Sub City

Sub City is a video project by Sarah Klein and Tom Mason produced by Redglass Pictures. The idea is to capture the moment of disorientation and wonder that you may feel emerging from a subway station into the urban realm. There are  just two short videos on the website – about Paris and New York – but this is enough to have an idea of the potential of such a simple exercise.

In a few minutes and in a very pleasant way these images can say many things about quality of urban space and quality of life in the cities, especially because they stimulate memories and feelings that are nested in each of us. They mix the landmarks, people’s expressions and the details of the everyday’s living environment in a way that is enlightening and helpful to bring together the level of comprehension of the urban designer and the end-user. Slow motion effect and music underline the displacement effect, which is a common experience coming from the dark hole of the subway out into the light of the city.

I would like to invite Sarah and Tom to make a video about Milan, where I took this picture back in January 2000