Rad Art-Watch: Marco Brambilla’s “Civilization”

By: Rick Mosely

So this is how the not-so-lazy among us occupy their time!

The video installation is currently playing on a non-stop loop in the elevators of The Standard Hotel in New York, New York. Commissioned by the hotel, the piece is supposed to symbolize the journey from hell to heaven and back again – hence the nonstop loop. (For more on the making of, check out this interview with the people behind the project.)

But the best part is that it’s basically just a montage of about 400 clips from other movies, TV shows, commercials, and so on. See? There’s that naked lady bouncing on a trampoline from The Big Lebowski. And there’s Michael Jackson doing his thriller dance. And there’s the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man from Ghostbusters. And a whole bunch of shit from old movies I’ve never seen. In any case, if you can spot other clips or videos or anything that are used in the project, feel free to stick them in the comments. Let’s see if we can’t get one-twentieth of the clips used.

(Note: If you want to view a higher-quality version of the video, which I strongly recommend, use this link for some glorious high-definition Quicktime action!)