I've always been extremely impressed with the architectural designs seen in the series. Trever's tower, the Bregna city designs, the cloning facility in 'A last time for everything,' everything has always stood out as very well designed to me. Just curious how any of you all feel about the general design of the buildings. I'll be getting a bachelors in architecture soon, so maybe someday we'll see some apartments with a Monican influence! :) Peter, ever considered a career in architecture? It may sound wierd but I wouldn't mind living in Aeon's apartment or Onan's....Anyway I'm curious as to some of your design influences. I see some Russian Constructivism or maybe Italian Futurism in some of the designs, but I may be reading into them..... -Art

-- Arturo M Lopez (amlopez@wam.umd.edu), June 19, 2003

Answers

No wonder the film is to be shot in Brasilia, Brazil. It's a planned city, mostly built by architect Oscar Niemier whose style is very similar to Aeon's world. I suggest you run a search online and check it out. I don't particularly like it (I'm Brazilian, living in São Paulo). It's too grey and depressive to live in - but certainly fits in with the whole Aeon idea.

-- Livia Labate (liv@livlab.com), June 27, 2003.

Yea, Harry posted some great links over at aintitcoolnews.com check it out. I see what you mean by grey and depressing, but I think it's all beautiful personally.

Main page: http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/3416/tabphoto.htm#brasilia

Some buildings that will fit right in... http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/3416/teatro2.jpg http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/3416/lbv_99_dia.jpg http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/3416/igrejinha.jpg http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/3416/congress.htm http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/3416/cat_espl.jpg http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/3416/scn.jpg

-- Arturo Lopez (amlopez@wam.umd.edu), June 27, 2003.

Excuse me, Livia, but you live in *Sao Paulo* and you think Brasilia is *too grey*? :))

It's very hard to find pictures of specific cities on the street level with search engines, but I'm trying.

Ok, so here it is how it feels to be in Sao Paulo: http://geo.ya.com/travelimages/brazil55.jpg

And how it feels to be in Brasilia: http://www.dcamfpaper.hpg.ig.com.br/Sociedade/Brasilia/MoradaInd1.html

I tried for about three hours to find a picture of a "superblock", the place where people actually live in. I found the picture of Park Guinle, in a site about Brasilia speaking how the structure might have inspired Brasilia's superblocks: http://www.geocities.com/~augusto_areal/history/guinle.jpg

Take out the pond and it's pretty much how a residential area feels in Brasilia.

I would agree though that the regular buildings have a style way too dry. But that's the style of any neighborhood built in the 60's. Take a look in most of the streets of Rio and Sao Paulo, (the picture I sent depicts a well off area of Sao Paulo) or of any Israeli city apart from Jerusalem. Those huge dry blocks of cement for the low middle class. Argh.

-- Ricardo Dirani (spharion3@yahoo.com), July 03, 2003.

After all this search, I find myself a bit hypnotized by another of the pictures I found of Brasilia in that same site. It's this one: http://www.dcamfpaper.hpg.ig.com.br/Sociedade/Brasilia/MoradaInd5.html

I think it's the regularity, the repetition, the blocks making the separation between grass and sky. It's kinda calming. And it's also very representative of Brasilia's architectural concepts. The picture I ended up sending shows the main shopping center of Brasilia far away, so it's very significant of how life is there, meaning it's a scene you would see quite often :). This picture I'm sending is, I think, of some government organ, therefore detached from the rest of the city.

By the way, I *don't* relate Niemeyer to Chung. Niemeyer is very straight line oriented, his art reminds me of rock formations, while Chung is organic. Both are megalythical, I agree. But Chung draws round structures full of attachments, while Niemeyer goes Bauhauss, empty surfaces. Chung's architectural style might spring from Giger's. Biomechanoid. An example of Giger's architecture: http://www.geocities.com/gatewaystation/stills/Alien/ship.jpg

-- Ricardo Dirani (spharion3@yahoo.com), July 03, 2003.

I'm no expert, but I don't really think modernist when I see Aeon Flux... I see more art deco, Aztec/Mayan influenced (and Mobius- informed, natch) architecture with sharp 45 degree angles everywhere. Brasilia may have been chosen just to look different... everyone's seen L.A., Vancouver, and now Melbourne, thanks to The Matrix. But I'll reserve final judgment until I see their sets.

-- Inu (paul@nadisrec.com), July 03, 2003.

I agree with Arturo. I see definite influece from Russian Constructivism. The layout is bold stark and industrial as well as sleek and Futuristic.

Even Trevor's Habitat though resembling a Borg Cube is beautiful in its industial design of several compartments forming a simple design..a cube. (Though a sphere or an anchored dome would have worked better in a fluid enviroment...we'll just let fiction go on with the cool story of Trevor's Habitat.)

I also like Trevor's bedroom with its Japenese Industial design...simple, no clutter, furniture floor level, very clean. Of course I also like the fact that Trevor's futon is a doorway to an undergound hideaway!

Trevor's tower is also brilliant...it looks like a huge weopon so the air of Bregna society is constant threat. Also it shows who IS in charge of Bregna. Despite what the boys in the club say...

-- Euphoric Industry (rubyanvil@dublin.ie), July 14, 2003.

I'd like to get Peter's thoughts on this but I havn't seen many posts from him lately. Peter if you are still reading tell us what you think, and maybe some thoughts on the location choice of the movie shoot???

-- Arturo (amlopez@wam.umd.edu), July 22, 2003.