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Black Meme

A History of the Images that Make Us
By Legacy Russell
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Brief Description
Images of blackness have become important in our understanding of the modern world because they reflect and shape the way black people are perceived and represented. In Black Meme, Legacy Russell explores the role of these images in the construction of black identity and visual culture,... Read More
Format: Hardback
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A history of Black imagery that recasts our understanding of visual culture and technology

A History of black imagery: the unexpected story of black culture.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Images of blackness have become important in our understanding of the modern world because they reflect and shape the way black people are perceived and represented. In Black Meme, Legacy Russell explores the role of these images in the construction of black identity and visual culture, from the early days of film and photography to the digital age.

The first ever film was a black jockey riding a horse in 1887. The very first screen kiss was between two black actors in Lime Kiln Day, 1913. Black Meme also explores lynching postcards that were common in the 1920s, the image of Emmet Till's body in the casket and Trayvon's hoodie, the grainy video of Rodney King and the gloss of Michael Jackson's Thriller, Diamond Reynolds's Facebook live recording of her boyfriend's killing by the police, and Beyoncé's Formation.

Legacy Russell, the award-winning author of Glitch Feminism, explores the power of these tokens and argues that without the contributions of black people, digital culture would not exist in its current form.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781839762802

Publisher: Verso Books

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 07 May 2024

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Verso Books

Illustration: 8pp colour plate section

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 318g

Pages: 192

Collections

Arts & Culture Biography & Memoir Computing & Technology Education & Reference Legacy Russell Non-Fiction

About the Author

Legacy Russell is a curator and writer. Born and raised in New York City, she is the Executive Director & Chief Curator at The Kitchen. Formerly she was the Associate Curator of Exhibitions at The Studio Museum in Harlem. She holds an MRes with Distinction in Art History from Goldsmiths, University of London. Her written work, interviews, and essays have been published internationally. She is the recipient of the Thoma Foundation 2019 Arts Writing Award in Digital Art, a 2020 Rauschenberg Residency Fellow, and a recipient of the 2021 Creative Capital Award. Her first book Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto (2020) is published by Verso Books.

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