Secret Mall Apartment

This is a documentary about the Providence Place Mall, its construction, its impacts on the community, and the gentrification of artists' spaces. It's also about artist Michael Townsend, the leader of an eight- person artist collective as they squatted inside the mall, turning a 750-square-foot hidden dead-space into a livable apartment. Michael Townsend is a different kind of artist. The separation between art and life is blurry, if there is one at all for Michael. A performance artist, an art teacher, someone who has donated years of his time at a children's hospital doing tape art on the walls, a man with his art team doing a five- year post-9/11 tape art project honoring everyone who lost their lives. Michael makes art where you would least expect it. "Secret Mall Apartment" asks questions - was this four-year apartment experiment a prank? An art installation? A secret clubhouse for a group of weirdo artists? An act of defiance against gentrification? Maybe a mix of all these. I tell you what is is for sure, it's fascinating. As an artist, I found Michael Townsend to be both inspirational and refreshing. "Secret Mall Apartment" is a hidden gem that you should try to find in theatres now.