previous | index | next
postarchitec

Subdivisions, Stripmalls, & Postmodernism
This was the first video that I shot. It was made to show the influence of the Postmodern architectural style on select El Paso buildings. This piece, more than the others, I feel is a catalog of buildings in El Paso which reflect a particular style. This is the only video which does not focus on one building, but rather a style. This is important for the feel of the video, we do not connect with any of the buildings, but than again, I edited the video in such a way that the viewer does not get the chance to do so. In many ways, the editing of this particular video mimics the architectural style which inspired it. Here, we have short segments per building which all reflect the Postmodern influence, they are similar to the idea of facade which is reiterated all through the video. These short facades or segments work together as a cohesive whole, taken apart and viewed separately, they would not function on their own.

The music also reflects, justly, the Postmodern themes. This piece is not emotional and more accurately sets up a tone of indifference. The music in this case, holds the images together in reference to themselves and to the aural Postmodernism of the Primal Scream music. This music was taken from the soundtrack to the film Trainspotting and also available on one the Primal Scream albums. The music is detached and is more a piece of just being rather than having any emotional attachments. It can be viewed as cold and a bit cynical, but the importance is not in the feeling of grandiosity or the ethereal dreams of friars and priests. We should be listening to the music and be caught in the moment as life happens or as is more often the case, passes by.