Fight or Flight? (2016)

While the term ‘White Silence’[1] is not a new concept, it has come to the forefront of dialogue surrounding the current political landscape of the United States. More recently, the ‘Black Lives Matter’ Movement has called on all Americans to question the role they personally play in the plight of racism today. The ‘Fight or Flight’ response has been coined as an instinctual response to confrontation that has been wired into our DNA. This installation calls on viewers to question where they stand on the idea of institutionalized racism and how they feel about the concept of ‘White Privilege’.

[1] White silence is experienced by members of the White culture who, during discussions of racial tension, experience emotions ranging from shame and guilt to anger and despair. When these feelings are not addressed, White students begin to resist talking about certain topics such as race and privilege. This resistance is called White silence (Tatum, 1992).