We’ve recently completed a short documentary film following artist Gary Sweeney as he created his site-specific installation, A Manhattan Beach Memoir: 1945-2015. We traveled to Manhattan Beach, California to visit Gary’s childhood home and captured his process and the final work.
Mark behind the scenes filming the installation of “A Manhattan Beach Memoir: 1945-2015”
In 1945, while Sweeney’s father Mike was returning from Guam after World War II, his mother Anita bought a small house at 320 35th St in Manhattan Beach, California. It was their family home for 70 years. Sweeney sold the house in July, 2015, with the understanding that the new owner planned to demolish the house and put a new development it its place.
Mark films artist Gary Sweeney during the of installation “A Manhattan Beach Memoir: 1945-2015”
A Manhattan Beach Memoir: 1945-2015
As a tribute to his family, hometown, and father’s photography, Sweeney covered the exterior of the house with over one hundred large scale family photographs, and occupied the house during its final month – February, 2016.
A Manhattan Beach Memoir: 1945-2015
The final work received an incredible amount of press and international coverage. We really enjoyed working with Gary again and capturing this very personal, but universal story of family and memory.
Learn more about his work at GarySweeneyArt.com
– M&A