We are pleased to announce the following conference session on anime, architecture and visual culture to be held at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the Society of Architectural Historians. This is an interdisciplinary session that extends beyond the limits of conventional architectural history to encompass the visual realms of real and imagined architecture, landscapes and cities in all of their manifestations. Papers are not limited to historical perspectives; contemporary views on the subject are equally welcome. In order to encourage a cross-disciplinary dialogue we are seeking papers from individuals in all fields that deal with visual culture. Details of the session’s theme are given below; the deadline for submission of abstracts is September 10, 2005. Send abstracts to Don Choi (dchoi@calpoly.edu) and Vimalin Rujivacharakul (contact information provided below).

Architecture, Anime and Alternate Landscape

In the decades since Osama Tezuka’s Astro Boy (1963), Japanese anime artists and studios have produced a remarkable array of futuristic worlds, surreal spaces, and imaginary landscapes. Works such as Space Battleship Yamato (1974), Akira (1988), and Spirited Away (2001) present vivid alternative worlds, drawing on sources from Japanese mythology to atomic devastation to post-modern cities. Anime has spurred the creation of architectural narratives and landscapes unachievable in realms limited by physical structures. In spite of the visual exuberance and spatial creativity of anime-inspired worlds, writings on the relationship between anime and the spatial imagination remain rare, for most discussion on anime from anthropology and Asian studies focus mainly on social and cultural issues. This panel thus invites papers that explore the intertwined notions of imagined space and architecture in anime; or which address the relationship between anime and the production of space in visual and physical landscapes of other realms. Papers may take varied research perspectives, including those of anthropology, Asian studies, historiography, history of art and architecture, material culture, and visual studies. For instance, a visual analysis of the chicken-and-egg relationship between anime and digital architecture would be as welcome as a historical study of the commonalities between Metabolist designs and the architectural landscape of 1960s Japanese animation such as Tezuka’s Astro Boy. We particularly welcome papers from figures in the contemporary art world such as art and film critics, graphic designers, and digital-effect artists, as well as papers that can address the subject through cross-cultural and trans-regional channels. Andrew Perchuk, Head of Contemporary Programs and Research Department at the Getty Research Institute, will serve as the discussant. Send proposals to Vimalin Rujivacharakul (contact information follows); and Don Choi, Architecture Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 (dchoi@calpoly.edu)