Angola
I digitally followed the Mississippi River through the United States. It flows by the notorious prison Angola (Louisiana State Penitentiary). When I zoomed in on Google Maps Street View I saw people there, inside the gates. This made this abstract and detached image seem more personable. This was the start to my journey researching the history of this place and the American prison system.
Many of Angola’s guards grew up outside the prisons walls. The job moves from generation to generation, the prison being a source of income for families — most are white Americans.
Angola is surrounded by farmland that was worked by enslaved peoples before the Civil War. Now the descendants of those same black enslaved peoples — 80% of Angola’s population — are those locked within the prison walls.
All are a product of their cultural background. The roles remain the same with no escape from the wealthy privatised prison system.
Taking screenshots of the terrain and surroundings, I created a new map, one where the boundaries have faded and the separating wall disappears.
(Contact me for more information on this project)
2016
Documentation of digital presentation (interactive)
