Secret Mall Apartment

Burt Bacharach and Hal David once wrote that a house is not a home, but they never secretly lived inside a Rhode Island mall and chronicled every waking moment for four years. Meet eight Rhode Islanders who took matters into their own hands and built a community along the way.In 2003 the newly constructed Providence Place mall was a means to revitalize Rhode Island’s capital, according to the city’s politicians and real estate developers. Locals, however, hated it, as many of their homes were torn down to make way for this garish symbol of progress. Enter eight young artists who took it upon themselves as a personal challenge—and moral obligation—to turn a completely unknown section of the mall into their own hidden apartment and live there for four years. Tucked beneath I-beams and back staircases, this precious alcove would come to mean so much more to its inhabitants than a sneaky prank on capitalism. Refreshingly bizarre, SECRET MALL APARTMENT reveals the unique tale of statement makers who didn’t set out to make headlines, yet discovered a unique catalyst for creativity along the way. —A.B. GUEST(S) IN ATTENDANCE