All contents related to 2019 CCHU course are placed and archive here.

Category: 2019 Blog

Cat Links 2021 Blog, Global Space, Time + The City

[Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas]

Posted on u3581238

In the article, Ackbar Abbas poses arguments about the different changes that have been takin place in cities and how a strict analysis of cinema helps us understand these changes. The writer has mainly probed into two kinds of cities: Exorbitant and generic cities. He has defined exorbitant city as a city that is impossible to capture in one scene, it is not photogenic and cannot draw on the available repertoire of images, it relates to the kind of uncertain sociality found in cities where social relations are either changing or have broken down. On the other hand, he defines

Continue reading[Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas]

Cat Links Sci-Fi Technoscapes

Reading Response:Carl Abbott

Posted on u3577125

At the beginning of the chapter I read, Carl Abbott puts up with a question—what is gained and what is lost when a city pulls up stakes? This profound question arouses my interest. Whereas, since a “moving city” has already existed in science fictions for centuries but still not common in the reality, maybe the latter is more worth thinking about. So, what is lost, or in another word, what inconvenience it has when embodying mobility? The first thing that comes to my mind is extra energy consumption and the limit of current technology. This is an easy-thinking point but

Continue readingReading Response:Carl Abbott

Cat Links 2021 Blog, Lecture 7 Monsters, Materials & Skyscrapers, Monsters, Materials + Skyscrapers

[Reading Response: TSUTSUI W.M]

Posted on u3581238

In “Oh No There Goes Tokyo”, Tsutsui W.M mentions that in the years since World War II fictional apocalypse has been visited upon Tokyo more frequently than any location on the globe. He claims that in the “Doom laden dreams “of Japanese popular culture, Tokyo has fallen victim to, earthquakes, floods, fire cyclonic winds, alien invasions, giant monsters and robots. These fictional apocalypses are usually understood by audiences as a result of humiliation and persisting traumas from the second world war. It is true that the bombings of Hiroshima, Nagasaki have engraved wounds on the Japanese minds that would take

Continue reading[Reading Response: TSUTSUI W.M]

Cat Links Urban Infrastructure as Event

[Reading response] Michel de Certeau

Posted on daeun

Before reading this article, there were few terms that I was unaware of their differences. Understanding exact meanings and differences between them, it made me think and reflect upon movies that I know and Re-examine the use of these terms as a tool. Place and space. I used to think that these two terms have same meaning, just used at different context. However, the article explains that place is an area with fixed objects and space is area with experience (movement). For example, a city square with buildings is a place but once people experience this place, it becomes a

Continue reading[Reading response] Michel de Certeau

Cat Links Filming the Modern Asian City, Lecture 2 Filming the Modern Asian City

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on u3580585

This reading is exceptionally thought-provoking that carefully portrayed the colonial Hong Kong’s cultural and historical development through architecture and cinema and it’s disappearance from Hong Kong in postcolonial. The postcolonial Hong Kong since 1997 resulted in a commercialised and urban future of Hong Kong with influx of migrant workers looking for a home and rapid financial industry development. Tai Kwun in Central, which used to be a police station is the perfect example for the disappearance of cultural and historical sites in postcolonial and its conversion into commercialisation as it is now used as a tourist site with shops. Though

Continue readingReading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Cat Links Filming the Modern Asian City, Lecture 2 Filming the Modern Asian City

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on u3582792

In order to convey the idea that preservation is posited on the disappearance of the historical site, Ackbar defines preservation as selective and tends to exclude the dirt and pain, and provides three examples that illustrate three perspectives: we should not retain the building s that assimilate into the surrounding environment but still creates the gaze of coloniality, troubling people’s cognition of identities; the reincarnation of old buildings is not preservation  since it aestheticizing the house out of existence; rebuild has its aesthetic meanings in films or architecture but no longer contain the idea of preservation. We can see that

Continue readingReading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Cat Links 2021 Blog, Filming the Modern Asian City

[READING RESPONSE] ABBAS, M.A.

Posted on sumkie

Chan Sum Kie Dorcas u3579263 The past, to me, is incredibly fascinating.  The world where people lived harmoniously without the distractions of technology and enjoyed nature’s breeze every day, the freshness and freedom made the past seem like the ideal world to live in.  I often crave songs from my parents’ (or even grandparents’) generation.  One would think that things from past generations may be outdated, but in reality, the comments under old music videos are filled with youngsters like me who don’t even belong in the generation.  Comments like “reliving my nonexistent 70/80/90s memories” are usually the top comments

Continue reading[READING RESPONSE] ABBAS, M.A.

Cat Links Filming the Modern Asian City, Uncategorized

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on u3579796

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas City evolves, building ages, people change. There is no eternal principle to the built environment, and Hong Kong as a city where the east meets the west is no exception. In this high time when many questions the true identity of Hong Kong, Abbas’s writing brings in-depth reflection from the perspective of architecture on how the city is shaped. As a past colony of the British Empire, Hong Kong is a city in the east while preserving many western, often British characteristics. Victorian style architecture such as the Murray House the Old Supreme Court and more

Continue readingReading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Cat Links Filming the Modern Asian City

[Reading response] Ackbar Abbas

Posted on daeun

The article mainly discusses about disappearance of historical identity and emergence of anonymity of architecture. He does not only account for physical disappearance, but fading away of the historical meaning it possesses within the architecture. It is further emphasized in films which reflects a city in a specific manner resulting in changing the city’s image. For example, Hong Kong used to be an international port where many trades occurred between countries, a city in China and a British colony. However, large and compact buildings were necessary on such a small land available. Consequently, Hong Kong became a globalized city and

Continue reading[Reading response] Ackbar Abbas

Cat Links Architecture, Film + The Modern City

Reading Response: Roland Barthes

Posted on u3582948

After reading this article, I believe that watch movies in the theater is classic and wise.When people appreciate these pieces of arts, they can have a better  experience in the cinema rather than somewhere else. The main reasons must be the atmosphere, light and sound in the cinema as mentioned by Roland Barthes. The key word of the environment in the cinema must be darkness, it can give people a helping hand to focus on the movie and relax away from the bustle of the city.  Also, more authentic sound will put people personally in the scene, and with the

Continue readingReading Response: Roland Barthes