Hello everyone, my name is Farai Matangira(he/him). I’m from Zimbabwe and moved to NYC to study. My major is Architecture and I look forward to graduating next year!
I enjoy reading, with topics ranging from mostly architecture to sports, politics, autobiographies of interesting people, and more recently, Psychology and Philosophy. Other than a passionate interest in Architecture, I’m a huge Sports fan and will watch anything competitive with sides or teams to pick. I also enjoy taking trips to museums with a particular interest in contemporary art. My favorite film is The Dark Knight (2008) by Christopher Nolan. The music, cinematography, and directing are fantastic, however, The Joker, played by Heath Ledger, absolutely steals the show. For these reasons, I have watched the film an embarrassingly large amount of times and consider it my favorite movie.
I Look forward to going on a journey of discovery of a variety of new topics and concepts with everyone!
Thanks.
Hi Farai,
Welcome! I studied architectural history in college and have a particular interest in Frank Lloyd Wright and his Usonian houses. Who are some of your favorite architects? I miss being in a dark lecture room and taking notes on slides of wonderful houses and buildings– though I’m sure your study now is much more advanced. Are you interested in becoming a practicing architect? I would love to hear more. Also, similar to what I mentioned to Cristina (she is a Construction Management major), I can see your major being very useful in your analysis of film structure. I’m sure there are some interesting parallels to draw between the arts.
Happy to be working with you!
That’s great that you studied Architecture History. It’s more than just history on buildings, but history on art and anthropology, as well as a journey through time. Some of my favorite architects include Shigeru Ban, for his blend of traditional Japanese architecture and modernism, Francis Kéré, for his work on advocating for Afro-futuristic architecture, Alejandro Aravena, for his approach towards simplistic solutions for social housing, and I could mention many more architects but that’s for another day.
There have been many interesting parallels between Architecture and film. Notable mentions include Inception (2010) by Christopher Nolan, which plays on the concept of Paradoxical Architecture and mind-bending forms. Parasite (2019) by Bong Joon-Ho is another film that uses Architecture for storytelling and narratives of social and physical hierarchy. Both films are incredible and probably make my top 10 favorite movies.
And yes, I plan on going for licensure sometime in the future and officially becoming an architect.
Farai,
I wanted to respond to your wonderful comment here. I thought the use of architecture in Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite was fascinating. The curtain windows and seemingly simplicity of modern design juxtaposed with the complicated human interactions and hierarchy going on inside the house, juxtaposed with the basement dwelling of the other family… masterful use of space as part of the narrative. Thanks for mentioning some of your favorite architects. I am going to check out their work!