"Moriyama-San" - a film by Bêka & Lemoine - has been awarded the 2018 Best Prize at the Arquiteturas Film Festival in Lisbon. Centered around the famous Moriyama House by Pritzker Prize Laureate Ryue Nishizawa, it becomes part of a developing series called “Living Architectures,” in which the filmmakers aim to “put into question the fascination with the picture, which covers up the buildings with preconceived ideas of perfection, virtuosity, and infallibility.” In its unique approach, the film “masterfully combines image, sound, and narrative in a compelling story about a unique character and its relation to his house and music.”
The documentary follows the life of Mr. Moriyama, the owner, and occupant of Moriyama House. Situated in Tokyo, Japan, the house is one of the most influential in Japanese contemporary architecture. Minimal white volumes - each differing in size - create a complex streetscape between the varying functions of the house, while the multiple entrances are unified by the unique spaces in-between.
However, rather than concentrating on the image of the house, Bêka & Lemoine focus upon the life that it facilitates, in particular the extraordinary personality of Mr. Moriyama himself. Moriyama-San also highlights one of the key features of the architecture: the way it encourages everyday activities to spill outside and across the volumes.
From noise music to experimental movies, the film let[s] us enter into the ramification of the Mr. Moriyama’s free spirit.
Bêka & Lemoine are highly successful, being lauded by critics and architects alike for their alternative representation of architecture in their work, and through self-publishing and self-distributing the films they retain full creative autonomy.
Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine are two of the foremost architectural artists working today. Their lms focus on the relationship of people and design, emphasising the presence of everyday life within some of the most iconic architectural projects of recent decades.
- Barbican Centre
