In an interview with Bomb Magazine filmmaker and multimedia artist Cauleen Smith probed: "…[We] only reenact traumas, don’t we? We don’t reenact prom night, or our favorite birthday party. This is a problem—it doesn’t seem to fix things; it amplifies them. There’s gotta be something else, the after-the-trauma." I agree that there must be something else, but I also believe that a thorough address of trauma requires both “the after” and the trauma itself. Accordingly, I am specifically invested in investigating trauma *without* re-traumatization and cultivating and celebrating “the after-the-trauma.” This investigation primarily manifests through paired interview and portrait series around themes of identity, beauty, intimacy, and selfhood. I believe deeply in the power of collective curiosity and public sharing. My teaching artist practice has affirmed that we both have and are the answers to our most urgent questions.
Image: Dominique James "demetrius and frsh edit" Demetrius and Frsh (35 mm film, 2019)
SPARK Microgrant
