influences//

a place for things that have opened up portals in my mind. things that i find often find myself returning to because it seems i am always finding something new to appreciate / understand. i am grateful for those who shared these visions/worlds with us, as they are deeply inspirational to my own process of being. this will be updated whenever i want in no particular order of importance because we do not believe in rubrics like that.
i hope these take you down your own new paths of discovery & wonder.

berkeley 2014 - these two people and this time period mean more to me than could ever be expressed here

sometimes you have friends that you share a type of visual language with. cinque is one of those friends for me. i am hugely grateful for our friendship - that we can spend hours in the studio nerding out about different designers/ artists/ writers/etc etc. one day he randomly introduced me to the work of CHO GI-SEOK - my mind was blown! it felt like someone had dipped into my dreamstate and melded it with theirs.

this is work that feels deeply rooted.

anyway - i love this. also here -> IG

at 16 these kids were learning process in real time, online. they were making their own clothes , sourcing fabrics, and learning in front of our eyes via messageboards/forums around 2008-2011. they were naming influences and using this to build their own worlds. a huge inspiration for what i’m doing today - these two ended up working for a number of huge artists/brands but continue to do their own thing on their own time for seemingly the exact same reasons as when they began. much love and respect to philip post & kobi mclemore (philip’s brand: dertbag , kobi’s brand: death precision inc)

rest in peace to those in these two videos. knxwledge took these videos / acapellas and flipped them into beautiful pieces butwhat i love most is that he leaves the energy / spirit of the person shining so bright in all of these. music like this deeply resonates with me. sound can be such a beautiful way for us to pay respect or honor those we love.

rest in peace BK Tidal Wave

rest in peace F GAMO

the energy in these videos is incredible:

Night Club (1983) - Jonathan Hodgson

“Based on sketches made in Liverpool of the drinking clubs the film observes human behavior in a social situation. Hinting at the loneliness felt by the individual lost in a crowd”

Discourse on Colonialism
by Aimé Césaire

a beautifully written, clear synthesis of colonialism & how it structures our thinking / life.
FULL PDF AVAILABLE HERE

The Feels・S2E22・STRANGER feat. Rory Ferreira

In STRANGER, Charlie talks with a guy from down the block about books and fatherhood.

i love this video because it gives me a sort of indescribable type of comfort. and this comment by what i imagine to be someone close to rory, perhaps a close family member adds another dimension. rory ferreira (music as R.A.P Ferreira fka Milo - afrolab9000.bandcamp.com & soulfolks.org) is an artist who, maybe more than anyone else, has completely blown apart preconcieved notions of what one should / could be as an artist / person navigating this world. he honors his influences constantly and creates a world that you can feel yourself living in. that type of worldbuilding is what i am interested in. not in a colonial context or in any sense of fantasy / escapism.

i want to worldbuild realities for living freely.

Aki Sasamoto: An Artist Walks into a Bar | Art21 "New York Close Up"

this video is a close representation of how my mind works.

LAIKA | Coraline | Behind the Scenes

Jeff Andrade Duncan on Education "I teach my neighbors' kids"

favorite painters currently:

Toyin Ojih Odutola

Yoh Nagao

Yetunde Olagbaju

Kosuke Masuda

Monica Rohan

DARLA

Umar Rashid

Woody Othello

Wesley Willis

Mila Moldenhawer

Anuar Khalifi