Architecture mini Season
Koyaanisqatsi
Featuring music by Philip Glass, and drawing its title from a Hopi word meaning "life out of balance," this renowned montage of slo-mo, and time-lapse visuals of natural and urban environments was one of the highest-grossing docs of the '80s.
Director: Godfrey Reggio
Cast includes: N/A
87 mins / 1982 / USA
Koyaanisqatsi's formula is simple: combine the epic, remarkable cinematography of Ron Fricke with the swelling intensity and repeating motifs of Philip Glass's celebrated original score, plus Godfrey Reggio who drove the project for six years on a small budget as he travelled with Fricke across the US in the mid-to-late 1970s, filming its natural and urban wonders with such originality. What does the title mean? Its tagline was life out of balance, a Hopi translation of the title.
Speaking in an interview in 2002, Reggio explains:
"It's meant to offer an experience, rather than an idea. For some people, it's an environmental film. For some, it's an ode to technology. For some people, it's a piece of shit. Or it moves people deeply. It depends on who you ask. It is the journey that is the objective."
Architecture mini season
We are delighted to close our Architecture mini season celebrating buildings and places on screen, and marvelling in the beauty and power of architecture from all across the globe with this incredible art film classic - and what some might say is the quintessential environmental movie.
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