*Afropunk “Feature: Visual Artist AiRich Talks About Her Afrofuturistic and Raw Style:” “My name is AiRich. According to the people who surround me, my photography can work safely in the category of “afrofuturism”. This has mainly to do with the style, the spiritual aspects that others link to my work. I see this as a great compliment, because my style was first developed by an optimistic philosophy that whatever is inside of me can come out. I welcome it, as it is an expression and reflection of my lifestyle, taste, who I am and how I see the world. One of the most recognizable landmarks in my work is that I only make use of Black models, whom in the first instance are not the ideal beauty image requirements in western photography. My approach is conceptual and in the opposite direction, of western photography. Often with a specific story [traditional and non-traditional] or message that I want to say the story is often in the expression, the styling or setting. Most times the story alone is a non-theatrical physical positioning of the model. Whatever comes out, it is always and expression of the culture, myth and reality of the Black people’s truth.”
*CCCADI Roots and Stars: Destiny and Purpose – Pathways to Passion event will be tomorrow at 6:30pm at the Dwyer Cultural Center: “We beckon our most passionate lives in this cross-traditional conversation exploring the concepts of Destiny and Purpose. Marinieves Alba presents a prayer-talk about the Lukumi concept of Ori, a metaphorical bird of destiny and highest purpose that, perched atop each person’s spiritual head, guides us in our flight through life. Joshua Bee Alafia, representing the Buddhist tradition, discusses the power of meditation to achieve greater levels of personal clarity, courage, and a bold allegiance to the sincerity of the heart.” Roots and Stars is CCCADI’s salon series dedicated to exploring Black spiritual genius as expressed in art, practice, and the ritual of everyday life.
*Also tomorrow: Schomburg Center presents conversation, Before 5: Xenobia Bailey and Tammi Lawson, in which the “two will discuss the inspirations to Xenobia’s Reconstruction of Funktional Design: A Design Project for Social, and Economic Urban Redevelopment. The artist will share how the creative wisdom of her family’s history originating crafts skills and a material culture in the aesthetic of funk within small African American and multi cultural communities in Seattle Washington and how the migration to Brooklyn and presently living in Harlem influenced her lifestyle and is the foundation of her education and the principal of her Professional Practice. She will speak of her environment of being raised by self educated parents and extended family members of how they manifested an art form, of humbly living in grace by design, in spite of the set backs of Jim Crow Laws that most hard working African American Families experienced in rural and urban communities.
This will be an afternoon survey of a few examples of the Material Culture of the Visual Aesthetic of Funk: The Dynamic Art of Gracefully Living a Dream in a North American Discriminatory Nightmare. Xenobia will share images of Familiar, but under appreciated references and inspirations from the Designs, Engineering and Inventiveness of the low-income, African American homemakers and domestic workers.”
*Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival and African Voices Magazine presents Afro-Brazilian Orixa fantasy film The Summer of Gods and zombie film Danger Word on October 25th at 3:35 pm. Click here for tickets.
*Two upcoming events from The Museum of the Moving Image’s Changing the Picture Series:
–Dancing with Our Past: Filmmaker and choreographer Gabri Christa will present her short films Quarantine, Savoneta, and Kasita that put a spotlight on the Dutch African Diasporic history and “connect the relationship of historic buildings and sites to their environment, and reflect upon the people and cultures that inhabit them.”
–An Evening with George Clinton and Cosmic Slop: Besides showing the three-part Cosmic Slop film, this event will include a conversation with James Mtume and Clinton and a book signing for his memoir, Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You?: A Memoir.
*Schomburg Center presents Between the Lines: George Clinton & Questlove conversation on October 28th at 6:30pm, celebrating the release of Clinton’s book, Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You?: A Memoir.
*Arc Magazine’s “Ebony G. Patterson – Emerging Queen of 21st Century Pop Art:” “Ebony G. Patterson, much like Basquiat and Warhol successfully did before her several decades ago, draws from popular culture in her work. It’s the language that comes naturally to her to speak out about universal issues such as sexuality, masculinity, gender, race, class and death.”
*HOWDOYOUSAYYAMINAFRICAN? will be showing their film, Good Stock on the Dimension Floor: An Opera, on October 30th at Chicago’s Logan Center Exhibitions.
*Vinyl Factory’s “Sun Ra changed my life: 13 artists reflect on the legacy and influence of Sun Ra:” “To celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday, we’ve asked a broad selection of musicians, producers and collectors for their personal experiences of the music of Sun Ra. The responses we received were extraordinary.”
*Beatbox Botanicals and others’ Harriet’s Apothecary returns November 9th.
*Wildseeds Collective will co-sponsor a showing of Born in Flames on November 14 at the Patois Film Festival’s Community Film Series in New Orleans.
*Afropunk Feature on upcoming Storm short film: “Every little girl becomes inspired by someone in their life and if you’re a geek you can become inspired by a character you’ve read about. But not every little girl grows up to embody the character she is inspired by, many only dream of the character or dream of being them. Allow me to introduce Maya Glick, performer, artist and the woman who will embody the Marvel Comics superhero Storm in her own fan made film “Rain.”
*Publisher Weekly’s “Diversity and Pop Culture Reign at New York Comic Con” and Bleeding Cool’s “What If Invisibility Really Was Your Secret Power? Race And Gender In Comics At New York Comic Con.”
*Mike Tyson Mysteries trailer that premiered at New York Comic Con. This actually made me laugh.
*Mass Appeal presents the trailer for the Into the Light documentary featuring Jay Electronic. Watch it below and the description for it:
“Jay Electronica is full of mystery, and like a magician, his character lends itself to new ways of seeing things that would seem impossible to many. Several years ago, Jay and I traveled to the other side of the Earth. We left a piece of ourselves there. In exchange, we brought back something entirely new, and the images that follow are a glimpse into that magic for everyone who’s curious.
Traveling across strange lands, we were invited to attend sacred ceremonies of sacrifice and parading celebrations of ancient descent. We trekked together towards the horizon and explored crowded monasteries, solitary mountain top temples, slums of filthy laughing children, and rivers running with blood and flower petals. I documented as Jay walked a river of burning human bodies. We crash landed a helicopter in the Himalayas, and he delivered rice and clean water to a school in a refugee tent city. The result was a collage of movements and emotion.
The experience in itself was a perfect circle. A question with no answers. Full of laughter and tears, but no love story or plot twists. We searched for absolute truth in life, and the only undeniable answer we found was death.
Since returning, I have been working on a film based on this journey called Into the Light. It is experimental in form and best described as a meditation in un-learning. A movement in seeing without watching, hearing without listening, and the brave exploration of spirit. I look forward to sharing this film soon.”
*CNN’s “How Jimi Hendrix’s race became his ‘invisible legacy‘:” “Now close your eyes and listen to the growling guitar and wolf howls that Hendrix unleashes on songs like “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” “Red House” and “Machine Gun.” YouTube is filled with Hendrix’s songs. He sounds like a black guitarist who one music critic said took ‘the blues out of the Mississippi Delta and sent it to Mars.'”
*Michigan Citizen’s “‘Awakening the Spirits:’ Egungun priest rouses Detroit’s ancestors for upcoming masquerade ball:” “As part of his initiation, Kefentse is required to perform a sacrifice; he has chosen in this case to sacrifice his time and energy. He will be hosting an event, “Awakening the Spirits: An Ancestral Masquerade Ball,” on Oct. 31 at the House of Bastet (1301 W Lafayette Blvd Suite 111, Detroit). “I want to invite the community (to honor) their people,” Kefentse says. “There’s a lot of ancestral energy that needs to be elevated in this city. I believe personally that may help with some of the crime and the issues going on with a lot of people (in Detroit).”
*New Music:
Sudan Moon’s Goldencity
–EVM-128 and Omar’s “Beyond”
–Kashaka‘s Afrofuture Mix. Read more about it on OkayAfrica.
Sherese Francis: Futuristically Ancient 