The Duellists May 2007

In March 2007 MediaShed were invited to the Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre as part of the Futuresonic Festival to make a film combining free-media with free-running. Parkour or free-running involves fluid uninterrupted movement adapting motion to obstacles in the environment. Like free-media, free-running makes use of and re-enrgises the infrastructure of the city. Free-media film adapts environmental and discarded hardware to make filmmaking accessible to all.

Working with Southend based professional parkour breakin' crew Methods of Movement a choreographed performance was filmed in the shopping centre over three consecutive nights. The film was shot using only the existing in-house CCTV network of 160 cameras operated from the central control room, with a soundtrack created entirely from the foundsounds and noises recorded during the performance.

 The finished film was screened at the Manchester Arndale (10th - 20th May) on the infrastructure plasmas, in an exhibition pod and inside eleven stores as part of a ten day exhibition entitled Art for Shopping Centres. The project represents the first official UK implementation of Gearbox: the free-media video toolkit developed by MediaShed with the Eyebeam Studios in New York, as part of Eyebeam's 2006/07 commissions program.

www.gearbox.mediashed.org

written and directed by David Valentine

choreography by Methods of Movement

performers James Hall and Joe Livermore

soundtrack by Hybernation

commissioned by the Futuresonic Festival 2007

www.futuresonic.com

with support from the Arts Council, England

photos by Jan Dixon/Emily Dixon

www.andthewardrobe.co.uk

Download a compressed version of the final video: The Duellists (Windows Media)

Download a compressed version of the final video: The Duellists (Quicktime Movie)