Tonight at 8 p.m. sharp. the Omni Hotel becomes perhaps the world’s largest movie screen. For the second year, twelve video artists and animators take over the facade to put on a show. A soundtrack will be simulcast on KXT 91.7 FM.  Today on KERA FM, I spoke with curator Mona Kasra about how she brought this group together, and what it’s like to see the work you created on a computer monitor eventually grow 23 stories high.

Listen:

• The official watching party happens at Hickory House Barbecue on Industrial Boulevard. And there’s an after party at the Texas Theater.
• Jerome Weeks captured the making of last year’s Expanded Cinema.

Just a few of the things we chatted about:

On what it’s like to see your work 23 stories high: Mona’s curating the show this year, but last year she had a piece in the first Expanded Cinema. “I can’t say how surreal it is even to look at your work that huge because as video artists the biggest screen we perhaps get is a movie theater screen and usually, if it’s a gallery setting or a monitor, it’s a very limited size we’re dealing with.

On what links this collection of animators, video artists, social practice artists: “All of them are reflecting on the idea of “MultipliCity” and urban life. We are so used to especially in the city of Dallas of driving around through the streets and being in our car and not being aware of these narratives all around us…The MultipliCity artists have “created so many narratives and they’re reflecting on these issues beautifully.”

Who to watch:  Mona wouldn’t pick a favorite work. But she did say Luke Savisky’s piece makes especially interesting use of the Omni’s architecture, while also reflecting on the struggle or ease that we might all might have navigating life in the city.

Meet the artists

We’ve been introducing the participating artists this week, and will keep posting and adding to this list today. Link below to descriptions of each artist’s Expanded Cinema piece, as well as bio information and samples of some of their previous video work.

Bart Weiss, Dallas

Carolyn Sortor, Dallas

Morehshin Allahyari, Dallas

Jonathan Monaghan, Brooklyn

Michele Jaquis, Los Angeles

Luke Savisky, Austin

Jenny Vogel, New York

Nina Schawanse, New Orleans

Kelly Sears, Los Angeles

Christian Salinas and Kyra-Michelle Jacobs.  with faculty advisor Niloo Jalilvand, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

Kyle Kondas, Dallas

Mike Morris, Dallas