Side Stories: Love Stories Brings Film, Local Artists and Love to RiNo

Don't miss a sunset in RiNo this week: As the sky darkens, five bare building exteriors will be illuminated with the unique work of five local artists, unified by a theme of love. Side Stories is back.

Side Stories was founded in 2018 by real estate developer Fiona Arnold in partnership with RiNo Arts District, the Martin Family Foundation, the Denver Film Society and the Colorado Office of Film, Television & Media. The annual installation's goal is to beautify RiNo with visual video art that promotes community sensibility and draws visitors into local businesses. After a pandemic-induced lapse in programming last year, the free installation has returned to the neighborhood and can be seen every evening through Sunday, February 20.

For this year's installation, Side Stories: Love Stories, artists were told to focus on subjects they love, resulting in videos that capture people, life, cityscapes and even fungi. Out of the five artists commissioned to create films this year, three are returning: Ella Vance (from 2020), Xadie James (from 2020), and Natalie Einterz (solo artist in 2020, part of Studio Hippo in 2018/19). The group of five creatives is rounded out by Andi Todaro and Travis Vermilye.

The installation is displayed between Larimer and Walnut streets from 28th to 33rd, and many breweries in the area are offering special discounts during its run (a full list of these specials is available on the Side Stories website). Love Stories takes about an hour to view and begins each evening after sundown.

The silent, experimental films present varied interpretations of the theme. Vance's "The Ever Hours" touches on three different inter-personal relationships dealing with love and loss. Todaro's "The Nearly Neglected Ecstasy of Laughter" is an experimental montage of bold statements and small sensory details of life people take for granted. James's "Transmuting City" uses found photos and tissue-paper cutouts to capture the gentrification of a metropolis. "Presents of the Mind," Einternz's animation, shows love through miniature, colorful vignettes. And fungi, some of the tiniest lifeforms on Earth, are given a loving spotlight in Vermilye's "Love in Blue."
The films are also displayed on various types of buildings: Einterz's pop-art colors drip off an awning, James's photographed cities are constructed on the side of a loading bay, and Todaro's neon letters and vivid montage claim the exteriors of some stone stacks. The artists are assigned to the architecture before they create the films so they can factor the design of the building into the art.

"The fun thing about Side Stories is you get to play with those elements on the wall versus making a flat video, which we see in a flat context," says Einterz. "It's a fun upgrade to do something different."

Einterz's piece is also interactive, inviting the audience to stand in certain areas and take photos, even providing visual countdowns before an explosion of color. Being "Instagrammable" was a consideration, he says.

James scoured hundreds of magazines for images of urban areas in the midst of gentrification to create "Transmuting City." His disinterest in depicting people led to the creation of a map of the pathways people use to interact.

"There's a lot to be said of space and the way that space is needed in order to have community," he notes. "Literal, tangible space."

Artist statements and bios are available to read or listen to online to provide context as audiences view the works. James's statement includes a simple declaration that is echoed throughout every aspect of the installation: "Love is community interacting with itself."

Side Stories: Love Stories runs nightly through Sunday, February 20, RiNo Art District. For exact locations, visit the Side Stories website.