Screening Publics is a public art project in collaboration with Cousins, a real estate development company here in Atlanta. Cousins’s property 725 Ponce is an eight-story building adjacent to the Eastside Beltline Trail, and it will be the site of a new outdoor screening series that LMC Associate Professor Greg Zinman will be responsible for curating over the next year or more, starting in Fall 2022. 725 Ponce will be one of the largest screens in the United States, has the potential to be one of the most significant sites for the art of the moving image in the entire world. The art of the moving image has transformed and continues to shape visual culture, and is an anchor of international art fairs and biennials. During the pandemic, we’ve seen a growing audience for video art and other alternatives to mainstream entertainment, and a desire for experiences of togetherness and connectivity. 725 Ponce is poised to be the perfect site to meet and foster that desire. The project also represents an opportunity to collaborate with other Atlanta arts institutions, and to situate Georgia Tech as a leader in innovating art programming for the public, thereby fulfilling the Institute’s stated values in its Strategic Plan to “celebrate collaboration” and “nurture the well-being of our community.”
Programs at 725 Ponce will likely include a survey of contemporary Black video art, family-friendly feature films (e.g. Singin’ in the Rain), a historical selection of experimental dance films, and a live projection-performance that makes use of the site’s state-of-the-art laser projector, projection mapping, and wireless personal audio via visitors’ smartphones.