Should there at any time become a clear and present danger initiated by any radical element threatening the operation of the government of the United States of America, members of this radical element shall be transported to detention centers until such time as their threat has been eliminated – code, King Alfred.
– Gil Scott-Heron, “The King Alfred Plan,” Free Will, Flying Dutchman Records, 1972
Andres L. Hernandez’ code: KING ALFRED presents a conceptual exploration of The King Alfred Plan, written by John A. Williams in his 1967 novel The Man Who Cried I Am. Williams believably details The King Alfred Plan as a secret government proposal to capture, detain, and eliminate Black Americans en masse in the event of nationwide urban rebellion. Upon the novel’s release, and as a result of Williams’ guerrilla marketing activities, the King Alfred Plan became a significant point of community and national debate, and a wake up call to Black people for the potential of state-sponsored internment and genocide. Through direct referencing of the fictional plan, and a creative reimagination of its implications and impact, Hernandez recovers histories of Black activism, urban uprising, and government repression from the late 1960s to the present.
For code: KING ALFRED, the artist has repurposed the gallery as a speculative, provisional training site to prepare for impending counterinsurgent actions. Emerging from an overarching concept of “exhibition as score” (or, a set of proposals and instructions for action and performance), are five main components:
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Verb List…, an original text-based score of verb combinations installed near the gallery entrance;
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Clash…, a sound collage heard throughout the gallery and composed of archival and original audio by the artist;
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Communiqué #1-3, a set of video collage projections that criss-cross the gallery and present abstract remixes of archival moving imagery and text alongside original writing by the artist;
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The Language of the Unheard… and Onward Ever…, two sets of wall-based, graphic scores comprised of vinyl album covers and sleeve inserts masked with graphically engraved acrylic sheets;
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Let the Drums Speak… and Voice of the People…, two sets of makeshift sound rigs focused on the voice and the drum, both of which will be used for future performances within the gallery.
Inspired by the organized actions of social and transformative justice activists, and the quotidian resistance activities of everyday people, Hernandez considers how we might come together to perform and rehearse protection and liberation, and what sets of tools will be necessary in these efforts. In the wake of persistent repression of organizing and protest in this country, and motivated by resistance efforts of Black people, the artist takes to heart the colloquial expression, “if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.”
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