Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In “Secret Mall Apartment,” director Jeremy Workman chronicles how Michael Townsend and seven fellow artists created a clandestine living space inside the Providence Place Mall from 2003 onward—an audacious act born from the 1990s collision of booming development and fragile artist enclaves under Mayor Buddy Cianci. What begins as a curiosity—moving couches past security, building a cinder-block wall in a hidden alcove—unfurls into a layered narrative about gentrification, public space, and the corporatization of cities.
Powered by 25 hours of contemporaneous, grainy footage shot long before ubiquitous smartphones, the film captures the collective’s ethos, from a rogue tape-art 9/11 memorial to the practicalities of surviving inside a “soft target” mall in a post-9/11 security climate. Townsend’s even-keeled presence grounds the story as it navigates discovery, arrest, and a surprisingly light legal outcome. After a six-month theatrical run, the film is now available on major digital platforms.
This interview is from a Full episode of The Gist Podcast, Hosted by Mike Pesca.
🎧Listen Here👉open.spotify.com/show/3Q5MaJxR4gS4CwgZUCCYVt
_______________________
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TWITTER:
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Visit Mike's website:
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Get a premium edition of the podcast and help support Mike's work:
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_______________________
CREDITS:
Creator & Host:
Mike Pesca
Producer:
Corey Wara
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 The “Residences” Racket → Why this mall story hits different
2:05 “Super Corrupt, Got Things Done?” — Buddy Cianci and the Death Star Mall
4:08 When Developers Discovered the Artists’ Mills (and the evictions began)
6:00 “Week in the Mall” — Sleeping Where You Shop
8:53 From Clickbait to Cause: Is this more than a prank?
13:28 $89 RadioShack Cam, 320×240, 12fps… and a Cinder-Block Wall?!
17:09 Breakup in the Food Court — and yes, it’s on tape
19:05 Why This Couldn’t Happen Today: Eight artists, zero posts
21:14 Mall Nostalgia Is Real? 50–70% say keep them alive
24:27 Too Nice for a Rebel? Anger vs. “deep-seated frustration”
26:02 From OKC to 9/11: How tape art found its purpose
29:00 Soft Targets, Hard Truths: Why security missed a whole apartment
33:02 Oddballs with a Civic Edge: When obsession becomes a stance
35:54 Owning the Release: Titles, marketing, and avoiding streamers
37:23 “Not a Crime”: The judge, the $60 fine, and six months check-ins
39:34 They Wanted the Story: How mall lawyers tried to claim the IP
In “Secret Mall Apartment,” director Jeremy Workman chronicles how Michael Townsend and seven fellow artists created a clandestine living space inside the Providence Place Mall from 2003 onward—an audacious act born from the 1990s collision of booming development and fragile artist enclaves under Mayor Buddy Cianci. What begins as a curiosity—moving couches past security, building a cinder-block wall in a hidden alcove—unfurls into a layered narrative about gentrification, public space, and the corporatization of cities.
Powered by 25 hours of contemporaneous, grainy footage shot long before ubiquitous smartphones, the film captures the collective’s ethos, from a rogue tape-art 9/11 memorial to the practicalities of surviving inside a “soft target” mall in a post-9/11 security climate. Townsend’s even-keeled presence grounds the story as it navigates discovery, arrest, and a surprisingly light legal outcome. After a six-month theatrical run, the film is now available on major digital platforms.
This interview is from a Full episode of The Gist Podcast, Hosted by Mike Pesca.
🎧Listen Here👉open.spotify.com/show/3Q5MaJxR4gS4CwgZUCCYVt
_______________________
Follow us:
INSTAGRAM:
/ pescagist
TWITTER:
https://x.com/PescaGist
https://x.com/pescami
Visit Mike's website:
mikepesca.com
Join the "Pesca Profundities" membership and get access to the Gist List Newsletter:
mikepesca.substack.com
Get a premium edition of the podcast and help support Mike's work:
subscribe.mikepesca.com
_______________________
CREDITS:
Creator & Host:
Mike Pesca
Producer:
Corey Wara
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 The “Residences” Racket → Why this mall story hits different
2:05 “Super Corrupt, Got Things Done?” — Buddy Cianci and the Death Star Mall
4:08 When Developers Discovered the Artists’ Mills (and the evictions began)
6:00 “Week in the Mall” — Sleeping Where You Shop
8:53 From Clickbait to Cause: Is this more than a prank?
13:28 $89 RadioShack Cam, 320×240, 12fps… and a Cinder-Block Wall?!
17:09 Breakup in the Food Court — and yes, it’s on tape
19:05 Why This Couldn’t Happen Today: Eight artists, zero posts
21:14 Mall Nostalgia Is Real? 50–70% say keep them alive
24:27 Too Nice for a Rebel? Anger vs. “deep-seated frustration”
26:02 From OKC to 9/11: How tape art found its purpose
29:00 Soft Targets, Hard Truths: Why security missed a whole apartment
33:02 Oddballs with a Civic Edge: When obsession becomes a stance
35:54 Owning the Release: Titles, marketing, and avoiding streamers
37:23 “Not a Crime”: The judge, the $60 fine, and six months check-ins
39:34 They Wanted the Story: How mall lawyers tried to claim the IP
