A super long time ago, responding to Cyn's assignment: http://postnatyam.blogspot.com/2016/03/reimagining-citizenship-cynthia.html, I made a little choreopoem that I now call "not knowing of the taking":
https://vimeo.com/185585301
password: citizenship
In researching the 10 little song, I realized there was more than one version of the song and in particular it was also used in racist ways against the African American community in addition to the Native American community. So, I invited Iyatunde Foyalan to work with me to bring in the African American voice more visibly. Below is a draft of the new piece. I imagine it could stand on it's own, or follow not knowing of the taking" if both are filmed more similarly.
password: 10 little
"Could Have Been You," Work-in-Progress, 12-13-18 from Shyamala Moorty on Vimeo.
Questions:
1. What do you take away from "Could have been you?"
2. do you see the two poems as working one after another: "not knowing of the taking" then "Could have been you?"
2. Can "Could have been you" stand on its own? if so, is it strange that I dissapear?
3. Does part two of "Could have been you" where Iyatunde speaks solo feel like an important addition? Can the first part stand on its own?
4. Do you have any questions or confusions?
5. Any other ideas for further tightening and strengthening it?
https://vimeo.com/185585301
password: citizenship
In researching the 10 little song, I realized there was more than one version of the song and in particular it was also used in racist ways against the African American community in addition to the Native American community. So, I invited Iyatunde Foyalan to work with me to bring in the African American voice more visibly. Below is a draft of the new piece. I imagine it could stand on it's own, or follow not knowing of the taking" if both are filmed more similarly.
password: 10 little
"Could Have Been You," Work-in-Progress, 12-13-18 from Shyamala Moorty on Vimeo.
Questions:
1. What do you take away from "Could have been you?"
2. do you see the two poems as working one after another: "not knowing of the taking" then "Could have been you?"
2. Can "Could have been you" stand on its own? if so, is it strange that I dissapear?
3. Does part two of "Could have been you" where Iyatunde speaks solo feel like an important addition? Can the first part stand on its own?
4. Do you have any questions or confusions?
5. Any other ideas for further tightening and strengthening it?
1. mourning, grief, rage, extrajudicial killing of black people, the inability of mainstream media to capture the richness of their lives
ReplyDelete2. Not as they stand right now -- they are quite different both aesthetically and in terms of positionality.
2. Yes, it can stand on its own. It's a little weird that you disappear, but more than that, I am not positive what your role is in this video. Whereas "not knowing of the taking" is quite clear about your positionality and relationship to Native Americans via colonialist notions of Thanksgiving and the Indian/Indian confusions, I'm not so sure what your relationship to black folks is here. Is the central poetic refrain of this video -- "it could have been you" applicable to you? If not, then why do you appear?
3. I found Part 2 the most powerful, clear, and emotionally compelling part of the video. The overlay-dialogue of the voiceover and live spoken text and the final overlap and then fade from Tunde into Michelle Shirley were effective and poignant.
4. See my earlier question about your positionality in relation to BLM.
5. I'd be curious what would happen if (a) you spend some time fleshing out your relationship to BLM and/or (b) if you don't appear in this video at all, and instead Tunde is the one who takes on some of the "10 Little" language -- perhaps even repurposing and translating some of the choreography from "not knowing of the taking."
Feedback from Meena:
ReplyDelete1. What do you take away from "Could have been you?"
State violence against Black people. Grieving. Identifying with. Offering a personal perspective. Connecting. Complicity of western white medical systems.
2. do you see the two poems as working one after another: "not knowing of the taking" then "Could have been you?"
I think they could be curated in an exhibit that talks about the intersectionality of state violences against Black and Indigenous communities. Theoretically, I feel like they could be played one after the other but I'm not sure. Perhaps if Iyatunde is filmed again in an environment similar to how "not knowing of the taking" was filmed with Shy? Maybe a split screen if they are edited together...pausing one and then the other where you find intersections and productive rhythms to create a new poem that interwines between the 2 videos? that way, Shy doesn't need to be in "Could have been you" video because "not knowing of the taking" would be in split screen dialogue with "Could have been you". But you would have to try this out. Not sure if it would work in actuality and whether you both are ok to pause and restart and break up each of your poems.
2. Can "Could have been you" stand on its own? if so, is it strange that I dissapear?
I find it strange that Shyamala is in "Could have been you" altogether. It doesn't work that Aiyana Jone's image cuts to Shy's image, exactly in the same position. And then Michael Brown's image. Without Shyamala in it, it could stand on its own.
3. Does part two of "Could have been you" where Iyatunde speaks solo feel like an important addition? Can the first part stand on its own?
Part 2 is the most compelling for me, especially the last section. I like the overlay/doubling of the poem in the 2nd section. Perhaps the "1 Little" poem gets added in as well as a triple sound layer? This would happen if a split screen version was attempted.
4. Do you have any questions or confusions?
Not more than what I wrote above.
5. Any other ideas for further tightening and strengthening it?
Besides what I wrote above...I would love to know how Iyatunde's BODY would respond to the words and archival images. Their body feels too still. I wonder where their arms are. Perhaps there is room for filming close ups of their body in reaction to/processing/moving to some of the poem. Looking down at the page on camera distracts me from the content.