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Day three of the 2024 deadCenter Film Festival has more exciting premieres, especially in the documentaries category. Among the most anticipated docs playing this year is Secret Mall Apartment from deadCenter alum Jeremy Workman (The World Before Your Feet).
In today’s exclusive deadCenter interview, The Cinematic Schematic sits down with tape artist and the film’s subject, Michael Townsend.
The film tells the story of the eight artists who occupied a secret room beneath the Providence Place Mall in Rhode Island from 2003-2007. The documentary reveals the true identities of the secret apartment’s inhabitants and why they took over the space.
Townsend also talks about returning to Oklahoma City and revisiting the OKC National Memorial after it has become significant to his personal and professional history. In 1995, Townsend and other tape artists came to the city immediately after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. He and other tape artists worked for 58 hours straight on the Hope Mural to provide healing and relief for the rescue workers.
Secret Mall Apartment screens tonight at 7:30 PM at the Bricktown Harkins.
Left to Right: Caleb Masters (Host) and Michael Townsend (Star / Subject)
Special Guest
Michael Townsend
Star / Subject
Founder of Tape Art
Follow Tape Art on Instagram
About Secret Mall Apartment
According to the deadCenter website, the film is described as:
In 2003, eight Rhode Island artists created a secret apartment inside the busy Providence Place Mall and lived there for four years, filming everything along the way. They snuck in furniture, tapped into the mall’s electricity, and even constructed a wall, smuggling in more than two tons of cinderblock.
Far more than just a wild prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for its inhabitants. It was a personal expression of defiance against local gentrification, a boundary-pushing work of public/private art, a clubhouse in which large-scale charitable art projects were planned, and, finally, a 750-square-foot “F you” to The Man.
Featuring never-before-seen footage of the space and revealing the identities of all the participants for the first time, Secret Mall Apartment is more than just a bonkers true story. Director Jeremy Workman (Lily Topples the World, The World Before Your Feet, Deciding Vote) delivers a poignant exploration of a group of artists who discovered their purpose within the most commercial and improbable places.
When and Where to Watch Secret Mall Apartment
Saturday, June 8th, 7:30 PM @ Harkins Bricktown Auditorium 11
Sunday, June 9th, 12:30 PM @ First Americans Museum
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