Finding Purpose

April 7, 2026

"What are your objectives?" The primary question I was asked last week during our group session. I have been following a similar capstone theme for the majority of this semester, and this question made me come to the realization that this major part of my project was unanswered. Of course, the foundations for it were based on my enjoyment of whimsical movie scenography, but what was my end goal? I could easily analyze the architectural features in these movies and name the historical precedent they were associated with. So, what is the deeper analysis?

I think my main goal is to design through the lens of the theories and principles of a scenographer and figure out how to incorporate that into my own skill set. I find that I personally design better when I base my creation upon a strong narrative. In my eyes, storytelling is one of the most important elements of architecture. It evokes emotions within the space, making it feel alive in a way, which is why I love the idea of practical sets. We can learn so much from these other designers whose job is quite literally to tell a story through buildings.

I hope that with this objective in mind, I get the opportunity to interview designers, analyze extraordinary movie sets, and design something of my own to symbolize the success of scenography and visualize it in everyday spaces that people can inhabit. I want to move beyond simply recognizing architectural references within film worlds and begin to understand how these environments are constructed to communicate narrative. Instead of designing purely for function, scenographers design to support a story. Every aspect of the environment contributes to the experience of the viewer. If architects approached design with the same intentionality toward narrative, our built environments could become far more engaging and meaningful.

I don't plan to create an exact replica of a fantasy set. I want to experiment with my process of design, translating it into the lens of a scenographer. Ideally, my thesis will help me demonstrate how storytelling techniques can influence architectural form and user experience, ultimately showing that the imaginative worlds of film have the potential to expand the creative boundaries of contemporary architecture.