The My-Stery: Revisiting The Mask as Technology

Several months ago, I wrote a post about the mask as technology, but after reading Louis Chude-Sokei’s essay about PT Barnum and Joice Heth, I want to think further about saying that the mask is technology, specifically in reference to German producer Frank Farian and the groups Boney M and Milli Vanilli. Most people know […]

Modern Griots Reviews: Nick Cave’s Magical Horses in Heard.NY

As Ebony celebrated Katherine Dunham, Nick Cave was featuring dozens of Alvin Ailey dancers wearing 30 colorful horse “soundsuits” in his public performance piece at Grand Central station, HEARD•NY. Presented by Creative Time and MTA Arts, the 30 minute performances included a grazing pastoral music and dance sequence followed by a rhythmic choreographed dance, “crossings” […]

Art of This World: Risha Rox

This is from the Bombay Sapphire’s Artisan and Imagination Series. Artist Danny Simmons (brother of Russell and Joseph “Run” Simmons) speaks with several different artists about the work they do and the one who caught my eye was Risha Rox. I have seen the photographs of the male model painted like the universe with stars, […]

Modern Griots Review: Tunde Olaniran’s “The Second Transgression”

“Kill or Be Killed” Singer Tunde Olaniran continues his disorientation from the norm through his hybridizing of sounds, styles (ex. electronic, rock, afro-beat, house, hip-hop, pop), identities and thoughts in his The Second Transgression. The five-track EP presents a dark, dramatic soundscape that lends well to fantasy visual, as in his video above for “Kill […]

Otherworldly Videos: Labrinth

Labrinth feat. Emili Sande – “Beneath Your Beautiful” Take off the masks of beautiful and perfect, I want to see what’s inside. I like the use of screen imagery in connection with the song lyrics.

What Is Afrofuturism? Part 12: The Mask As Technology

“Because the mask is your face, the face is a mask, so I’m thinking of the face as a mask because of the way I see faces is coming from an African vision of the mask which is the thing that we carry around with us, it is our presentation, it’s our front, it’s our […]