Towering Invisibilities: A Cultural-Theoretical Reading of the Eiffel Tower and the One World Trade Center

This article explores forms of visuality in architecture in which symbolic and functional values interlink by considering two visually striking and deeply symbolic landmarks that tower over their respective cities at the same time as their impact is related to the invisible wireless communication they facilitate. It contrasts cultural-theoretical responses to the Eiffel Tower (1889) with readings of the One World Trade Center (2014). In this way, we contour a theoretical framework to grasp the compounded forms of signification these towers embody and address the latent and invisible signification at work by turning to the work of the French philosophers Roland Barthes (1915-1980) and Jean-Francois Lyotard (1924-1998).

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Transforming a tower: how did the One World Trade Center eclipse the Freedom Tower?

Area ◽

10.1111/area.12109 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 46 (3) ◽

pp. 249-255 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Igal Charney

Keyword(s):

World Trade ◽

World Trade Center ◽

Trade Center ◽

The One

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Represenasi Citra Positif Islam dalam film Kingdom of Heaven

Medina-Te : Jurnal Studi Islam ◽

10.19109/medinate.v15i1.3249 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 58-74

Author(s):

Jalaluddin Nahrawi ◽

Nabilla Puti Syafira

Keyword(s):

World Trade ◽

Research Method ◽

World Trade Center ◽

The United States ◽

Roland Barthes ◽

Positive Image ◽

Kingdom Of Heaven ◽

The World ◽

Trade Center ◽

Terrorist Acts

After the bombing of the World Trade Center (WTC) building in 1993, Hollywood has intensively produced films which have laid the blame of terrorist acts in the United States on Muslims. These films give a bad image to Muslims,particularly after the 2001 WTC bombing by Al-Qaeda.It was reported that the leading print media increased their reportage of news about Islam by 560%. After the events of 9/11, the issue of Islamophobia again became a hot issue not only in America, but also in countries with a small Muslim populations. Uniquely, four years later, Hollywood released the movie Kingdom of Heaven film which gives a more positive image of Islam. The film tries to counter the negative stigma of Westerners of the teachings of Islam, as well as educate the international community on true teachings of Islam through the story of Saladin's generosity while leading the Islamic forces during the Crusading era. This study aims to determine the meaning of the denotations, connotations, and myths of the signs that exist in the film Kingdom of Heaven on the positive image of Islam presented in it. This research method is a qualitative interpretive and semiotics analysis of Roland Barthes. The results of research ison six analysis units in the form of scenes in Kingdom of Heaven which show a positive image of Islam successfully portrayed in the film.

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