The architecture of David Lynch

273 Pages·2014·2.46 MB·English

by  Lynch

THE ARCHITECTURE
OF DAVID LYNCH
S enalda Road, Hollywood Hills.
Credit: Photograph by Yana Stoimenova
i
ii
THE ARCHITECTURE
OF DAVID LYNCH
Richard Martin
iii
Bloomsbury Academic
An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square 1385 Broadway
London New York
W C1B 3DP NY 10018
UK USA
www.bloomsbury.com
Bloomsbury is a registered trade mark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
First published 2014
© Richard Martin, 2014
Richard Martin has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act, 1988, to be identifi ed as Author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior
permission in writing from the publishers.
No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or
refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be
accepted by Bloomsbury or the author.
British Library Cataloguing-i n-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: HB: 978–1–4725–0548–4
PB: 978–1–4725–0881–2
ePDF: 978–1–4725–8643–8
ePub: 978–1–4725–2023–4
Library of Congress Cataloging-i n-Publication Data
Martin, Richard, 1969-
The architecture of David Lynch / Richard Martin.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–1–4725–0548–4 (hardback) — ISBN 978–1–4725–0881–2 (paperback)
1. Lynch, David, 1946---Criticism and interpretation. 2. Architecture in motion
pictures. 3. Motion pictures and architecture. I. Title.
PN1998.3.L96M37 2014
791.4302’33092—dc23
2014004676
Typeset by Refi neCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk

iv
To Alice Honor Gavin, and to Seba Davies
v
vi
CONTENTS
Prologue: Three Journeys viii
Introduction: Mapping the Lost Highway 1
1 Town and City 15
2 Home 63
3 Road 107
4 Stage 133
5 Room 163
Acknowledgments 187
Notes 189
List of Illustrations 209
Bibliography 213
Author Biography 223
Index 225
vii
PROLOGUE:
THREE JOURNEYS
Łódź, on a gray winter’s day
In December 2009, Frank Gehry unveiled designs for a new cultural
center in the city of Łódź—a multi- purpose facility including Poland’s
largest movie theater (Plate 1). Set alongside a rusting power station,
Gehry’s cluster of spectacular interlocking forms in many ways
exemplifi es contemporary architectural trends: a decaying industrial
landscape is transformed thanks to a global “starchitect.” Yet, one feature
of the indicative images caught my attention: the projection onto the
center’s glass façade of a scene from David Lynch’s fi lm I nland Empire
(2006). Walking around the site of Gehry’s plans, I tried to imagine the
connections between a Polish regeneration project and one of Hollywood’s
most perplexing fi lm- makers. In what sense, I asked myself, do Gehry’s
designs refl ect the architecture of David Lynch?
Paris, in the spring
Designed by Jean Nouvel and completed in 1994, the Fondation Cartier
in Paris is a building with cinematic ambitions. It features a series of
enormous screens—an elongated façade and two glass frames positioned
between the building and the Boulevard Raspail—which manipulate
light and perception. Th e intention, Nouvel claims, is to “blend the real
image and the virtual image.” 1 “I sometimes wonder,” the architect says,
“if I’m seeing the building or the image of the building, if Cartier is
about transparency or about refl ection.” 2 Between March and May 2007,
the Fondation Cartier hosted Th e Air is on Fire , an exhibition of David
Lynch’s paintings, photographs and sculptures. Amid the drapes and
platforms, I noticed a crude sketch, in marker pen, of a domestic interior
(Plate 2). Facing the sketch was a three- dimensional manifestation of the
viii
same space, the furnishings fi nished with a scribbled texture (Plate 3).
Here, the real and the represented were again in conversation. Walking
through this eerie stage set, inside a building self- consciously exploring
perception, I found myself wondering: is t his the architecture of David
Lynch?
Los Angeles, in the sunshine
I can’t drive, so getting around Los Angeles was a struggle. One day, in the
summer of 2009, I hired a local woman named Karen to drive me to
various locations in the city. Our fi rst destination was Senalda Road,
tucked beneath Mulholland Drive in the quiet curves of the Hollywood
Hills. Surrounded by rich vegetation, the street contains three stark
concrete structures, built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and now
owned by David Lynch. As we drove along Senalda Road, I asked Karen
to slow down. Th e fi rst building we met, an image of which adorns the
cover of this book, was an unnerving distortion of domestic modernism,
with a mottled façade broken only briefl y by narrow glass slots and a
larger window wrapping around one corner. It was instantly recognizable,
despite slight remodeling, as the setting of Lynch’s L ost Highway (1997),
and it now contains the director’s editing suite and a screening room. As
we drove by, I took as many photos as possible, trying to recreate the
perspective Lynch’s camera held on the building. What was I doing with
this familiar sight (or site)? Was I, in Nouvel’s terms, seeing the building
or the image of the building? Was I projecting, like Gehry, Lynch’s own
images onto the exterior of the house?
Th e next building on the street, a less distinguished structure with
heavy discoloring on its once- white walls, serves as offi ces for Lynch’s
company, Asymmetrical Productions. As we approached the third
building, Karen suddenly shouted, “He’s there! He’s on the street!” Sure
enough, in front of his home, the Beverly Johnson House (Plate 4)—a
hulking form with Mayan touches and a pinkish hue, designed by Lloyd
Wright (son of Frank)—stood David Lynch. He was impeccably dressed
in a crisp white shirt, buttoned to the collar. He looked just like David
Lynch. He was talking with a group of people spread across the street. As
we stared at them, they began to look at us. Given our slow pace and my
conspicuous camera, our presence started to seem rather creepy.
Excruciatingly, our car parted the group. I sat embarrassed in the
passenger seat as Lynch stared into the vehicle. We parked around the
PROLOGUE ix