ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE ALAN BERLINER

February 17 to August 18, 2002

As an independent filmmaker, Alan Berliner has dedicated the majority of his work to the legacy of the family album and the personal histories embedded within names. Based on the belief held by professional genealogists that most people, no matter what their race, nationality, religion, or ethnicity, are related as closely as the 50th cousin, Berliner has created several interactive works that transform this latest installation of the Andersen Window Gallery into a space for unexpected discoveries.

The multimedia projects in this gallery draw upon the neighborhoods that fall within the 10-zip-code area surrounding the Walker Art Center. Each allows you to locate your surname among the other 18,000 that form the larger mosaic of this diverse community, which includes people of Scandinavian, African, Native American, Central American, Southeast Asian, and Eastern European descent, among others.

Yet, like many large urban centers representing a variety of cultures, lifestyles, socio-economic classes, religions, and ages, the Twin Cities is divided into smaller enclaves, often distanced from each other by addresses, language, and customs. By signing in on the monitor to the right and exploring the entire gallery installation, you can become part of this larger poem about history, memory, transformation, and community.

Alan Berliner’s film/video residency is made possible by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund.

The Andersen Window Gallery is made possible by generous support from Andersen Corporation. Additional support is provided by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Betlach Family Foundation.