The Impossibility of Freedom in a Country Founded on Slavery and Genocide
PROJECT OVERVIEW
On the Impossibility of Freedom in a Country Founded on Slavery and Genocide was a performance piece by artist Dread Scott engaging with the legacy of racism in the United States and pointing to the continuing struggles faced by minorities across the nation. On the Impossibility of Freedom featured Dread Scott engaged in a Sisyphean attempt to walk into the battering force of water jetting from a fire hose. While the performance was highly reminiscent of crowd control tactics used in the past, it also served 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. The performance took place underneath the Manhattan Bridge Archway, located at Water Street between Anchorage Place and Adams Street in DUMBO, for one time only on Tuesday, October 7, 2014 at 1pm in the afternoon.