Towards a New Architecture & Playtime

an image captured from the film, Playtime by Jacques Tati

Le Corbusier’s Towards a New Architecture

Playtime, a film by Jacques Tati

response

After having read Le Corbusier’s Towards a New Architecture, his architecture, intentions and principles made more sense to me. His forms (mass, surface and plan) are true expressions of functions. His use of primary and simple forms makes his architecture easily beautiful and appreciative. His words are very convincing, as everything seems extremely logical and rational, also in his writing. Even the title of the book itself is persuasive; the word ‘towards’ implies movement, which urged people to open up for a new change. Him having changed his name to Le Corbusier or ‘the module’ also seems to suggest that he’s ‘the standard’ and is encouraging people to copy him. So he showed everyone his ‘spirit of order’ and ‘equality’ in all, or shall we call it mass production. The notion that everyone can be equal because there’s uniform in production, whether for the rich or the poor, is in itself intriguing.

However, the film Playtime by Jacques Tati has brought up a different perspective. I viewed it as an experiment of mass-production of the modernist world. The tone of the film gives a nostalgic sense, because even though it was filmed in colour it looked as though it was a black and white film. It is the same feeling I get towards this new architecture in the film, I am nostalgic towards the old, classic traditions and cultures of Paris. I could not have imagined myself in those scenes, so systematic and machine-like, so dull and boring. Everyone is dressed the same way, look the same way, and act the same way. The same chairs seen everywhere, the posters of different location showed the same building. Even worse, people were referred to by numbers.

Even though the idea of equality is compelling, a mass-produced crowd does not seem like a pleasant society. Everyone and every building shouldn’t lack character and their sense of place. Anyhow, a film is a film, with an exaggeration of this and that particularly in a comedy. Despite Le Corbusier’s ideals of standards and mass production, as seen from his pattern of use of pilotis, flat roof, horizontal windows and free façade on the exterior of his buildings, the interior is an open, free plan – unconventional – unlike what was shown in the film.