by AK Hansen
INTRODUCTION
Byen Brænder – an urban projection experience
In 2002, there was an all-city exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark called Byen Brænder (The City is Burning). Street art bloomed and everybody was in love. Graffiti writers were experimenting with a new style for a new audience, artists were experimenting with a new exhibition space. Everybody was taking their art to the streets and thereby questioning the powers reigning over public space and who has the right to use it, as well as questioning the established art scene and its influential curators.
One of the events that really stood out to me during Byen Brænder was a film screening on a building facade in an empty lot. Long before smartphones and digital billboards made moving images were everywhere in the cityscape, this screening had a DIY set up with a projector run from a car (battery), speakers on the back seat, ready to move on to a new location if necessary. And it was somewhat different from the other things on “display” in Copenhagen urban space. The light caught the eye of passersby immediately, the sound drew people from the adjacent streets, the gathering crowd sparked curiosity. It was fascinating to stand there in the darkness with a bunch of strangers and share the stretch of time and the experience of the film. It created a sense of unity. Many people lingered and talked after.
This experience stayed with me, and popped up again now while I thought about alternative ways of screening Third Cinema and marginal films that have a hard time getting through to the usual 1st and 2nd cinema screens. As it shows in the examples presented below, all the eye-catching effects of projections in public space are being utilized widely by artists, activists and for commercial purposes. However, actual film screenings in public spaces seem to be rarer, especially when it comes to marginal films and documentaries.
Urban Projection as resistance
The same power structures that the street art movement was questioning are obviously just as present when it comes to film. Connections, money, fitting whatever is vogue with curators, etc. are all road blocks on the way to the screens. Public space still embodies the power structures that we all are subject to but have very little control over. Private property rights rule everything. Both public and private institutions who have facilitated, currently benefit from, and/or honor the (neo-)colonial structures and exploitations that Third Cinema came into being to overturn, have prominent positions in the urban landscape. Exactly because of this, it is worth thinking about how projection of marginalized film in urban public space today can have the power to speak back – both at the powers that control public space, and at the institutions that control whose films get to be shown and to what audiences.
DIY film projection in urban spaces is a relatively cheap and safe way to get around these obstacles and claim back the “public” space that in theory belongs to all of us. It also offers a potential for reaching an audience who would not otherwise have chosen to go and see a film. Because it is free, it also questions the way capitalism is intertwined with filmmaking and consumption in our 1st and 2nd cinema context, where film is “one more consumer good” as Solanas and Getino states in their Third Cinema manifesto Towards a Third Cinema. Center for Urban Intervention Research (CUIR) at Carnegie Mellon University, which looks into the use of public space, reaches the conclusion that urban projections counter exactly that:
“UP [Urban Projection] composes new platforms for people to connect, communicate, and collaborate instead of consume.” (Momeni & Sherman, p. 13)
From the start, Third Cinema was intended to speak back to power structures, be accessible to the people, and create a communal experience that can encourage discussions, and urban projection fulfills many of those aspirations.
THIRD CINEMA AND SITUATIONIST INTERNATIONALE – THIRD CINEMAS IN A WESTERN URBAN CONTEXT
A great deal of the intellectual foundation for the early 2000’s street art movement originated in the avant garde movement, the Situationist Internationale. Situationist Internationale was established in 1957 and shared its formative years with Third Cinema. Like Third Cinema, Situationist Internationale was built on a Marxist critique of capitalism, demanding revolution and critiquing the 1st cinema as a spectacle for consumption. But situated in the West, Situationist Internationale missed the focus on colonialism (especially given their French context – read a strong critique here), and was concerned primarily with the condition of the individual rather than the collective.
Important here, however, is the concept of psycho-geography that the Situationist Internationale engaged heavily in. Psycho-geography the experience of the cityscape, and the effect of this on everyday life. In short, psycho-geography is the study of how urban environments impact people’s behavior and emotions, and can best be studied by consciously exploring urban space (as opposed to just moving through it). These explorations rely heavily on sensory experiences of places and awareness of its history and social fabric – and revolutionary opportunities.
It seems meaningful to utilize the concept of psycho-geography in the interest of expanding the ideas of Third Cinemas within a Western urban context. Psycho-geography’s ancestry is ideas that engage in the revolutionary instincts that Third Cinema shares. It has at center stage the urge to question urban space and has the capacity to make people question the way public space is normally utilized and reimagine its potentials. It focuses on doing so by being present in the space with senses and perception alert. This attentive presence seems relevant especially today, where theories and discussions of (neo-)colonialism and imperialism have finally reached the imperial countries on a larger public scale, and it is possible to add to multiple critical voices already operating in public space (Decolonize This Place is a great example).
“Places build up a charm, draw, and gravity that stays with them over time [8]. Architectures house our myths, memories, and dreams. Broken and fallen places have extra nooks and crannies in which surplus magic resides. These places store and recover stories, organize imaginaries, and inspire conversations and anecdotes which animate the present. UP [Urban Projection] amplifies our collective connectedness to our mythical places by transforming the entire city into an outdoor theater, a mobile movie, a public page.” (Momeni & Sherman, p. 15, reference [8]: The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard)
CREATING A THIRD SPACE – LOOKING BEYOND THE SCREEN
Films can be direct and films can be subtle, and both types can be impactful. Urban projections are often direct, but what is to gain if they are a slightly more subtle? Where Third Cinema started out with manifestoes, there are now a variety of voices, or Third Cinemas, as Teshome Gabriel suggests in his essay Third Cinema Updated: Exploration of Nomadic Aesthetics & Narrative Communities. Third Cinema operates in a variety of contexts and its power lies precisely in its complexities and mixtures, which circumvent the binary oppositions that is [characterize?] the Western view of the world. Rather than losing its political strength, Gabriel writes, this diversity opens for “a multiplication of modes of resistance.” This is relevant in thinking about urban projections in a variety of settings. It need not only be political or revolutionary if projected onto a building of power, or as a direct call to action. The right piece in the right place can have social impacts that elevate the piece and the place respectively.
Gabriel argues that Third Cinema provides a “third space”; one where ideas of dreams, imagination and magic can thrive. The “first space” is the frame, the actual film, and the “second space” is what is surrounding the frame. In short, the third space comes into being because looking at the frame implies that there is something outside the frame too:
“the area outside the frame provides a “blank space” that the spectator helps to fill in. This “blank space” is not only where the magic of cinema takes place, it is also the place that provides the spectators with multiple options to participate and even to assume a role as co-authors of the work.” (Gabriel)
Clearly, this is not (necessarily) a concrete space. But in a context of urban projection it would also possess that quality, and very directly be in conversation with the content of the frame. In the right circumstances, it would provide the opportunity to access a space that can be hard to come by within the binary Western worldview – a revolutionary opportunity.
“What does this off screen space mean to Third Cinemas? It means that a “true” Third Cinema thinking, a more thought-out and reflective Third Cinema, would issue from both sides of an opposition onto a third space – the “blank space” — the place of imagination and conjunction. This third way steps beyond the mere oppositions of seen and unseen and becomes a way of both disorganizing and complexifying not only cinema, but the world.” (Gabriel)
Psycho-geography explains how urban spaces impact peoples’ senses and shape their understanding of the world. Part of this is also how obstructions of the ordinary bring the immediate space in to focus to passersby and creates awareness and presence in the situation, in the space. It is both “disorganizing and complexifying” the experience of that space. If Third Cinema opens for an attention to a third space, and we take the screenings to the street, it has the potential to be quite impactful.
Furthermore, as Teshome also points out, one recurrent theme in many Third Cinemas is a strong focus on sensory experiences, and the elements. Moving into magical territory here, it would be interesting to experience the significance of combining the sensory, psycho-geographical impacts of urban environment with the sensory experiences of the elements in the films. An example from within the Third Cinema “canon” which has at its center the concretization of the magical potential of cinema, is Juan Carlos Tabío’s 1995 film The Elephant and the Bicycle.
THE ELEPHANT AND THE BICYCLE: UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER – REVOLUTIONARY PROJECTIONS
The Elephant and the Bicycle is set in Cuba, on a small island where people’s lives are dominated by the exploitative capitalist lord who owns the island. When the protagonist returns home from prison, he brings with him a film projector. He only has one film, Robin Hood, that he shows outdoors in a makeshift “cinema” with some folding chairs. But the whole village is completely enchanted by this unexpected disruption of life as usual and they return night after night to watch the projection. Slowly, the daily struggles against the lord and the events in the film begin to intertwine. The film screenings become magical events where people see themselves acting against the lord onscreen, and they take these actions back to reality and return the next night for further inspiration. Their real-life rebellion develops through these multiple screenings and eventually they collectively overcome the lord. The act of watching film together, of opening up the (third?) space for imagination, is the empowering force. In A Manuel for Urban Projection it states:
“Encounters with the unexpected make people more aware of their presence with others and their influence over environments. This awareness bolsters their capacity to reinvent the world around them.” (Momeni & Sherman, p. 13)
Obviously, taking film screenings of Third Cinema and marginal films to the street is very unlikely to cause the next revolution. But as an African saying (which was also painted on the Berlin Wall) goes: “Many small people, who in many small places, do many small things, can alter the face of the world”. With urban projection everybody who passes by gets to be part of the audience, among them people who would not necessarily go to the cinema at all, or people who would never choose these film if they did. Since there is not a set culture around watching films in urban space, the situation also allows for conversations and discussion in a way that is not comme il faut in regular film screening spaces. But even if it doesn’t happen, the occurrence itself holds value. As the Malian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, whose Third Cinema films have been in competition also in 1st and 2nd cinema contexts, says:
“Each time a man or woman gets to see something he or she might not normally have seen, then for me this is a positive act.” (Jaafar 2007:31)
HISTORY AND TYPES – CURATED EXAMPLES
Below is a curation of both urban projection events, and of people/groups who specialize in urban projections. The latter will be represented with one projection example only, but please check out their websites – they are very active. The curation is categorized by type of projection (though some examples span more than one category). Since it has been hard to find examples of the types of urban projections that this article advocates, these examples are chosen to show the variety of projections that are out there, for pick-and-choose inspiration.
URBAN PROJECTION OF NON-FIRST CINEMA FILMS
Byen Brænder
Aarhus, Denmark, 2003.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to share pictures of the urban projection of the experimental documentary by the artist Jan Danebod at the Byen Brænder exhibition. No documentation seems to exist publicly, because the official documentation companion book of the exhibition and the screening has mysteriously disappeared from all Danish libraries (It might be a “collectors item”?). In an article about the exhibition, that Jan Danebod himself initiated, he says:
“When people make street art, they give their story to the city, just like the city gives its stories to them.”
(Kaarsholm: 2002, my translation from Danish).
They have been hard to find, but in a US setting, there have been a couple of DIY urban film projections really worth mentioning:
The Act of Killing
Projection of the documentary The Act of Killing by Joshua Oppenheimer onto the World Bank in Washington D.C. Documentation of projection: The Act of Killing, February 20, 2014. The film is about the people who participated in the Indonesian mass killings in the communist purge in 1965-66. The purge was part of the rise to power of the Suharto dictatorship. The World Bank has contributed more than $30 billion dollars to the regime. The projection was initiated by Robin Bell of Bell Visuals. Bell visuals carry out many types of political urban projections, mostly slogan commentaries to political circumstances. Check them out.
Deadly Deception
Projection of the Academy Award winning documentary short Deadly Deception: General Electric, Nuclear Weapons and Our Environment onto the San Francisco public TV-station KQED, who refused to air it (1993). The film exposes General Electric. There is an article on the protests of political programming on public TV here. No photos seem to exist, but the art/activist website Beautiful Trouble writes about the screening:
“’Deadly Deception’, was projected directly onto the San Francisco TV station that was refusing to air it, while hundreds watched, eating popcorn. Under pressure, the station relented and aired the film.” (Corbin & Read)
URBAN PROJECTION AS POLITICAL COMMENTARY
These projections are very efficient in getting a political message across. They usually consist of a short statements commenting on a current political event. Usually, they speak directly to institutions or people of power by projecting directly onto their facades.
These projections often operate within the binary opposition Gabriel is talking about, which is what makes them very effective and empowering in the moment, but doesn’t leave the same room for nuances as full film projections would. They are meant to be shared beyond the actual projection by the media/internet and reach a broader audience.
The Illuminator: 99%
The Illuminator is a collective of artists-activists in New York (including former IMA students), who, as their name suggests, have made urban projection of political comments or slogans their mission. The Illuminator came into being after their first projection during a huge demonstration led by the Occupy Wall Street movement. They projected an enormous “99%” onto the Verizon building, right in front of the Brooklyn Bridge where the demonstration passed to much applause.
Documentation of projection: The Illuminator – 99% on Verizon Building, November 17, 2011.
Interview with The Illuminator in the documentary film journal World Records.
Free Tibet on the Chinese Embassy
The Free Tibet movement screened a video documenting the atrocities committed against the Tibetans protesting China’s occupation and the imprisonment of an activist.
Beautiful Trouble describes the strengths of the projection on their website:
“the 2008 Free Tibet projection on the Chinese consulate in New York: the persecuted Tibetan activist was at that moment literally in hiding a world away, yet was able to speak directly to — and literally on — a massive institution that was complicit in his repression. His handwriting splaying across the marble facade in real time was at once defiant and intimate.” (Beautiful Trouble website)
Documentation of projection: Free Tibet, August 2008. Article about the projection in New York Times.
Graffiti Research Lab: Impeach the Motherfucker (Dick Cheney)
The Graffiti Research Lab began in New York City as a collective “dedicated to outfitting graffiti artists with open source technologies for urban communications”. They also had chapters in other countries. They did projections in urban space around 2006-8 with their in(ter)vention, the “L.A.S.E.R Tag”, mounted on the GRL laser bike. This makes it possible to write on buildings with light. The “Impeach the Motherfucker” projection was in support for Dennis Kucinich’s legislation to impeach Vice-President Dick Cheney.
As the video shows, it also became a tool for passersby to express themselves in public space (The Illuminator has a tool for collaborations like this called The People’s Pad). Enjoy the psycho-geography-esque bike ride from Manhattan to Brooklyn in the first part of the documentation video. It seems to be as important as the projection.
Documentation of projection: Impeach the motherfucker, April 28, 2007.
This version begins when the projection set up starts:
PROJECTION AS FINE ART IN PUBLIC SPACE
There are many art projects in public space that consist of projection onto urban structures. They are typically labor intensive and expensive to carry out, and are typically funded by bigger art institutions. As they explain in A Manual for Urban Projection: “Public art is typically governed by committees, controls, valuations, authorizations, and representatives, so it has to be safe in concept and character.” (p. 14). However, a lot of commissioned urban projection art is site-specific and responds directly to the place where it is installed, creating awareness of place and engaging audiences through its surprising presence. Typically big budget, it also sports some really beautiful sights.
Manifest’o by Jonathan Thunder
Jonathan Thunder’s work, which is based on his Ojibwe ancestry, illuminated a whole city block in Milwaukee during the Northern Spark Festival. He says about his work:
“It’s important that people understand that these vignettes are my interpretation of stories I have heard throughout my journey as an Indigenous artist working within my community. They are a reflection of what I’ve learned through the stories that inspired me to create these animations. They also represent a resilient culture and community whose timeless voice can be heard today in the concrete landscape of 2019.” (Northern Spark website, accessed May 13, 2020, my emphasis))
Documentation of projection: Manifest’o (Northern Spark) – video here. 2019.
Tear of The Cloud by Tony Oursler
In October 2018, the artist Tony Oursler, whose work in general often includes projections, had a huge projection piece on the Hudson River waterfront in New York City. Beaming several videos onto various abandoned harbor structures, onto trees, and into the water, “Tear of The Cloud” was an immersive piece with shifting soundscapes and involving all the senses. It engaged with the history of the harbor and the river and their role in the shaping of New York City. By projecting onto the cityscape, it situated the history in the present and questioned both.
Documentation of projection: Tear of The Cloud (PublicArtFund) – directly to video. October, 2018.
The shape of sound by Jonas Denzel
For the opening of a new Bauhaus Museum in Weimar, Germany, Jonas Denzel made this projection mapping, which made the entire museum facade into an instrument. Through projection mapping, the building morphed into a sensory entity played by many hands, that also communicated directly with the audience by directing them to clap along, making them an active part of the projection experience.
Documentation of projection: The Shape of Sound, 2019.
Jonas Denzel also has a project called BeamBike (a fine arts version of the Graffiti Research Lab’s bike), where he cycles around and projects onto objects in public space.
ALTERNATIVE PUBLIC PROJECTIONS
Street Movies! by Scribe Video Center
These events in Philadelphia are hosted by Scribe Video Center, an NGO facilitating community work using media as a tool for social change. There is a curated open call, but it’s open for all and Street Movies! is very much in the spirit of Third Cinema:
“Street Movies! is a free screening series for audiences of all ages that tours neighborhoods around the Philadelphia region, bringing a program of independent film – fiction, animation, documentary, and youth and community produced work – from around the world to local parks, lots, playgrounds, and community spaces. Each screening is hosted by a community organization and followed by a moderated discussion about the topics raised in the films. It’s a great way to see films, talk about community issues and meet your neighbors.” (Scribe Video Center website, accessed May 14, 2020)
Preview in the Park by UnionDocs’ Collaborative Studio
UnionDocs Center for Documentary Arts in Brooklyn hosts a yearly collaborative fellowship – CoLab – with 12 artists making films together. For four consecutive years the CoLabs made film about Los Sures, aka South Williamsburg. At the end of the fellowship, the films were projected onto the handball courts in Sternberg Park. Many local residents stopped by and participated in these projections that for one night transformed the park with stories from their own neighborhood. But again, one can only screen as part of this if selected for the fellowship and can pay the $5000 fee.
PROJECTION AS COMMUNAL EXPERIENCE (OF 1ST CINEMA)
Rooftop Cinema
This is an event of outdoor urban projection. It brings people together and they have a communal experience in a setting out of the ordinary, and it is free. That is great. However, it is not really free. These screenings always come with a very strong presence of corporate sponsorship. Even though you are sitting in the park, watching Hollywood blockbusters while drinking sponsored coca-cola is not gonna fuel any revolution (unless, perhaps, the whole concept inspires you to rebel). Urban screening yes, but consumption through and through. What you can do is go and spark up a conversation with the person next to you about Third Cinema. That could be a beginning! Remember to invite them to the projection you’re cooking up yourself.
Should you want to begin your urban projection encounters in a 100% safe way, you can look here for directions: NYC outdoor screening map and Rooftop cinema.
Windowflix
And then WindowFlix just happened in Germany due to cinemas being closed by Coronavirus:
“Berlin’s Windowflicks project beams films on to building facades for a whole residential block to enjoy. […] Berliners can drop an email to the organisers to ask the cinema to come to them. The only requirement is that movie-lovers live in a block with at least 20 apartments facing the same blank wall.” (Salfiti/The Guardian, 2020)
Windowflix in Germany, 2020. Photo 1&2: Maja Hitij. Photo 3: Odd Andersen.
POSSIBILITIES & STRATEGIES
Inspired by this history of projections in public spaces, what could be good places for screening projects that are “too small” or don’t have the “right” way of storytelling, or don’t tell the “right” story to get through the eye of the needle to the main institutions? Here are some suggestions:
Specific Places of power
“Projection can be a tool to help buildings speak their stories, rearranging histories and memories at their site of origin.” (Momeni & Sherman, p. 17)
Projections enter into a conversation with the place. Choosing to project is claiming the right to be part of the conversation of, say, museums or political institutions, that usually get to decide the official collective history for all of us. A projection can help democratize this process a bit by adding your version. The story of a place can also add extra layers to the content of the film.
Random Places
The city is full of projection “screens”. The perfectly white garage door down the block. The facade of the house facing the empty lot. The space in between the windows on the house across from your apartment. The grey pillars holding up the highway, or under the bridge. This approach takes some scouting, which can suitably be done on your next psycho-geography exploration of the neighborhood.
Projections in more or less random places is a way to question the use of public space and talk about ownership. If you own a building that everybody looks at, who decides what should be on it? It also speaks to the value of a place. Projecting onto highway pillars for example, calls attention to a space that is a kind of urban wasteland often not thought of as holding any value. Projecting here makes a non-place into a place and can question value in general – who decides what is valuable and why? What does it take to create and add value to a place? Random places are also interesting in terms of audience – often these projections will seem even more out of the ordinary than they would in more prominent places, and spark even more wonder. It makes for good conversation starters.
Consistency
“Lucky Tran [from The Illuminator]: “[…]light projection in public space is something which transforms its immediate surroundings and engages the viewer outside of normal environmental expectations.” (Steinhauer/Hyperallergic, 2012)
A way to make a film seen is to show it repeatedly, even if only a small amount of people are part of each screening. For example, a projection out of your window everyday at 7 pm for a month can attract attention. It could also be projecting a new film in the same spot every Wednesday. It is possible in this way to “create” a place out of what just used to be a wall. You might reach an unexpected audience.
“Block Party” projection
“As a collective language, UP brings visions and ideas to fruition through temporary rather than permanent means. Playful social scenarios allow us to collectively experience the world around us, exploring how wonder, action, and exchange help us re-invent our cities, societies, and ourselves.” (Momeni & Sherman, p. 6)
Invite all your friends – create a scene – reclaim public space – obstruct the usual – make people wonder, and reconsider what public space can be used for. The “Block Party” calls for advance planning and getting the social media going. Also consider what is most important to you: having a good time while watching films together or making a clear statement in a prominent place. If all goes well, you might be able to do both, but you are probably more likely to be asked to stop projecting on a museum facade than an in an empty lot without too many neighbors.
For future projects – drone projections?
As projectors become smaller and stronger, this might be the ultimate way to get your projection in the prime spot – and get away (with it). Please send photos.
HOW TO
Manuals
There are many different manuals available online about how best to set up a projection in urban space. Some are more DIY than others, both in terms of cost and craftsmanship, depending on intentions and goals. They all provide good insights, and it is worth running through all of them as the perspectives differ, and cross referencing can build a broader foundation for choosing your own approach.
Keep in mind that technology changes faster than lightning, and that urban projection really became big as part of the street art movement quite a while ago, so the tech specs for the projectors are most likely outdated. However, the amount of light needed to light up a facade under various lighting conditions obviously does not (3000 lumens seems to be an agreed on minimum), so get the number of lumens needed for your project and find out what the best option is these days when it comes to light needed vs. cost vs. weight vs. power consumption.
The most thorough is A Manual for Urban Projection. Put together by Ali Momeni & Stephanie Sherman from Center for Urban Intervention Research (CUIR) it is
“a resource guide for Urban Projection (UP) concepts, strategies, and technologies. It combines observations by Urban Projection thinkers and practitioners with lessons gleaned from the authors’ collective experiences with Urban Projection, public curation, and other art adventures. MUP provides conceptual and practical approaches for experimentation with and deployment of projection technologies toward public communal experiences.“ (CUIR website, accessed May 16, 2020)
It is really well written and very clear and concise, with detailed practical set-ups for projections, both simple and elaborate. It has a more contemplative section including a questionnaire to encourage reflections about your projection project/help you foresee obstacles. It also has a short but extremely well curated bibliography for people interested in the more philosophical and theoretical aspects of the use of public space.
A completely DIY version is called Projection Bombing. It is very instructive and hands-on, with pictures accompanying a step-by-step approach to a very simple setup, running a projector from a car. It also points out potential dangers and has a very straightforward disclaimer:
“Disclaimer: This is the system I use most often and it has worked well for me on every occasion but there are inherent dangers to hooking up a battery. Connecting multiple batteries in parallel can increase this danger and add other complications. Doing so inside a car could cause injury or even death if the battery were to leak, explode or make the NYPD think you are terrorists and shoot you 40 times. Any thoughts on the dangers associated with this process or alternatives are welcome and encouraged.” (Projection Bombing website, Accessed May 16, 2020)
Including contributions from The Graffiti Research Lab and staying true to the graffiti spirit, this one is not always on the legal side (but you can find out how they powered those hip-hop block parties in the South Bronx back in the days). Addition to this communal knowledge is encouraged.
Drive-in projection: If you are interested in a “drive-in” projection set-up, you can find a manual here. It includes how you transmit sound via FM radio directly to the participating cars.
Other tools: The Illuminator also has a good “tools” section.
Collaborate – use and share your privilege
Collaborate to do a DIY projection. Though the equipment set-up is relatively cheap, of course it is quite some money if you need to go buy everything from new. Get a team together. Some might have access to equipment from school, parents, friends, organization memberships, etc. that they can share with filmmakers who don’t.
Utilize the skills present in the group: who is great at approaching strangers in the street, who is a tech wiz, who can do the projector math, who has access to the best social media outreach, etc. Assign eventual white folks in your group to deal with the police if they show up.
Reach out to existing groups
Many established groups are interested in sharing their resources. Even if they don’t advertise it, they might be open for collaborations, especially if your films mirror their interests and preoccupations. Depending on the scope of your event, renting a set up might also be an option. This is from the Illuminator:
“We ask for compensation from those who can afford to pay us in order to subsidize the work we try to do for low-to-no pay, on behalf of all-volunteer efforts and dedicated individuals. The majority of our funding goes to covering our operating costs – keeping our van insured and our gear in working order. Some funding also goes towards labor in order to ensure the sustainability of our project. Our rates are sliding scale. We are committed to using our resources to fight for a more just and sustainable world.” (The Iluminator website)
The artist Jonas Denzel, who has created the Beam Bike also states on his website: “If you’re interested in talking about a project or to simply say hello, please do get in touch.”
Sound
Photo: Jonas Denzel
This is perhaps the hardest part of urban projection. I was hoping to be able to suggest using phone apps that sync up devices in proximity, so people could listen to the audio via their phones and thus have the screening be without sound. However, researching this option, it seems like the best platforms are expensive, data-mining (well they all are, but…) and not really working smoothly, so this seems out of the question for now. Bluetooth or wired speakers are necessary. The benefit of this solution is that the sound will attract people to the space – but hopefully not cause a problem with the neighbors. It might also be possible to broadcast the sound to an online radio station for people to access with their phones. I have written several providers about the ability to sync up sound and image, but have gotten no completely satisfying answers yet. Any suggestions welcome. To be continued.
The Law in New York City
“UP [urban projection] often participates in public art projects, but UP is first and foremost art in public. It does not always require permission, and often prefers not request it. Authorization for art can be hard to come by, and it’s often easier for authorities to grant forgiveness than approval. Whether sanctioned or pirate, UP seeks awkward and unprecedented openings where rules and regulations bend and break.” (Momeni & Sherman, p. 14)
Of course you need to hold the copyrights for the films you project, or rights to show them. But apparently projecting onto buildings is legal as long as you don’t project onto commercials and are not physically trespassing (Though here is a discussion of projection and trespassing from the Washington Post, including of whether light particles can be considered physical entities). However, members of the Illuminator got arrested for projecting onto the MET museum, charged with “illegal advertising”. The judge dismissed the case even before they got to the courtroom. They are now suing NYPD for false arrest and first amendment retaliation.
GOOD LUCK
Urban projection is not completely risk free, but when debating whether to go ahead with your projection, keep in mind that The Hour of the Furnaces was screened illegally during a dictatorship.
“To make projection useful for expression, for meaning, and for social connection, we must explore its capacity to serve revolutionary ends. The night is new and ancient both. Our cities are waiting with old souls and young spirits. All is at stake.” (Momeni & Sherman, p. 12)