Topsy Turvy
high definition video with sound, sculpture, historical collection, 2006
"Turn me up, then turn me back; first I’m white, and then I’m black."
In this site-specific installation, McCallum and Tarry appropriate the popular “twinning” or topsy-turvy dolls of the nineteenth century to examine the duality between white and black, male and female, and father-mother. While exploring the legacy of slavery, much of the performance builds upon their personal experiences as a mixed race couple.
Topsy Turvy is on show at Maryland Art Place in Baltimore through July 17th, 2010 as part of McCallum Tarry's first mid-career solo show, Bearing Witness: Work by Bradley McCallum & Jacqueline Tarry. For more information regarding this installation and the show's multiple venues, please visit the Featured page.
