Snyopsis
The tradition known as "Benching" originated in subway stations in the 1970's in New York City. During this era graffiti writers gathered at benches on subway platforms and watched their names go by on the trains. The tradition was passed from one generation to the next for two decades.
Benching: The Art of Watching Trains is a documentary by M. Nielsen that explores this tradition. The subways in New York were declared graffiti free in 1989 but the story does not end there. The film picks up in the early 1990's when a new generation started benching graffiti on freight trains.
Nielsen interviews benchers from the subway era and the freight train generation. Using film and video footage, historical footage, photographs and interviews the film explores how this aspect of graffiti culture has developed, taken on a life of it's own and become a nation wide past time.
The film paints a vivid picture of freight train graffiti and those who document it through the lens of a camera. Nielsen traveled to freight benches across the country in the making of this film. Stops along the way include the Atlanta Bench, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Florida, Minneapolis and California.
About the Filmmaker
M. Nielsen started filming trains in 1993 after a friend took him to a train yard where they stumbled on a line of graffiti covered trains straight out of New York. It was only a matter of days before he purchased a Super 8 camera and started filming on his own.
In 1999 Nielsen took the footage he compiled and made a movie titled: Tales From The Rails. After making this movie he continued to bench and film graffiti on trains. In 2009 he decided to draw from his footage and knowledge to make a second film.
Nielsen has a degree in American Studies from the University of Minnesota. He Currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and works as a gaffer on film sets.