11. The American Manifest at Duffy Square
Over the course of two years across three different sites, Creative Time, Governors Island, and Times Square Arts will present Charles Gaines’ first public art installation, American Manifest. Featuring both performance and sculptural work, American Manifest tells the story of the 400-year settlement of the United States, taking a deep dive into the country’s foundations of colonialism, racial capitalism, and democracy.
Chapter one of the American Manifest, entitled Manifestos 4: The Dred and Harriet Scott Decision, will take place on July 13th and 14th at 7 p.m in Times Square. The performance-based installation transforms the original text of the landmark 1857 Supreme Court Case of Dred Scott vs. Sanford, which denied U.S. citizenship to people of African ancestry. Today this case is known for being one of the court’s most controversial decisions due to its authorization of racism and impact on altering the country’s social and political future. In his reimagining of the text, Gaines depicts the legacy of slave labor on our economy right in the heart of Times Square, a modern-day center of capitalism and commerce to both juxtapose and highlight how much and little has changed over the course of American history. The second component of chapter one, entitled Roots, is a sculptural installation of seven American sweetgum trees that have been painted and presented with their root systems intact but upside down, pointing to the dystopian nature of our current social order. Roots will run from July 13th through September 23, 2022, at Duffy Square.
