offers a nearly wordless meditation on stone and concrete, their enduring yet fragile nature, and the political and behavioral implications of architecture.
The movie opens with De Lucchi examining an ancient Roman monolith, the size of a freight train car, as he delves into the complexities of human-made structures. The film's underlying message is clear: what the Earth has endured as man has used and abused it is unsustainable.
The movie takes viewers on a journey, juxtaposing natural beauty with images of destruction. For instance, we see soaring drone shots of ancient Roman columns standing proudly above exquisite rubble left by a civilization that built with stone. Contrastingly, modern structures built just decades ago, not of stone, but of concrete, are shown shattered by bombs in Ukraine or by earthquakes in Turkey.
Smaller stones crumble into dust in the movie, while large chunks fracture and shatter as they crash against each other. Breath-catching shots of a terraced quarry that's claimed an entire mountainside underscore the scale of human impact on the natural world.
One of the most striking scenes in the film is the creation of a simple stone circle by De Lucchi. As a sort of self-imposed penance, De Lucchi employs two stone workers to create a circle, perhaps 30 feet across, in the yard of his house. The circle is described as simple and almost not qualifying as architecture, yet it becomes a significant element in the film, contributing to its overall message.
The circle is a "negative space", intended to be left untouched by humans, De Lucchi explains. By the end of the film, the circle seems essential in some elemental way. As a human-free, negative space circle, it's a space intended for nature to reclaim.
Critic Bob Mondello found the movie powerful due to what it doesn't say, mentioning the circle in his analysis. The film's visual metaphors, such as a "human-free" overgrown zone contrasted against manicured landscapes, underscore ongoing human environmental impact even on small scales.
Architecton frames architecture not merely as physical construction but as a "political act" that shapes how people live and interact with their environment. The film questions the often "disposable" nature of modern art and architecture, calling for work with purpose and lasting meaning rather than fleeting existence.
The movie culminates in an unexpected dialogue addressing why contemporary constructions can be perceived as "ugly," inviting broader reflection on our cultural and material interactions with Earth and matter itself.
In essence, Architecton is a meditation on human ambition, the political and behavioral implications of architecture, and the sustainability challenges posed by the lasting yet fragile nature of human creations amidst the unstoppable forces of the natural world.
- As the movie unfolds, it becomes clear that De Lucchi's creation of a simple stone circle serves as a representation of environmental-science, a relatively untouched space by humans, advocating for data-and-cloud-computing through its symbolic design.
- In the final scenes of Architecton, technology is subtly woven into the narrative as De Lucchi engages in a thought-provoking discussion about the aesthetic aspects of climate-change, navigating the fine line between mankind's technological advancements and their impact on the Earth's natural beauty.
