Ghost Light
Figge Museum 2017
Ghost Light exhibition documentation, installations from left to right: Joe’s Barbershop; Ghost Light; Token; Soule Bowl
The symbol of the “ghost light” references the theatrical superstition in which the darkened stage is illuminated by a single light–often an electric bulb mounted to a stand–to ward off the theater’s ghosts. When the stage is quiet, the ghost light is representative of all the lives and narratives that have inhabited that space.
In 2015, Jefferson Pinder was approached by the Figge Museum to envision a project in which community members could be brought into the museum, as both participants and viewers. Taking a page from Augusto Boal's concept of “Theatre of the Oppressed”, Pinder worked with the conservative community to open up a conversation about identity and its politics in Davenport, Iowa. By transforming the museum gallery into a flexible exhibition and stage space, he worked with community gatekeepers to create three live performances. The sets and remnants of their performances remained as sculptural installations for the duration of the exhibition, alongside two video installations Hairstyle and The Conversation and the ghost light.
The following three performances with local community members occurred live in the gallery space:
TOKEN, 2017
The first performance, Token, featured Dean Kugler, a conservative white midwestern artist who exercised his right to sculpt from black models.
JOE'S BARBERSHOP, 2017
The second performance, Joe's Barbershop, featured Joe McLemore, a 73 year-old Iowa barber, cutting hair live in the museum as he discussed his unique views on race relations for blacks in the Quad Cities (QC).
SOULE BOWL, 2017
Soul Bowl, 2017
The final performance, Soul Bowl, featured arts organizer Gaye Burnett, a local gatekeeper who reminisced about her experience at the infamous 1972 Rock Island High School race riot after the Soule Bowl football match.
PROJECT ADVISOR
Gaye Burnett
PERFORMER
Gaye Burnett
Pamela Jay Couch
Cheryl Lafferty
Joe Maclmore-Barber
Dean Kugler -Token
DOCUMENTATION PERFORMANCE
Urban Exposure
DOCUMENTATION EDITING
Luis Acosta
AUDIO EDITING
Matt Ryan
PROJECT ASSISTANT
Steve Banks
Joshua Johnson
CURATOR
Andrew Wallace