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What Does It Mean!!!!?, A Symbolic Breakdown of My Momentus Piece.
I love symbolism. I love the hidden and not so hidden meaning in visual art, literature and music. Maybe it’s the 12 year old aspiring detective in me or maybe it’s a biproduct of my background in fine arts, where I was prodded to explain the meaning of my use of negative space in my photographs (seriously). More than that I think it’s just a universal human condition, a result of how we are designed.
My love of symbolism often leads me to packing my work so full of vague and obscure symbols that the likelihood of anybody fully understanding my intent is unlikely. That’s okay though, it’s all part of the fun that is visual art.
However, given the context of my Momentus piece, a series of symbols relating to extremely significant historical events with world changing implications I thought it was important to explain my thought process.
1. The Noose - Lynchings of African Americans is not something directly associated with the Civil Rights Movement. It was a horrible injustice against the people that had been committed for over a hundred years. However, in the South as political tensions began to rise surrounding the Civil Rights Movement the barbaric act was resurrected and lynchings were once again on the rise. Frequency and timeframes aside, if there is a more potent symbol of the injustice committed against African Americans I don’t know what it is.
2. The Crow - I had concerns that this particular piece of my composition would leave people scratching their heads. I chose to use the crow as a symbol for Jim Crow Laws. Jim Crow were state and local laws built on the ridiculous premise of “Separate but Equal ”, essentially turning African Americans (and anybody who wasn’t white) into second class citizens. Jim Crow Laws were one of the main instigators of the Civil Rights Movement but are not an all encompassing representation of injustices committed against African Americans.
3. Death By Pen - The pen reads “Birmingham Jail ” which is a reference to Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Dr. King wrote the open letter entitled “A Call for Unity ” from a jail cell in the Birmingham prison after being arrested for partaking in a non-violent protest he had helped to organize. In the letter he wrote the famous line “ Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere “. The release of Dr. King’s letter (which was smuggled out of the prison in a toothpaste container) marked a crucial turning point in the American Civil Rights Movement.
4. Free At Last - The famous line delivered by M.L.K during his I Have A Dream speech on the steps on the Lincoln Memorial. Three words, so much weight.
5. Cut The Ribbon - This is where things start to get a bit obscure. On one level it’s just a hand cutting down a rope. The owner of that hand obviously adds significance as does the way in which the noose is being cut down. I choose to have Dr. King cutting the rope with a pair of scissors as to be reminiscent of a ribbon cutting ceremony. Ribbon cuttings are common of grand openings and new beginnings and these were ideas I wanted to reference. The ” Noose Cutting Ceremony ” symbolizes a new beginning for African Americans marked by the end of the injustices of old.
6. M.L.K Comes Correct with the Monogramed Cuff - The Civil Rights Movement was in no way the result of just one man’s actions. Millions of people were involved, thousands played crucial roles and hundreds gave their lives to the cause. With that said, if there is one person history looks to as to exemplify the movement it has to be Dr. Martin Luther King Jr..
