Writing on the Wall Projects Incarcerated People's Poetry

For All Things Considered, Jon Kalish reports on Writing on the Wall, an initiative founded by Hank Willis Thomas and Baz Dreisinger that projects incarcerated people's writing onto the sides of buildings. Writing on the Wall "began small and grew to institutional proportions through projections of those words on the sides of buildings in the U.S. and Mexico," Kalish explains. Further: 

Initially, Dreisinger and Thomas enlisted architects to design a mobile installation booth that resembled a prison cell with the words of the incarcerated on the walls, floor and ceiling. The idea was to take the booth to cities around the U.S. and Canada, but after its New York debut, the pandemic hit.

With the tour canceled, the organizers got the idea of projecting those words on public buildings, often ones that are part of the criminal justice system. A company called Chemistry Creative came up with a projection system. The Writing on the Wall has been seen in Detroit, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Columbus, Ohio and Mexico City. Their last installation was at Brooklyn Public Library.

Learn more at All Things Considered.