Here’s an interesting addendum to the discussion of privatized public space: outdoor movies in a park being adapted to a lifestyle shopping center’s private lawn. I first experienced movies in the park in San Francisco and I’m sure many other cities do it too. The movie night would rotate between different parks in the city, featuring a different indie film each night. These were conceived either by city planners and officials trying to draw people into the city or by neighborhood organizations fostering a sense of community. And although I can’t recall the name, a side spin of this was an art activist group that hosted impromptu movies projected on building facades in the city, making a statement about using the city for public space in creative ways. Of course, in LA, where the communities are far spread and the parks that do exist are pretty unsavory, hosting an outdoor movie night in a sheltered shopping center is pretty logical.
I’m not sure whether this is good or bad. I would probably say it is neither. But I do know they are playing the new Star Trek movie this Thursday, so I’m going to go!
The Grove poster
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