If buildings could talk, what would they say about us? Cathedrals of Culture, a six part collection of films recently premiered at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, "offers six startling responses to this question". The project, filmed entirely in 3D, allows "six iconic and very different buildings to speak for themselves, examining human life from the unblinking perspective of a manmade structure".
Buildings "are material manifestations of human thought and action: the Berlin Philharmonic, an icon of modernity; the National Library of Russia, a kingdom of thoughts; Halden Prison, the world’s most humane prison; the Salk Institute, a scientific monastery on the California coast; the Oslo Opera House, a futuristic symbiosis of art and life; and the Centre Pompidou, a modern culture machine." How does each of these landmarks reflect our culture and guard our collective memory?
Six acclaimed filmmakers bring their own visual style and artistic approach to the project with six unique buildings:
- Wim Wenders (Germany) - Berlin Philharmonic (Berlin, Germany)
- Michael Glawogger (Austria) - National Library of Russia (St. Petersburg, Russia)
- Michael Madsen (Denmark) – Halden Prison (Halden, Norway)
- Robert Redford (USA) - The Salk Institute (La Jolla, California, USA)
- Margreth Olin (Norway) – Opera House (Oslo, Norway)
- Karim Ainouz (Germany/Brazil) – Centre Pompidou (Paris, France)
See more short clips from the Cathedrals of Culture series here.
References: Berlin International Film Festival, Neue Road Movies
