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Concept Text:

For this residency, I want to begin a body of research that celebrates and preserves black movement and black bodies. Black Movement not only holds our history, but it holds our connection to community and is the path to our collective healing. To begin this extensive research, I plan to create series of WebVR/AR articles/performances centering black femininity. I plan to work with 5 black femme performers ranging in body type and dance genre, and will show that data using a mixture of VR and AR. This research/art project will be later used to build an online 3D model/animation database equipped with Black Character base models, skin textures, hair styles, and Motion Capture Data extracted from Black performers.

In the past few years, access to Motion Capture Data, 3D base models and software to »make an animation yourself« has skyrocketed. From MakeHuman to Mixamo, and CMU’s Motion capture database accessibility to make and finish polished projects has become easier for many. While these resources are extremely helpful to create a range of projects, they still have limited mocap data and models of diverse characters, creating diverse movements. This new database would help to diversify the DIY 3D Animation, and VR community by making the space more inclusive.

Bio:

I am a New Media Artist in NYC creating art that integrates Performance, Virtual Reality, and Physical Computing to question our current use of technology and forms of communication. I have had the opportunity to show and speak about my work at Pioneer Works, National Sawdust, LISA, Creative Tech Week and Weird Reality. I was the Director of Skating at Figure Skating in Harlem, where I integrated STEAM and Figure Skating to teach girls of color about movement and technology.