Motion Picture

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY DAN SHANAHAN (2013)

Motion Picture is a performance installation designed specifically for the exterior of the grain elevators and surrounding campus of Silo City. These structures contribute to Buffalo’s rich architectural heritage and are among the most compelling industrial structures in the nation.

The performance will utilize the exterior of the grain elevators as a surface to project both video design and light, telling the story of a soldier preparing for and engaging in battle. The narration will document two circumstances: the soldier’s harsh reality and the lucid dreams he has of home, love and beauty.

The surrounding landscape will be re-imagined as a 19th century landscape painting set to the classical soundscape of Beethoven and Mahler. The audience will experience the performance in a similar way as one would experience a drive-in movie, seated in bleachers next to speakers that will be amplifying accompanying dialogue, narration and the sound-score.