Crosswalk cinema, 2013
Paper, wood dowels, cotton sheet
Dimensions: 3 x 1 feet (puppets), 5 x 7 feet (screen)
Duration: 00:01:00
This work is attributed to the "Department of Play" collective.
On the night of December 13, 2013, players from the Department of Play, a lost city department dedicated to building momentary and irresistible fictional worlds in public space (temporary play zones), screened their first public Crosswalk Cinema short. Colored paper shadow puppets mounted on thin, wooden dowels were provided to people entering the crosswalk at the busy intersection of Boylston and Tremont streets in downtown Boston, MA. Players held up a cotton sheet as a screen as anonymous players quickly acted out spontaneous narratives using the light from stopped cars' headlights to project shadows on the improvised screen.