Washes

Directed by Norbert Shieh

Washes explores the relationship of Los Angeles and cars through the documentation of six different carwash locations. Filmed in a mixed media of 16mm film and HD video, each site is a recording from a fixed camera placed behind the windshield as water cascades. The lens focuses on the plane of glass and abstracts the background with a shallow depth of field. Passing cars, buses, and people are refracted by the water, creating colors, and textures on the surface of the glass. The mechanisms of the camera transform an everyday experience into flickering lights and shadows.