The Philadelphians who participated in Tiziou's dance shoots - 160 so far - are of all nationalities, ages, sizes, shapes, and backgrounds. Only a few have danced professionally, but all share joy, energy, and love of movement.
Since 2008, Tiziou has been snapping their moves and the urban diversity they reflect for the five-to-seven-story murals that will spread across 50,000 square feet of the airport parking structures. The project, done under the auspices of the Mural Arts Project, is being installed by a team of muralists now and should be completed in July.
"The way someone moves is a key to their inner life and expression as individuals," Tiziou said on a cold, rainy day a week before the opening of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, which runs through May 1 and is the forum for his Kimmel Center projections.
Earlier that day, he'd been aloft on scaffolding across from the Kimmel, in the structure housing the projection booth that beams dancers' images onto the wall. The screenings - which display images in computer-generated random sequences - blend video, stop-motion animation, and "working with the stills and incorporating a lot of the imagery," he said. He collaborated with videographer Tobin Rothlein, codirector of Miro Dance Theatre, on the film designs for the Kimmel site.
Tiziou, 32, lives in West Philadelphia and is fervent community networker. He moved to the city from Washington in 1997 to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a fine arts degree. He started as a biochemistry major, "but I got wrapped up in photographing for the Daily Pennsylvanian . . . and it somewhat took over my life."
