Cineurbano

This episode is interested in cities in all their intensity and breadth—not just their realities, but how they exist in our imaginations and dreams. If we are to embrace the super urban, cities must excite our dreams and our nightmares. Cinema is of course a fabulous venue for these imaginations: whether science fiction dystopias, hyperreal dramas, or documentaries, the city can be re-imagined, invented, or observed with a heightened reality for even the most prosaic moment.

Today's episode takes the form of a film club—each participant selects a favourite film and explores how it connects to their mental image of the city. We are joined by Desirée Grunewald, a designer and illustrator from Mallorca who has lived in Vietnam for over eight years researching the vernacular architecture of Ho Chi Minh City. Interested in comics, animation, video games, and urban studies, her perspective brings a rich visual and cultural dimension to the discussion.

Also joining us is Jésus Mayordomo, a geographer from Madrid who works for a Spanish chamber of commerce organising trade missions to over 50 countries per year. Deeply interested in urban development, he seizes every opportunity on his travels to understand how cities work and function as a whole. Together, the three conversations trace how cinema has shaped—and continues to shape—the way we see, feel, and imagine urban life.

SUP is hosted by Ian Nazareth, Graham Crist and Christine Phillips.  

This podcast is produced with support from the Alastair Swayn Foundation and the RMIT University School of Architecture & Urban Design.