G/D THYSELF: Spirit Strategy On Raising Free Black Children

In early 2019, The Ummah Chroma launched their collective with the musical short film AS TOLD TO G/D THYSELF at Sundance Film Festival. With a shared vision rooted in the music that brought them together, the collective explores themes of metaphysical transcendence, spirituality, and self-expression.

The Ummah Chroma is building upon these themes, the striking visuals and improvisational score of their film, to create a ritual space G/D THYSELF: Spirit Strategy On Raising Free Black Children in Het Nieuwe Instituut. This ritual space extrapolates meditations on raising free Black children from the aforementioned film. The space draws on inspiration from many cultural traditions and over the course of its five months’ tenure, the collective will invite guest performers and practitioners to practise and teach the ‘spirit strategies’ within the space and will programme a series of activations designed to guide the community in maximising the space’s use. Mediums will include but are not limited to ritual performance, sculpture and video installations.

Functioning in a similar way to the collective itself, visitors are invited to reflect, participate in the stated intention and reflect on this participation, not in isolation, but in community. Furthermore they are encouraged to use the space as a free-use ritual space for whatever spirit strategies they feel the desire to execute.

The collective is working once again with creative producer Erin Wile and production designer Lauri Faggioni.

Thu 23 Jan to Sun 2 Feb, 11:00-17:00 (Thursdays 11:00-21:00), Het Nieuwe Instituut (HNI), €14/€7/free with IFFR pass/IFFR film ticket of the same date. Festive opening with the artists present: Sat 25 Jan, 19:00-22:00, free admission 

During IFFR, the audience is invited to participate in Spirit Strategies, a series of public ritual performances in the installation G/D THYSELF. This installation is a collaboration with Het Nieuwe Instituut. After IFFR, the project will remain at HNI until 28 June 2020. 

Also see Masterclass: Jenn Nkiru, Masterclass: Terence Nance and Talk: Blackness and Our Rituals Towards the Realities of Belonging.

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