Living Architectures

Applying their keen eyes to architecture’s everyday use, filmmakers Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine create intimate portraits of iconic contemporary buildings, giving back-stage access to their inner lives and hidden workings - as recently epitomised by their celebrated documentary, Koolhaas HouseLife, which received its UK Premiere as the opening film of the AF's Architecture on Film series of screenings. In a new transatlantic exhibition of Bêka and Lemoine's ongoing research into architecture as living form, parallel video installations will be presented at the AF and New York’s Storefront for Art and Architecture. The films depict the human occupations of Richard Meier’s church in Rome; Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbao; and Herzog and de Meuron’s Pomerol winery, alongside further footage of Koolhaas’ Maison à Bordeaux. A revealing examination of iconic architecture in dialogue with its users - from line-dancing grape-pickers to abseiling windowcleaners – exploring architecture as an experience, rather than an image. The Architecture Foundation