The Knotted Line started, in part, as a personal exploration; how is it, that in a society where freedom is the central political rhetoric, that we have constantly confined large portions of our population? That discrepancy, once glimpsed, became the spark of my politicization and search for other narratives. I wanted The Knotted Line to be a digital age dub -- a mix of Zinn's 'People’s History' with Lawrence's 'Great Migration'; Chang's Can’t Stop Won’t Stop with hooks' Teaching To Transgress. In so doing we created something that draws from populist historical traditions, visual art, and educational theory.

What I have come to understand through this exploration is that ‘Freedom’ in the United States is tethered to the idea of confinement.  Freedom only gains traction when contrasted with the hypervisible invisible: the confined other. Race, class, gender, citizenship and sexuality are shifting markers of freedom or unfreedom, of exclusion or inclusion that define who is or isn’t part of the American mainstream.  The rhetoric of Freedom does not define what freedom is; instead it defines who has the right to freedom.

Who has the ‘right to freedom(s)’ was, and is, a question of power.  Within this rubric of freedom, those who are free are those who have the most institutional access, generally, though not exclusively, along a spectrum that places the white, straight, Christian, wealthy, male at the top. While this is a thesis that has been illuminated by many, the key point presented in The Knotted Line is that the rhetoric of freedom has been a central organizer of social structure and hierarchy in the United States - from the Pilgrims to the Patriot Act.

In exploring the political rhetoric of freedom as essentially one of disenfranchisement and exclusion, my hope is that The Knotted Line will add to a web of people, communities, art, work, and education that has defined freedom as an autonomous, spiritual and grass-roots concept.  Indeed, this is where much of my research has sprung from (included in the moments of Re-imagining and Self-Determination), as an effort to expand not only understanding, but also the possibilities, strategies and tactics of collective liberation. If the ‘freedom’ that is offered within the American mainstream is built on the confinement of another, is it not our responsibility to move past ‘reform’ to offer our own definitions freedom that prioritize new ways of being, interacting and creating community safety? To echo Grace Lee Boggs, I see The Knotted Line as part of a larger movement away from protest and towards a movement of collaborative envisioning and personal/social transformation.

Thanks

The Knotted Line has followed a long and winding path to completion.  It began with a truncated, hand drawn version on butcher paper that I used on a Thursday morning workshop in San Francisco’s San Bruno Jail in 2009.  As part of a larger project focusing on the impact of incarceration on families, workshop participants (incarcerated fathers and youth with incarcerated parents) placed their own experience with incarceration within a broader social context.  The power of that initial gesture remains the spark that guides The Knotted Line. Chey, Liz, Sadie, Darren, Teak, Melvin, Joe and Ben – I remain grateful for your honesty and commitment to growth, and to Community Works for making that project possible.

The Knotted Line is born out of a rich conceptual soil.  Thank you to all those who have helped me understand freedom and the complexity of these histories.  In particular the works of Michelle Alexander, James Baldwin, Sujatha Baliga, Grace Lee Boggs, Jeff Chang, Pema Chodron, Brett Cook, Paolo Freire, Ruth Gilmore, bell hooks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Winona LaDuke , John Trudell, Gina Ulysse, Loic Wacquant, and Howard Zinn have helped me walk the path.

This project would be nothing without Erik Loyer’s masterful work, ease of collaboration, and sensitivity to content and design. It’s been fun making a mess with you!

Tanya Orellana helped expand the research from that initial workshop and conceptualize the threads to be included.  Lisa Nowlain was responsible for much of the research included in Re-imagining and Self-Determination.  Claude Moller at Freedom Archives and Jewels Smith offered invaluable insight and review as well. Lucas Guilkey for editing and poring over the sources. Ian Gordon for his precision edits. Angela Jones pointed me in the direction of a number of good resources early on as well. Nate Gong and Dania Cabello provided opportunities to test out the project with high school students while still in development (thank you students in these classes as well!). Josh Begley has been there to constantly bounce and refine ideas and pushed to make sure it got off the ground in the first place.  Diana Cohn and Panta Rhea for believing in the idea of it off the bat and supporting it through. East Bay Community Foundation and the nearly 100 individual donors who committed to making the work come alive. Scalar for taking on this experiment. To my family and friends who put up with my skipping so many things for time at the computer or in the studio. To my mom, for all her edits and not settling for good enough.  And of course to Kendra, who has taught me so much about freedom and self-determination.

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