Lost Landscapes of Detroit from the Prelinger Archives

Film archivist Rick Prelinger sez,

For the past four years I’ve been putting together bits of archival footage (especially amateur and home movies) that show vanished places, people and events in San Francisco. The past two compilations, sponsored by Long Now Foundation, are free to view here.

Now I’ve been given the chance to do the show I’ve always wanted to do: Lost Landscapes of Detroit. It’s happening February 10 at Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit.

This isn’t going to be a narrative of urban decline or the “ruins porn” that’s become fashionable. Rather, it’s a collection of amazing and almost-all-lost footage that celebrates a vibrant, busy and productive Detroit from 1917 through the 1970s. The idea is to bring these images back to Detroiters for their contemplation and use as they rebuild their city for the future.

In that spirit, at the screening I’m going to give out copies of the show so people in Detroit can reshow and remix it, and it’ll be online at the Internet Archive after the screening.

Films from Prelinger Archives: Lost Landscapes of Detroit