P007 → New York
February 19th-25th, 2024, I embarked on my first journey solo to the concrete jungle, NEW YORK City! Originally, I visited New York for Dweller, a black electronic music festival occurring from the 19th to the 24th, but naturally, I had multiple expeditions in one. I toured art galleries, ate at NYC staples, and also explored the footprints of my friends in the city. New York felt like a monstrous force that demanded constant movement and a special headspace for exploration. It felt like anything was possible in the city. Accordingly, everyone operates in a way that embodies that attitude. Everyone is a celebrity: Willow Smith & John David Washington at the Public Hotel, Telfar Clemens at Paragon, and even the fresh fruit merchants at every stop of the G Line. The city embraced me with the biggest arms; I felt the warmth in slushy, cold, 8° weather. I visited every borough in the city except the Bronx(I really wanted to go, but there was too much experience). New York City feels like an etymological treasure hunt; the grime on the sidewalks had grime, each building bursting out of the ground like dandelions through the cracks. I barely looked up in New York; I was too busy absorbing the life and energy in front of me. I made it a mission to speak to every stranger who was open to conversing with an alien in their jungle. Unpredictably(courtesy of New Yorker stereotypes and pop culture), New Yorkers were so kind, inviting and imaginative. I swear I found the love of my life in Queens, but to love is to let go, you know what that means! Alas, here are my phenomenological recounts of the trip.
DWELLER
Established in 2019 by Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson, co-founder of the New York-based agency Discwoman, Dweller takes place annually in the last week of February as a culmination event during Black History Month. The festival amplifies Black talent, provides sonic context, and counters industry tokenism by centering Black creativity(Dweller, 2025).
A DJ friend of mine, JIYNX, introduced me to Dweller and insisted I check it out while galavanting in the city. I went to the opening night of Dweller at MoMa Ps1 in Queens, earlier that day I was on a date at the Public Hotel. I remember being so excited but painfully nervous to attend the opening of Dweller. I activated notifications for the website and Instagram page to stay on top of all news regarding the festival. Finally, the rsvp is released and I race to get my spot, I receive the confirmation email, and my journey is about to begin for real.
The acts were music-based, starting with ALSOKNOWNASROX, an engaging performer, coder and sound engineer. I walked into her coding graphics on a projected screen while producing music through a synthesis case. I remember glancing at the code being inscribed on the screen, it was similar to Javascript P5, a visual coding software I used earlier in my academic career. She performed a blend of video-game adjacent drum and bass, I remember feeling nostalgic and empowered through her performance.
Second was S*an D. Henry-Smith, an author and sound performer. He co-created an ambient exploration using voice/poetry, glass, water, dice, and electronics. Accompanied by ALSOKNOWNASROX, Actress and Tavish Timothy on guitar, they created a sound so provocative, androgynous and futuristic. Looking around that room I remember seeing audiences swaying, crying, dancing—All I could do was contemplate. This contemplation coiled deep inside me: I thought of family and friends, created scenarios in my head, more importantly, I imagined. Fortunately and Miraculously, Their performance at MoMA PS1 is available on YouTube, I have it linked below. I urge you to watch:
I asked a friendly New Yorker at the opening, Aliese, what he thought of his performances, and he stylishly nodded in agreement. Something I loved about Aliese was how cool he was; immediately, he was the quickest friend I made in New York, and he continues to inspire me sporadically. Soon after the festival, he released a song, “If You Have to Go”. This song appeared in my Spotify wrapped for 2024—check it out Here.
THE MET
The Met was unreal. It felt like walking onto a set, walking up 5th Avenue, and seeing the iconic museum myself. To me, and for everyone who hasn’t been to New York, the experience feels imaginative; the city exists only in film, television and movies. I remember walking through Central Park and noticing a building from one of my favourite television shows—Jessie. I was almost gobsmacked that the building actually existed, it felt like a clash of my realities. I always wanted to live in the Disney world of Jessie. Those Met Gala stars signified luxury, opulence and idolatry. You mean to tell me that these are the same steps affluent socialites and celebrities climbed on the first Monday of May? In Gossip Girl, these are the same steps Blair Waldorf terrorized her classmates over? Entering the museum evoked a sense of fulfilment for my artistic and fashionable mind, I felt like I was in the ‘know’. I had the opportunity to experience something so iconic and bigger than me.
Though I came as a tourist, I also came as an expeditionist, scholar and archaeologist. I had an essay to write about for Hist 268: A Global History of Empires and I wanted to explore the Byzantine Empire—and the homage of religion delivered through their art. Byzantine art is heavily influenced by religious themes, particularly Christianity. Using artifacts I found in the Byzantine exhibit, I argued how their art serves as a reflection of the Byzantine Empire's strong connection to the Orthodox Christian Church. The exhibition features a variety of masterpieces, including mosaics, sculptures, pottery, metalwork, paintings, and religious manuscripts which highlighted Africa's significant involvement in cultural exchange networks through Byzantine. I wanted to write about Byzantines because of their frequent religious and cultural exchange with Africa during the existence of the empire. I felt that art history had only focused on celebrating the achievements of the Byzantines and overlooked the profound artistic contributions of North Africa, Egypt, Nubia, Ethiopia, and other influential African kingdoms. Reflecting on this experience, I realized why I love academia as much as I do. I got the opportunity to apply interdisciplinary approaches to my work, and a trip during reading week enriched my education, leaving me more immersed in the course. Here’s the finished product: Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia and Byzantine: Artistically influenced Self-Definition of Christianity.
MoMa
Afrofuturism, as a cultural aesthetic and philosophy, offers a lens to explore the interconnected themes of Black identity, diaspora, and the future of resources. MoMa states, “Black artists in many disciplines, including music, dance, painting, and literature, use Afrofuturism to recover the past, understand the present, and envision a future on their terms.” Afrofuturism imagines futures where blackness is centred, where African and African diasporic peoples reclaim agency over their narratives, and where technological advancements are intertwined with social justice and cultural empowerment.
In Tourmaline’s Salacia, the artist, filmmaker, and writer centers on revolutionary Black figures and the everyday people who helped pursue and dream of Black liberation (Tourmaline, 2019). In the short film, the audience views the life of Mary Jones, a Black trans sex worker who lived in Seneca Village, New York in the 1800s. Salacia highlights Seneca Village's forced destruction and relocation of African American families from their homes to make space for the development of Central Park. If the Museum of Modern Art had not highlighted the film, I might not have been exposed to the story of Seneca Village. The museum deepened my knowledge of the complex relationship between race and urban development in America. Stories like Salacia are vital for advancing the discourse of Afrofuturism, which serves as a foundational concept for queer positivity and Black innovation. MoMa embraces Afrofuturism as more than a cultural aesthetic-- but as a radical reimagination of Black identity, empowerment, and agency.