Masterclass: Jenn Nkiru

London-born artist and filmmaker Jenn Nkiru has found a unique way of presenting the rich history of black music and culture. She combines footage she has shot herself with archival material and historical references to black culture, allowing her to immerse herself in subcultures and other under-represented cultural and political expressions. She refers to this working method as “cosmic archaeology”. Her film debut En Vogue (2014) dives into New York’s various vogue and ballroom scenes, while her latest short Black to Techno is an overwhelming audio-visual voyage of discovery that seeks to write back its black historical origins into the popular dance genre. Her cosmic archaeology takes her to the Motor City, Detroit: birthplace of techno.

Nkiru seeks to blur the boundaries between disciplines and give a platform to black faces, voices and stories. She does this in part through the collective she co-founded, The Ummah Chroma, which alongside her consists of cameraman Bradford Young, musician Kamasi Washington, editor Marc Thomas and director Terence Nance. Together they made their first experimental short film, As Told To G/D Thyself. During IFFR the collective will take this further with the installation G/D THYSELF: Spirit Strategy On Raising Free Black Children in Het Nieuwe Instituut. In her masterclass, Nkiru will discuss her vision and mission, her film work and the cooperation within The Ummah Chroma. A collaboration with the Breitner Academy and EYE Film Institute Netherlands.

Fri 24 Jan, 13:00, Het Nieuwe Instituut, €6/€5