My Architect: A Son's Journey

Just came back from the Ritz 5 after viewing My Architect: A Son's Journey and chatting a bit with D.C. about it. This is a documentary about architect Louis I. Kahn made by his son, Nathaniel.

It is a wonderful film and not, as you may suspect given the themes of this blog, only because it surveys and discusses Kahn's architectural works and battles. The documentary gracefully allows other themes to bubble to its surface without any apparent dramatic manipulations. These themes include:

- the tension between pragmatic/political pressures and the artistic ambitions of architecture
- a clear-eyed resistance against "great, misunderstood artist" interpretations
- an unforced exposition of how families create myths and narratives to make sense of their lives

In a woeful nutshell, Kahn's works exhibit a reverence for the inherent properties of the materials used in his structures paired with a generous and gracious use of space allowing light and human movement to interact with these materials. You can view several of his works and plans at the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania. You can also find some images of his best known works here.

The film presents interviews and conversations with several figures ranging from architecture icons such as Philip Johnson and I.M. Pei to former lovers to cab drivers that used to shuttle him around Philadelphia. The profile that emerges from all these discussions is incomplete and often contradictory, yet nevertheless illuminating.

Two aspects of Kahn struck a chord. He rarely settled in one place for long, preferring to travel to and fro and to remain holed up in his office rather than to interact with human beings -- though for a hermit, he did manage to leave a couple of children from extra-marital relationships. His nomadic nature is, in essence, an example of how to be a modern flâneur. It also presents a paradox in his character -- though he preferred not to engage with inter-personal relationships in a sustained fashion, one of the central motivations of his work was to create spaces were people could live with inspiration.

Finally, the film's treatment of Kahn's participation in the design and construction of the Capital Complex in Dacca, Bangladesh is, simply put, an emotional knock-out. The presentation of the building (and, I would assume, the building itself) is stunning. Kahn was often involved in the design of religious or political structures though his motivations for his involvement were focused on providing people with an inspiring space rather than with the endorsement of any particular religion or political structure.

Near the end of the film, Nathaniel discusses the Assembly Building with a Bangladeshi architect he meets inside the building. This architect delivers an emotional, loving account of Kahn and the ultimate impact of the building. It is a powerful account and it helps us understand many of the previous themes explored by the film in one crystalline, beautiful moment. I have to find this architect's name -- I'll post it when I do.

Highly recommended.

| Louis Kahn @ Great Buildings.com | Salk Institute by Louis Kahn |