Thursday, March 26, 2009

la maison en petits cubes

can a house be like life and have layers of memory hidden beneath depths of time. can you dive back through time to view those layers and relive those memories once more?

in this exquisitely drawn and filmed short, an old man lives in a town that has become submerged in water. as the water rises, he builds additional levels onto his home in order to stay above water. one day he accidentally drops his favorite pipe into the lower levels of his home, and decides to rent scuba equipment and to go searching for his pipe. as he descends through his sunken home, he recalls memories of the past in each room.

part one



part two



this film won an academy award for kunio katō!!!

3 comments:

Goldenrod said...

I was going to watch the videos, but it appears as tho they've been withdrawn due to some sort of copyright claim. Too bad. However, I'd like to comment on the premise that a house can have life and store memories. Well no, it can't. It is we who hold those memories, and certain things that appear before our eyes often trigger past memories. I've had that happen many times in my life, as well as you, I'm sure. But I would have liked to view the videos to see what memories were triggered for the old man. A lovely concept, and I'm glad it won a prestigious award.

steven said...

hi goldenrod, thanks for visiting! based on my recent posting of stewart brand's documentary "how buildings learn" (http://leakstev.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-buildings-learn.html) there are some who disagree that buildings don't hold memories or have lives of their own. however, i get your point. i have reposted the videos so you can have a look-see.
steven

Goldenrod said...

Thanks for the re-post, Steven ... they were every bit as enjoyable as I thought they'd be ... I was a little fearful towards the end that he might expire what with all the flooding of memories (d e intended). A lovely lovely ending clinking his wine glass against hers in what has now become a really teeny house. I just might come back and watch them again sometime. Had a smile on my face the whole way through.