Los Angeles-based cinematographer Tomas Koolhaas is nearing completion of his highly anticipated film, REM. The feature length documentary, which focuses on the work of Tomas’ famed father, Rem Koolhaas, is the first architectural film to “comprehensively explore the human conditions in and around Rem Koolhaas' buildings from a ground level perspective.” Rather than lifeless still shots and long-winded, intellectual discourse, REM exposes the one thing that gives each building function and purpose: how it is used by people.
So far, REM has been funded entirely by grants. However, in order for Tomas to collect the necessary funds to complete post-production, he has turned to you by launching a Kickstarter campaign.
Watch REM's official trailer above, which follows a parkour expert as he moves through the Casa De Musica in Porto, and follow us after the break for Tomas’ exclusive interview with Kanye West, who comments on his work with OMA at the 2012 Cannes film festival.
When commenting on his interview with Kanye, Tomas stated: “I really enjoyed the piece ArchDaily posted about Kanye recently and I agree that there is a defensiveness among architects to allow non-architects to be part of architectural discourse. I myself believe that this is one of the reasons that architectural documentaries tend to be quite unpopular amongst non-architects.
“Since most people that actually use architecture are non-experts in the field, it seems strange that anyone should be ridiculed when they have opinions on the subject or want to be involved in collaborations with architects. Especially when they seem to be fully aware of their limitations regarding their own architectural expertise... I personally was very happy to be able to have Kanye’s perspective to include in the film.”
Kanye West: “I probably sound ignorant when I talk about [architecture]... I'm fine with sounding ignorant... I'm not talking about something like music that I'm a complete expert at. I'm talking about something I want to learn about and I'm not afraid to talk in public about my desire to learn more.”
To learn more about REM, check out our exclusive interview with Tomas and additional video clips from REM.
