The Black (W)hole, with Brett Cook (Thursday)

THE BLACK (W)HOLE-is an installation requiem for Oakland youth killed before theage of 30. Developed by artist Brett Cook, spoken word artist and playwright Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and former Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company Artistic Director Sarah Crowell, this process-based project combined action research, installation, and performance to create public rituals for mourning and healing.

The project was inspired by the overwhelming need for new and embodied language to memorialize youth lost to violence. The O&B 2024 presentation shares documentation from the sensitive discovery process with the families and the Destiny Arts Youth PerformanceCompany/the Destiny Elders Project, a short film from an immersive performance staged inside of the exhibition Brett Cook & Liz Lerman: Reflection & Action at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and excerpts from a feature film currently in production.

Commemorative catalogues will be available as part of the installation showcasing the six youth portrait “vévés” informed by the Vodoun tradition of ritualized objects that invite and represent the presence of divine spirits.

Location: The Commons

More Info:
Brett Cook Reflects on 30 Years of Socially Conscious Art, KQED