When the talking drum becomes part of the discourse

Four years following his curation of student works for an exhibition during the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennial, coleman jordan has returned to Italy to develop his own initiative titled “Recall and Response” at this year’s showcase. 

The visiting professor of architecture and art history’s pavilion design — intended for disassembly and reuse — aims to function as a talking drum that initiates conversations among participants at the event, which commenced Saturday and continues until Nov. 23.

“The pavilion is an instrument you can engage with. It offers a participatory experience,” jordan stated, emphasizing that “Recall and Response” explores the unity and shared experiences between African and African diaspora communities. “It serves as a gathering space, a location for individuals to connect and engage in discussions.”

The Morgan State University (MSU) educator is among four visiting scholars at Harvard from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), supported by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative.

jordan, whose focus lies on spaces of the Black Atlantic and the decolonization of Black aesthetics, instructed a course titled “I Can’t Breathe” in the fall before redirecting his attention to his research.

Regarding “Recall and Response,” the scholar believes the communities involved share a foundation but that communication often falls short.

“Given that we come from diverse backgrounds, [and possess] different narratives and contexts, our conversations are often not cohesive,” he noted. “We struggle to fully grasp each other’s perspectives.”

Assisting jordan with the project in Venice are students from MSU and Tuskegee University, as well as his former classmate from Clemson University, Dan Harding, presently the director of the Community Research and Design Center and a professor at Clemson.

MSU’s drumline, affectionately referred to as “The Magnificent Marching Machine,” will parade through Venice around jordan’s structure on June 20. The drum culture prevalent in HBCUs is significant, jordan pointed out, and frequently contributes to the “identity of a school.”

“The concept is to utilize the drum as a metaphor for uniting individuals,” he expressed.

In addition to the exhibition at the Biennale, “Recall and Response” will serve as both a physical and symbolic representation of ongoing work at the Pan African Heritage Museum, currently under construction in Ghana. The museum is currently an interactive digital platform aimed at ultimately housing artifacts that were taken from Africa during the colonial era.

Aligned with the Venice Architecture Biennial’s theme of “Repair, Regenerate, and Reuse,” jordan perceives his creation as a means to mend dialogues between communities and revitalize those connections.

The pavilion has embraced the reuse aspect of the theme literally, and will be handed over to a community space for repurposing.

jordan commended the support he has received throughout his year at Harvard and underscored the significance of maintaining collaborative relationships between the University and HBCUs.

“I believe we can learn from each other’s histories, regardless of what they are,” he asserted. “Building bridges is essential, as we coexist in this world. This collaboration truly facilitates the creation of that bridge, allowing our histories to blend and promote our collective progress.”