Selections from the Archive
Created April 13, 2018 at 07:03 AM EST
Created April 13, 2018 at 07:03 AM EST
Created April 13, 2018 at 07:03 AM EST
Created April 13, 2018 at 07:03 AM EST
Created April 13, 2018 at 07:03 AM EST
Created April 13, 2018 at 07:03 AM EST
Created April 13, 2018 at 07:03 AM EST
Created April 13, 2018 at 07:03 AM EST
Created April 13, 2018 at 07:03 AM EST
Further Resources
Sabot Cruft (Nine Quilts for MOVE)
This work updated daily at 7:03 AM EST, and was developed during my artist fellowship at The Hacktory which is part of the Department of Making + Doing in Philadelphia. Upon my arrival I began to think about the places and things in Philadelphia that I was familar such as Independence Hall, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the Liberty Bell.
Due to a fortuitus change in accommodations I soon found myself driving daily through West Philadelphia. Like other large cities such as New York and Chicago, Philadelphia was reminding me that one only needs to turn a corner to find that one street separates neighborhoods of affluence and those of poverty. Each day I imagined passing through the thin membranes separating these neighborhoods, trying to sense the pressures pushing from both sides. These nine quilts are created using breaking news images gathered from Philadelphia's 6abc Action News - WPVI website.
Thanks to everyone at The Hacktory and the Department of Making + Doing for the opportunity and support to make this work.
MOVE
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaMOVE or the MOVE Organization is a Philadelphia-based black liberation group founded by John Africa. MOVE was described by CNN as "a loose-knit, mostly black group whose members all adopted the surname Africa, advocated a 'back-to-nature' lifestyle and preached against technology". The group lived communally and frequently engaged in public demonstrations related to issues they deemed important.
Since their founding in 1972, MOVE has been in frequent conflict with the Philadelphia Police Department. A major incident occurred in 1978, when the police raided their Powelton Village home. This raid resulted in the imprisonment of nine group members, now known as the "MOVE 9." After this, the group relocated farther west to a house at 6221 Osage Avenue.
In 1985 the group made national news when police dropped a bomb on the Osage house from a helicopter in an attempt to end an armed standoff. The explosion and ensuing fire killed 11 people, including five children and the group's leader, John Africa. Only two occupants survived—Ramona, an adult, and Birdie, a child. In addition, approximately 60 other (non MOVE-affiliated) homes were destroyed as the entire block burned. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOVE]
Quilts of the Underground Railroad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe slave quilt code is the idea that African American slaves used quilts to communicate information about how to escape to freedom. The idea was introduced and popularized throughout the 1990s. Most quilt scholars and historians consider the "code" to be completely lacking any basis in fact. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilts_of_the_Underground_Railroad]
