Aurora Exhibit to Feature Film by Booker T. Students
When I heard that my Godsister Grace Rodriguez, a senior at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and former Hockadaisy, helped direct a film that will be featured at the Aurora Dallas exhibition in the Dallas Arts District tonight, I was more than a little proud.
“Family Reunion,” was directed by Nicholas Mayfield. It tells the story of four teenagers and a family reunion through video monologues written by Rodriguez, Annie Liskow, Mackenzie McMahon, and Booker T. grad River Ribas, with performances by Ian Wallace, Cyrus Stowe, Ayae Rice, and Rachael McNamara. (Read more…)
“Two (teenagers) have had a scandalous early engagement, one doesn’t approve of her brother’s decision, and the other just wants his cousins to stop causing trouble so the reunion can proceed as planned,” Rodriguez wrote in a Facebook message. “The story is told from four different perspectives, and changes depending on how many monologues a participant watches.”
The film will be projected outside on the Booker T. campus between 7 p.m. and midnight. Last fall I wandered into the Aurora exhibition quite by accident. I was planning on going to the Nasher for their ‘Til Midnight event, but got sucked down the street by lit up structures that resembled billowing jellyfish.
The great thing about exhibits like Aurora is that these kinds of pieces get the space they need to breathe. The first time I saw a video installation displayed on the wall of a building, it was like seeing a video in Imax for the first time. It completely changed how I interacted with the art, allowing me to insert myself into its space and world in way that a small screen inside a museum just didn’t.
I can’t wait to see “Family Reunion” and the other pieces at tonight’s exhibit. Hope to see you there.
