black beyond _origins

neptune horizon II is an ascending celestial black hole with cosmic electromagnetic soundscapes and guided poetry that interferes with the viewer’s perception of space and time to sedate them into an alternative reality.

it's these planets you know,
with their inhabitable atmospheres
they are our reality 
inescapable and defining the nature of the universe
the conditions seem infinite 
even in our weakest state,
we would never evaporate into the fog
in ways unknown 
the nature of the universe is subject to change
what may feel like light years
yet for our purpose it's a blink of the eye
so I have no choice 
and you have no choice 
but to believe
there is hope
in the deep subtleties of the cosmos

JAZSALYN’s work begins where fiction and reality collide. As an anti-disciplinary artist, she combines new media and community organizing practices to reimagine black futures. As a participating artist and director of black beyond, a radical space for artists and activists to define alternate realities for blackness, JAZSALYN collaborates with black and non-black co-liberators to decolonize and re-indigenize social and creative practice. Through black beyond, she curates a series of workshops, interviews, exhibitions, performances, as well as a monthly segment titled alternate realities on Dublab Radio. neptunes horizon _ II is designed and written by jazsalyn, sound design by b.juhans, jazsalyn. 

it's these planets you know, with their inhabitable atmospheres they are our reality inescapable and defining the nature of the universe the conditions seem infinite even in our weakest state, we would never evaporate into the fog in ways unknown the nature of the universe is subject to change what may feel like light years yet for our purpose it's a blink of the eye so I have no choice and you have no choice but to believe there is hope in the deep subtleties of the cosmos _ Enter ‘neptunes horizon II’ A prototype? A Memory? Or a subconscious prelude to a ‘black hole’, an immersive soundscape, ascending into the black hole. The black hole which removes and transcends (us) from recursive black transgenerational trauma, into an alternate reality.

dis place is a short animated film exploring notions of memory, place, and self. It speaks of multiple truths: reincarnation, dementia, and ancestral trauma down my maternal lineage. It relates to my personal sentiments towards the concept of "belonging", being a member of the African Diaspora. It also highlights the landscape as home, and the body as landscape and as portal to spiritual and virtual experience. 

Kiara Kalinda is an interdisciplinary artist-designer, working with both analog and digital technologies to build portals to new sensory worlds. Passionate about worldbuilding and storytelling, she aims to deliver transformative and immersive experiences across varying scales and media, virtual, public, and intimate spaces. With interests ranging from sonic urbanism to collectible design, her practice is curiosity-driven and research-oriented. Amirah is a session musician who accompanied Kiara Kalinda to create dis place, the audiovisual experience on display.

Visual concept and execution by kiara kalinda.
Score composed and arranged by Amirah & kiara kalinda.
Spoken word by Kiara Ama.

Electronic Violin- Amirah (@alunakesian)
Keyboard- Juan Luis Montoro Santos (@juanlu_montoro)
Tenor saxophone- Kiara Ama (@kiaraamajade)
Viola- Amirah

Special thanks to Marco Eastwood. 

Eternal gratitude to Aunty Ruth and Granny Milda. I love you. 

a dizzying journey is made through a rocky island landscape made of deep bronze hues. The sky is tinted orange and blue as the sun sets over the surrounding golden sea. Chrome silver orbs hover while some are nestled into the mountains. A deep bronzed brown hand, larger than life, is suspended in the air as if frozen in time. The serene african mask sits in a cloud in the sky with a diamond pierced hole between the brows. Beyond its golden halo, lies a cloudy afro. A stream flows back into the cloud, back up to source.

What Happens to a dream deferred? Follow a soul's esoteric journey into themselves to find communion with their worldly and otherworldly ancestors. By the end of this journey, we form an answer to W.E.B Dubois's question.

Asha Hassan Nooli resides in New York and is a Junior at The New School. Born to Somali migrants and raised in post-9/11 Minneapolis, Minnesota, where both traditional, spiritual, and geocultural viewpoints shape my connection to art. In a world where Africanist aesthetics are assumed to be backward and primitive, Asha uses art to break this narrative by showcasing Africana culture without the racist clichés. With the focus on displaying Afrofuturism through mixed media and graphic design, she suspends the current negative historical stereotypes to create an alternate African society unmarked by colonialization and slavery. In this new reality, the African diaspora is free to celebrate their heritage and explore what it means to be Black from a historical vantage along with actively envisioning themselves in a postmodernist society. 

In the Pique ℗ Portal here is Ahya Simone - Pique Ⓟ Portal is a live performance series by Pique Records - In this installment, we have Detroit harpist & singer Ahya Simone in New York City, as part of the black beyond _origins festival – a four-day virtual experience reimagining black femme futures through shared conversations, workshops, art and sound performances. 

This segment is produced by Pique (@pique.tv) / Mountain (@itsmntn) / Jayne Lies (@jaynelies) / black beyond (@blackbeyond_)
Shot & Edited by Jayne Lies (@jaynelies)
Art Direction & B-roll by Yesh  (@Yyyesh)
Styling by Jolene Lin (@jolenelin)
Styling Assistant: Tatiana Valentin (@tsunamigirl_)
Special thanks - Ahya wearing top and pants by Gaunlett Cheng (@gaunlettcheng), Black Beyond team (@blackbeyond_)

Click on the video to access the full interview.

Yves B Golden reflects on her live sound bath performance, during the opening week of black beyond _origins, in an impromtu conversation w/ jazsalyn.

Listen back to the sound bath archived on 'alternate realities' via dublab radio,  https://www.dublab.com/archive/black-beyond-alternate-realities-w-yves-b-golden-06-30-21 

The energy gets a bit sensual, sultry and intimate as we discuss sound as color and aura, escaping the limitations of the club scene, freedom within and beyond the container, and nonbinary femme energy.

Yves B Golden is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, organizer, DJ and co-founder of the Herbal Mutual Aid Network. She is inspired by the sacred bond that exists between memory and physical objects.

Instagram: yves_______ (7 underscores) 
Venmo: @chat_noir_

Click the video to access the full interview.

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley and kamra are conversation w/ Myles E. 'Rapture' Johnson during the opening week of black beyond _origins. Together they explore themes related to ancestral memory, community organizing and black trans power.

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley (UK) is an artist working predominantly in animation, sound, performance and Video Games to communicate the experiences of being a Black Trans person. Their practice focuses on recording the lives of Black Trans people, intertwining lived experience, fiction and interactivity to create work that refuses to let viewers be passive. The work is often seen as a form of autonomous archiving in which the experience shifts and moulds based on the identity of the user as well as the choices they make during the experiences.

Teaser from the live dj set and exclusive mix by TYGAPAW at BEVERLY'S NYC during the opening week of _origins.

Dion Mckenzie known as TYGAPAW, is a Producer, DJ and Artist, originally from Mandeville, Jamaica, and based in Brooklyn, New York. A polymathic artist injecting their Jamaican heritage into techno, TYGAPAW operates at the intersections of their musical and cultural roots.