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Wakanda, an architectural review

x-jla

Have you all seen Black Panther?  I took my 2 kids to see it on Sunday.   I enjoyed it a lot, especially the set/costume design.  I’m not a huge superhero movie guy, but being that I have kids I’ve seen them all.  This was one of the top for me along with Batman Dark Night, Spider-Man 1, and Logan.  But, the fight scenes were a little visually confusing to me.  A lot of camera movement...which is why I generally dislike war movies.  Other than that great flick and great overall premise.  I’d like to hear a bit more discussion about the architecture.  I noticed some influence from Mali architecture...And a little “Blade Runner meets Dar es Salam” aesthetic as someone said...

 
Feb 20, 18 11:39 am
randomised

When you say Blade Runner meets Dar es Salaam, without having seen Black Panther:

(c) Lekan Jeyifo via http://www.designindaba.com/ar...

Feb 20, 18 2:13 pm  · 
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peter-v

Saw the movie; loved the architecture. I was even thinking of going to see it again, just to pay attention to the different aspects of the architecture.

As other fictional architecture it's only function is aesthetic, it doesn't need to function for its inhabitants, and the engineering math doesn't actually need to work out. This is applicable both to the individual building level as to the wider urban context.

I think that's what makes it fun to analyze because it makes you examine a whole number of constraints that a real-world architect or designer would have to consider.

Mar 1, 18 11:45 am  · 
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Loved the film as the scale of the body, but as per the comics they had problems at the scale of the city and the nation. 

The (current) comic series makes it verbally clear that water plays an important role in the infrastructure of Wakanda. In drawing and in film- not so much. It's just not designed enough in that respect. If water plays an important role, then let's see how it actually informs urban form. What randomized posted would have been on point and created a greater level of tension between all the tribes (each controlling a specific landscape, but water and water's edge being at the center).

I also had some questions regarding the architecture of Wakanda. For being such an isolationist nation state, what are they referring to exterior architectural forms? Especially given that the Mali architecture in reference is also tied to the Muslim pilgrimages (materials meet cultural ideology to produce innovative form)- allegedly not something that is of Wakanda.

That said, the subtle insertion of technology into everyday life aka "wearables" was refreshing and interesting.

Mar 5, 18 3:10 pm  · 
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x-jla

Yeah, the fashion design took center stage...I also really enjoyed the scenes that were in natural settings...Something about the juxtaposition (I hate that word but...) of high tech and nature always intrigues me. Have you ever seen Cloud Atlas? The last chapter that takes place in the distant future.. kinda has that element too.

Mar 5, 18 3:39 pm  · 
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I'm not sure marvel is ever concerned with making landscape cinematic movies. Otherwise a great deal of the motion would have been smoother- even out of the fight scenes as you brought up. This results in them focusing on the "peoplely bits" that every one can relate to.

Mar 5, 18 4:24 pm  · 
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