Louise Lemoine

Louise Lemoine is a French filmmaker and artist renowned for her innovative approach to exploring architecture and the built environment through cinema. She is best known for her collaborative work with Ila Bêka, with whom she has co-directed a series of acclaimed films that delve into the human experiences within architectural spaces. Their entire body of work was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 2016, marking a significant milestone in architectural filmmaking.^[1]

Born in France, Lemoine studied cinema and visual arts, which laid the foundation for her distinctive storytelling style that combines documentary and narrative techniques. Her films have been featured at major exhibitions, including the Venice Architecture Biennale, where her work was praised for shifting architectural perspectives. Lemoine’s approach moves away from traditional depictions of architecture as static and object-centered, focusing instead on the dynamic, lived experiences of people interacting with these spaces daily.

Through her filmmaking, Louise Lemoine has redefined how architecture is perceived and documented. Her film Moriyama-San, produced with Ila Bêka, exemplifies this vision by portraying the everyday life of a Japanese man living in an iconic architectural home. This film gained global recognition and was even streamed on Dezeen’s website, where it reached a large international audience.^[2]

Her contributions have had a significant impact on both architectural discourse and the cinematic portrayal of space and society. Lemoine’s work has been showcased in exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou, which highlighted her unique ability to capture the human aspects of architecture. The Los Angeles Times referred to her film Koolhaas Houselife as “breaking down the walls of architectural documentary,” showcasing her innovative methods.^[3]

Career

Lemoine lives and works between France and Italy. Since 2005 she has been working in collaboration with her husband Ila Bêka with whom she founded the research and creation platform Bêka&Partners.^[4]

Presented by The New York Times as "cult figures in the European architecture world",^[5] Lemoine and Bêka mainly focus their research on experimenting new narrative and cinematographic forms in relation to contemporary architecture.

Koolhaas Houselife, the first film she co-directed with Bêka in 2008, has been acclaimed by the international critique as "the architectural cult movie".^[6] They self-financed the film in order to assure creative freedom.^[7]

Following the success of Koolhaus Houselife, Bêka and Lemoine shot the four other films that would make up their Living Architectures series.^[7] This series, which comprises Koolhaus Houselife; Pomerol, Herzog & de Meuron; Xmas Meier; Gehry's Vertigo; and Inside Piano, follows the mundane realities of maintaining buildings by renowned architects, including Rem Koolhaas (the Bordeaux house), Frank Gehry (the Bilbao Guggenheim), and Auguste Perret.^[8]^[7]

Her films have been selected and awarded in some important international film festivals such as CPH:DOX, Chicago International Film Festival, DocAviv, Torino Film Festival, FIFA, etc.

She has been invited to lecture and present her films in many international cultural institutions and prestigious universities such as Venice Biennale (2008, 2010, 2014), MoMA (New York), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New-York), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Palais de Tokyo (Paris), Barbican Art Gallery (London), Canadian Centre for Architecture (Montréal), NAi (Rotterdam, NL), MAXXI (Rome), Harvard GSD, Architectural Association School of Architecture (London), Mextropoli (Mexico).

Her films are part of important art collections, the CNAP have acquired in 2014 a copy of Koolhaas Houselife and in 2015 a copy of the video installation La Maddalena for the French national collections. The video work Spiriti has been commissioned by Fondazione Prada for their private collection.

Filmography

Softly Brutal, 2024
Transmutation, 2024
The Sense of Tuning, 2023
Rehab From Rehab, 2023
Big Ears Listen With Feet, 2022
Oslavia, The Cave of the Past Future, 2021
Tokyo Ride, 2020
ButoHouse, 2019
Homo Urbanus (2017 - ongoing project of 14 films)
Moriyama-San, 2017
Selling Dreams, 2016
Voyage autour de la Lune, 2015
Spiriti, 2015
The Infinite Happiness, 2015
Barbicania, 2014
24 heures sur place, 2014
La Maddalena, 2014
L’Expérience du vide, 2014
25 bis, 2014
Living Architectures Zip, 2013
Pomerol, Herzog & de Meuron, 2011
Xmas Meier, 2010
Gehry’s Vertigo, 2010
Inside Piano (3 films), 2010
The Little Beaubourg, 2010
The Submarine, 2010
The Power of Silence, 2010
Koolhaas Houselife, 2008

Awards and Public Recognition

Bêka & Lemoine have received several awards and honors, marking their influence on contemporary architecture and film:

2024: Venice Architecture Film Festival, Jury Prize for The Sense of Tuning, Best Prize for Rehab (from rehab).
2022: Milano Design Film Festival, Special Mention for Big Ears Listen With Feet
2020: DOCAVIV Film Festival, Artistic Vision Award for Tokyo Ride
2020: Milano Design Film Festival, Best Prize for Tokyo Ride
2020: Prix d'honneur at FILAF, France^[9]
2019: London Architecture Film Festival, Best Prize for Moriyama San
2018: FILAF D’OR, Best Prize for Moriyama San
2018: Arquiteturas Film Festival, Best Prize for Moriyama San
2018: Archfilmfest, Best Prize for Moriyama San
2018: FIFAAC, Bègles, Best Prize for Moriyama San
2018: Rome Prize Italian Fellow at the American Academy in Rome (Ila Bêka).
2018: Artist in residence at Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto, Institut Français du Japon
2016: Art Doc Festival Rome, Best Prize for 25 Bis
2017: Featured in *Icon Design* as one of the 100 most talented figures globally^[10]
2015: Named "Game Changers" by *Metropolis Magazine*^[11]
2015: Festival Filmes sobra Arte, best Prize for La Maddalena
2014: Torino Film Festival, Best Prize for Italian Docs for 24 heures sur place
2014: Venice Architecture Biennale, Official Selection for La Maddalena
2013: ArchFilmLund, Best Prize for Pomerol, Herzog & de Meuron, Xmas Meier, Gehry’s Vertigo, Inside Piano
2008: Venice Architecture Biennale, Official Selection for Koolhaas Houselife

Collections

MAXXI, The National Museum of 21st Century of Arts (Rome, Italy): Spaccasassi, Oslavia, The Cave of the Past Future
FRAC Centre (Orléans, France): ButoHouse, Moriyama-San, The Infinite Happiness, Gehry’s Vertigo, Selling Dreams
MoMA - Museum of Modern Art (New York, USA): Koolhaas Houselife, Inside Piano (The Power of Silence, The Submarine, The Little Beaubourg), 25 Bis, Gehry’s Vertigo, Pomerol, Herzog & de Meuron, Xmas Meier, 24 Heures sur Place, Barbicania, L’Experience du vide, La Maddalena, La Maddalena Chair, Spiriti, The Infinite Happiness, Voyage autour de la Lune
Fondazione Prada (Milan, Italy): Spiriti
CNAP, Centre National des Arts Plastiques (Paris, France): La Maddalena, La Maddalena Chair, Koolhaas Houselife
Barbican Art Gallery (London, UK): Barbicania

Teaching

In 2019 she teaches Diploma Unit "Homo Urbanus, Laboratory for Sensitive Observers" at AA School, Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.
In 2019 she teaches the course "Voyage autour de ma chambre" at HEAD, Haute École d'art et de design de Genève.
In 2017 she taught the course "The Emotion of Space" at Domaine de Boisbuchet in Lessac, France. [1]
In 2016 and 2015 she taught the course "Filming Architecture" with Marco Müller and Louise Lemoine at the AAM, the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, in Switzerland.^[12]
In 2014 and 2013 she taught the course "Cinema & Architecture" at GSAPP Columbia University for the New York/Paris program.

Published Books and Dvd-Books

The Emotional Power of Space, Book, published by Bêka & Partners, 2023
Spaccasassi, Artist Book (limited edition 500 copies), published by Maxxi Museum, Rome, 2023
Living Architectures, Book + 3 DVD, published by Bêka & Partners 2013
Inside Piano, Book + DVD, published by Bêka & Partners, 2013
Gehry's Vertigo, Book + DVD, published by Bêka & Partners, 2013
Xmas Meier, Book + DVD, published by Bêka & Partners, 2013
Pomerol, Herzog & de Meuron, Book + DVD, published by Bêka & Partners, 2013
Koolhaas Houselife, Book + DVD, published by Bêka & Partners, 2013
Koolhaas Houselife (extended version), Book + DVD, published by Bêka & Partners, 2008

References

^ "MoMA | MoMA Collects: Architecture on Film". www.moma.org. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
^ "Watch Bêka & Lemoine's movie Moriyama-San". Dezeen. 2017-12-15. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
^ Sample, Hilary (2011-06-01). "Review: Koolhaas HouseLife by Ila Bêka, Louise Lemoîne; Gehry's Vertigo by Ila Bêka, Louise Lemoîne". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 70 (2): 244–246. doi:10.1525/jsah.2011.70.2.244. ISSN 0037-9808.
^ Huxtable, Ada Louise (30 September 2009). "Ingenious and Demanding" (PDF). The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
^ Nicolai Ouroussoff. "Inhabiting a Piece of Art: It’s Not Always So Pretty", The New York Times, 29 January 2010.
^ Elsa Fernàndez-Santos. "La casa de Guadalupe", El País, 13 April 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c Véronique Vienne. "Game Changers 2015: Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine" Archived 2015-02-13 at the Wayback Machine, Metropolis (architecture magazine), January 2015.
^ Wainwright, Oliver (2014-09-25). "Cathedrals of Culture: the documentary that tries – and fails – to find the souls of buildings". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
^ "FILAF 2020". filaf (in French). Retrieved 2025-01-09.
^ "Icon Design 100 Talents".
^ Véronique Vienne. "Game Changers 2015: Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine" Archived 2015-02-13 at the Wayback Machine, Metropolis (architecture magazine), January 2015.
^ "Locarno Film Festival, "Filmare l'architettura"".

General References

Frédérique Hedelmann, "Guadalupe et l'architecte", Le Monde, 2008-09-22 [2]
Jean-Jacques Larrochelle, "Sacrées architectures", Le Monde, 2013-04-16 [3]
Patricia Zohn, "CultureZohn: The 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, Parte Due", Huffington Post, 2014-10-06 [4]
Rowan Moore, "2014 Venice Architecture Biennale review: put yourself in their space…", The Guardian, 2014-06-08 [5].
Susanne Kippenberger, "Raumpatrouille", Der Tagesspiegel, 2015-10-22. [6]
Elsa Fernandez Santos, "La casa de Guadalupe", El País, 2009-04-13 [7]
Elena Sommariva, "Voyage autour de la Lune", Domus, 2016-01-29 [8]
Karsten R.S. Ifversen, "8Tallet", Politiken, 2015-11-13 [9]

External links

[1] "MoMA | MoMA Collects: Architecture on Film". www.moma.org. Retrieved 2025-01-13.

[2] "Watch Bêka & Lemoine's movie Moriyama-San". Dezeen. 2017-12-15. Retrieved 2025-01-13.

[3] Sample, Hilary (2011-06-01). "Review: Koolhaas HouseLife by Ila Bêka, Louise Lemoîne; Gehry's Vertigo by Ila Bêka, Louise Lemoîne". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 70 (2): 244–246. doi:10.1525/jsah.2011.70.2.244. ISSN 0037-9808.

[:0-4] Huxtable, Ada Louise (30 September 2009). "Ingenious and Demanding" (PDF). The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 April 2020.

[5] Nicolai Ouroussoff. "Inhabiting a Piece of Art: It’s Not Always So Pretty", The New York Times, 29 January 2010.

[6] Elsa Fernàndez-Santos. "La casa de Guadalupe", El País, 13 April 2009.

[:1-7] Véronique Vienne. "Game Changers 2015: Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine" Archived 2015-02-13 at the Wayback Machine, Metropolis (architecture magazine), January 2015.

[8] Wainwright, Oliver (2014-09-25). "Cathedrals of Culture: the documentary that tries – and fails – to find the souls of buildings". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-29.

[9] "FILAF 2020". filaf (in French). Retrieved 2025-01-09.

[:22-10] "Icon Design 100 Talents".

[:12-11] Véronique Vienne. "Game Changers 2015: Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine" Archived 2015-02-13 at the Wayback Machine, Metropolis (architecture magazine), January 2015.

[12] "Locarno Film Festival, "Filmare l'architettura"".

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States 2 Netherlands Israel
Artists	ULAN Museum of Modern Art
Other	IdRef