Screen/Society--Aural Futures--Special presentation of a work-in-progress: "God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines" – Q&A w/ curator Ingrid LaFleur + filmmakers
Special presentation of a work-in-progress:
God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines
(Kristian Hill, 60 min, USA, English, Color, Digital)
– Followed by a 20-minute Q&A with artist, activist, and Afrofuturist Ingrid LaFleur, and the film's director, Kristian Hill, and executive producer, Jennifer Washington!
Starring Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May and Eddie Fowlkes, God Said Give 'Em Drum Machines tells the lost stories of the underground music scene in 1980's Detroit and how it revolutionized and changed dance music forever. Against the backdrop of a struggling city, the thriving genre of techno was born, which evolved to become the 7.4 billion dollar EDM industry - one that is dominated by white artists. The film tells the story of the African American men who created it, and how the business of music betrayed them.
About the Aural Futures Series:
-- Curated by Ingrid LaFleur from AFROTOPIA & Negar Mottahedeh at Duke University
Often music is the first introduction to the cultural movement Afrofuturism. The Aural Futures series looks at how electronic music created a foundation in the development of Afrofuturism, explores the history of certain music movements like Afropunk that have introduced Afrofuturism to a larger audience, and how the Afrofuturist aesthetic is used to visually express the music and provide a narrative.
To complete the music ecosystem, we have curated a selection of storytellers and performers to create an Afrofuturist evening of musical vibes and visions (Oct 26, 9pm in Duke Coffee House). Hearing the music, watching the performance and the organic movement that it calls forth is an integral part of the Afrofuturist experience.
Related event - Oct 26 at 9pm in Duke Coffee House (Crowell Building, East Campus):
Afrofuturist music & techno-utopian narratives: [ PDF Flyer ]
-- The Afronauts is an afrofuturist youth group in Durham that is putting out a mixtape via Pierce Freelon’s Blackspace this year.
-- 5p1n0k10 is an Afrofuturistic puppet show, about an Android who wants to be a real B-Boy, set in a post-apocalyptic future with an original score by Hip Hop producer Hir-O.
-- Artist by trade and DJ by craft, DJ Gemynii produces experiences that seduce the audience and lures them into her meticulously cultivated audiovisual realm.
Sponsored by the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute (FHI), the Forum for Scholars & Publics (FSP), the Program in the Arts of the Moving Image (AMI), the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts—Duke Arts, the Program in Literature, the Department of Cultural Anthropology, the Department of African & African-American Studies, Duke Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies, Duke Performances, Duke Coffeehouse, the Program in Dance, and the Department of Music.
This event is a part of Visionary Aponte: Art & Black Freedom, a nine-week art exhibit and accompanying series of conversations, screenings, performances, residencies, and workshops at Duke University organized by the Power Plant Gallery and the Forum for Scholars and Publics. The exhibit is curated by Édouard Duval-Carrié and Ada Ferrer and is based on a digital humanities project called Digital Aponte. More information online at aponte.dukefsp.org.
Screen/Society screenings are free and open to the public.
Screening: Location Map | Parking Info | Download PDF flyer | Share on Facebook