Category: Architecture, Film + The Modern City

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Reading Response: Roland Barthes

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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

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Cat Links Architecture, Film + The Modern City, Lecture 1 Architecture, Film & the Modern City

Reading Response: Walter Benjamin

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The main point I focus on is Benjamin’s proof that reproduction works lack authenticity, which is an important characteristic of the artwork. Benjamin reasoned that the reproduction work is independent of original work and hold characteristics different from original artwork. I think it’s fully conceivable since the song sung by a chorus could be originally only available in open space like church, but now could be recorded and be enjoyed in a private room. This really makes a big difference in the aesthetic perspective of the song. This opinion also suits the quintessence ranging from physical duration and historical testimony

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Cat Links Architecture, Film + The Modern City, Lecture 1 Architecture, Film & the Modern City

Reading Response : Walter Benjamin

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Walter Benjamin explored the rapid production of artwork and argued that technology has changed the perception of people on how art is viewed and experienced under different circumstances. Originally, artwork was associated with traditions, heritage, and aura. However, mechanically reproduced artwork changed these views and is mostly characterized by repeatability. Artwork was used for ritual practices by the Greeks to represent their cult and as a means to reach God, something they couldn’t physically touch. In the modern days, due to mass reproduction of artwork, the social use of artwork have changed to political practices, losing not only its aura

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Cat Links 2021 Blog, Architecture, Film + The Modern City

[READING RESPONSE] WALTER BENJAMIN

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A heart-stricken fact revealed by the author which impressed me a lot is that these days the upheaval in technological reproducibility is eroding the eternity of art works, as well as the eternal values accompanying them, shattering the ground of some common virtues that cherished by people for thousands of years. In antiquity, art existed in fusion with ritual functions, accentuating their cult value, their existence as an approach to the divine, a justification of the world, the nature, and ourselves. Together with the low reproducibility, many artworks, particularly sculptures, are made uniquely for eternal use, to worship forever, whose

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Cat Links Architecture, Film + The Modern City

Reading Response: Roland Barthes

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Barthes has made an interesting description of movie theatres and how these theatres of movie images caught audiences’ attention. He named out a number of elements that have basically transformed a plain black box a place that made everyone in their seats concentrate their eyes onto the screen or even evoke emotions from the characters’ point of view. The element of “darkness” was one of my favourite descriptions, as my understanding to his “darkness” is more than being optically dark but also how the such a dark area changes one’s emotional state when watching a movie, or even more, digging

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Cat Links Architecture, Film + The Modern City

[Reading response] Barthes and Benjamin

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Two readings Barthes, R. (1986). Leaving the Movie Theatre 1975. In The Rustle of Language ( and Benjamin, W., Jennings, M., Doherty, B., Levin, T., & Jephcott, E. (2008). The work of art in the age of its technological reproducibility gave me an in-depth insight into their view of film. Both of them reflects on how our experience of watching the film and what changed the quality of experience. For example, in the Barthes’ text he explains the importance of lighting and sound as a tool of conveying tension to audiences. This brought me to a point that in the times of pandemic, how would directors overcome

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Cat Links Architecture, Film + The Modern City, Lecture 1 Architecture, Film & the Modern City

Reading Response: Roland Barthes

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After reading the text “Leaving the Movie Theater”, it inspired me two things to be thought about. Why would I go to the cinema and watching movie instead of watching it at home. What’s the purpose of it? From the perspectice of Barthes, “he goes to movies as a response to idleness, leisurem, free time” which is the most common statement I heard before. However, I would say it’s because I want to appreciate a movie which is directed by a famous director or acted by my favourite actor. Because there are vavious methods of relaxing yourselves due to the

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Reading Response: Roland Barthes

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Barthes’ writing about the happenings in cinema allows me to reflect on the purpose and significance of watching movies in the cinema. Despite not being able to enjoy and experience the cinema during the pandemic, the reading serves even more important to remind us why is cinema important. Barthes emphasized on the ‘darkness’ inside cinema which is not only visually dark but also atmospherically silent, such condition allows us to truly immerse into the movie, reducing the distant feeling due to surrounding activities, noises and distractions. Nowadays, cinemas are being considered less and less important as technology allows us to

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Cat Links Architecture, Film + The Modern City

Reading Response: Roland Barthes

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The section that left the deepest impression on me was the author’s insistence that the cinematic experience cannot be replicated with televisions or, more recently, laptops and smartphones. According to him, the lighting, sound, and the little bits and bobs that one sees in a cinema contributes greatly to the experience. For me personally, what with the COVID situation and all, I found that I have been missing the overwhelming sound coverage that is very difficult to replicate at home. In cinemas, especially if one is watching action movies, the volume is often a little too loud for comfort. So

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Cat Links Architecture, Film + The Modern City

Moodboard: Des Voeux Road, Noisy Central

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What comes to your mind when thinking of Central? Noise, crowds, luxury, commercial center, skyscrapers, lights…… In my eyes, it is a crowded space both horizontally and vertically. Looking up, the sky is blocked with all those glass curtain wall, reflecting all the lights from another skyscraper. Looking down, you feel dizzy with all the street light, brand logo, crowds, vehicles and graffiti. it is a contrast but also a uniformity — a contrast of tidy and messy, a uniformity to show the NOISE (visually and aurally).