“Tell them about the dream, Martin!”
– MAHILIA JACKSON
Over fifty years ago Martin had a dream, and it has failed to fully realize. Thus, we are inviting people to go back to sleep to find it. In recent events, massive demonstrations have been held in which Black folx across the globe have shown their solidarity for the unjust murders of Black people (women, men, children, and transgender) by police officers. We have seen Black bodies put forth tremendous effort to make the point that #blacklivesmatter, while simultaneously serving as spectacles to the general public, and mass media. [REM]EMBER is a multi-media project including staged “sleep-in” with footage of the initial performance/protest, that takes place in Seattle, Washington (U.S.A.) on August 4, 2018.
One of the first documented sit-ins in a public space was in August 1939. An African-American attorney, Samuel Wilbert Tucker, organized a sit-in at a segregated library in Alexandria, Virginia. This form of protest is a new approach to an old model. What happens when the protesters have become tired of being sedentary? What happens when a community is tired of being tired? In sleep, we are able to resolve the trauma of our everyday lives? Why can’t this tactic be used to heal the past/present/future at the same time?
[REM]EMBER encourages viewer interaction within a constructed portal into the past: the dream chrysalis. This installation serves as the bridge between 1968 and 2018 where participants can heal past/present and future traumas within a 60’s boudoir aesthetic. To mirror the cycle of rem sleep, the dreamscape will be on a 45-minute loop.
Mia Harrison, THE BLK BLND is a pacific northwest native Artivist (Art + Activist) and experimental poet. In a time where words hurt more than sticks and stones, she uses her art as activism. Mia has amassed years of experience as a freelance writer for several organizations, composing everything from copy to original, research-based pieces. And in her spare time, she organizes art openings, seeks to create new worlds via art and strives to create community.
