No film conjures up the image of a diseased, dirty, crowded Downtown Los Angeles than the neo-noir Blade Runner. So when Downtown developer Sonny Astani announced plans for two Blade Runner-esque moving displays on the side of his mixed-use Concerto development back in January, heads turned, eyebrows furrowed and neighborhood councils fired up their angry-letter-writing skills. Put down those pens: Astani, who came to Los Angeles before the Iranian Revolution, fell in love with the film. Via the New York Times: "'I saw Blade Runner at a time when L.A. was feeling like that,' he said. 'I was feeling like that.'" The signs on the 9th and Fig development would only show slow-moving images at less intensity than normal digital screens, and art would be displayed 20% of the time.
· L.A. Vision: a towering sign [LA Times]
· A Developer’s Unusual Plan for Bright Lights, Inspired by a Dark Film [NY Times]
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