Wend, 2022. 19:19 minutes, two channel video projection, color; 20:19 minutes experimental, ambient city soundscape; and gaffer tape stage spikes/sigils. Featuring choreographer Celia Benvenutti, dance artist Nahimana Aponi, my grandfather, father, aunt, and my mother. Installation view at Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. Photos by Clare Gatto.
Wend is a constellation of multimedia collaborations spanning over 7 years and anchored by autoethnographic recordings of Detroit’s public spaces. These dance video projections witness daily ritual, vernacular gesture, and improvisational movement of Black folk. I use minimal crew and equipment, with the intention of becoming an observing participant, rather than disruption or intervention. The videos are nestled against the backdrop of the city and investigate connections among art, critical theory, and urban ecologies, with particular interest in mobility and interiority.
Collaborators and co-conspirators include: Hanniyah Cross, Raven Whitney Joel, Givhan, Germaine Pentsil, Dave Gulley, Berris “PriSm” Flemmings, Celia Benvenutti, Devin Drake, Black Hand Side, Paul Darnell, and Ryan Myers Johnson. Special thanks to Leto, Jova, M, and Isabelle.
This work was created with the support of artist residency programs at Red Bull Art Gallery, The Studios of Key West, Surf Point Foundation, McColl Center for Art and Innovation, Play House, and Talking Dolls Studio, as well as funding from Culture Source, Warhol Foundation, Michigan Arts and Culture Council, Kresge Arts in Detroit, and Tashif Turner.
See also: Aunt Dot, Black Dance Film Studies
Collaborative performance screening of Wend (single channel) at Play House in Hamtramck, MI with the Black Hand Side jazz band, featuring members: Dave Gulley, Apropos, Stephen Grady Jr, James Russell, Ashton Woods, Allen Dennard, Brian Castillo, and Devin Hammond. Funded by a 2022 Flourish Grant from Culture Source and the Warhol Foundation. Photos by Valor Miller.
Core, 2019, 00:57 seconds, single channel color video projection with sound
On Spirit, 2020, 00:50 seconds, single channel color video projection, no sound
Mourner’s Bench, 2022, 01:23 minutes, single channel color video projection with sound.
The title Mourner's Bench is from the 1947 solo by choreographer Talley Beatty. It refers to a prayer bench in churches where people go to grieve, and the inseparable relationship between hope and grief. Set at a Detroit bus stop, this 2022 work considers grief in relation to place and mobility. Conceived and directed by bree gant, in collaboration with choreographer Celia Benvenutti and cinematographer Devin Drake.