Performance Within A Black Body: Project Reflection

Project Initiation & Inspiration

When I first started brainstorming for this project, I was not sure about the direction my multimedia work would take. Over the past year, my focus has been on graphic design and completing my degree in Japanese Studies. So while my passion for the artistic community remained kind of stagnant, I have gained a new perspective. By honing my skills and building my brand, I have been able to step back and see the bigger picture in the world of arts.

The Intersection of Race and Performing Arts

This semester, I have been enrolled in the class Race and the Criminal Justice System at Furman, which opened my eyes to a unique challenge faced by the black community in the performing arts. Although this is not a new concept, I had never before considered it from an artistic standpoint.

For centuries, the black community has had to perform as a means of survival. In order to conform to societal norms and gain acceptance, black individuals often adopt a new persona that masks their true heritage. In many ways, the black community has become performers in order to navigate a society that demands assimilation for survival.

Landing Page for my Project “Performance Within A Black Body”

This realization further inspired me to explore the theme of "Performance Within A Black Body" for my project. I had the privilege of sitting down with black artists from South Carolina to hear about their unique experiences in artistic spaces throughout the state. Due to the need for the black community to perform for survival has made true self-expression and performance as black artist’s even more radical than one might imagine.

Brainstorming

When brainstorming the characters for this project, I was deliberate in selecting diverse perspectives. I wanted to begin to move away from my previous project, "Classical Music and the Black Experience." I chose individuals involved in theater, music, and dance to highlight the different forms of artistic expression in performance. Additionally, I sought to expand beyond Furman University and include performers and dancers from other spaces.

This led me to remember Robert, a person who I have yet to meet in person but had heard about through friends and colleagues. Ciara, who was a member of the Purple Diamonds and a Theatre Arts Major, was also a perfect fit due to the establishment of the space of majorette dancers, dancers that we usually only see at Historically Black Institutions. Lastly, I reached out to Christian, who shares similar experiences with me such as growing up in the same area of South Carolina, to provide another perspective on arts in schools.

Throughout this project, I successfully coordinated meetings, implemented my script, and filmed the proper footage needed for the documentary. Despite Ciara's busy schedule as a Theatre Major, we managed to meet several times and capture the required footage.

The biggest challenge I encountered was the distance between Robert and myself. After graduating from Juilliard, Robert chose to remain in New York. However, he returned to South Carolina for Thanksgiving for the first time in three years this year. We planned to meet, but his aunt ended up being sick, in which it was decided that her health was a more significant priority.

So then, we had to get creative. To the right, is a part of a conversation we had through phone communication, where we improvised an interview setup to emulate the feeling of an in-person conversation.

We then coordinated the uploading of footage and collaborated to obtain any already existing footage and the footage we recorded, and we were able to make something great. This experience taught me to be innovative and find solutions when faced with distance as an obstacle during interviews.

Overcoming Challenges & Future Aspirations

My hope is that this project inspires me further to create multimedia zines showcasing more of my work. In my general E-portfolio, I want people not only to see my work but also to understand my story and the reasons behind my artistic pursuits. I aim to create an easy to use navigation experience, prioritizing UX. Additionally, this project allowed me to deeper understand moving graphics and keyframes, skills I plan to utilize in After Effects for more complex motion graphics in the future. With each project, I notice personal growth and development. When it is time for me to begin another project, I look forward to building upon my skills and presenting my work and portfolio to the best of my abilities.