Αστικοί φόβοι και μεταλλαγές του χώρου. Η έννοια του καταφυγίου μέσα από το πεντάπτυχο των Νεκρών του George A. Romero

Translated title of the contribution: Urban fears and spatial transformations: The notion of the shelter in George A. Romero's Series of the Dead

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

    Abstract

    Every generation has its own fears, phobias that influence our behavior, our reactions to the world and interfere in the formation of space. During the constant quest for a shelter/fortress from possible ‘attacks’, built environment transforms and spatial relationships change, with intense alterations on the limits of private and public realm. Until the end of modernity everyday fears are visible and there is time for urban planning and architectural practices to respond. Since the ‘60’s though, we live in the epicenter of a constant crisis.
    The relationship between human and space changes and the need for a shelter leads to a Form Follows Function logic.
    The use of cinema as a medium of observation of urban and spatial schemes is not a new idea. Cinematic fears don’t come out on their own, narration and cinematic elements go beyond instant shocks, they address to spectator’s fearful memories and touch dreadful truths, underlying the incapacity of a whole
    system to restore the order it promises.
    On this belief the paper looks into the evolution of space and fears through George A. Romero’s Series of the Dead. These movies work as an on-going scenario, which is placed every time in a new area, from 1968 till 2009. All films have the same basic story: a group of people running away from carnivorous zombies. Still there are changes that directly connect the films to their time, changes that are located on four basic fields: the composition of the heroes, the imagery of the zombies, the space where the action takes place and the way of shooting this space.
    Most of Romero’s analysts concentrate on the social dimension of his films, and vaguely mention the spatial relations. These spaces play an important role in the
    destabilization of the cinematic universe, they are not randomly chosen and they are directly connected with the human need of a shelter.
    Translated title of the contributionUrban fears and spatial transformations: The notion of the shelter in George A. Romero's Series of the Dead
    Original languageOther
    Title of host publicationΈρευνα στην Αρχιτεκτονική: Σχεδιασμός – Χώρος – Πολιτισμός, τεύχος 3
    EditorsGeorge Parmenidis
    Place of PublicationAthens
    PublisherNational Technical University of Athens
    Pages70
    Number of pages91
    Volume3
    Edition1
    Publication statusPublished - 2016

    Keywords

    • Urban Design
    • Cinema
    • Genre Studies
    • Horr
    • Gated Communities
    • Suburbs

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