Windows have long had a close relationship with film and photography, representative of the division between the private/public, inside/outside and the built/natural. Windows share a commonplace within the internet, where we are likely to be observed without knowing, just as we watch others unannounced. Gathering footage from friends across the world, Windows20 takes the viewer into the slow pace of our “new normal”. The compiled footage is unlikely to surface on the collective sphere of the internet, more often than not remaining as an individual memory, to later be deleted from a smartphone. It does not respond to the algorithmically desirable aesthetics popularised by social media, but in this unusual time, where there are no scenes from holidays or personal achievements to publicise, it finds a deeper meaning. We are all collectively turning our gaze from our phones to our windows in an attempt to observe the “real world” we find ourselves only intermittently engaging with. We seek a clearer glimpse of our local architecture, a scene played out by neighbours and the details we can observe in nature. This short film was inspired by the film 14th Street (1994-95) by Wolfgang Tillmans, in which the artist showcases scenes of everyday life along 14th Street in New York City, captured from the perspective of his apartment window. Whilst, simultaneously, reflecting upon my personal experience with long distance relationships, where details from daily life are more easily communicated through short videos or photography in the familiar Instagram stories format. Composed by Pita Arreola-Burns with contributions of: José Alonso, María Bernal, Elliott Burns, Matthew Burns, Fernando Callicó, Jocelyn Corona, Marta Fernández, Viridiana Flores, Malena Foyo, Daniela Grabosch, Dafy Hagai, Valerie Hayeck, Joseph Henrikson, Delia Hernández, Ramón Jaramillo, Yonca Keremoğlu, Svetlana Kondakova, Gašper Kunšič, Louise Laage Toft, Calvin Z. Laing, Beike Li, Fernando López Martínez, Hugo Lucien, Rosie McGinn, Lea Nagano, Sebastián Palomares, Eli Pérez, Libbi Ponce, Léa Porré, Santiago Ramírez Niembro, Eugenio Rebolleda, Doreen Ríos, Eda Sarman, Edouard Teixeira, Katia Tort, Håkon Traaseth Lillegraven, Alexandra Wanderer and Fernando Zamorano.
