Animated haiku for CLEANSE -- a series of video projections that use images, messages, color, and light to support collective visual healing in public spaces. Thank you to Ursula Rucker for contributing her beautiful poetry and to Paul Farber and Michelle Angela Ortiz for inviting me to participate in this project.
In 2020 our country was reeling from the racist murders of Black Americans such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Amid the protests and the uprisings, many Philadelphians were tired of seeing symbols of individuals who represented the racist systems we were working to dismantle. The mural of former mayor and police commissioner Frank Rizzo in the 9th Street market was one such symbol. In June 2020, the mural was finally painted over. And in July a group of collaborators joined forces to cleanse the space with projected images, videos, and animations that represented the diversity and vitality of the community, providing the space for collective dialogue around equity, anti-racism, and new collective histories.
CLEANSE Artists:
Ursula Rucker
Ricardo Rivera
Laura Deutch
Naomieh Jovin
Kevin Nguyen
Gabrielle Patterson
Ricardo Rivera
Laura Deutch
Naomieh Jovin
Kevin Nguyen
Gabrielle Patterson
CLEANSE Team:
Michelle Angela Ortiz
Ricardo Rivera
Paul Farber
Laura Deutch
Lori Waselchuck
Ricardo Rivera
Paul Farber
Laura Deutch
Lori Waselchuck
Learn more about Cleanse here!