Graduate-Level Graffiti: A Blackenese Tea Ceremony
Wednesday, February, 28, 2007
Buckhead Library 269 Buckhead Ave NE
Atlanta, GA
The Concept
GLG: A Blackenese Tea Ceremony brought together elements of ritual and improvisation borrowed from the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Instead of powdered green tea, South African rooibos tea was served to guests in attendance. The ceremony opened with a multi-media drag invocation performed by Blake Phillips and included audience participation, and haiku chanted in Japanese and hip hop music. Raku-style tea bowls, or chawan, were created especially for the event by Jessica S. Felder.
The Intent
The purpose of this event was to explore ritual from an intra-cultural perspective. As the traditional Japanese tea ceremony focuses on the mindfulness of the moment, the artists involved functioned in a jazz aesthetic by including unrehearsed elements of improvisation in their performances.
Featured Artists:
Natasha Marin, Conceptual Artist/Poet
Khadijah Queen, Artist/Poet
Blake Phillips, Artist/Performer
Jessica S. Felder, Artist/Ceramicist
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Graduate-Level Graffiti: Creative Expressions of “Token-dom”
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Asian American Cultural Center
11713 Jollyville Road Austin, TX
Images from 2007 GLG: Expressions of "Tokendom" (c) Victoria Cain
The Concept
GLG: Tokendom culminated in an interactive, multimedia performance for the Austin. This multidisciplinary project explored the academic experience from the unfamiliar vantage-point of the “Other.” The production crossed cultural, economic, and educational boundaries by incorporating dramatizations of poetry adapted from a working manuscript, theatrical dialogues, monologues, audience-interactive reenactments, and used original works of art by Natasha Marin as part of the set design.
The Intent
The purpose of this event was to facilitate “Genuine Encounters” between strangers in a highly-charged emotional atmosphere of drama and performance. Liminal cultural spaces were explored as were traditional gender roles. All audience members participated as writers, artists, photographers and performers.
Featured Artists:
Natasha Marin, Conceptual Artist/Performer
Khadijah Queen, Poet/Performer
Keilonne O’Brien, Independent Scholar/Performer
Alysa Hayes, Poet/Performer
Bob Mudd, Poet/Musician
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