serial consign

Ever since Syd Mead futurecast Los Angeles as a dilapidated and drizzly, tech-noir metropolis in Blade Runner there has been a vital connection between production design and speculative architecture. An astute student of this connection is illustrator and production designer Mark Goerner. After studying at the Art Institute of Chicago and RISD Goerner worked for several years in television and advertising and was hired to do conceptual illustration for Minority Report. He has since gone on to work on conceptual and production design for Constantine, X-men 2, and The Terminal.

[image: x-men 2 containment area sketch detail - mark goerner]

Production design in cinema is strikingly similar to paper architecture, both deal with romanticizing hypothetical spaces and in both enterprises the maquette is used to simulate the experience of these designs. As an endgame, the only distinction between the model and the stage set is scale. Looking at Goerner's illustrations I can't help but think radical vision of Lebbeus Woods. Goerner has an impressive portfolio of work available on his site for viewing and it is definitely worth spending some time with.

Geoff Manaugh at BLDGBLOG is no stranger to the overlap between film and architecture and recently co-curated Science Fiction and The City as part of the Silverlake film festival in Los Angeles. The screenings included a panel discussion with Goerner, and other production designers including: James Clyne, Ben Proctor, and Ryan Church.

[image: canyon sojourn detail - mark goerner]