Architectural Narratives / Building stories
The relationship between architecture and graphic narrative is almost as old as the existence of mass media. From Le Corbusier’s early fascination with Rodolphe Töpffer’s comic strips, to Archigram’s and Utopie’s use of science fiction comic-book anthologies, comics have fascinated architects with their unique capacity to gather together communication, space, and movement. Nowadays, at a moment where digital imaging and video are cornering traditional media, comics and graphic narrative are enjoying a surprising revaluation. A look at architectural publications seems to point that way, showing an increasing interest on the different overlaps between architecture and graphic narrative. Moreover, the diversification of the discipline, paired with new publishing platforms offered by the internet, have fostered the appearance of architectural practices that have adopted comics as a means of expression.
Architectural Narratives / Building stories presented some of Koldo Lus Arana’s recent research on the interactions between comics and architecture, both from a historical perspective and exploring current overlaps: From the work of contemporary architects such as Jimenez Lai, Willem Jan Neutelings, and many others who use comics and cartoons within their work, to the presence of architecture in comics such as those created by artists Chris Ware and François Schuiten.