Urban landscapes of Saint John featured in upcoming art film

Abandoned homes, familiar neighbourhoods, and urban landscapes ofSaint Johnplay a majorrole in a new art film.

Set to electronic music, the short filmHomelessshows aerial and ground footage of a person wandering through the Port City.

The film will debut on Aug. 18 at Third Shift, an annual nighttime exhibition that aims to make use of vacant and underused spaces to displayart.

"It started with one thing, street photography and music mixed together,and turned into a whole narrative about self-discovery," said Raven Blue, one of the filmmakers behind the project.

From the streets to film

The film takes its inspiration from a separate project Blue was involved in, aFacebookpage featuring street photography from around Saint John.

"Istarted to notice the diversity of neighbourhoods, and it's really interesting when you look at how beautiful some of these ugly neighbourhoods are in the right light," he said.

Blue said heteamed up with fellow artistsJeff McLennan andCaraCole to work on aproject that would match visuals of Saint John with a soundtrack that"describes the mood of the city."

The filmprimarily follows Cole through the featured neighbourhoods, using herto create a loose narrative, said Blue.

"She's sort of the spirit animal of the film," he said.

"Most of the time you don't see her, but it gives the film a bit of a focus where you're following someone around in the film and you can sort of see yourself in their shoes."

Visiting every neighbourhood

Cole said the project features several abandoned buildings, poverty-stricken areas and parts of the city's natural landscape.

She said an appreciation for Saint John's old structures is evident in the film.

"A lot of people that are fans of architecture and fans of historical buildings, I believe that they have a sense that the buildings themselves have personality or have spirit," she said.

While Cole is the only person visible on the screen for much of the film, she said the city's environment also plays a leading role.

"Something that has been in the film a lot atdifferent parts has been the fog," she said. "The fog itself is almost like a friend."

The film's trailer is available online, and, according to Blue, the project is 95 per cent done.

During Third Shift, people can see it in the parking lot besideThandi Restaurant on Canterbury Street.