A Dundee film maker who shot a documentary about the city’s street art on an iPad will have his work screened at the DCA.
Jon Gill has made a 45-minute feature film on the Open/Close project, which has seen neglected doorways in the city centre decorated by street artists.
Footage of Matthew Beakes’ completing his bonkers #Dundee Law/Pie mural for @openclosedundee #Stobswell – find it at Tayside Plumbing on the corner of Dens Road and Lyon Street
Expect more of this process capturing footage when #OpenCloseMovie is released in May 2018 #timelapse pic.twitter.com/zi3litxQWt— Jon #OpenCloseMovie (@OnTheSuperFly) April 3, 2018
The initiative, launched by PHD student Russell Pepper, has recently expanded to include 20 additional doorways around Stobswell.
Trail maps and guided tours have also been part of the project, with the aim of promoting it and attracting visitors to Dundee.
A quick edit of this morning’s @openclosedundee tour and thanks to the group who walked around the back streets of #Dundee for 90mins and to independents I spoke to later who both volunteered doors to the project @QuirkyCoo #lorrainelaw #MadeOnAMobile #OpenCloseMovie pic.twitter.com/5J56WGT8hw
— Jon #OpenCloseMovie (@OnTheSuperFly) April 7, 2018
The documentary, OpenClose Movie, will be shown at Dundee Contemporary Arts on May 19.
Jon said: “As far as I’m aware it’s the first feature length film to be captured and edited on a single mobile device, in this case an iPad.
“I’m doing this to promote what’s possible for people to create without lots of expensive equipment and instead using the tools they already have available.
“It will also be projected from the same iPad when we screen at the DCA next month.
“I had previously been involved in organising a similar project to OpenClose, but with posters instead of doorways.
“When I heard about OpenClose I wanted to get involved — because I was familiar with how a project like this worked, I could really focus on the film making.”
There are three parts to the documentary – an introduction to Dundee’s wider art scene, a look at OpenClose and a section on the future of the project, including its extension to Stobswell.
A total of 20 doorways will be painted, with the majority already completed.
Project leader Russell said: “There are around five or six more to go, and the idea is to have them all finished by the time Stobsfest starts on May 4.
“There will then be tours every Saturday in May.
“I’m very pleased with how the project has developed.
“The artists have all done a really good job, local residents have been supportive and the people whose doorways have been painted are happy as well.
“Hopefully in the future we’ll be able to extend Open Close to other parts of the city, such as Lochee.”
Tickets are available at https://dca.xyz/2JQhPhe.
More information about the film can be found on Twitter and Instagram by following @OnTheSuperFly or checking out #OpenCloseMovie.
