Today
The Exhibition,
the Documentary Film & the Book
Entering a new millennium is definitely something special – and it’s hard to find a better timing for sending a message to the future. Now, 25 years later, this intriguing time capsule is about to be opened. In it you’ll find an independent documentary film, an extensive book and a spectacular exhibition. A fascinating and colourful message from the people of the past has been passed on to us – the people of today.
And when you open this time capsule, you can’t help making comparisons. Or wonder what people will think when they open it in 2050, 2075 or 2100? Time will tell.
Thank you everybody who took the time to share your thoughts, let us film you and take your pictures for the book, the film and the exhibition. And thanks to everybody who painted messages and greetings in each city. We are actually talking thousands of citizens around the globe. Your heartfelt generosity made it possible, and your contribution will live on.
The Summer
Exhibition at
Magasinet
Falun, Sweden
With thousands of stills shot with mid-format cameras, hundreds of interviews and ten outsized paintings from the ten metropolises everything is in place for an extraordinary multi-audiovisual exhibition. In the summer of 2025 the exhibition will be shown at Magasinet Falun, where we welcome the people of today to step back into the Millennium.
The exhibition displays the ten paintings (3,5 x 2 meters), film clips, vast projections, photos, quotes, texts and more. The exhibition is transportable and available to the international market. Individual solutions and preferences can be curated in collaboration with prospective venues, more information under Contact.
For information regarding the summer exhibition and opening hours, visit Magasinet Falun’s website.
The Paintings
Using art as a tool for communication is nothing new, it’s one of the oldest ways of human communication. At noon September 20 th 2000, we set up our first canvas in Trafalgar Square, opened the paint-cans, arranged the brushes – and waited. We didn’t know if anyone would want to stop to paint or write on the large empty canvas. But they did – both in London and the other cities. Two months later when we ended the tour in Mumbai (India), having met thousands of fellow citizens, we knew that the idea to use the canvases as meeting points for human encounters worked.
For 25 years we have stored these amazing paintings – filled with hopes, fears and greetings. And there’s no doubt that you can feel the people of the past sending a message to us through the thick layers of paint. Come and see for yourself when the exhibition comes to a place near you.
The
Documentary Film
In Moscow a friendly little old lady smiles and says: “Now, I think good leaders will come forward. I think Putin is good”. In New York a woman looks into the sky and answers the question of what frightens her; “Well, terrorism even here in the United States”. This is exactly one year prior to 9/11.
People are clever. People are funny. They are worried and they are thoughtful. Watching the film of ordinary people in the streets answering our questions and sending their advice to the future – a picture of our world and of human existence materialized in a very special way.
Dramaturgically the 28 questions are formulated in such a way that answers will fall more or less into two categories. Answers that show the divides (the ways we live our everyday lives) and those that bring us together (existential issues).
When a Wall Street businessman answers the same questions as a homeless boy in Cape Town – what do you get? Watch Citysigns 2000 – A Message from the Past!
The first version of the documentary film, produced by Matiné Film & Television and directed by Mats Omne, was broadcasted on SVT (Swedish Television) in 2005. A new version of the film is planned for the market in 2026. Link to film trailer
The Book –
312 Pages of a fascinating Throwback
Creating a book can often be a daunting task. But thanks to fantastic photos and intriguing thoughts, this book almost made itself. We could easily have filled 500 pages, but stopped at a little over 300!
The prologue describes trends and events around the globe in the year 2000, providing an understanding of the settings where people vented their feelings and thoughts. A traveler then guides us along the rest of the tour by reflecting on what plays out in each city. The story is written in the present tense, helping us feel that we are there too – back in the year 2000.
Thanks to the urgent, clever and often funny thoughts from around the world, the book forms an interesting and entertaining message from the past. And you can’t help making comparisons …
