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The Mothership

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object Details

Designed by
George Clinton, American, born 1941
Peter Larkin, American, born 1926
Jules Fisher, American, born 1937
Used by
Parliament-Funkadelic, American, founded 1955
Description
"The Mothership" is the centerpiece stage prop used by Clinton and his multiple bands during their live concert performances. This object is a near-exact replica of the slightly larger Mothership that was used exclusively at the closing moments of concerts during the height of the band's popularity from 1976-1981. This replica prop was built from metal, plastic, and glass in the mid 1990s and used on the "Mothership Reconnection Tour".
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Love to the planet
1990s
Object number
2011.83.1.1-.9
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Type
props (object genres)
Medium
metal, plastic, glass
Dimensions
Overall with Weight: 120 × 250 × 113 in., 1500 lb. (304.8 × 635 × 287 cm, 680.4 kg)
Ladder (in storage) 241 lbs.
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Props and Set Design
Movement
Afrofuturism
Exhibition
Musical Crossroads
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 053
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Topic
African American
Art
Design
Funk (Music)
Musicians
Transportation
Record ID
nmaahc_2011.83.1.1-.9
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5a4bfdab2-f9ee-437b-9064-0154b9d7f176

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International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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