Architecture: from literature to film

Literature is magical; few words, properly accommodated, can transport us miles away or introduce us to imaginary scenarios that go from smooth to catastrophic in just few lines. Describe in words a stage to become three-dimensional images in our minds, is a gift that not all possess but we can enjoy having a book in our hand. No matter the genre that attracts us, we can enjoy the romance of Jane Austen in the British camps, the horrors described by Stephen King or Anne Rice, apocalyptic worlds of Herbert George Wells, the most magical and imaginary places of J. K. Rowling and why not, also the most erotic scenes of Megan Maxwell or E. L. James. Regardless of our tastes and preferences, there is a vast literary background waiting to be discovered by our minds, where we make them real word by word.

And with the explosion of movies, it is increasingly common to see on a screen our favorite books turned into more tangible realities, shaped by the vision of a group of producers, directors, set designers, cameramen and actors who leave aside our imagination to live the literature through their eyes. But literature, more descriptive or explicit than might seem, always leave their readers the ability to imagine personal and exclusive universes; a pair of black leather shoes, a starched white shirt, a stylish leather chair or a large field of autumn colors, represent endless possibilities in our minds, all of them correct. Upon viewing on a screen, we can see reflected our desires, we can consider overcome our vision and we can also see poor and austere representations that do not match the original writings or stay short in our creative possibilities. There are hundreds of possible realities according to the eyes that read the same story.

In this turn of literature to cinema, architecture plays a key role. In the epic worlds of Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings, there are three dimensional spaces involving large ephemeral architects who physically and virtually built entire cities from words and transport us to those fantastic worlds only by little relates, so distant of the buildings that we see daily or the landscapes to which we are accustomed. But everyday architecture in film represents a major challenge; is easier for any reader to imagine a common object and therefore, a harder criticism in the work to shape a space that was perfectly illustrated in our mind.

“50 Shades of Grey” has been one of the most criticized books of recent years; the style of E. L. James certainly was not well received by literary connoisseurs - and I agree with them on this occasion - but thanks to the curiosity of readers and the advertising they generated with their commentaries, the story became an international bestseller. Whether we identify ourselves with the story and our attraction to this particular genre, we read the books to know about the phenomenon of "50 shades" and make a valid criticism. Now, the same story took us back to the cinema and international critics are not waiting.

As fan of films, the movie does not meet the slightest expectations and as an architect, I regret to say that even less, but each one could have a completely different opinion. The minimalist and contemporary spaces described in the texts are short on the movie representation; the flats are poorly designed and placed, the eclectic furnishings do not dialogue with the lifestyle of the characters as the writer describes, the red room makes it more justice to a stable home field than a “sex room” and a large space for piano with the best view of the Seattle skyline which may disappoint any magnate.

In our attempt to play with the spaces, we took on the task of proposing the great hall of the department of Christian Grey according to the original text. An impeccable black marble floor with an elegant and simple piano overlooking the bay, achieve a completely different space. What do you think of our proposal? Please leave your comments, it is important for us to know your opinion and keep offering interesting texts and images for a dialogue with our readers.

JPV