Dance Floors Worth Crossing , December 2024

In this work, I conceptualize Black women who DJ as creators of modern-day hush harbors—a sacred region that harmonizes the tension of Black sonic life and fosters an intimate space for collective expression and healing. Hush Harbors were spaces where enslaved people gathered off into the woods to create an environment to worship and share space together. They huddled underneath wetted quilts and rags, bent in a circle on the floor, or spoke into a vessel of water to drown out the sound.(Raboteau,2004) I use the realities of the hush harbor gathering environment as a muse to think about what stories were held by the quilts and the water.
What did the water hold ? What did the fabric attenuate to keep away from the marauders of state-sanctioned and settler colonial violence?
The immersive and interactive soundscape of Dance Floors worth Crossing uses oral history sound clips that can be heard through a structure of quilts and bowls of water that will emulate the intimate space of the hush harbor. This structure highlights how technology functions as a tool to amplify the stories of these women and the power of their work to create dance floors into diasporic spaces where colonial borders fall and new worlds are crossed into through music
What did the water hold ? What did the fabric attenuate to keep away from the marauders of state-sanctioned and settler colonial violence?
The immersive and interactive soundscape of Dance Floors worth Crossing uses oral history sound clips that can be heard through a structure of quilts and bowls of water that will emulate the intimate space of the hush harbor. This structure highlights how technology functions as a tool to amplify the stories of these women and the power of their work to create dance floors into diasporic spaces where colonial borders fall and new worlds are crossed into through music
A key part of this exhibit was my thesis, printed on large paper for communal interaction. This practice embodies Stephanie Y. Evans’ Black feminist writing, inviting participants to annotate, critique, and contribute to the text. Their was red sharpies , highlighters and sharpies for participants to collectively contribute to the storytelling as we honor the Black feminist ethos of dialogue, collaboration, shared knowledge production and most importantly as Beverly Guy Sheftall asks “What is the other question”. This text became a living document, reflecting the voices and perspectives of my community.
Central to the installation were quilts and pans, evoking the material culture of survival and resistance. Quilts, historically where used as covert communication tools, symbolize the intricate networks of care, technological advances, and symbolizing resistance in Black communities. The Quilt in this section was meant to recreate the Hush Harbor. The Pans, with their resonant echoes, speak to the labor, and resilience embedded in everyday life, transforming utilitarian objects into sacred vessels of memory and sound.
Dee (Wangero) looked at me with hatred. "You just will not understand. The point is these quilts, these quilts!"
"Well," I said, stumped. "What would you do with them7"
"Hang them," she said. As if that was the only thing you could do with quilts.
-Alice Walker - Everyday Use
Dee (Wangero) looked at me with hatred. "You just will not understand. The point is these quilts, these quilts!"
"Well," I said, stumped. "What would you do with them7"
"Hang them," she said. As if that was the only thing you could do with quilts.
-Alice Walker - Everyday Use
This last section of the exhibit was a sonic interaction space where participants listened to excerpts from the interviews through various electronic devices. Since all of the Dj’s bring historical value to this work I wanted to showcase the work on CD players to display how technology shapes and has shifted through time.
The four women I interviewed—DJ Patti Kane, Kaleena Zanders, Selek Kae, and Lauren Spalding—are experts not only in the art of DJing but also in navigating the complex intersections of identity, race, gender, and sexuality within the music industry. These women bring decades of experience to their craft, each having witnessed and contributed to the evolution of dance music, particularly within the realms of house, techno, and hip-hop. Their collective expertise spans generations of DJ culture and highlights the resilience and creativity required to thrive in an industry that has historically marginalized Black women.
I interviewed all of these women over zoom in a semi-structured style. A semi-structured interview is a qualitative research method that involves asking a set of open-ended questions, while also allowing the interviewer to ask follow-up questions based on the interviewee's responses. (McDougal, 2014). The interviews last sixty to ninety minutes. I went through three sections that I held most of the interview where I asked about their childhood connections to music, their early career work and present day experiences of discrimination , racism and sexism. Most of the interviews stayed in this format but it was primarily led by the storytelling of these women. I wanted to build rapport beyond being a student but also as a storyteller , DJ and cultural Organizer. I see this work taking shape beyond this paper, exhibit but using this work as a guide to connect more Black women to supporting each other and being in community together. Each of them supported the process to shape this work. A consent based practice of asking Kaleena , Lauren, Seke and Pattie what words I could use and my paper and sound exhibit where asked before allowing their words into this work.
The four women I interviewed—DJ Patti Kane, Kaleena Zanders, Selek Kae, and Lauren Spalding—are experts not only in the art of DJing but also in navigating the complex intersections of identity, race, gender, and sexuality within the music industry. These women bring decades of experience to their craft, each having witnessed and contributed to the evolution of dance music, particularly within the realms of house, techno, and hip-hop. Their collective expertise spans generations of DJ culture and highlights the resilience and creativity required to thrive in an industry that has historically marginalized Black women.
I interviewed all of these women over zoom in a semi-structured style. A semi-structured interview is a qualitative research method that involves asking a set of open-ended questions, while also allowing the interviewer to ask follow-up questions based on the interviewee's responses. (McDougal, 2014). The interviews last sixty to ninety minutes. I went through three sections that I held most of the interview where I asked about their childhood connections to music, their early career work and present day experiences of discrimination , racism and sexism. Most of the interviews stayed in this format but it was primarily led by the storytelling of these women. I wanted to build rapport beyond being a student but also as a storyteller , DJ and cultural Organizer. I see this work taking shape beyond this paper, exhibit but using this work as a guide to connect more Black women to supporting each other and being in community together. Each of them supported the process to shape this work. A consent based practice of asking Kaleena , Lauren, Seke and Pattie what words I could use and my paper and sound exhibit where asked before allowing their words into this work.
Harmony in Resonance: A Jazz-Fueled Journey, Inverse Festival, November 2023
In this work, I showcased a performance piece that combined a sound bath with a meditation practice. Presented in a Black Box Theatre, the experience was shaped by intentional lighting: blue for the first 30 minutes and red for the last 30 minutes. These colors symbolized the heartbreak and rage felt in response to the suppression and fleeting teachings of Black feminist writings. This project wove together the melodies of jazz, the resonant tones of sound bowls, and the powerful speeches of Black feminist movement builders, guiding participants on a journey of healing, empowerment, and transformation. For the sound bath, I mixed traditional sound healing bowls with my DJ controller to create a auditory experience that bridged ancient practices with modernity technologies. This fusion emphasized the connections between sound healing and Black Feminist Thought, both of which seek to nurture, transform, and resist. I used sound clips from Angela Davis and Audre Lorde to guide the practice by layering the resonant tones of the bowls with curated tracks and live mixing, I showcased how sound can be both a meditative tool and a form of resistance. This work carried the wisdom and emotions of Black feminist sound, creating an immersive journey that invited participants to reflect, heal, and engage with the revolutionary potential of sonic storytelling.