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Category: 2021 Blog

Cat Links Lecture 8 Sci-Fi Technoscapes

Reading Response – M. Christine Boyer

Posted on gykim07

Boyer’s point of dematerialisation of physical space is especially fascinating as most technology featured in 1960s sci-fi movies are now implemented in our cyber communications and thus allowed us to “physically” interact in virtual reality. Virtual space right now tends to be a fluid space mimicking the physical reality, and therefore as we develop technology to properly explore this virtual space, we start to experience the “annihilation of space and time”. Space is not being limited to a physical box anymore. This mimicry conveys that there is a strong connection between the two spaces, but I believe a strong connection

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Cat Links Lecture 9 Global Space, Time & Architecture

[Reading Response] Ackbar Abbas

Posted on dannywo5

Ackbar’s work draws upon Peter Hall and Rem Koolhaas’ work refer to the fact that many examples of “generic cities” tend to actually be Asian. A notable example of this is Asian city’s tendency to build “memorable landmarks” that end up becoming lost and invisible due to oversaturation. However, I disagree with this Eurocentric sentiment which imposes their own views towards what makes a city generic or not through their own lenses. Their stance emphasizes the importance of a city’s culture and history (perhaps due to Europe’s extensive preservation efforts) but this fails to consider the Asian perspective. Landmarks that

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Cat Links Lecture 9 Global Space, Time & Architecture

[Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas]

Posted on Bertin Tong

The way Abbas explores the “image of a city” here is very fascinating, especially how he explores how the concept of the “image of the city” can affect how people see the city, and how this “image” could backfire and erase the city’s impression on viewers. Then he moves on to the concept of a “generic city”,  where I strongly agree and resonate, since this is especially true for cities like Hong Kong. Much of the “unexpectedness” of the city were sacrificed for efficiency and uniformity, all just to conform into the “globalized city” of skyscrapers and towers. This definitely

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Cat Links Lecture 8 Sci-Fi Technoscapes

[Reading Response: Carl Abbott]

Posted on Bertin Tong

The concept of “Distributed Cities” is a very interesting direction to explore, with a city that governs and manages itself automatically, and could be “mapped as a discontinuous scattering of nodes and pieces”, making up a “larger whole”. But I think current cities already have similar aspects, for example how Hong Kong has Central as its economic center, and I would also like to know how the “distributed cities” can improve the lives of those who aren’t fortunate enough to live in upper-class areas. Similarly, the concept of “Migrating Cities” is also fascinating to discuss, where cities could relocate themselves.

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Cat Links 2021 Blog, Lecture 9 Global Space, Time & Architecture

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on u3576229

In this reading the idea of generic city is cover. Generic city refers to a city without any characteristics and history. In Abbas’ piece, many examples of generic cities are in Asia, including Hong Kong. I also think that Hong Kong has the charateristics of a generic city. Nowadays in Hong Kong, many things which are unique to our history and culture are gone. Traditional or old buildings being replaced by souless silver skyscapers;  “Cha Chaan Tengs” being replaced by western fast food restaurants, and so on. I think this reading also echoes the concept of “disappearing cities”, and that

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Cat Links Lecture 9 Global Space, Time & Architecture

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on u3578925

Fang wenbo UID:3035789253 In this tutorial, we discussed about generic city. I think this is a difficult concept. I and my group mates discussed the relationship between the movie “In the mood for love” and Generic city. I though this movie had a close relationship with generic city. Because it use a kind of special camera language that only capture close image and scene. This kind of shooting approach blurred the identifies of specific city. we can’t see the whole building in the movie and neither the city views. Besides, those close lenses reinforces the emotional connection between people, especially,

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Cat Links 2021 Blog, Lecture 9 Global Space, Time & Architecture

Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas

Posted on ssl78

While Abbas introduced the invisible city and generic city in the reading, I was hooked on the concept of Generic city, a strangely interesting and vague term to me. A city with something of anything, but also nothing: No characteristic, no history, identity nor iconic shape. The movie clip shown in the tutorial from The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) clearly justified the idea. We cannot identify which city or countries the characters were in. Just a normal and crowded station. Hong Kong as an international city is also generic to some extent. Think about any Central Business District of the developed

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Cat Links 2021 Blog, Lecture 9 Global Space, Time & Architecture

[Reading response: Sue Harris]

Posted on Lai Kwong Ning, Max

​Cities, to my view, are living creatures who breathe in people energy, breathe out concerted memories, and undergo evolution and mutation.  A quote from Reynolds Price says it all: “Cities are the least permanent things in our civilisation.”  This creature is best described by Bourne Trilogy: “Structured around the motif of pursuit of people, of information, of justice across metropolitan space.” ​The cinematic image of a city is often infused with urban experiences and individual consciousness about the city’s past, present and future.  In Ten Years (2015 Film) by Ng Ka-Leung, the appearance of Hong Kong, similar to Italo Calvino’s

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Cat Links Lecture 9 Global Space, Time & Architecture

[READING RESPONSE: Ackbar Abbas]

Posted on yovelayc

The idea of Generic City gives me a new perspective to look at the cities shown and depicted in different movies. Understanding generic city as a city without history, Hong Kong is an great example of it. Due to the short but complex history of Hong Kong, there are both Chinese and Western culture here, which reflects the idea of generic city. In the film In the Mood for Love, the clothes that the actors wore shows this characteristic. Women wear cheongsam, which is more in a Chinese culture, while men wear suits, which is from western countries. The idea

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Cat Links 2021 Blog, Lecture 9 Global Space, Time & Architecture

[READING RESPONSE] Ackbar Abbas

Posted on Leung Kui Ming

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