MOTHERSHIP III: THE STATION / work in progress
MotherShip III was presented at two sites in New Orleans throughout Prospect 3 Biennial. The first site at Tulane University School of Public Health offered a small selection of works from MotherShip I and II; and the second site, an outdoor ruin owned by patron Julian Mutter, presented a work-in-progress version of MotherShip III: The Station and introduced new series including The Launch and Souvenirs of Earth. The starting point for all these works was that earth was finally depleted of all sustainable resources, forcing a mass evacuation from earth. The new works posed questions: Who gets a seat on the (air) bus? Who gets left behind? What do you take with you in the one small bag allowed?
THE SEARCH FOR UTOPIA
Aspects of MotherShip III examine utopian longings. Starting with 18th and 19th century social experiments, the exhibition considers utopian fantasy birthed in social strife, particularly belonging to the recent civil rights movement. Bubbling to the top are the cult sci-fi films of late musician and cosmic philosopher Sun-Ra and George Clinton's MotherShip-Funk machine - each birthed in a longing for a new promised land, beyond earth, where justice and equal opportunity will prevail for all.
