The video for my thesis work will be presented in 3 parts. Each part includes research and my response. The streamlined water cycle track creates a motif that connects all three sections.
Part 1 - Waves This section begins with a prologue, providing contextual information for the viewer. It continues with a descriptive narration of my experience in a particular space. Not only does this section connect past with present and experience of place within the overall narrative, but it also prepares the viewer to experience the subsequent story through my point of view. This narration segues into video self portraits of me in various landscapes and an excerpt from Lucille Clifton's poem, "Driving Through New England," shown as text to be read by the viewer. This section ends with an unanswered interrogation of my 4th great-grandmother. Part 2 - Ripples Visually, this section uses the commodification of trees as a metaphor for exploitation and features an attempt to physically un-write history. Aurally, the interrogation of Charity Ann continues before segueing into a transcription of the inventory of property she and her children are listed on. As with all 3 section, it features a series of video self portraits and ends with an excerpt from Alice Walker's poem, "Turning Madness into Flowers." Part 3 - Rivers Charity's Ann's interrogation culminates with a number of blunt questions. More self portraits and the work ends with excerpts from Lucille Clifton's "Cutting Greens" and Fredrick Douglass' "What to the Slave is the 4th of July."
These collages are becoming larger and more complex. I'm experimenting more with text and hope to soon have the courage to try this technique on my relief forms.
I have a new draft of Roots & Remains, though I don't have the same conviction about this piece being complete as I do with Isaiah's Inventory. I feel that for now it is in a good place. Originally, I intended for this to be an audio piece but I believe that it becomes stronger by combining the image of a landscape near the cemetery where I found Great-Uncle Flemming with an image of the bill of sale showing that Isaiah Jr. purchased Charity Ann and her children with Flemming's signature on it. I will use the same photo installation as Isaiah's Inventory.
Finally, I'm at a point where I feel this piece is complete. I remixed the sound, leaving more space between the reading of the names so that more of the object/animal list is discernible as I mentioned with the last draft. The sound also builds more slowly in intensity, which I believe is more effective at creating an emotional connection with the viewer. I also altered the image so that the list fills the entire frame which I also believe makes more of an emotional impact, however comparing the two images, I think including the edge of the book is visually stronger. I will have to think more about whether or not to change the image back to its original cropping. Finally, I tweaked the timing of the dissolve to compliment the timing of the narrative. I sighed with relief when exporting this last draft because for one of the very few times in my life, I knew without a doubt that the work was resolved and with the exception of deciding what to do about the image, I believe I achieved what I set out for. I've also been working on the installation. The video will be projected into the negative space of a photo collage containing images of the landscapes of Harris County, county maps, the probate documents I found in the Town Hall, and graves from the Sardis and Prospect AME Church cemeteries. This installation will also be used to project Roots & Remains.
Yesterday, I completed the 1st draft of a new audio piece. A question that I've struggled with this semester is how to incorporate my research and artistic process more into the finished work. In this piece, I wrote narrative describing my trip to Harris County in search of my ancestral home, Negro Heel, and Isaiah Parker Jr.'s grave. I combined it with a nature recording of my childhood home and recitation of and repeated excerpts from Alice Walker's poem, Turning Madness into Flowers. I'm currently exploring ideas for turning the piece into a video installation and will discuss this further as it develops.
