J U D I T H P R E S E N T digital montage: "Spring at the Slave Shack"
 |
from H i G H W A T E R M A R K S A L O [O] N volume 2 number 2
"1890- Ben Hinch" from Ghosts of the South "It's just like I told you, I ain't guessin' dese things. I know's um'. And if you think people were allowed to rest on a Sunday, like we do now, den you'd be wrong. 'Cause Sundays was halftime, we had to be pullin' fodder in da field for da mules and cows and buildin' fences for da cattle, we called um bridge fences den. Still worse then da men doin' all dat, da women was worked something terrible too. It was da women who graded da railroad and they did it on Sundays too. And when they were finished with dat they had to spin two cuts of cotton and it didn't matter how tired she was, 'cause if she don't do it, she be whipped in da morning." |
History leaves behind a spirit and soul of other times. American history has its ghosts and spirits who cry out to be remembered. Never have I felt it so acutely than touring the southern plantations, whether private foundations, or museums, the past echoes through the halls, and land. It survives through stories of tragedy, and residual emotions lingering in the atmosphere. Whether ghosts, spirits or any other unexplained phenomena; history remains persistent in space. It lasts through the years layering with other times. Visiting slave quarters, the holocaust museum, the Little Big Horn massacre; any place where many have suffered and died one might hear voices of the past retelling their stories so not to be forgotten. You might find spirits there on another plane unable to hurt or touch you, except through lasting raw emotions. I toured plantations and followed the railroad to Canada putting together a story as horrendous as any holocaust. There are bad guys and good guys and heroes, as well as, the downtrodden and enslaved. It is with this in mind, my digital manipulations capture the different planes of consciousness one encounters in southern plantations, slave quarters, fields, the Underground Railroad and war. Meshed with the past these thirty four modern day photographs, six assemblages, and projected imagines will show what still remains beneath the naked eye. Accompanying the visuals of this project are ten original monologues bringing alive the people of the past from 1802 to 1965. I would use actors from the communities and Universities that present "Ghosts of the South." This project is on a DVD with photos, music, and monologues. The DVD runs for 28 minutes and covers 1803 to 1965. I think this is a good piece to open invigorating discussion from students and others seeing the performance.
|
Judith Present does many different things and has the knack of putting them all together for presentation. Whether performance and photo's, assemblages and music, or gardening and writing, she has an uncanny ability to combine her talents. "Ghosts of the South" is a multi-media piece that explores the two lives lived during the time of Slavery, continuing through the Civil War to Bobby Seal and the Black Panthers. Judith was a resident playwright in NYC at the American Renaissance Theatre where she wrote numerous plays, learned to act and direct. She took her talents with her to this area and ran "Theatricks by Starlight" for ten years. Being a Columnist for the Hancock Herald gave her the impetus to write a book on Small Town America and the American Dream. This gives her the chance to travel the country interviewing small towns, photographing the residents and finding out what they want and what makes them tick. Whether shooting photos in her garden or studying history Ms. Present likes to see things in a new light. She says, "Being creative is coming up with something no one else has." |
 |