LUMINA OBSCURA

The Art of Jay Sims

 

[catalog entry]


A House Falls (Documentary)

  • Date: 2008
  • Medium: MiniDV Tape, edited in Final Cut Pro
  • Format: SD digital video file, color, sound
  • Duration: 3 min. 55 sec.

A House Falls is a short documentary capturing the final days of a 1950s mansion located on Falls Road, just prior to its demolition. Shot on MiniDV with a handheld camera and later edited digitally, the piece functions as both an architectural record and a quiet meditation on impermanence.

The mansion featured in the film would later serve as the shooting location for Untitled (Series 2), though this connection remains unspoken within the work itself. The footage predates that photographic project, but the film was edited and completed several years later. As such, it occupies a liminal space between documentation and atmosphere—offering viewers a glimpse into the textures, spaces, and natural light that would come to shape a pivotal photographic series.

Its title references both the literal collapse of the house and the street it occupied, echoing themes of disappearance, transformation, and the haunting presence of spaces soon to be erased.



Image from A House FallsImage from A House FallsImage from tA House FallsImage from tA House Falls

Stills from the documentary video A House Falls. These images capture the final days of a 1950s mansion on Falls Road, later used as the location for Untitled (Series 2).

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