Wednesday, February 10, 2010 7:00 PMMOCAD - Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit
4454 Woodward Ave
Detroit, MI 48218
(313) 832-6622
Free
4454 Woodward Ave
Detroit, MI 48218
(313) 832-6622
Free
Lost Landscapes of Detroit: an eclectic montage of rediscovered and rarely-seen archival film clips exhibiting life; cityscapes, labor and leisure from 'vanishing Detroit', as captured by amateurs, newsreel cameramen and industrial filmmakers from the 1920's to the 1960's. Lost Landscapes aims to offer Detroiters imagery of Detroit's past, free from any sense of nostalgia, in an attempt to provide subject for contemplation as the people of the city build towards a new future.
Unlike most film screenings, Lost Landscapes relies on audience participation for the soundtrack - interaction with the films is encouraged, as questions are shouted out, observations are shared and mysterious locations are identified.
"How we remember and record the past reveals much about how we address the future" points out archivist Rick Prelinger, who will be on hand to preface the screening with a brief talk on the value of ephemeral films, on the changing nature of historical memory, and what consequences will arise from the emerging massive matrix of personal records.
Prelinger began collecting ephemeral films -- advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur works -- in 1983. In 2002, his collection of over 200,000 items was acquired by the Library of Congress; many key films are available online at the Internet Archive. In 2004 Rick and spouse Megan opened the Prelinger Library in downtown San Francisco, which includes over 60,000 pieces of print ephemera, books, periodicals, maps and zines and is open to the public.
Unlike most film screenings, Lost Landscapes relies on audience participation for the soundtrack - interaction with the films is encouraged, as questions are shouted out, observations are shared and mysterious locations are identified.
"How we remember and record the past reveals much about how we address the future" points out archivist Rick Prelinger, who will be on hand to preface the screening with a brief talk on the value of ephemeral films, on the changing nature of historical memory, and what consequences will arise from the emerging massive matrix of personal records.
Prelinger began collecting ephemeral films -- advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur works -- in 1983. In 2002, his collection of over 200,000 items was acquired by the Library of Congress; many key films are available online at the Internet Archive. In 2004 Rick and spouse Megan opened the Prelinger Library in downtown San Francisco, which includes over 60,000 pieces of print ephemera, books, periodicals, maps and zines and is open to the public.