The Idea

Today many inner cities experience a similar development: residential housing is declining, displaced by commercial space and businesses. During the daytime, the streets are filled with life, fueled by the businesses and work places. After business hours the inner city becomes deserted, sometimes the inner city at night becomes a dangerous place.

The project »A Wall is a Screen« takes advantage of the »nightly downtime« in the vitality of the down town area. It is a combination of a guided city tour and a film night. The group of participants walks through downtown and stops at bright walls where short films of various genres are shown. After the end of one film, the group continues on to the next wall and film.

As a guided city tour the project brings residents to parts of their city they have not been. Furthermore, films can be shown at the very location at which they were originally created.

As a film night, the project can have surprising effects. A film corresponds with the screening location and the screening location with the film. The location and passers-by seem to interact with the film, become part of it. Street noises seem to have an impact on the action of the film/plot.

The selection of films for the individual event depends on the thematic focus. Previous events succeeded through comprehensive international research as well as cooperation with local filmmakers. International films were shown with films created by students of art schools and with a film created in connection with a program on juvenile violence prevention in Hamburg, Germany.