Images
The Crystal Palace, the Great Exhibition of 1851
Philip Henry Delamotte, Negretti and Zambra. Crystal Palace South transept & south tower from Water Temple, 1854.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, GA, USA
Scott Ehardt. Centennial Olympic Park splash fountain, 18 November 2005.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
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The World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago
Trumbull White. The World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago 1893, 1893.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Beijing Bird's Nest
Tom Nguyen. Beijing Birds Nest Olympics, 22 August 2008.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Image and Film Databases
- ARTstor images on JSTORSearchable database of digital images and associated catalog data. Covers the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and design, as well as many other forms of visual culture. The Artstor website was retired on August 1, 2024. Artstor's content, key resources, and functionality were migrated to JSTOR.
- Bridgeman EducationWith over 380,000 images from museums, galleries, private collections and contemporary artists all copyright cleared for educational use. Bridgeman Education gives you access to the visual culture of every civilization and every period from Prehistory to the present day across continents and civilisations.
- Library of CongressThe Library of Congress is the largest library in the world and the research arm of the United States Congress. LOC maintains collections of all kinds, like films and video, audio recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts.
- The Smithsonian CollectionsThe Smithsonian is the World's largest research complex, spanning museums and research centers. Some of the Museum's collections and artifacts are available virtually to browse.
- Wikimedia CommonsWikimedia Commons is an arm of Wikimedia, the free media repository. Wikimedia Commons provides access to public domain and creative commons images provided by users.
Films
- Chappell, S. (Director). (1993). The Chicago World’s Fair, 1893. [VHS video]. Film to Video Labs Ltd. https://catalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/2304789.
Summary: "The layout for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was different than for those of previous world fairs. Using photographs from the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Historical Society, this video describes the use of space and the architectural design for the buildings of the Exposition." Runtime: 17 min.
- Hoehn, M. (Producer), Schaub, C. (Director), & Schindhelm, M. (Director). (2008). Birds’s Nest: Herzog & de Meuron in China [Streaming video]. Brooklyn, NY: Icarus Films. https://docuseek2.com/if-nest.
Summary: "Bird's Nest chronicles this five-year effort [to design and build the Beijing National Stadium], as well as Herzog and de Meuron's design for a new city district in Jinhua, involving hotels, office and residential buildings. Both projects involved complex and often difficult negotiations and communications between two cultures, two architectural traditions and two political systems. Herzog and de Meuron, the Basle-based architects, find themselves working with China's largest state construction company, Chinese artist and architect Ai Wei Wei, lawyers, and countless government bureaucrats." Runtime: 88 min.
- Ochoa, G. (Producer), Gawin, L. (Producer), & Bradshaw, S. (Director). (2002). City Life: The Barcelona Blueprint. [Streaming video]. Reading, PA: Bullfrog Films. https://docuseek2.com/bf-clbarc.
Summary: "This program from the City Life series starts with a short tour of the city's seafront with Barcelona's Chief Architect Josep Acebillo and UK architect and urban planner Richard Rogers, before moving on to a studio debate on the process at the Special Session of the UN General Assembly in New York in summer 2001, held to review progress from the 1996 UN City Summit in Istanbul." Runtime: 27 min.
- Ou, N. (Producer, Director), & Cao, F. (Producer). (2012). Meishi Street. [Streaming video]. Brooklyn, NY: dGenerate Films. https://docuseek2.com/df-mei.
Summary: "Meishi Street shows ordinary citizens taking a stand against the planned destruction of their homes for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In order to widen traffic routes for the Olympic Games, the Beijing Municipal Government orders the demolition of entire neighborhoods. Several evictees of Meishi Street, located next to Tiananmen Square, fight through endless red tape and the indifference of fellow citizens for the right to keep their homes. Given video cameras by the filmmakers, they shoot exclusive footage of the eviction process, adding vivid intimacy to their story." Runtime: 85 min.
- Pearson, G. (Producer), Sawyer, D. (Producer), & Carney, J. (Director). (1969). The Challenge of Change [Streaming video]. National Film Board of Canada. https://www.nfb.ca/film/the-challenge-of-change/.
Summary: "'Today the rate of change and the areas of life molded by it are increasing astronomically ...' states the introduction to this film. Impressions of all that constitutes the environment of modern man are conveyed in the film in a kaleidoscope of movement and sound--a montage of pictures from the urban and industrial scene, reflecting the creativity and inventiveness of which people are capable but which in turn demand adaptation and adjustment if we are to survive." Runtime: 16 min.
- Silva, M. (Producer, Director, Filmmaker). (2015). Modern ruin: A World’s Fair pavilion. [DVD video]. United States. https://catalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/9428558.
Summary: "Modern Ruin tells the story of Philip Johnson's New York State Pavilion during the glory days of the 1964/65 New York World's Fair, and chronicles its demise in the 50 years that followed. The film details its post-fair use as a 60s concert venue and 70s roller rink, through its subsequent years of neglect, to the advocacy efforts to save and repurpose the structure." Runtime: 2 discs, 78 min. each.