Educational Media Reviews Online

A Media Archaeology of Boston is a diverse collection of short films, clips, still images, and soundscapes curated by Jesse Shapins and Olga Touloumi, with the only commonality being that each work features the city of Boston and surrounding areas.

Presented as a two-hour long montage, this collection will appeal most to Bostonians (or Bostonophiles), academics, and artistic types who appreciate experimental or historical films. Viewed as a whole it is certainly thought-provoking at times with its variety of topics and types of media, although some of the works are languid and unengaging (e.g. soundscapes), making those two hours seem like a long time. Despite the small audience for the full viewing, some of the short films are excellent on their own (Derek Lamb’s 1969 “Harbor City Islands” and “Housemoving”, and Bryan Papciak’s 2001 “Met State”) and many of the works feature fascinating historical footage (G. W. Bitzer’s 1906 “Seeing Boston”) that would be potentially useful in classes ranging from general high school history to graduate-level urban or film studies.

Accompanying information about each work and an alternative organization – or some sort of finding guide – would make the individual works more accessible and useful in a broader educational setting, especially since many of the “unearthed” works may not be available anywhere else. A Media Archaeology of Boston is recommended with reservations for libraries in the Boston area especially, and academic collections supporting urban history and film studies.