Architectural Reading of the Film “Terminal” via Non-Place

 

ABSTRACT In this study, the concept of non-place/non-lieu was opened up for discussion via the film Terminal (Steven Spielberg, 2003, ABD) on the basis of the phenomenon of “place” in architecture. The strong relation between the cinema and architectural space has been investigated in the relevant literature many times from different perspectives. The film Terminal offers an environment to architects to discuss the phenomenon of non-lieu. While both the cinema and architecture reinforce people’s existence through their own methods, they offer experiences about space by mobilizing all emotions during a visual perception. Non-lieus are places are the structures, buildings or spaces that memories cannot be accumulated. There are two fundamental qualities belonging to a non-place. The first is that being in those spaces almost always occurs as part of a specific goal. The second is that the use of those spaces requires guidebooks specific to them.“Non-lieu” is a word that is used to refer to places that do not possess a sense of “place”. In his article entitled “Non-Places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity” (Augé, 1995) and in his book bearing the same title, mentions the terms of “nonlieu”- "non-place". When analyzing spatial typologies specific to supermodernity, Augé argues that spaces such as airports, highways, supermarkets, shopping malls and hotel rooms involve or describe “non-lieu”. The Terminal movie is bringing a new approach to the concept of nonlieu in architectural approach.