Give it Back: Stage Theory

Give it Back: Stage Theory’s point of departure is the détournement of Panorama of the Monumental Grandeur of the Mississippi Valley (1850), a 9 foot tall, 348 foot long proto-cinematic moving panorama commissioned by and based on the contemporaneous notes and drawings of 19th century amateur archaeologist and glorified grave robber Montroville W. Dickeson — who spent 12 years of his life traveling the Mississippi River and digging up Indigenous burial mounds. The panorama, originally presented at The Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, toured from town to town, accompanied by music, dramatic light effects, and a sensational narration by Dickeson himself. Give it Back: Stage Theory re-presents the panorama with new narration and music, transforming it into a ‘Land Back’ rave urgently advocating for the rematriation of all Indigenous land and life.