SEMANTIC AND SYMBOLIC ARCHITECTURE

Documentary movie about ancient ways of building sanctuaries in Japan

Color-light-sound, 16 mm, 26 min.
Japanese title 'Yui to Hi', binding and fire
Time: Shot on the 3rd and 4th of May 1977
Place: Ueda-cho, Omihachiman-shi, Shiga province, Japan

Director: C. Gagnon (Canada)
Camera: A. Pelletier (Canada)
Assistant: K. Satonaka (Japan)
Production: N. Egenter (Switzerland) and Y. Yoshimura-Gagnon (Japan)
Conception and Research: N. Egenter

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The documentary movie shows a cult-festival during which signs and symbols are artfully built, using reed and bamboo as materials. When completed these strongly geometric forms are considered deities. On the same day they are burnt at night in the framework of an ekstatic and chaotic behavioural tradition. A mysterious art for one day, nothing is left. But, maybe this highly perishable art was more durable than stone!

Who may be interested?

Note: Title and introduction are in Japanese language, but the contents of the movie can easily be understood from the pictures. The best description is the abovementioned publication 'Sacred Symbols of Reed and Bamboo' (English and German) which is still available (-> Books on Architectural Anthropology: SSRB)

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