“Proximity Continuum” is conceived as a modular structure much like the SUPA-System itself with the framework of a beat-per-minute score that maintains the rhythm of the performance rather than a single sonic aesthetic. This gesture is an invitation for DJs and musicians to interpret and evolve the film through a live and improvisational score for the film. Creating something unique every time it is screened and will continue to shift the reading of the film as the context and geography change. This framework ensures that as the film tours, it continues to provide economic opportunities for local cultural workers.

The film “Proximity Continuum”, is a reinterpretation of a rehearsal of Proximity through the lens of Black Boston creativity. The film explores the thematic explorations of sound culture mediating the world of movement and spatial design, creating a common ground for the formation of new narratives within the conception of the Black Atlantic, specifically bridging shared culture between diasporic communities in Britain, the United States, and beyond.

The film continues to express the reconciliation of disconnected and unacknowledged histories through the movement of synchronized bodies, sonic culture and Black visual expression. “Proximity Continuum” takes a moment of immaterial culture and archives the performance into a piece of forever media. The film is co-directed by Malakhai Pearson and Joseph Zeal-Henry.

Credits
Dancers: Aiden Marshall, Marissa Molinar, Jennifer Roberts
Curated: Joseph Zeal-Henry
Choreographed by Grisha Coleman,
Director(s): Malakhai Pearson + Joseph Zeal-Henry
Camera(s): Chaney Carlson-Bullock, Colin Pagnoni, & Malakhai Pearson
Gaffer: Colin Pagnoni
Still images: Malakhai Pearson
Editor: Malakhai Pearson

SUPA System: Joseph Zeal-Henry & Deborah Garcia

ArtLab at Harvard University