Thursday, May 31, 2012

Musical Interlude

"A Woman's Eye," a photography exhibit featuring IPC Visual Lab students Jenny Babot Romney, Jennifer Kay, Sacha Suarez and Nanci Thomas, highlights life in South Florida as seen through the eyes of four women exploring their daily paths with their cameras.








 The fifth female element at the April 21 exhibit opening at the ACND Gallery of Art was a performance by singer Shenita Hunt, whose spiritual and soulful repertoire added another aesthetic layer to the art on display. Where the IPC Visual Lab students explored visual storytelling, Shenita used musical storytelling tools to showcase a woman's perspective.

 
The challenge I had was finding ways to include the photography as I shot Shenita's performance. We had spent all day hanging and lighting the frames, transforming a small, unimpressive room into a glowing art gallery, and I didn't want to neglect that work while Shenita performed. What I found as I focused on Shenita grooving through the gallery was that her movements made the hanging artwork a little more alive.


 
 Several weeks later, I shot some of the Zakafest performances at the Little Haiti Cultural Center. The Haitian music experience was enhanced by the lighting on the stage. The stage is really just a short platform in front of a mural of a Haitian market scene. In the rich red, blue and green lighting, the figures in the mural seemed to blend with the musicians and dancers on the stage. The colored lights gave the outdoor performance a warmth that's usually lost under bright white spotlights.



The Rhythm Foundation's "Big Night in Little Haiti" will be on June 15th, 2012 from 6 - 10pm at the Little Haiti Cultural Center.  I will be there will you?

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