Sweet Chariot was an interactive video scavenger hunt, conceptualized and directed by artist Marisa Williamson. Using the
Sweet Chariot image-recognition smartphone app and scratch-off map, audiences were invited to uncover a series of site-specific videos that revealed hidden moments in the landscape of historic Philadelphia, opening a window onto the African American struggle for freedom. The journey began in historic Washington Square, and invited viewers to look for clues hiding in plain sight, including images on signs, plaques, and murals. Each unlocked video presented a creative and collaborative interpretation of a story from Philadelphia’s African American history. As viewers experienced each video on location, the ultimate goal was to follow protagonist Amelia Brown (inhabited by Williamson) on her way “home” through interactions with historic figures such as Margaret Forten, Octavius Catto, and W.E.B. DuBois. Brown was based on a real Philadelphian whose gravestone was excavated in a former burial ground for Mother Bethel AME Church under current-day Weccacoe Park.
Collaborators: Kyla J. Ayers (performer); Dena Bleu (performer); Blue Visual Effects, Inc. (application developers); Ibn Days (performer); Sallie Days (performer); Erica Armstrong Dunbar (performer); William Hodgson (graphic designer); Gabrielle Patterson (artist); Raymond Reese (performer); Archie Shepp (musician); Jay Simple (artist); James Allister Sprang (cameraman); Lamont B. Steptoe (poet); Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler (performer); Noelle Lorraine Williams (artist); Michael Williamson (artist), and Yolanda Wisher (poet).
Major support for Monument Lab projects staged in Philadelphia’s five squares provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. An expanded artist roster and projects at additional neighborhood sites made possible by the William Penn Foundation. Lead corporate support provided by Bank of America. Generous additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Location Note: Work is no longer on view at this location.
Visit the Sweet Chariot Website
