Justin Randolph Thompson’s (2022 Creative Capital Awardee) performance-based installation Surveying Gravity: A Mirror for Growing Contradictions is an exploration of the legacy of his grandfather, pioneering advocate for Black Studies Randolph Bromery. The installation was born out of Thompson’s reflection on Bromery’s life’s work, as well as his collaborations with scientists, activists, musicians, and educators whose work expands upon Bromery’s ideas. Surveying Gravity is an inquiry into institutions’ and communities’ capacity to sustain histories that remain unfinished. 

Surveying Gravity recreates Bromery’s basement, where guests are invited to step inside, listen to music, play pool, and browse archival materials. Through this interaction, Thompson encourages audiences to engage with and contribute to Bromery’s legacy. Surveying Gravity positions legacy maintenance as an active practice rather than a static inheritance, using memory as a blueprint for imaging our collective future.

The public program for Surveying Gravity will take place September 8-10, culminating in the Official Opening on Thursday, September 10.