This series, created by the renowned Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, captures the ethereal beauty of movie palaces and drive-ins. Each photograph depicts a single film screening, the projectors beam illuminating the silver screen for the duration of the entire feature. The result is a blank, glowing rectangle, a testament to both the fleeting nature of cinema and the enduring power of light and shadow. The architectural details of each theater, often grand and ornate, frame these luminous voids, offering a poignant commentary on the spaces where collective dreams are projected.
Sugimoto’s work transcends mere documentation, transforming these seemingly mundane spaces into meditative reflections on time, memory, and the act of viewing itself. By capturing the entirety of a film’s projection onto a single frame, he collapses the temporal experience of cinema into a single, timeless image. This artistic gesture highlights the ephemeral nature of both the cinematic experience and life itself, while simultaneously preserving these spaces as historical artifacts of a bygone era. The series offers a unique perspective on the cultural significance of cinema, exploring the shared experience of movie-going and the power of the moving image to transport us to other worlds.
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