Pyramid Schemes

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Pyramid Schemes (2018)

Directed by Lawrence Lek

“Architecture is prosthetic memory—a way for society to write without words.”

Documentary · 18m

Pyramid Schemes is a treatise on architecture in eleven chapters. Lawrence Lek offers a sweeping journey through the evolution of architecture—spaces that reflect and inscribe power structures—by interfusing scenes from the video game Assassin’s Creed with other simulated environments. The first-person perspective of a role-playing game assert the agency of the video’s wandering protagonist, and reflect how virtual spaces reflect real-world issues of migration, access, and the privilege of being able to go different places. In the words of the artist, “the simplest form of freedom is the freedom of mobility.” As print has evaporated into hypertext and cathedrals have grown into skyscrapers, the narrator implores: “To progress we must create a space that can shelter the collective, not just reflect it. Architecture must not simply express novelty, it must absorb difference. Difference in culture, difference in technology, difference in language, difference in dreams.”

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Crew

Director
Lawrence Lek
Writer
Lawrence Lek
Editor
Lawrence Lek

Details

Release date
2018-01-17
Runtime
18m
Genres
Documentary
Original language
EN
Countries
United States of America
Production
ApexArt