BLACK THREAD, 2023

Traveling immersive installation

Mixed media – paper butterflies, thread, 1958 Kenmore sewing machine, wood, steel, acrylic, plastic, fabric, African American flag, black-and-white American flag, Braille, audio description

Variable dimensions

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Black Thread is an immersive installation that traces the geography of the Great Migration through movement, memory, and family history. Between 1910 and 1970, more than six million African Americans left the American South in search of greater freedom, economic opportunity, education, and safety. Throughout the installation, approximately 4,000 black butterflies follow these historic migration routes, moving across walls and ceilings toward the industrial cities of the West, Midwest, and Northeast. Their flight transforms architectural space into a living map of one of the largest internal migrations in United States history.

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At the center of the installation sits my maternal grandmother's 1958 Kenmore sewing machine. Here, black thread weaves together an African American flag and a black-and-white American flag, connecting personal ancestry to broader histories of labor, migration, resilience, and nationhood. Developed through genealogical research with historian and forensic genealogist Ricki King, the work grounds historical scholarship within my own family's migration story while inviting viewers to reflect on movement, belonging, and the enduring pursuit of freedom.

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Designed as a multisensory installation with tactile artworks, custom Braille, and immersive audio descriptions, Black Thread invites audiences to experience history through movement, touch, sound, and space.

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Photos | Janae Patrice Photography