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Title
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Broken Blocks: The Influence of the Abyssinian Church
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Creator
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Akhand, Rafy
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Barthlama, Konnor
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Guaba, Zee
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Hill, Cailan
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Llonch, Juana
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Marcillo, Estephany
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Yim, Sharon
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Zhou, Matthew
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Date
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Final Assignment for Generative Histories Harlem Pt. 2
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Language
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English
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Subject
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Abyssinian Church
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Renaissance Ballroom
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Community Engagement
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Cultural Preservation
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Play
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Religion
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Date Submitted
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2025-05-25
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Abstract
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"The goal of our activation is to share our knowledge of these two well-known Harlem establishments, including the connection between the church with the Abyssinian Development Corporation and Rennie being the former Harlem Renaissance Ballroom and Casino.
Our research of the Abyssinian and Rennie revealed an extremely rich and nuanced story. One with many different facets including figures, structures, programs, and varying public sentiments. We desired to convey this information into digestible fragments of information. Thus, we designed this interactive installation, one that allows the audience to focus on individual parts of the Abyssinian and Rennie. These parts then come together to form a complete picture. Our installation on one side illustrates the facade of the Abyssinian Baptist church and holding Abyssinian related information. Then the other side portrays an abstracted Harlem Street grid that holds information regarding the Rennie and Harlem Renaissance Ballroom. Each side is divided into 15 fragments, totaling 30 individual topics the audience can explore.
This wall would be empty for the audience to fill in. To start filling out the installation, guests must begin with a smaller jigsaw puzzle. The picture on these puzzles will each display a topic. The puzzle box then has written information to further elaborate on the given subject.
Once completed, you will have a jigsaw with an abstract silhouette. The imagery and fragmented shape of the jigsaw will lead you to find a specific wooden piece of the installation. After matching the number on your jigsaw with the number on the empty wall, you can slot in the wooden piece. With that, one fragment of the installation is completed. Ultimately, we intend that through fun community engagement and teamwork, the people can get a better sense of these two long lasting Harlem establishments. It is important to share and preserve the culture of our local community, because as we learn from the Rennie, sometimes these gems get lost with time." - Matthew Zhou
