Acknowledgements There were many options when it came to applying for schools when it came to architecture but from research and experience I am thankful to have gotten into University of South Florida’s program. USF’s faculties were able to truly bring out the best in their students work with extreme thoughtfulness. I would like to thank the faculty and teachers assistants who opened my eyes to a new way of thinking: Michael Halflants, Steve Cooke, Nathan Boyd, Brandon Hicks, Mark Weston, Dan Powers, Levent Kara, and Giancarlo Guisti. I would also like to give a quick shout out to my friends in the program; Jad Alawar, Mikel Amias, Nathan baker, Kayla Baker, Michelle Ford Casey Gonzalez, Stephanie Henschen, Sanchelle Lee, Daniel Leal, Chris Loper, Laura Lozano, Jesus Lopez, Craig Daniel, Jon Jay, Brett Freeman, Genevieve Frank, Zorth Pilonieta, Gadiel Marquez, Erick McGartland Chris Reynolds, Edward Smith, Christine Schorr, Jenna Shawver Kenneth Schweiberger, Andres Camacho, Katie Voelpel Zach Yarnell, and Sara Gilbert. The Biggest thanks goes to my Mother and Father who supported me through the program and my aunt and uncle who let me live with them in order to kick off what was the start to an unforgettable experience.
Table of Contents
Intro Anime and Architecture Ghost In the Shell Problem Statement Heterotopic spaces Machine Model Moments Archi-manga Bibliography Index
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Introduction Inspiration comes in many forms from experienced events in time. To begin my thesis I began to emerge myself in peculiar my interest in Japanese animated films also known as anime. There are thousands of films/cartoons which have seduced the masses around the world from the styles of drawing to elaborate ways of realm making, and enticing stories. These Japanese animations began to blossom in 1917 in a comic book form known as manga and has continued to grow and inspire more Animated films. I have been watching anime as far back since childhood to my current adulthood. In my childhood I used to watch cartoons like Speed Racer, PokĂŠmon, and Dragon Ball z. With several options on cartoons to watch the Japanese Anime would always invite me into a space familiar to my own yet abstractly different in experience. We can agree that one factor that draws the masses would be their use and flashy colors to create an atmosphere. As an adolescent teenager I discovered more genres of anime and realized how they were not just meant for children, but for adults too. Anime was growing along with me and my thoughts as some would make you laugh while others created dialogs with inspiring thoughts. Now in my adult life I find myself more intrigued by it and began to question why? Why am I intrigued to the Japanese animated films and what is the key element that has drawn the people worldwide.
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Anime and Architecture Art has been a powerful tool for inspiration. A Simple image can inspire the creations of something new such as how the paintings of Claude Lorrain inspired in the idea of owning a lawn and its symbol of status in the early 17th hundreds. Anime turns out to have the same effect for art, product design, and architecture. Architects like Ushida & Findlay were commissioned to design a house inspired by a Salvador Dali quote on future architecture. But what seemed to really inspire the look of the house was imagery from “My Neighbor Totoro” by Studio Ghibli in 1988 to design the Soft and Hairy House. The house has a Square layout with an open courtyard in the center and a circular space extending to the courtyard to break up the symmetry. But the selling point is how the roof and parts of the exterior are embraced with vegetation. In the 1990s a generation of architects who came of age watching anime cartoons on television were granted license to build fantastic creations fueled by the excess and lack of restraint that characterized japans asset bubble. In film in general the setting and background become critical to the story as the architecture is what defines the overall atmosphere. The portrayal of the background can show us a political and social status of the characters telling us whether the place is chaotic, totalitarian, or dystopian. Architecture can be seen as a reflection of self as we inscribe space with movements. Evan Puschak stated that “Spaces like identities are constructed although space feels neutral or given like we can move anywhere. Our movements, our activities, our life is limited by the way that space is produce.”
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Figure 1. My Neighbor Totoro , 1988.
Figure 2. Soft and Hairy House Ushida & Findlay, 1994.
Figure 3. Howls Moving Castle, 2004.
Figure 4. Flying Mud House Terenubo Fujimori, 2010.
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Ghost in the Shell To further understand anime I decided to analyze Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film “Ghost in the Shell” (based on Masamune Shirow’s manga of the same title) which has always been a personal and worldwide favorite. Ghost in the shell is a cyberpunk film of a future Tokyo in the year 2029, following a security agency known as Section 9 and their hunt for a mysterious hacker titled the Puppet Master. In this time era most humans have been able to get augmentations and are able to integrate their bodies with cybernetic parts for enhancement, including brain modifications that allow them to connect to the internet. The main character of the film, Motoko Kusanagi, is an augmented-cybernetic human ranked the major of the Squad. In the search for the puppet master Kusanagi deals with the dilemma of her identity reflected in the space which she in habits. In the beginning of the film Motoko Kusanagi is shown on top of what seems to be a new Tokyo/Hong Kong –like super city as she leaps off to hang on the side of an office but is not seen due to her Thermo-optic camouflage. Inside are there is the Government agency Section 6 discussing the problem they are having with a criminal they dub the “puppet master” with a foreign agent from another country. Before one of the officials leaks important government information she shoots through the window to destroys what turns out to be a cyborg right in the head. The head explodes in almost a slow manner to show the attention to detail on how the anatomy of a real head/cyber brain would in actuality. The head of Section 6 orders his men to shoot at the window but it’s too late. As they rush to the window they are amazed to see Kusanagi descending with her gazing at them as her camouflage turns back on and at this moment the frames are slowed down to give us the calm, confident, and awing sensation our character is experiencing. As she further descends she is shown fully blending into a radial and centralized portion of the city. After this scene the real introduction is shown as we start to see what makes a cyborg. At this point Mamoru Oshii decides to mix the use of 3D computer software and Hand drawn animation to truly depict the details, connections, and joinery of the cyborg assembly. Within the 3 minutes we
Figure 5
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are shown the director and artist’s full understanding of process, plan, section, and elevation. Already 7 minutes in and I have been fully captivated and inspired by the methods and techniques used to make this film and what makes me believe that and inspection of Anime, Art, and Film can help mediate a way of thinking and making when it comes to architecture. “Ghost in the shell” at a quick glance may seem to be just a cyber punk movie with cyborgs and robots for the sake of entertaining but it is the complete opposite. The dialogue of characters and the visual techniques seduces the brain to travel to a different realm or conscious. In other words, it has a lot of philosophical content. Midway in the film, a sanitation worker is sitting in the custody of the police being interrogated for crimes he thinks were minute till the officers start explaining that he has been cyber hacked by the puppet master. The man thought what he was doing was helping him get closer to his daughter whose mother prevents him from seeing but in reality was helping the puppet master take control of certain networks. Officer Togusa begins to explain that those memories perceived to be real have been falsified as he has never been married nor has children. The poor man looks into his wallet to look at the photo of his daughter but it’s only a picture of him. As the interrogation keeps on, Kusanagi looks into the room but we are shown her dim reflective on the glass to subliminally tell the audience how she is now questioning herself (soul) as she is a full cyborg. The most captivating segment of the film becomes a 3 minute journey through the city. The segment portrays Motoko Kusanagi (main character) on boat cruising through the future city of Tokyo. In these 34 shots there is not much action or dialogue. These shots give the viewer layers of information within the space created to give a sense, emotion and identity. The beautiful visuals and techniques used would make Bernard Tschumi state that the result of these actions “it has seduced” or is fulfils some “utilitarian Function “but that is sets in motion the operations of seduction “. There is no dialog or action, only views of the city infested with advertisements and signage.
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Figure 6
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There buildings in production and rubbish in the canals. The storefronts are filled with lifeless manikins as moving bodies pass by the street. As the camera zooms in and out of these frames we are now given more information on how the character feels and is sub-consciously comparing herself to the mannequins without the need for dialog in a successful manner. Mamoru Oshii and other artist use and exploit architecture and its spaces to evoke emotion. These compositions and layering of information create a dialog which Bernard Tschumi might see as meaning and being, Movement and space, and man versus Object. As the movie progresses, Section 9 comes to the conclusion that the “puppet master” is an artificial intelligence program created by Section 6 as a tool to spy and politically engineer government power and was originally named “Project 2501”. The reason the Puppet Master escaped was due to the fact that it no longer saw itself as a computer program but thought of itself as a sentient being that recognized its reality and sense of self. Major Kusanagi now begins to re-questions her existence as she wonders if she is like the puppet master or a copy of someone else’s memories. But why did he go through so much trouble? As section 9 further interrogate they are interrupted by section 6 as they broke into the facility to capture project 2501 before the information meets the public. Major Kusanagi and her partner Batou race to retrieve the puppet master where they end up at an abandon natural history museum. Kusanagi begins to sneak through the roof as she then notices that a mechanized Spider-like tank is guarding the puppet master kicking a gun battle between the two. Bullets are blazing back and forth as each maneuver their way through space dodging bullets that end up tearing apart Doric columns and walls. This scene became a metaphor for evolution exploiting the dialog between the new technology and old technology, Old architecture and New Architecture, and Old culture and New culture.
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She then gets on top of the tank to disconnect it but desperate to win, she uses excessive force ends up destroying her cybernetic arms. As the tank grasps her head Batou destroys the tank with a rocket launcher. He then gets both the Major and the Puppet master side by side to finally find out the reason for the puppet masters ultimate plan. “...I am sentient and I am able to recognize my own existence, but in my present state I am still incomplete. I lack the most basic processes inherent in all living organisms: reproducing and dying.� The Puppet Master states what lead him to find Major Kusanagi as she is seen as his dim reflection. He then proposes to merge into a new superior being with vast information that is beyond her understanding. It is like looking into the sun a blinding brightness that conceals a great power. Eventually Section 6 snipes both the puppet master and Kusanagi but is saved by Batou as he blocks the bullet. In the end Batou replaces her body for a new childlike cyborg body as she is no longer the Major nor the Puppet Master but a synthesis of both.
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Figure 8
Aside from the beautiful and dynamic scenes, Japanese animes in general have a particular way to portray a space due the techniques they use in their transition of frames known to what the author of “Understanding Comic s”, Scott McLeod describes as “aspect to aspect” transitions in which time is abandoned for the exploration of space. These kinds of transition are used in comics as well as films and evoke a mood and activate the senses and imagination. It emphasizes the notion of being there rather than getting there such the western style known as action to action transitions which are very goal oriented. Unlike western comics and their action-to-action, aspect to aspect transitions focus on the details of the space perceived.
Figure 9
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Problem Statement
Although the relationships between the built architecture and the inspired medium seem to correlate there is still something missing, as what was taken from the anime was more of the style and imagery rather than the experience of one. Art can inspire creativity and thoughts but film can take an audience through a vicarious journey through the characters and the spaces they inhibit, which can exploit a hidden message of our built reality. Film, like architecture is considered cultural artifacts created by specific cultures. Like art they reflect their culture while simultaneously affecting them and I believe as architects it is our duty to be conscious of our social input. At this point I realized I had to further study anime and dissect the concepts behind the films and the philosophy of the directors and artist My first goal to start with was to have three main drivers inspired from the Ghost in the shells way of thinking and making. The first is the technique of juxtaposing settings to extract bits of information such as their Histories, cultures, and spaces to then be merged into a new fictional setting.
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Secondly, I appreciated the attention to details of space and object. Production I.G. Studio went as far as to collaborate with experts in the fields of robotics, engineering, and mechanical design to portray the film as realistic as possible. Third, became the Movement and transitioning of frames that allow our character to move through space in unconventional ways that exaggerate the experience /sensations that the character feels. With the concepts at hand, I made two graphics for each that would be a represent. In a sense these ideas represent different scales from urban architecture, objects and movements in relation to one another. For the first set ones were abstract collages using images from the movie while simultaneously trying to create a language of notations such as Bernard Tschumi’s Manhattan Manuscript. Unfortunately they did not create a clear message which leads me to evolve them the second set which is more direct and provocative.
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Merging “A copy is just an identical image. There is the possibility that a single virus could destroy an entire set of systems and copies do not give rise to variety and originality. Life perpetuates itself through diversity and this includes the ability to sacrifice itself when necessary. Cells repeat the process of degeneration and regeneration until one day they die, obliterating an entire set of memory and information. Only genes remain. Why continually repeat this cycle? Simply to survive by avoiding the weaknesses of an unchanging system.�
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-Puppet Master
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Deconstruction “There are countless ingredients that make up the human body and mind, like all the components that make up me as an individual with my own personality. Sure I have a face and voice to distinguish myself from others, but my thoughts and memories are unique only to me, and I carry a sense of my own destiny. Each of those things are just a small part of it. I collect information to use in my own way. All of that blends to create a mixture that forms me and gives rise to my conscience. I feel confined; only free to expand myself within boundaries.� -Major Motoko Kusanagi
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Movement “If we all reacted the same way, we’d be predictable, and there’s always more than one way to view a situation. What’s true for the group is also true for the individual. It’s simple: Overspecialize, and you breed in weakness. It’s slow death.”
-Major Motoko Kusanagi
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Heterotopic Spaces As architects, we desire to create utopian cities and buildings in contrast to buildings which we might see as boring, dysfunctional, or dystopic. Anime has successfully been able to show places in an in-between which can be referred to as a heterotopic space where time is abandoned for the exploration of space. The concept of Heterotopia was further described by Philosopher Michel Foucault as spaces that have more layers of meaning or relationships to other places. “They are marginal spaces for the voiceless to construct identity for themselves� as Evan Puschak confirms. This concept inspired me to create my own heterotopic models. Since some of my previous models lacked identity I decided to take apart the copy producing device, the printer, and merge the dynamic mechanical pieces along with white linear, planar, and plexi elements. These abstract models spark the mind to perceive spaces such as cities, buildings and interiors which can be seen in each individual model.
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The Machine
In an interview with Mamoru Oshii, he stated, “in order to have a successful film in the united states is to first think of the character, second, your story, and lastly the setting” and then explained that he believes that “you first have to think of the place, second, your story, and lastly your character and that is what makes Japanese film successful. This inspired my “machine model” where the grey base becomes the setting as the plexi represents the boundaries of the story, the white element are architectural characters and last but the least there are moments with red highlights to implicate a sense of movement. All elements are joined together without glue in order to be more adaptable. Parts were able to be dis assembled to add or replace elements like an engine. The environment changes in phases slow and fast with a sense of permanence of masses. The grounds is has subtle and manageable presence with its organic progression. Its spatial variety of space produces opportunities to grow and expand reality without the loss of origin
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Moments
Animating characters in fictitious realms allow characters to move dynamically through space and depending how it’s shown can give us a vicarious experience of what our characters go through. For example, in ghost the shell, when Major Kusanagi leaps from the skyscraper the director slows down time to exploit how adrenaline affects the perception of time and show us her confidence reinforced with a centralized city as the background. The following set of graphics portray five action moments that I perceive as intriguing.
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Accross In anime there are spaces that portray tension between two architectural elements which make characters take a leap which causes time to slow down at an in-between point. Such elements include the spaces between buildings, platforms, natural landscape gaps and more. These gaps in animation and as well as real life provoke a sense of physical and emotion challenge. A simple example can be the Olympic sport for longest jump to skateboarding and BMX stunts.
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Ascension and Descension This concept revolves around architectural elements which provoke the idea of climb and reach to access a goal while simultaneously representing descension. Whether the character is going up or down has a huge significance in film. When a character walks down a set a stairs we can imply a sense of surrender or foreshadow a loss like in the movie, Ex Machina, the main character is film coming down stairs at the corner of the frame to display a sense of misalignment. And the action of climbing is the classic way to show a character achievement. The mixture of movements in these films could also be the inspiration for certain parkour and stunt moves.
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Subtractive and Additive
Additive and subtractive space within a frame that spark curiosity as information behind planes are not fully given. In Film like architecture use of layers and depth brings elements closer and farther away to expose or hide things to show information and spark intrigue.
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Threshold One of the most significant concepts to anime. In anime there is always a threshold where a character exist an existing linear and flat condition into a realm of wonder and obscurity. These threshold can be as simple as and quick movement cause by an object that causes a character to trip/fall which gives a new sense of alertness. Others are direct, like transitioning through a door or hallway or elements like light and shadow.
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Contemplation and Option In films there are centralized images of a static city merged with organic movements centered at the focal point to represent stability or contemplation. The notions of symmetrical spaces are perceived as spaces of deep thinking like churches while asymmetrical spaces can make one choose a direction to go whether left or right or can imply a decision between right and wrong and back and forth.
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Archi-Manga
Looking back at the Graphics and models I felt that there was something lacking and could not move forward. It was not until I went through “Ghost in the Shell: Archive�, a publication of the Frame by frame drawings of the entire movie, that truly sparked on the bulb on the top of my head. Why don’t I make my own anime in the form of a Japanese manga? I had the main concepts and drivers and that was enough to start. Before I could start I prepared a variety of pages with frames ranging in different sizes and arrangement and printed twenty-five templates to be laid out on the drafting board. Each page was spaced out a half inch side to side and top and bottom since I was only able to put five columns and two rows per drafting board (Three drafting boards in total). This allowed me to work freely; allowing lines and planes intersect corresponding frames to establish a dialog between space, objects, and movement, through plan, section, and elevation. These graphics would then be able to be translated into an animated film as each frame allowed me to portray cinematic effects using panning, zooming, distance, and angles that show angles which are difficult to produce in real life. The story on the other hand was almost the last thing in mind, like Mamoru Oshii I was continuing the Idea of forming the setting first to then begin implement the notions of story and character.
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Cover/Story In the end the entire graphic novel was displayed on a grid of 5x5, making a theoretical device to show the relationship between pages and creating unison in the entirety of it all. As one looks at this from a far one can dissect the language within the framework in the work portrayed to then make a story. These actions led to the final graphic that is an abstract overlay that collages textures, lines and symbols giving a clearer idea of what the story could be about. As the comic came to a finishing point I realized that it can serve as a theoretical design tool that can be applied to most fields of art and maybe this Archi-manga is not for me. Maybe it’s for someone else to strip away, reapply, and evolve the concepts, because architecture should be a social interactive art form.
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Bibliography
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Brown, Steven T. Cinema Anime: Critical Engagements with Japanese Animation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. Print. Tschumi, Bernard. The Manhattan Transcripts. London: Academy Edi tions, 1994. Print. Schöning, Pascal, Julian Löffler, and Rubens Azevedo. Cinematic Archi tecture. London: Architectural Association, 2009. Print. Tschumi, Bernard. Bernard Tschumi: Architecture In/of Motion. Rotter dam: NAi, 1997. Print. Ghost in the Shell, Production I.G., 1995. Paprika, Madhouse, 2006. Voltron, World events production/ Toei Animation. 1985 Howl’s Moving Castle, Studio Ghibli, 2004. Puschak, Evan. "The Death of Socrates: How To Read A Painting." You Tube. YouTube, 30 Mar. 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2016. Puschak, Evan. "Ghost In The Shell: Identity in Space." YouTube. You Tube, 16 Sept. 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2016. AnimeEverydayYT. "Ghost In The Shell - Film Analysis - Motoko's Dilem ma." YouTube. YouTube, 08 Nov. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2016. RCAnimes. "Satoshi Kon - Existentialism and Reality." YouTube. YouTube, 13 Mar. 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2016. RCAnimes. "Looking at Architecture (in Anime)." YouTube. YouTube, 27 Nov. 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.
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Index
Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9
My Neighbor Totoro , 1988. Soft and Hairy House Ushida & Findlay, 1994. Howls Moving Castle, 2004. Flying Mud House Terenubo Fujimori, 2010. Ghost in the Shell, 1995 Ghost in the Shell, 1995 Ghost in the Shell, 1995 Ghost in the Shell, 1995 Ghost in the Shell, 1995
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