CINEMA AS COMPLEMENTARY DOCUMENTATION FOR ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE CONSERVATION
Abstract
This study aims to discuss how cinema documents architectural cultural heritage, which spatial layers it makes visible, and which it systematically leaves in the background. The research evaluates approaches that emphasize the role of documentation in the conservation process and the selective representations through which heritage is constructed. It considers film records not as complete documentation but as a complementary resource that supports conservation documentation with experiential and usage knowledge. Qualitative content analysis was chosen as the method; for this purpose, the films Russian Ark (2002) and The Great Beauty (2013) were analyzed at the sequence level using a visible/invisible coding matrix. The coding matrix consists of the following categories: spatial integrity, circulation and thresholds, atmosphere, usage practices, and preservation-critical invisibles. The study first conducted a pilot application to test whether the codebook was suitable for analysis, and then systematically analyzed the two films included in the study according to the coding matrix. The findings reveal that both films strongly convey architectural heritage, particularly through continuity of circulation, transitions between thresholds, atmosphere, and specific practices. In contrast, the systematic readability of measurement/scale setup, structure and service/infrastructure layers, and traces of deterioration-repair remains limited throughout most sequences. Consequently, it was concluded that while cinema offers meaningful contributions to conservation documentation in terms of experience, usage, and atmospheric information, it is not a sufficient documentation tool on its own due to its capacity to produce technical and measurable data. It can be considered a complementary layer added to purpose-driven document sets.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Interior Architecture , Architectural Heritage and Conservation, Architectural Design
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Gamze Çoban
*
0000-0001-6524-3861
Türkiye
Publication Date
March 31, 2026
Submission Date
January 13, 2026
Acceptance Date
February 9, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 3 Number: 1