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Thesis Chapters by Rafaella Siagkri

Dissertation -- MA in Architectural Visualisation, 2018

Virtual reality technology is able to provide its users with the sensation of experiencing a para... more Virtual reality technology is able to provide its users with the sensation of experiencing a parallel universe;
delving into a digital world where they may interact with and have an impact on the environment. The BBC
declared 2016 as “the year of virtual reality technology”. However, virtual reality, or at least its concept,
can be traced back centuries; Greek philosophers such as Plato mused on the theories of parallel universes.
Plato tried to describe this theory in Republic (514a–521b), in his work The Allegory of the Cave
(Athanasopoulos, 2013), and parallel universes are fast becoming a reality with developing virtual reality
technology.
This dissertation investigates films such as The Ray Bradbury Theatre: The Veldt (Turner, 1889), Inception
(Nolan, 2010), The Matrix (The Wachowski Brothers, 1999), Tron (Lisberger, 1982) and eXistenZ
(Cronenberg, 1999), noting that virtual reality is often depicted within dystopian futuristic settings and
draw aesthetic inspiration from real-world iterations of virtual reality technology. A brief analysis of the
evolution of modern virtual reality technology follows, with references to CAVETM (Cruz-Neira, Sandin and
DeFanti, 1991), Sensorama (Heilig, 1962) and The Ultimate Display (Sutherland and Sproull, 1968).
Following analyses of virtual reality within films and exploring immersion and interaction, with a focus on
the games industry, this paper looks at how interaction and immersion may be categorised. Finally, this
dissertation deliberates on how interaction may enhance a narrative of virtual reality projects, and some
of the capabilities that virtual reality has to offer to those who are willing to use it.
“I think a lot of people have an idea of virtual reality from science fiction, books and movies that have been
out over the last couple of decades.”
(Brendan Iribe, 2016)

Bachelor Thesis, 2016

The surrealist movement emerged in the early 20th century, initially in painting, sculpture, lit... more The surrealist movement emerged in the early 20th century, initially in painting, sculpture, literature, and poetry as well as in cinema. The presence of this movement in architecture is more discreet and less obvious than in other fields. The Surrealist Manifestos, by Andre Breton (French writer and founder of Surrealism) in 1924 and 1929, do not focus on a description of the movement in architectural terms. Several articles claim that there is surrealism in architecture. The correlation between architecture and the surrealist movement is approached by comparing common elements from painting (art) or literature that appear also in architecture. The objective of this thesis is to assert that surrealism does exist in architecture and can be made visible. The citation of examples from the seventh art will be the pillar for substantiating its existence. Scenes from films will be used as instances to demonstrate the surrealistic traits in architecture. The chapters will be statements of the relationship between modernism and surrealism, and the way in which the filming of real space converts that into surrealistic and ultimately dreamlike space. The dreamy sensation that a surrealistic space conveys to viewers is based on Freud’s theories on this topic and is analyzed on the basis of specific films. It is particularly important to refer to the existence of surrealism in architecture and not to differentiate it from the other fine arts. After this analysis, hopefully there will be readers who will be convinced of this connection between surrealism and architecture, and others who may not be fully convinced because of the difficulty of reading the surrealistic characteristics of a space. The beliefs reflected in this thesis will produce a body of inferences based on the above, such that can be used to assert that there is surrealism in architecture at the end of history of the surrealist movement.

Conference Presentations by Rafaella Siagkri

CONNECTIONS: EXPLORING HERITAGE, ARCHITECTURE, CITIES, ART, MEDIA, 2020

This paper will investigate the role of Virtual Reality (VR) as a research tool to understand and... more This paper will investigate the role of Virtual Reality (VR) as a research tool to understand and explore the relationship between architecture and film, specifically, the use of VR technology as a reconstruction method for old film sets. This analysis is followed by the examination of selected film sets in the expressionist film The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) directed by Robert Wiene. A virtual comparative analysis between a selection of the three-dimensional virtual reconstruction of the film sets and still frames from Dr Caligari is at the heart of this discussion.

Dissertation -- MA in Architectural Visualisation, 2018

Virtual reality technology is able to provide its users with the sensation of experiencing a para... more Virtual reality technology is able to provide its users with the sensation of experiencing a parallel universe;
delving into a digital world where they may interact with and have an impact on the environment. The BBC
declared 2016 as “the year of virtual reality technology”. However, virtual reality, or at least its concept,
can be traced back centuries; Greek philosophers such as Plato mused on the theories of parallel universes.
Plato tried to describe this theory in Republic (514a–521b), in his work The Allegory of the Cave
(Athanasopoulos, 2013), and parallel universes are fast becoming a reality with developing virtual reality
technology.
This dissertation investigates films such as The Ray Bradbury Theatre: The Veldt (Turner, 1889), Inception
(Nolan, 2010), The Matrix (The Wachowski Brothers, 1999), Tron (Lisberger, 1982) and eXistenZ
(Cronenberg, 1999), noting that virtual reality is often depicted within dystopian futuristic settings and
draw aesthetic inspiration from real-world iterations of virtual reality technology. A brief analysis of the
evolution of modern virtual reality technology follows, with references to CAVETM (Cruz-Neira, Sandin and
DeFanti, 1991), Sensorama (Heilig, 1962) and The Ultimate Display (Sutherland and Sproull, 1968).
Following analyses of virtual reality within films and exploring immersion and interaction, with a focus on
the games industry, this paper looks at how interaction and immersion may be categorised. Finally, this
dissertation deliberates on how interaction may enhance a narrative of virtual reality projects, and some
of the capabilities that virtual reality has to offer to those who are willing to use it.
“I think a lot of people have an idea of virtual reality from science fiction, books and movies that have been
out over the last couple of decades.”
(Brendan Iribe, 2016)

Bachelor Thesis, 2016

The surrealist movement emerged in the early 20th century, initially in painting, sculpture, lit... more The surrealist movement emerged in the early 20th century, initially in painting, sculpture, literature, and poetry as well as in cinema. The presence of this movement in architecture is more discreet and less obvious than in other fields. The Surrealist Manifestos, by Andre Breton (French writer and founder of Surrealism) in 1924 and 1929, do not focus on a description of the movement in architectural terms. Several articles claim that there is surrealism in architecture. The correlation between architecture and the surrealist movement is approached by comparing common elements from painting (art) or literature that appear also in architecture. The objective of this thesis is to assert that surrealism does exist in architecture and can be made visible. The citation of examples from the seventh art will be the pillar for substantiating its existence. Scenes from films will be used as instances to demonstrate the surrealistic traits in architecture. The chapters will be statements of the relationship between modernism and surrealism, and the way in which the filming of real space converts that into surrealistic and ultimately dreamlike space. The dreamy sensation that a surrealistic space conveys to viewers is based on Freud’s theories on this topic and is analyzed on the basis of specific films. It is particularly important to refer to the existence of surrealism in architecture and not to differentiate it from the other fine arts. After this analysis, hopefully there will be readers who will be convinced of this connection between surrealism and architecture, and others who may not be fully convinced because of the difficulty of reading the surrealistic characteristics of a space. The beliefs reflected in this thesis will produce a body of inferences based on the above, such that can be used to assert that there is surrealism in architecture at the end of history of the surrealist movement.

CONNECTIONS: EXPLORING HERITAGE, ARCHITECTURE, CITIES, ART, MEDIA, 2020

This paper will investigate the role of Virtual Reality (VR) as a research tool to understand and... more This paper will investigate the role of Virtual Reality (VR) as a research tool to understand and explore the relationship between architecture and film, specifically, the use of VR technology as a reconstruction method for old film sets. This analysis is followed by the examination of selected film sets in the expressionist film The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) directed by Robert Wiene. A virtual comparative analysis between a selection of the three-dimensional virtual reconstruction of the film sets and still frames from Dr Caligari is at the heart of this discussion.