An Interactive Tale

Transcript of the Digital Translation

Image 1

An antebellum era plantation house, the surrounding yard, and a woman hanging clothes on a clothesline, all framed by two intertwined oak trees. The technique used to create the art for the interface is inspired by the artist’s own use of silhouette illustrations, as well as Scherenschnitte- a traditional art practice otherwise known as Swiss Paper Cutting. With an emphasis on storytelling and a meticulous attention to detail, these silhouettes are meant to evoke Kara Walker’s own artistic practice, as well as her educational journey.

We have an audio interview with Joe McDonald, who was raised in the house of the people who enslaved him, explains the duties he had to perform, which included making beds, lighting the fire places, dressing his master’s children, and churning. In a second part of his interview, he mentions how he had not worked in the field till he was 19 years old, and pretended to prefer field work. He also recounts a later conversation in which he hints to the dynamic of the relationship between himself and his enslavers.

Joe McDonald: Yeah.

John A. and Ruby T. Lomax: All right.

Joe McDonald: Yeah. I was raise in the house with him.

Ruby T. Lomax: Mr. F. M.

Joe McDonald: Mr. F. M., and uh, they taught me mighty good, they teach me good. They said, I remember, says, "Joe?" I say, "Yes sir." "When we are dead and in heaven," they said," we wants to raise you as an intelligent nigga. We wants you to have good friends like we have got." Say, "You'll never be scratched by good rich, sensible white folks because they can tell who you are by your raising and your compliments. That show that you been raised," he said, "not by the colored but by the white." I washed and ironed. Some days I'd wash a hundred pieces. Some, every morning I'd have five beds to make up, five fires to mix, and the childrens to dress and churning to do. And after that, well then I'd have some parts of the day. But I had all that to do every day. Raised right up in the house, you know, I, I, I remember telling one story. You know they, now, I slept like in this room in here and they slept ajoining rooms to me, you know, Say, "Joe, if you get cold come in our room by the grate." [recording gets stuck and repeats]

Image 2

There are multiple figures of workers in a cotton field. A man is at the forefront of a long line of people carrying bags of cotton. He is followed by a woman who is bent over from the heaviness of her burden. A man is located behind her, carrying his own bag of cotton. Behind him there are still more workers struggling to carry their bags. All these figures are surrounded by stylised cotton blooms that are larger than life size.

In this audio interview with Uncle Bob Ledbetter, Bob mentions how he would always be singing reels, and sings a few of them for his interview, though he mentions his voice is not what it used to be. Bob mentions that in the 12 years of his enslavement under a Mr. Norris, despite the rumours of Norris being very mean, he never felt it himself.

Bob Ledbetter: No soap, no starch. Nobody, nobody to wash my clothes, nobody to wash my clothes. I hate to sing to anybody. My voice, it, it broke.

John A. Lomax:Well uh, didn't you say you used to sing that in the field too?

Bob Ledbetter: Yeah I sing that in the field too. Yes sir.

John A. Lomax: Would your sweetheart be out there in the field?

Bob Ledbetter: No, she'd be enjoining [enjoying], enjoining fields you know.

John A. Lomax:Uh huh. Well what was some of the other old field hollers that you used to have???

Bob Ledbetter:[starts to sing] I'm going home. I'm going home. I'm going home. That was one of them

Image 3

Several people stand in an open marketplace meant to represent an antebellum south slave market. A man, likely the auctioneer, stands on a platform in the centre of the image with an enslaved woman by this side, one hand grasps her waist, symbolising his control over her, his other arm is upraised as if to emphasize a point he is making to the audience. The people in the audience seem very casual, chatting amongst themselves, contemplating the merits of the ‘goods’ on offer. Some audience members even seem disinterested. The entire scene is framed by trees on both sides with some fencing on the right side as well.

In this audio interview, Aunt Harriet Smith recalls all the white people who were in the family that enslaved her own. She goes on to describe how her grandmother, her mother, and herself were all owned by the youngest in the family of white enslavers in Hays County. Aunt Harriet Smith further explains that despite being a regular church-goer, she didn’t know of anything like “god”, and that while under enslavement, the white preachers at Church would often preach to the enslaved to be good to their masters and mistresses.

Harriet Smith:And you ask me any words you want to ask me about a slave, you know, back, and uh, I can remember.

John Henry Faulk:Well Aunt Harriet about how old are you?

Harriet Smith:Well I don't know Mr. Faulk. I really don't know my age, only by the, the children telling me, of course. My ma died, and she, and she didn't know nothing about our age. But the children traced back from the ex-slave up to now.

John Henry Faulk:Well how old were you when you were

[Harriet Smith interrupts] Harriet Smith:Well, I was about thirteen years old at the break up.

John Henry Faulk:Uh huh. Can you remember slavery days very well?

Harriet Smith:Of course. I can remember all our white folks. And all the names of them, all the children. Call every one the children's names.

John Henry Faulk:Who, who did you belong to?

Harriet Smith:J. B., the baby boy.

John Henry Faulk:Where was that? Where did he live?

Harriet Smith:Back, out here in Hays County.

John Henry Faulk:Sure enough? How many, how many of, how many slaves did he have?

Harriet Smith:Well, he had my grandma, and uh, and my ma. My ma was the cook, and grandma, you know, and them they worked in the field, and everything. I remember when she used to plow oxen. I plowed, I plowed oxen myself

Image 4

Here the centre image of Kara Walker’s triptych is represented. There is a very large figure in the centre, almost statuesque, that multiple people on either side are erecting or resurrecting, ensuring the figure remains upright, and securely fixed in position. Imagine the sound of sea waves crashing against the rocks of a shoreline on the west coast of the African continent a few centuries ago. The tumultuous sea surrounds the figure that the other smaller figures struggle with. All of the figures are surrounded by a grotto, a natural cave.

In this audio interview, Mrs.Laura Smalley describes her role as a caretaker of children, and the presence of constant violence around the house. She also describes how many old nurses were required to nurse the children when they were crying as a way to get them to sleep. Mrs. Laura Smalley also recalls that the master of the house, despite being away at war, and having fought on the losing side, did not tell the enslaved peoples that they were free, and therefore they were worked for 6 more months. She declares that as they were released on 19th of June, Blacks celebrate that day as their day of liberation.

Mrs. Laura Smalley: Well, I, I can't remember much about it, but I remember this much: When uh, Mr. Bethany, was gone a long time. Look like a long, long, time. And I remember all the next morning, it when he, he got up. Now don't get, don't knock with that back there, Well, ah, he, he ah, we all got up and all of them went to the house. Went to the house to see old master. And I thought old master was dead, but he wasn't. He had been off to the war, and ah, come back. But then I didn't know, you know, until the war. I just know he was gone a long time. All the niggas gathered around to see the old master again. You know, and old master didn't tell you know, they was free.

John Henry Faulk: He didn't tell you that?

Mrs. Laura Smalley: Uh-uh. No he didn't tell. They worked there, I think now they say they worked them, six months after that. Six months. And turn them loose on the nineteenth of June. That's why, you know, we celebrate that day. Colored folks—celebrates that day. [repeats end of sentence]