“What kind of house does a man who has lived in a 6 foot by 9 foot cell for over 30 years dream of?” 6 years ago, Herman Wallace, a former Black Panther whose now spent over 35 years in solitary confinement in a Louisiana prison received a letter with this question from Jackie Sumell, a 30-year-old conceptual artist from New York. Hundreds of letters, several digital models projected on gallery walls, and an award-winning book later, the two are constructing a two-story, 3500-square-foot house while one of them remains confined 23 hours a day, 7 days a week. As a symbol of resistance to all that the prison represents he hopes to build the house as close to the prison as possible. In 1972, however, Herman, a member of the Black Panthers, was convicted of killing a prison guard leaving Jackie to win over a community with little sympathy for her collaborator. Ultimately the project can only survive if the will of Herman Wallace, a man caged for over 35 years, does. “To build this house is to build my soul” Learn more about Herman's House *2007 DocFest Best Pitch Award from P.O.V.* Produced and Directed by Angad Bhalla |