Since the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, I have been in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and inspired by it to create activist art. I began writing original spoken word poetry about police brutality against Black bodies and opportunities for healing and self-care using the last words of Black people murdered by the police. I collaborated with Latino videographer, Anthony Castro to create two multimedia video performances titled, Death Sentence. As a visual poem, Death Sentence works as a collage using African fabrics and symbols of rituals (such as transforming pumice into amethyst and burning sage) as well as crystal bowl sound therapy to facilitate healing from collective trauma. After each poem, the viewer is given a moment to reflect. For example, one of the poems ends with the line, “Some nights at 3 am I wake up with a wingtip stuck in my back.” I filmed a close-up shot of a dress shoe on my bare back followed by an image of me seated in a black chair wearing a dashiki and holding the same shoe. In the following image, I am in the same position holding a white candle. In the next scene, a hand strikes a matchstick on a matchbox. The gray background turns to a kente cloth background to suggest leaning into culture, history, and spirituality to allow for transformation and healing.
If I win the Space for Change contest, I will create new spoken word poems and collaborate again with Anthony Castro to film a visual poem focusing on lighting and lighting effects. To maximize the opportunity from Peerspace, we will use spaces that have advanced and artistic lighting equipment. Also, I will use performative and dramatic reading techniques. The lighting effects and dramatic reading techniques will heighten emotion and tension in the visual poem. I will also incorporate technology and use a digital oscilloscope. An oscilloscope is a device used to test and display voltage signals as waveforms. The visual representations are plotted on a graph, which shows how waveforms change. If a microphone is connected to it, you can see the patterns (soundwaves) created when a person speaks into the microphone. Other elements I will include are heartbeat sounds, extreme closeup mouth shots, and water. After shooting the video footage, I will edit it using Adobe Premiere Pro.
Peerspace is on a mission to bring people together. We believe it is impossible to achieve that goal unless we also fight for equality and access to resources in the communities we serve.
Having a space to gather, create, and exchange ideas is an important part of any movement. In order to magnify voices that are often quieted, Peerspace will sponsor venues for people who challenge prejudice and fight for social justice and equality.
Each quarter, we will sponsor space for three projects that are relevant to our community. These projects can range from fundraisers and educational initiatives to art exhibits and photo series.
