The Art Newspaper

DVD releases: Architecture’s greats and Isaac Julien’s tribute to Derek Jarman

By Iain Millar. Published online: 13 May 2009

Bauhaus School, Dessau, Walter Gropius

At a total running time of nearly 13 hours (29 x 26-minute films), the boxed set of five DVDs compiling the Architectures series—from production house Arte Video (part of the French/German arts TV channel Arte) and now released by UK-based Illuminations—might be too much to consume at one sitting. Taken two or three at a time though, viewing is a hugely gratifying and rewarding experience.

The series was conceived by the noted French documentarists Richard Copans and Stan Neumann who, between them, have directed 22 of the 29 films, with the remaining seven directed by Frédéric Compain, Catherine Adda and Julien Donada.

Each film looks at a building chosen for its impact on architectural history. Alongside buildings stamped into the general public consciousness—the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Guggenheim Bilbao, the Alhambra at Grenada—are those more instantly recognisable to the architectural cognoscenti, including Le Corbusier's Convent of La Tourette, Gropius's Bauhaus at Dessau and Alvar Aalto's Municipal Centre at Säynätsalo, Finland.

The films' subjects are as venerable as the Abbey Church of Saint Foy at Conques in France, built in the early 11th century and as markedly contemporary as Santiago Calatrava's TGV station at Satolas.

Each film is simply and directly constructed, explaining the building's history, how its architect(s) intended it to function and situating it in the historical context of its environment. Where the architects are living there are interviews, where not, appropriate quotations and if possible (and with obvious exceptions) archive footage. Narration is available in French, German or English.

A ready foundation course in architectural history, Architectures is a model of accessible, informed yet far from worthy documentary-making, and comes highly recommended.

The British Film Institute has recently released on DVD another lavishly compiled artist's documentary—this time twice Turner-prize nominated artist Isaac Julien's "Derek", on the life and work of late artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman. The two-disc set includes not only the film, but also an extended interview with Jarman, three early short films and other ephemeral works either inspired by or featuring him. The accompanying booklet includes an essay on Jarman's paintings by The Art Newspaper contributor Ossian Ward.

Julien's film interweaves excerpts from the 1990 interview with the artist with extracts from his films, and a prose poem tribute by actress Tilda Swinton to her friend and collaborator, spoken as she walks through parts of London that were significant in Jarman's life, and also by his cottage at the coast by Dungeness with its celebrated garden.

Julien adroitly combines all three elements to remind us of Jarman's extraordinary life, from a difficult childhood to his early days as a painter; from his working as a designer for film director Ken Russell, to his unique experiments with interpretations of cinema; his political activism as a campaigner for gay rights and his courageous public stance as an Aids activist.

Jarman was a unique artist and Julien's film is a celebratory and poignant reminder of our loss.

To purchase the "Architectures" boxed set, priced £92, go to http://www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk/filmstobuy/category/3/product/229/bull_architectures_series.html. The discs are also available individually. To purchase the two-disc set of Isaac Julien's "Derek", priced £19.95, go to http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_11952.html

Bauhaus School, Dessau, Walter Gropius