In November 2020, Untitled Dumpty was set to appear on a digital billboard located at the intersection of Andrew Young International Blvd and Peachtree Street in Atlanta, GA.
From 1870 – 1923, Georgia’s Governor’s Mansion occupied that site. During that period, Union troops left the American South and the Reconstruction Era ended. The political, social and economic accomplishments of formerly enslaved African Americans crumbled quickly under the unchecked rule of a wounded and vengeful Confederate state. At the intersection of those two roads, 15 Georgian governors oiled the mental and systemic machines of white supremacy, witnessed the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, and enforced Jim Crow laws that would adversely affect the Black population for a century.
The Sundial, a lavish place to dine and lodge, currently rests where the Governor’s Mansion once was. The male character in Dumpty represents those governors and an American president who displayed arrogant contempt for anyone and everything that contradicted their version of an ideal world.
Due to 2020’s political climate, Untitled Dumpty was not displayed. The partnering company stated, “[The text] falls under our content restrictions.” The photo above is a mock-up.
(2020)
