CUP hosted an evening of videos about the inner workings of some of NYC’s hidden systems. Ever wonder where your garbage goes when you’re done with it? Why you shouldn’t go swimming after a heavy rainfall? Who owns the Internet? Three of CUP's classic infrastructure documentaries, produced as collaborative research and design projects with artists and New York public high school students address these questions. The crews headed to the streets and looked for answers from city officials, sandhogs, community organizations, and policy wonks. Their videos use stop-motion animations, puppets, and historical re-enactments to teach you about the social and political networks that shape the city.

We screened Garbage Problems (2002), The Water Underground (2006), and The Internet is Serious Business (2008).

This People and Buildings film screening was co-presented by Anthology Film Archives and the New Museum’s Festival of Ideas for the New City.