— Stunning modernist architecture is the star —
November 11, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) – George Smart, founder and executive director of Triangle Modernist Houses.com (TMH), has announced the first TMH Architecture Movie Series, four monthly Thursday night events at the Galaxy Cinema in Cary, N.C.
The first film is Thursday, December 10 — “Visual Acoustics,” a documentary on Julius Shulman, arguably the most important architectural photographer of the 20th century. Narrated by Dustin Hoffman and directed by Eric Bricker, “Visual Acoustics” chronicles Shulman’s life and work as he shaped the careers of influential architects including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra,and John Lautner.
On Thursday, January 14, TMH will screen Ayn Rand’s 1949 classic “The Fountainhead,” based on philosopher Rand’s seminal novel by the same name. “Protagonist Howard Roark
is a fiercely individualistic young, modernist architect who chooses to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision,” Smart said. “Roark is the embodiment of the human spirit and his struggle represents the triumph of individualism over collectivism.”
“The Lake House,” a 2006 romantic drama starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, is TMH’s choice for Valentine’s Day week, February 18. Alex Wyler (Reeves) is an architect living in 2004. Kate Forster (Bullock) is a doctor living in 2006. They share correspondence by leaving letters in a lake house mailbox that somehow transcends time. “A great love story, but the real star of the movie is the house,” Smart says, “and prior to the screening, moviegoers will learn how it was constructed and destroyed just after completion.”
On March 18, the final movie is “Infinite Space,” a new documentary that traces California
architect John Lautner’s lifelong quest to create “architecture that has no beginning and no end.” Lautner is known for the Sheats-Goldstein Chemosphere and other bold houses that have appeared in movies and on TV. “‘Infinite Space’ is the story of brilliance and a complicated life,” said Smart, “and some of the most sensual architecture of the 20th century.”
“TMH’s ongoing mission is “to draw attention to and to celebrate modernist residential design,” Smart noted. “These four films, besides being entertaining, feature terrific houses from across the country.”
Smart is an unabashed fan of the Galaxy Cinema. “They have the area’s best popcorn, popped fresh right there, not in a factory somewhere,” he said. “Food prices are reasonable, and besides popcorn, sodas, and candy, the theater offers beer, wine, mineral water, coffee and teas, and specialty organic chocolates.”
Galaxy Cinema is located at 770 Cary Towne Boulevard, across the street from Cary Towne Center. All movies in the series start at 7 p.m.
Sponsors include: Nowells Contemporary Furniture, Foundation, LightTech, Tonic Design & Construction, Kontek Systems, Alphin Design Build, Frank Bowman Design Inc., and blueplate pr. Advance tickets are $7.95 each, $23.95 for all four movies, or $9 at the door. There will be door prizes donated by sponsors and gift certificates from the Galaxy Cinema.
For more information on the THM Architecture Movies Series, to buy advance tickets, and to see trailers for each of the featured films, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/register.htm.
About Triangle Modernist Houses:
Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) is a 501C3 nonprofit established in 2007 to restoring and growing modernist architecture in the Triangle. The award-winning website, now the largest educational and historical archive for modernist residential design in America, continues to catalog, preserve, and advocate for North Carolina modernism. TMH also hosts popular modernist house tours several times a year, giving the public access to the Triangle’s most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours raise awareness and help preserve these “works of art” for future generations. Visit the website at www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.
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