INCEPTION ARCHITECTURE

Christopher Nolan's Inception is one of my favourite movies when it comes to the science fiction genre. It is a prime example of Nolan's mastery in the art of creating suspense and action, while also creating a complex and at times mysterious storyline for the viewers. The twists and turns of the plot, as well as the countless symbolic and secret details in the movie make it in my oppinion, a modern science fiction classic, which despite delivering massive action scenes for the masses, also challenges the more demanding viewer with a complexity that is otherwise rare in contemporary mainstream Hollywood productions. 

Having said the above the, there is also a down-side to the otherwise great movie. The limbo architecture. Now for those who haven't seen the movie yet, I'll try to sum the specific scenario up. The protagonist and his wife spend years in a so-called limbo world, where they live a lifetime together and create their own dream world. It is their creation that troubles me. The above picture illustrates the result. Endless rows of near-identical, modernist skyscrapers. Now why, oh WHY couldn't they think of something more... Well... Anything more humane?! The protagonist, Cobb, was an architect before embarking on his career as a dream-thief, and assuming that the story in the movie takes place in the early 21st century, I just can't accept the fact that Mr. Cobb and his wife, Mal, are still followers of the early modernistic movement at this point of time. As a matter of fact, their limbo world seems to resemble an endless version of Le Corbusier's infamous Plan Voisin as illustrated below.

Many people still discuss the ending of the movie, but my greatest personal mystery is why Christopher Nolan chose to make the limbo world into a modernistic dystopia. Was it really an aesthetic detail that would illustrate the married couple's idea of utopia, or rather another of his symbolic messages - perhaps one that rather illustrates a certain meaninglessness and artificialness of their dreamworld. Like a certain ending of a certain movie, I'll leave this post unfinished as a tribute to the mysterious nature of Inception. 

Further reading:
- Inception Wiki

- Andy Minchev

SKATEISTAN

Skateistan: To Live and Skate in Kabul is a short, 10 minute documentary about a young group of skaters in the war-plagued country of Afghanistan. I highly recommend you go to the YouTube site to watch the video in HD.

The documentary itself doesn't directly focus on architectural and urban themes, but the footage of the capital of Kabul - a city wrecked by the destruction of war - is amazing. It is interesting (and to say the least, rather tragic as well) to see how the Afghani urban society interacts with and lives in such a city of ruins. The story told in the documentary is furthermore one of hope. It shows how young Afghanis, despite their tragic conditions, seek to live out their passion, and how they seek ways to skateboard and play in areas that are utterly destroyed. The young skateboarders' ability to interact with the ruins of war and decayed architecture in an entertaining manner is utmost inspiring and brave. The story itself is a strong and dramatic one, about how a young generation tries to ignore the condition of its society, and seek joy and serenity - A generation that is hoping for a brighter future.

- Andy Minchev