72 Hours: A Block Rebellion in Boston’s Neighborhoods

City Life/Vida Urbana and Greater Four Corners Association have teamed up with Groundswell Journal contributors John Hulsey, Ilaria Minio Paluello and other members of the community, to recapture a group of foreclosed houses in the Four Corners part of Dorchester, a neighborhood of Boston.  The intervention begins this Saturday (March 13th, 2010) at 5:00PM, at 21 Bullard Street in Dorchester.

72 Hours, an audiovisual intervention comprised of a series of video projections evoking the personal histories of neighborhood residents, will be seen through the building’s windows, and one unit will be opened to the public for a walk-through sound installation that evokes lives of former owners.

72 hours still 500x411 72 Hours: A Block Rebellion in Bostons Neighborhoods
A still from 72 Hours

From the artists’ description:

Walking through an empty foreclosed unit in the building, visitors will encounter sounds of a family in its daily life cycle, relayed by hidden speakers. In the kitchen, people will be heard washing dishes and discussing the day’s events. Upstairs in the bedroom, a father reads his children a story before going to bed. As visitors explore the vacant rooms, they become animated by the sounds of former residents.

The houses, clustered together in the space of a city block, are owned by Deutsche Bank and other international banks. During the Block Rebellion, demands will be made to immediately cease all no-fault post-foreclosure evictions and begin negotiations to sell back the vacant units at real value.

John Hulsey’s portfolio site has more on 72 Hours.  Keep up with this and other actions at the City Life/Vida Urbana website.

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