The idea of the generic city is somehow similar to that of the cyber city: A highly interconnected community due to technological advancement, resulting in homogeneity. No matter their color and fabric, cheongsam is still cheongsam. They are both inspired by the rapid development of Asian cities which I live in. Long before reading this book, I have already realized this trend that globalization makes these cities become the extension of each other, not only spatially but also culturally. They are also reflected in recent films, for example, obviously in the Hollywood blockbuster, which leads to my aesthetic fatigue. In

Continue reading[READING RESPONSE] Ackbar Abbas

‘The spectre of the global network comes forcefully to the surface.’ referenced from Jameson’s thesis by Sue Harris. This reference raises my attention to the presentation of the movie scene. Before globalization, the action film always takes place nationally, the story happens in a limited area and the scenes focus on the building inside. Y-shots of the architectures and landscapes of multiple countries become basic elements for creating postmodern action movies. As the writer suggests, this form of presentation which offers a more geographically extensive range of action spaces including global cities seems to be a genre in contemporary production.

Continue reading[READING RESPONSE] – Sue Harris

The text of Abbas introduces two types of cities, the invisible city and the generic city. During the tutorial, we mainly discussed generic city. The generic city is a city that is free of context without history and identity consisted within the city, allowing people to create of themselves what they desire. It is built to avoid boredom and to find new identities and excitement. In the text, Abbas mentions the film “Crouching Tiger” and during the tutorial, we were able to make connections between the film and the generic city. In the film “Crouching Tiger,” the protagonist, Zhang Ziyi,

Continue reading[READING RESPONSE] Ackbar Abbas

The reading mainly discussed two types of the city: Invisible City and Genetic City. Genetic City can simply understand as a city without history. Asia is a really historic place. According to Abbas, most of the representative examples today of the Gerneric City are Asian, since they show their “legibility” and “imageability” excessively. And this makes a historic place become a Genetic City. And this makes a historic place become superficial. Most of the cities have a similar developing pathway. Many cities lost their identity and culture during the vast construction or development. Based on my travel experience, it is true that

Continue reading[READING RESPONSE] Ackbar Abbas

Both Ackbar Abbas and Sue Harris discuss the relationship between films and cities. According to Ackbar Abbas, there is a two-way relationship between them. For one thing, art is inspired by life but beyond it. So, more or less, the cities have some effects on the films, concerning how it is structured and designed. In some films, landmarks are stressed. For another, the flexibility of films Gove imagination or inspiration on the stable cities. With the improving film technologies, films can also influence the future cities to a great extent. In Sue Harris’s article, she cites Fredric Jameson’s argument that

Continue readingReading Response: Ackbar Abbas AND Sue Harris