9 Minutes

Over time, more and more precious public space is lost to the automobile which in turn leaves fewer spaces for pedestrians to enjoy. Although few, these public spaces are important as they help people to better appreciate the city; they foster social interaction and they improve the quality of life in urban areas. While there are sidewalks to get people from point A to point B, which are in of themselves public spaces, there are very few places in between two destinations that people can stop and occupy for any number of purposes.

Day after day as I sit in coffee shops, not able to sit on the street due to a lack of available seating, I notice the way people move about the city. By foot, bikes and in automobiles. As I watch peopple, I pay particular attention to the relatively little interaction that happens between people, their environment and each with each other.

I created 9 Minutes as a way to illustrate exactly what I observe each and every day.

While this short film focuses only on a single part along of one of London's busiest streets, it is in many ways representative of what you can observe in most other locations in the downtown core— a lack of meaningful social interactions between people.