Works

Synecdoche London - Inside the City of London

2025

Documentary film



A "non-place" refers to a space without identity, history and relationships. The City of London is a unique square mile in the centre of Greater London. This area functions as a distinct entity with its own governance separate from the rest of the UK. As a representation of non-places, the City of London is dominated by financial districts and towering skyscrapers constructed devoid of human interaction.

In the transparent city, everything is visible from the inside out. From the glass facade of modern skyscrapers we can see the distorted reflections of buildings inside other buildings. Reflections show how homogenising urban sprawl is eroding the memories of urban cities.

The film demonstrates how the city operates as a non-place. It delves beneath the surface to uncover the true mechanisms driving the City of London. Through the concept of a non-place, we can rediscover an existing space and provide a new perspective.


“非地方”（non-place）是指那些缺乏身份、历史和人际关系的空间。伦敦金融城位于伦敦市中心，占地仅一平方英里，却作为一个独立实体运作，拥有区别于英国其他地区的治理体系。作为“非地方”的典型代表，伦敦金融城被逐利导向的金融区和高耸入云的摩天大楼所主导，而这些建筑在建造时往往忽视了人与人之间的交流与互动。

在这座“透明之城”中，一切都是从内到外可见的。透过现代摩天大楼的玻璃外墙，我们可以看到建筑内部反射出的其他建筑的扭曲影像。这些反射揭示了城市不断扩张所带来的同质化，逐步抹去了原有的城市记忆。

这部影片展示了这座城市如何作为一个“非地方”运作。它深入表象之下，揭示了驱动伦敦金融城运转的真实机制。通过“非地方”这一概念，我们可以重新发现一个既有空间，并赋予其全新的视角。