Fire Hosing -- Birmingham AL
N 33° 30.997 W 086° 48.820
16S E 517304 N 3708577
Third of three powerful sculptures by James Drake recalls the fire hoses turned on peaceful civil rights protesters by the Birmingham FIre Department in the early 1960s
Waymark Code: WM106H5
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 03/07/2019
Views: 0
The most surprising aspect of this third of James Drake's amazingly powerful sculptures at Kelly Ingram Park is that as you walk along the Freedom Walk, all you see ahead of you is a blank steel archway. As you pass through the archway, immediately to your left are 2 terrified African-American figures crouching in protective stances on the other side. Until you come through that archway you can't know that they are there, so their sudden appearance so close to you, and the expressions on their faces heighten the surprise.
At the same moment that you see the figures, you see the other 2 pieces of this installation: Fire Department water cannons, that are aimed directly at you.
It's a brilliant way to evoke the fear of pain from being blasted by those water cannons, which is just another of the brutal treatments peaceful African-American protesters faced from Birmingham city government officials during the civil rights era.
Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Fire Hosing
Figure Type: Human
Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: James Drake
Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: 1993
Materials used: Bronze and steel
Location: Kelly Ingram Park
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