Taking a knee
The inspiration for this project follows a turbulent summer of civil unrest amid the Black Lives Matter protests that followed the death of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor and countless others who have died at the hands of the police.
In 2016 as the national anthem played, during the first game of the new season, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick dropped to one knee. This simple act would become a symbol of protest across the world, it would reopen the heated debate around sport, politics, and justice.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” - reported in The Guardian August 2016.
In this project, we imagine an immersive experience that pays tribute to Kaepernick and captures the solidarity felt by many and the anger felt by others. We want to tell the story of this act, invite our audiences to better comprehend the forces at work, the conflict and retribution.