Between Dreams and History

The Making of Shimon Attie’s Public Art Installations

Memory made visible

BETWEEN DREAMS AND HISTORY profiles American-born artist Shimon Attie as he creates his first work of public art in the United States with residents of New York’s Lower East Side, after six years of artistic and public success in Europe.

Dreams, hopes & prayers

Using the residents’ own languages, Yiddish, English, Spanish, and Chinese, Attie projects their hand-written memories, hopes, dreams, and prayers onto the walls and buildings of the neighborhood. Ronnie Friedland of Jewish Family Life adds, “We see joyful, amazed, and proud reactions of residents of the neighborhood when they recognize familiar thoughts and memories, in their own language, that are validated by being projected onto the public space of their neighborhood.”

37 min.

Running Time

New York City, USA

Location

1998

Year

Eng, Spanish, Chinese, Yiddish

Language

Premieres in the Neighborhood

The film premiered with many simultaneous premieres in bodegas, beauty salons, a hardware store and a TV shop on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and was featured on opening night of the Jewish Film Festival in New York City.

Credits

Produced and Directed Christopher Beaver
Cinematography Skip Blumberg
Additional Cinematography Judy Irving
Music Pat Rickey
Narrated Michael E. Stone
Original installation produced by Creative Time, Anne Pasternak, Executive Director

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