Project Summary

The collaborative project I am developing in residency at The Village of Arts and Humanities explores communality through relational procedures grouped into two categories — open mic and ‘2512 Sessions’. ‘2512 Sessions’ is a monthly series of film screenings and artist talks dedicated to exchanging ideas and sharing experiences. Invited participants — artists, entertainers, musicians, designers, etc — give talks or presentations on or about their practice in the intimate space of my apartment (the visiting artist’s residence). The open mic series is a monthly event created with the ethos of fostering communality through music, comedy, dance and poetry while exploring the potentials for collaboration amongst its diverse participants mainly from the Fairhill Hartranft community in North Central Philadelphia.

Moments from these live events are documented in the form of video, sound and photography and set up in the studio. The studio functions as a postproduction site where our collective — comprising myself, Aaron Sawyer, Tiyanna Scott, Jacquan Fields, and Tamia Garcia (all of whom are artists based in North Philadelphia) manipulate the forms accumulated from the monthly events in physical space. Aaron is a lens-based media artist who specializes in photography and video. Jacquan, a professional, award-winning clown, offers his event management skills to the team. Tamia and Tiyanna are best friends who share a common passion in music and drawing; together they manage the open mic events, design and execute paintings in the studio. The studio becomes the environment that maps out the implicit connections between ideas, processes, procedures and locations which are or have been relevant to the project. It also becomes a temporary “exhibition” and collaboration site where members of the general public may come in and intervene in our processes either by taking down a photograph from the walls, or by actively working with us in their own capacity to develop ideas through video, photography, graphic design, etc. Our spectators potentially become collaborators. This open studio structure aligns with our strategy to democratize the making and experience of art. Furthermore, we upload the videos, audios and photos from the open mic events and provide a downloadable link for our publics to continue collaborating and remixing the content accumulated from the sessions online.

I adopted the relational strategies as a way of mitigating the effect of my foreignness to the neighborhood to build, not just interactive but, meaningful relationships upon which the progress of the project would depend and to confront some of the barriers which may impede our initial engagements. The poetry, dance, music, discursive sessions create multi-layered communication channels which open up the fields of interaction between us (the core team members) and our potential collaborators. We, the collective, and the instigators of this kind of social interaction, rely on our audiences — especially for the open mic events — to own and, to an extent, determine the content produced. We go as far as planning the event and allow the rest to happen.

The Studio…

Among the objects in the studio are 4” x 6” photographic prints of images and texts, 32” flatscreen monitor, portable music players, headphones, speakers, and found bricks collected from around North Philadelphia. One wall could loosely be described as a wall of memories. It is animated with a constellation of digital 4” x 6” photographic prints which montage the different moments produced by the relational procedures. Each photo at one and the same time constructs its own slice or fragment of the broader narrative and also functions as a memento — evidence of the ephemeral moments produced over the course of the residency. Its life is then extended by making that section of the studio interactive with the spectator/collaborator. The spectator/collaborator is free to unpin a photo from the wall and take it with them — be it a portrait of themselves, a friend’s or simply out of desire to do so. In exchange they leave a signature where the photographic object used to hang. The other walls in the studio elucidate the thought processes which went into designing two site-specific structures to activate one of the vacant lots in the neighborhood.

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Read more on the project here.

Film screening, photo by IUB

The studio, photo by IUB

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Aaron Sawyer

Artist talk with Jacquan “Quany the Clown” Fields, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Tiyanna Scott working in the studio, photo by IUB

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Open Mic at 2544, photo by Aaron Sawyer

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh artist talk, photo by IUB

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic, Photo by Aaron Sawyer

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Lori Waselchuk

the studio, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Taion Carter preparing dinner for Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh artist talk, photo by IUB

Tiyanna Scott in the studio, photo by IUB

Audience/Collaborator in studio, photo by IUB

Audience/Collaborator signs wall, photo by IUB

The studio, photo by IUB

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic flyer design by Jaquan Fields

Film screening, photo by Aaron Sawyer

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Artist talk with Jacquan “Quany the Clown” Fields, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Lori Waselchuk

The studio, photo by IUB

Artist talk with Jacquan “Quany the Clown” Fields, photo by Lori Waselchuk

The Urban Shamans perform at Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Aaron Sawyer

Open mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Audience/Collaborators interact in studio, photo by IUB

Open Mic flier, design by Alliyah Allen

Film Screening, photo by IUB

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Aaron Sawyer

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh artist talk, photo by Lillian Dunn

Film screening, Photo by IUB

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Spectator/Collaborator signs as they collect photos from studio, photo by IUB

Jacquan “Quany the Clown” hosts Open Mic 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh artist talk, photo by Lillian Dunn

Open Mic flier design by Jacquan Hasheen Fields

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh artist talk, photo by IUB

Work in progress by Tiyanna Scott, acrylic on wall, painting, photo by IUB

Artist talk with Jacquan “Quany the Clown” Fields, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Open Mic flier by Nilé Livingstone

The studio, photo by IUB

Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh artist talk, photo by Alliyah Allen

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Audience/Collaborators interact in studio, photo by IUB

Artist talk with El Sawyer, photo by IUB

Jiggs Shaheed on the grill at Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Aaron Sawyer

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

The studio, photo by IUB

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Artist talk with El Sawyer, photo by Aaron Sawyer

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Agudos Clef perform at Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

The “Supa Future Studio” team. From left: Aaron Sawyer, Tamia Garcia, Tiyanna Scott, Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh, Jaquan Fields, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at 2544, photo by Aaron Sawyer

Tamia Garcia working in the studio, photo by IUB

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Artist talk with El Sawyer, photo by IUB

Open Mic flier design by Nilé Livingstone, photo by IUB

Kofi Akakpo and María Leguizamo interact in the studio, photo by IUB

the studio, photo by IUB

Kofi Akakpo design presentation, photo by IUB

Collective in the studio, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Artist talk with Jacquan “Quany the Clown” Fields, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

“Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh laughs out loud during one of the raps by Niém Gilmore, A.K.A Grandson at the October Open Mic. Photo by Lori Waselchuk”, text by Lori Waselchuk.

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Work in progress by Tiyanna Scott, acrylic on wall, painting, photo by IUB

Kwasi Ohene-Aye works in his studio with collaborators Aaron and Quan. Photos by Lori Waselchuk

Film screening, photo by IUB

Artist talk with El Sawyer, photo by IUB

Artist talk with Jacquan “Quany the Clown” Fields, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Film screening of Serge Attukwei Clottey’s “The Displaced”, photo by Lori Waselchuk

“Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh eats and chats with some of the neighborhood kids who attended Jaquan’s artist talk in Kwasi’s residence. Photo by Lori Waselchuk.” Text by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Aaron Sawyer

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Film screening of Serge Attukwei Clottey’s “The Displaced”, photo by IUB

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh artist talk, photo by Alliyah Allen

Audience interact with photographs, photo by IUB

Open Mic at Ile Ife park, photo by Heidi Roland

Kofi Akakpo design presentation, photo by IUB

Artist talk with Jacquan “Quany the Clown” Fields, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Heidi Roland

Open Mic at 2519, photo by Lori Waselchuk

Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh talks about his home country, Ghana, at the Philadelphia Musuem of Art with collaborators Aaron Sawyer, “Tamia Garcia and Tiyanna Scott. The team met with photography curator, who displayed Paul Strand’s portfolio from Ghana taken in the 1960’s shortly after that country’s independence. Photo by Lori Waselchuk”, text by Lori Waselchuk

Open Mic at Ile Ife Park, photo by Lori Waselchuk

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