PREMIERE EXHIBITION:
Race in Digital Space, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 2002

 


This is a story about my mother, Mollie Carroll Parrott, and me, Carroll Parrott Blue. I invite you to experience our story through the memories, places, and moments that are embedded in the quilt of my great grandmother, Luisah Richardson. In her quilt, you’ll encounter HOME HELL, AND DAWN –spaces that connect you to a variety of thematic wonderlands. Each theme addresses how the power dynamics underlying racism, gender and economics have a major impact on our lives. And how we, as individuals and groups, can successfully challenge these limitations to bring about change.

– Carroll Parrott Blue
Based on a memoir written by Carroll Parrott Blue, The Labyrinth Project has produced a DVD-ROM that expands on the book by encouraging users to explore unique visual fields of interwoven narratives and create their own pathway in response to their journey. Using an interface inspired by her great grandmother’s quilt, users can interweave stories that are embedded within several animated "panscapes" created from original photographs, video and archival materials. While exploring accounts of Blue’s family, they encounter oral histories by members of Houston’s black community and become immersed within a rich cultural landscape. With veteran actors Debbie Allen, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis performing the voice-over narrations that accompany this exploration, Blue and the Labyrinth team have created a provocative and engaging audio-visual experience.
This DVD-ROM is being distributed by University of Texas Press in a special edition that combines the book and disk.