MULTIMEDIA & PERFORMANCE ART

MULTIMEDIA & PERFORMANCE ART

"YOU ARE A MARVEL" (CURRENT, 2011-2012)
This project started in November 2011 in response to a video posted on youtube by a queer youth named Jonah. To make my response to this film more beautiful and potent, this piece and project calls upon the public to work together, think critically, and take ownership of its aesthetic and content. The core goals for the project are: A) to utilize the web to expand critical thinking and participation in the dialogue around the prevalence and detriment of bullying for young people in the LGBTQ community; B) to promote the aesthetic space as a tool for individuals and communities to cope with bullying and isolation, express their identity and feelings, and have agency in dialogue surrounding bullying both within and outside of the LGBTQ community; C) to leverage the experiences and knowledge of the public to generate concrete ideas for young people coping with bullying and isolation; and D) to get people involved in making art.


PREVIEW:

"ZOOMING OUT" (SPRING 2011)
A multidisciplinary examination of engaged art and of the exclusivity of artistic spaces

By Jamila Woods, Fatimah Ashgar, & Matthew Garza

LIVE PERFORMANCE:

FILM:

"THE STORM" (SPRING 2011)
A multimedia piece that explores environment, space, and storytelling through dance and movement.

By: Nic Mooney, Matthew Garza, Sam Barasch, and Erik Maser

"RAP COOL" (SUMMER 2010)

This music video not only represents the extraordinary talent of a young musician from Djoumanzana, Mali, but it is the culmination of a community's generosity in supporting myself and Papi in one of several youth engagement projects over the summer. We conceived and shot the entire video at the Yeredon Center for the Arts, the Djoumanzana Children's Center, and on the streets of Djoumanzana- seeing the film brings back so many incredible memories of working with the youth in the community who were skeptical of the project at first, but eventually grew excited and motivated to work for hours brainstorming, shooting scenes, choreographing dances, and picking the best cuts of footage for the final product. In the end, this project was an amazing journey in bringing hip hop, youth, music, dance, and community into conversation and I can't wait not only to return to Mali someday and work with Papi and the youth at the Djoumanzana Center, but to continue this type of work in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Song Written & Performed by Papi Coulibaly

Video Directed & Produced by Matthew Garza

http://www.globalconversation.org/users/mgarza