Architectural Gestures: Baraka (1992) - A personal take on architecture and culture

    The 1992s film Baraka is a documentary that records how human beings coexist in their everyday environments and places. The film has a very interesting way of showing how architecture and living spaces in general are heavily influenced by the culture in which it resides in. That is to say, these spaces are designed to satisfy its society's traditions, religions and day to day customs. The architecture is molded to fit the needs and wants of the people who live in it. 

    Although this might be something to be considered as obvious, the direct comparisons of societies in different parts of the world lets you see how crucial it is to take in every detail of the space and how important it must be to make the space make sense with its environment. For example, the documentary shows images of civilizations with a more primitive lifestyle and living spaces; it wouldn't make sense to have skyscrapers in those environments. It would completely modify the culture that resides there or it wouldn't function probably when considering terrane and, of course, the culture that already exists in that area.

    On the other hand, we see how nature plays a big part in the films visuals. How shots of organic scenery and skies come together in a slow pace; almost serene. And, in contrast, how shots of busy cities never stop moving quickly. The duality between these two portrayals of life are at a base where the environment is obviously different, not just because of the population but also because of it's location. The appreciation yet simultaneous destruction of natural spaces to accommodate a civilization's lifestyle being apparent when looking into these types of comparisons. 

    In addition, the documentary shows how architecture, and with it the economy, feed off of natural resources and high demands within the society, which can lead to mass production; that is, for a more economically stable society. In comparison to this, the film portrays images of people taking shelter within road sides or under bridges and giant communities in which the economical disadvantage is visible within it's building structure. One's own economical stability can narrate their place in the society they live in. I feel like this documentary portrays how some spaces, like big cities, are designed to accommodate those who can afford it rather than just everyone who lives within it, since that is the culture in which it is built upon.

    By this point, it is common knowledge that architecture is determined by how the population living within it works. If the space doesn't work to accommodate it's civilians needs, then it is useless. Therefore, architecture and space designing must be modeled to work around the prominent culture of it's location. That being said, although architecture is an immense advantage to a satisfactory human lifestyle, when design and production aren't taken into cautious consideration, it could and often does lead to natural spaces being destroyed and exploited to no return. To conclude, I'd say the film does an interesting job at showing most sides of what culture and living space can be. The portrayals of multiple different sceneries all functioning correctly to there own culture and how distinct they are from one another shedding light to important things like terrane, economy, religion, tradition, etc. Each place was different from the other, and equally so should be it's environment. 

PS; two-in-one assignment entry speaking about a personal analysis on the movie Baraka (1992) and its relation to Architectural Gestures and culture.