The ongoing Fundament series exposes America’s foundational truth of White Supremacy by excavating foundation fragments from Confederate monuments to visualize the unseen, unacknowledged structure supporting a self-perpetuating system, and proposes that real progress only comes when we move beyond the symbolic, to the foundational.
“Racism is what happens when you back one group’s racial preference with legal authority and institutional control.” When one group assumes this kind of power it is transformed into a far-reaching system that is operating unseen in the background 24 hours a day. Racism is the foundation of the society we are in. As Americans, we inherit this fully operational system whether we acknowledge it, like it or not.
Racism is about structure, architecture, and infrastructure. It's about zoning, housing, banking, education, policing, employment, leisure and access. It takes the form of highways, bridges, maps, Internet cables, history books, police training, job interviews, apartment applications and a million other points of contact.
As the nation grapples with racial issues, the Confederate monument has become a flashpoint and the subject of much ire and attention. As society collectively makes moves to dismantle these objects, we run the risk of only doing something symbolic if we do not also dismantle the system that allowed these monuments to be built in the first place.
I am interested in the foundation that these monuments sit on - the unseen part, below the surface, made of concrete and steel – as a way to explore the unseen structure that is propping up systems of racial inequity.
This material is from the foundation of the Confederate monument St. Augustine, FL. (The oldest in the State of Florida). After the monument was relocated in 2020, it was discovered that the foundation was made from hand cut coquina, a rocklike substance made entirely out of compressed shells, which was a common building material dating back to the 1600’s. The coquina was combined with mortar and concrete and used as a base to support the Confederate monument. The beautiful quality and color of the shells speaks to this very specific place in Florida, and has been perfectly preserved since it was placed there in 1879. These original 1880’s Stereoview photographs are from the series “Florida, The Land of Flowers and Tropical Scenery” depicting images from St. Augustine and surrounding area, including the Slave Market, cotton picking, and black homes. These concrete foundation elements will be used as plinths to display art objects and archival material that speak to the history of this country.
By exposing this unconsidered part of the monument that sit below the earth, and combining it with other material, this work speaks to the largely unseen foundational systems that continue to perpetuate racial inequities - of which these monuments are only a symptom.
