During the summer of 1931, my grandfather ascended the Argonaut Building in Detroit. As he faced the downtown skyline, an acquaintance snapped a candid photograph and, in doing so, captured the permanence of this time and place.
Glitchtown 01: What Morris Saw analyzes the importance of photographic documentation. From a personal level, the image provides a vibrant reference of my grandfather as a young adult. Through the use of digital technology, I am able to view my grandfather at a moment that precedes my own existence. In addition, the film provides an opportunity to initiate a hypothetical narrative based on his field of view. Accordingly, the film establishes a definitive loop of documentary and fiction. At once, the audience is afforded an opportunity to act as both real world observer and imaginative prognosticator.
On a social level, the film anticipates the future demise of the city of Detroit. The idyllic image of a young adult is contrasted with a visionary abstraction of the oncoming future. Glitchtown 01: What Morris Saw awakens the conflicting juxtaposition of metropolitan progress with urban dystopia.
SCREENING
Films of Brooklyn Fireproof
Brooklyn, New York. 2019
