River Deep, Mountain High

This spring’s “Architecture Through Film” series will focus on how rivers shape our cities and ourselves. The five films, ranging from critical documentaries to classic American cinema, provide an opportunity to examine how filmmakers portray rivers while also providing a backdrop for discussing our own relationships with waterways.

The films will be screened at Amherst College, and discussion will follow each film. KRA’s Andy Grogan and Hampshire College’s Thom Long will act as moderators. The series is sponsored by Western Massachusetts AIA and the Five College Architectural Studies Program. The complete schedule and location is available here.

The idea for this spring’s series emerged from a grant that the Five Colleges were awarded for their “Riverscaping” study. “Riverscaping” is a partnership with citizens, artists, and community leaders in Hamburg, Germany, an area that shares similar environmental and historical qualities with Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley. Participants will explore ways to reconnect with rivers as a means to improve the environment and communities. More information is available at riverscaping.org.

Buster Keaton, Studio Instructor

Buster Keaton would have made a great architecture studio instructor. His films reveal a deep understanding of the properties of the physical world and an exhilarating fearlessness in manipulating them. Watching his films, we’re struck by his ability to transform the familiar, helping us see the physical world in a different way.

As part of the Fall 2010 Architecture Through Film Series, KRA’s Andy Grogan will screen two Buster Keaton shorts this Monday evening at 6:30 pm in Amherst College’s Pruyne Lecture Hall (Fayerweather Hall).

Whether addressing the holy grail of manufactured housing or the mixed blessings of technology, Keaton was ahead of his time. The two films being screened, Electric House (1922) and One Week (1920), confront issues that architects are still grappling with. The crossed-wires of Electric House are like today’s computer virus, while One Week‘s prefab home feels presciently Gehry-esque.

Best of all – they’re really fun to watch.

Complete information about the series is available here. The Architecture Through Film Series is presented by The Western Massachusetts Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Five College Architectural Studies Program.