The House That Herman Built
“What kind of a house does a man who has lived in a 6′ x 9′ box for 30 years dream of?”
Back in 2003, Jackie Sumell asked Herman Wallace a question that was to inspire a life changing project. The venture began with a letter exchange between artist Jackie and prisoner of Angola Prison, Louisiana, Herman Wallace. In the hundreds of letters, phone calls and visits that followed, the idea for The House That Herman Built was born.
Herman was a member of the Black Panthers and due to his political beliefs he has been in solitary confinement for almost 4 decades. Although originally imprisoned for robbery, in 1974 Herman was framed with the murder of a prison guard, and it is believed that he was wrongfully accused due to the political work Herman and the Angola 3 had been conducting inside the prison to challenge the corruption and abuse that they frequently witnessed. Angola prison is a former slave breeding plantation with around 78% of the population being black and 88% of the prisoners who will die whilst incarcerated.
Jackie and Herman collaborated in creating an art installation that has toured internationally, the focal point of which being a life size version of the 6×9 foot solitary confinement cell that Herman spent 23 hours a day in for 38 years. The end goal was also exhibited in model form; the house that Herman has been dreaming of. The House That Herman Built has now developed in to a documentary by Angad Bhalla following the project’s journey to it’s ambitious dream of building the house in the neighbourhood that Herman grew up in. Support for the project has been huge, from family, friends and Herman’s local community in New Orleans, to designers and architects such as Scott M B Gustafson, of MAISON ORION, Dan Hatch Studios and ADPSR (Architects, Designers, and Planners for Social Responsibility).
The House That Herman Built became a project that gave testament to the strength of the imagination, to the power of art to raise awareness and a beacon of hope to Herman and others who have suffered years of institutionalized racism within the prisons of the United States of America. You can watch the video of Herman’s project here and take action for Herman here.
Do you think what happens behind the closed doors of prisons and detention centres should stay behind closed doors?
