On View
Visual Arts Gallery
Exhibition
Reckoning: Protest. Defiance. Resilience.
Created by
Pinder, Jefferson, American, born 1970
Subject of
President Obama, Barack, American, born 1961
Ra, Sun, American, 1914 - 1993
Wonder, Stevie, American, born 1950
Date
2009
Medium
tin, wood, chrome, loudspeakers, audiovisual equipment and mixed media
Dimensions
H x W x D: 92 1/2 × 75 × 86 in., 571 lb. (235 × 190.5 × 218.4 cm, 259 kg)
Caption
“We grew up when NASA was in its golden age. Remember, the first interracial kiss on television was in outer space on Star Trek. Science fiction fantasy … is, in part, a spiritual place that African Americans have always inhabited.” — Jefferson Pinder
Jefferson Pinder constructed this sculpture with wood salvaged from President Barack Obama’s 2009 inaugural platform and ceiling tin from a gutted Baltimore house. Referencing the past, present, and future, Mothership symbolizes the transportation and transformation of Black people toward new and unchartered territory, concepts underscored by the work’s shape—NASA’s Mercury spacecraft—and its name, derived from singer-songwriter George Clinton’s stage prop, the Mothership.
Description
An abstracted replica of the NASA Mercury space capsule. The sculpture is made from pieces of tin that were salvaged from structures in and around Baltimore, Maryland, and re-purposed lumber gathered from President Obama’s 2009 inaugural platform. The sculpture is displayed angled onto its side. Inserted into the top of the sculpture is an Altec (R) model 416-8A sub-woofer speaker, and the base of the sculpture is a 24" chrome alloy (wheel) rim. In the interior of the sculpture is a Philips DVD player (HTS3371D), with a Philips audio cable connecting the player to the speaker, and a remote to control the player externally. A DVD plays from inside the sculpture on a loop, bass tones only: “Space is the Place” by Sun Ra and “Living in the City” by Stevie Wonder.
Place made
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Visual Arts
Movement
Afrofuturism
Type
multimedia works
Topic
African diaspora
Art
Funk (Music)
Identity
Local and regional
Politics
Technology
Transportation
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Henry Thaggert III in memory of Burnell P. Thaggert
Object number
2013.234
Restrictions & Rights
© Jefferson Pinder
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd574c1cea8-a520-4428-99e1-efcaebee5152

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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