2014
Audio Installation
Seven Views from the Hill consists of eleven audio interviews and reenactments recorded with residents of Strawberry Hill, a historic neighborhood in Kansas City known for its Eastern European roots. In these recordings, neighbors share stories about their families and what it feels like to balance an Eastern European heritage with being American today.
Along with their personal stories, residents re-enact documents from the early 1900s. By using public records, the work investigates how different structures were used to spread state ideology, pushing newcomers to change their behaviors and abandon their old customs in order to fit into American society. Seven Views from the Hill shows the immigrant experience from two different perspectives: the official voice of American institutions and the personal experiences of those who grew up as first- or second-generation Americans.
Interviews and re-enactments by: Ljubica Birt, G. S., Elaine Grisnik, N. T., Brenice Anzek, Stephanie Sandelich, Monica Grajš & Mirela Grajš, Jessica Borusky, Nicholas Tomasic & Tim Ryan
Exhibited at Paragraph Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
Developed during the 2014 ArtsLink Fellowship Residency Program, USA.