The Liminal South : Explorations of Black Time, Space, and Memory
This project is composed of two analytical essays and a three-dimensional art exhibition that tangibly extract and display the ways I view the U.S. American south and my interactions with it. Inspired by the narrative photography of Carrie Mae Weems and her “Kitchen Table Series,” the project focuses on multiple generations of my own family in order to document my family's experiences in the south while theorizing how our experiences provide greater historical understanding of southern black communities over time. The first essay theorizes time, space, and memory in Toni Morrison's narrative novel Song of Solomon, with a focus on representations of family members' responses to trauma. The second essay uses Morrison's narrative and thematic techniques as a frame for researching and understanding my own family’s experiences and relationships over the past three generations. The culminating art installation, as documented by the included photographs, curates archival materials from my family members, including my grandfather, mother, father, sister, and myself. Together, these materials illustrate the intersections of time, space, and memory within my family.
Kitchen Table Series, Carrie Mae Weems, Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon, Analytical Essay, Family, English Language and Literature, Literature in English, North America, Rhetoric and Composition
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