Background
120 hours of film, thoughts, voices and feelings from 10 major metropolises, over 1 000 stills and 10 exceptional paintingsall – from the year 2000.
What do we want to pass on to the future?
It started with an idea in 1999. The millennium was getting closer and people were talking about the end of history and the dawn of the new world. There was excitement and anxiety in the air. And the timing was perfect for a unique time document.
We asked ourselves: What’s on peoples’ mind around the world at the turn of the millennium? Are we all that different? And what do we want to pass on to the future?
To find out we went on a tour to ten major metropolises around the world with ten large canvases, a film and photo crew and 28 questions. The mission was to capture what was on peoples’ minds. During two intense months, we asked the same questions, invited people passing by to paint their messages and uncovered a snapshot of the world in the year 2000.
And now we’re about to open the time capsule. Have things changed or is everything the same? Welcome back to the Millennium to find out.
Citysigns 2000 – A Message from the Past, is an ongoing project.
Everyone passing by had the opportunity to express themselves in both paint and words
In each city we placed a 2 x 3.5-meter canvas in a central meeting point in the heart of the city between 12 noon and 12 midnight. Paint and brushes were provided and everyone passing by had the opportunity to express themselves in both paint and words.
Meanwhile the entire project was documented. One film camera shot the whole scene – the painting, gradually growing, and the interaction between the people painting and talking.
Another camera worked as a “speaker’s corner,” where people answered the questions and freely expressed their thoughts about life in the year 2000. The project was also covered in stills. The result is 120 hours of film – thoughts, voices and feelings from the ten metropolises, ten exceptional paintings, and over 1 000 stills shot with midformat cameras.
Once the initial shyness had passed, people gathered around the canvases, painting and talking
We placed the canvas in a frequented area in the heart of each city on an ordinary weekday. We provided ten different colors and numerous brushes. No instructions and restrictions were given. And then we waited.
Naturally we had many questions. What would happen? Would people paint, or would they be too shy? What motives and colors would they choose? Or would they fill the canvases with written messages? And the most exciting question –would the paintings look the same around the world?
Once the initial shyness had passed, people gathered around the canvases, painting and talking. It was fascinating following how the paintings and the discussions developed during the day in the various cities. Some people finding one another, and others arguing. The painting process working as a catalyst.
