Documentary on Sudanese Architecture
I watched a fantastic Dutch documentary about Sudanese architecture.1 Pictures from Mali, Timbuktu, Djenné, and far out in the countryside.
I loved the attitude of the builders interviewed, that a building is like a human being talking to you. Also lots of ‘magic’ involved; invocations written on slips of paper, buried under cornerstones.
Builders become masters only after several years of apprenticeship.
One master builder: ‘I’ve worked with architects. We do the same work, except they work in theory, we in practice.’
No plans; ideas and ad-hoc sketches in sand.
True organic buildings. True organic villages and towns.
Strange feeling when buildings are made of clay; roads and buildings seamlessly connect, as if buildings have just risen out of the ground. Architecture as extension of nature.
Dutch architects inspired by this; shows a house first modeled in clay, then built according to this model. Very organic form. (Must find pictures of this. I think it was called ‘the de Waal house.’)
Documentary claimed Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry were inspired by this as well. Really? Also mentioned Antoni Gaudí, which seems more apparent.
One of the Dutch architects: ‘beauty is eternal, aesthetics temporary’ (styles come and go); thinks architecture should be rid of style, that they should induce calm (so function as shelter).
Pictures from inside the rebuilt Grand Mosque in Djenné, Mali. Fantastic. (Lots of pictures at Flickr.)
1 Produced by Ton van der Lee. ‘Himmelsk lerarkitektur,’ K special, July 29.