DUMBO

DUMBO public art performance examines social injustice

September 29, 2014 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Artist Dread Scott will come to DUMBO for a one-time only performance on Oct. 7.
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A public performance piece by artist Dread Scott, “On the Impossibility of Freedom in a Country Founded on Slavery and Genocide” is coming to DUMBO for a one-time only performance on Oct. 7.

Presented by More Art, a New York-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the development of socially engaged public art projects, the piece examines the legacy of social injustice in the United States and the continuing struggles faced by minorities across the nation. The event will take place under the Manhattan Bridge Archway at 1 p.m.

The performance in part references the 1963 Civil Rights struggle in Birmingham, Alabama, during which city officials used high-pressure water cannons to disperse non-violent protesters and bystanders in an effort to maintain segregation and legalized discrimination.

“On the Impossibility of Freedom” will feature Dread Scott engaging in a Sisyphean attempt to walk into the battering force of water jetting from a fire hose. While the performance is highly reminiscent of crowd control tactics used in the past, it also serves as a statement on a myriad of socio-cultural issues that affect a diverse group of marginalized individuals through discriminatory policies in immigration, criminal justice, welfare and education.

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Scott’s piece also reflects on present-day struggles against racism and the struggle for equality, as those demonstrated by the protests and then the militarized police response in Ferguson, Missouri.

“’On the Impossibility of Freedom in a Country Founded on Slavery and Genocide’ is a performance about the struggle for freedom,” said Scott. “People yearn for freedom and have repeatedly struggled against oppressive governments, economic, political and social relations. People have taken great risks in a fight for emancipation and have often been battered in the process.”

The project is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The project was made possible by the generous assistance of the DUMBO Improvement District.

 


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