Re-Projection in Urban Spaces
Requiem For Detroit
I am just watching the beginning of ‘Requiem for Detroit‘ and am all ready feeling that twinge of excitement and anxiety of seeing someone use film projected in space. This isn’t a new 3D mapping onto buildings animation, but something far simpler and story led. The opening sequence features archive film (1960s?) of a presenter speaking about Detroit’s industrial and economic growth, however the film is seen projected on rundown buildings, empty businesses and abandoned homes in modern day Detroit. It is a simple device but effective. We perceive a great distance between the mood and text of the archive film and the surface upon which it is projected. This distance is the narrative. It is great storytelling – it frames the whole film, defining a start point and end point all at once.
