Afrofuturist Writer Transfers Work into Film: Interview with Jason Harris about "MotherShip: Mo
Writer, and now film maker, Jason Harris talks Afrofuturism, African diaspora, music and more
What does Billie Holiday, Tupac, Spaceships, and Baltimore all have in common? Don't know for sure? We have an answer: Jason Harris.
This month we had the pleasure of talking with Afrofuturist writer Jason Harris, author of the anticipated novel Fly, Girl. In 2012, he published the speculative anthology titled Redlines: Baltimore 2028. His engaging work reflects his dedication and commitment to collaborations and fostering lasting partnerships within his community. Jason Harris continues to support arts education focused on the diaspora. With this in mind, his work is centered on the diaspora and is especially attentive to the impact of flight or travel as well as Black womanhood. We talked to Jason Harris about his recent short film "MotherShip:MotherVerse," which, we are happy to say can be found on our videos section of the archive, about some of these very topics, and much more. Not only did he tells us about the reasoning and influence of flight and the role of Black womanhood in this new short film, Jason Harris was happy to drop some knowledge and share some music with us! What more could we ask for? You tell us! Read our interview here:
1. What was the inspiration for the creation of “MotherShip: MotherVerse”?
"MotherShip:MotherVerse" was conceived as part of a public Afrofuturism exhibit entitled "The MotherShip Connection." Poet, Community Builder and Afrofuturist Olu Butterfly conceived this idea and asked me to be one of her collaborators. This was an opportunity for us to mount an exhibit at Artscape, which is the largest outdoor public art festival in the U.S. The Mothership Connection allowed us to connect the work of some of the amazing artists here in Baltimore with the community. The title of the show is obviously a reference to the famous Parliament tune as well as their now enshrined stage prop. Olu however had a different concept of what a Mothership could be - she was interested in portraying the Mothership as a more organic structure, something earthy yet capable of travel. This involved us building an actual ship. Inside the ship, we decided to have a screen that depicted travel, gave a brief primer of Afrofuturism and then told a story. So I took on those tasks. I cobbled together a primer, which was okeydoke at best, but then I really got hooked on creating a short that extended Olu's original vision. Toni Morrison has a quote that says "Black Woman is both ship and safe harbor."
That quote has always resonated with me, and in the context of thinking about the idea of a "Mothership," I found it odd that Motherships as they are portrayed in popular culture are always under the control of men. Be it George Clinton or the males in The Close Encounters of the Third Kind, or even NOI Theory. Motherships always function in service of men. That contradicts the energy of Morrison's quote. Thus, I saw this as an opportunity to create an image of a Mothership that is first and foremost women-centered and in doing so I visually approached the idea from a literal and figurative context.
Obvious visual inspiration was drawn from Julie Dash's "Daughter's of the Dust." I had the opportunity to interview her this spring, so that film was heavy on my mind, in particular Arthur Jafa's camera work. Terence Nance and Shawn Peter's directorial and camera work on Nance's film "Swimming in Her Skin Again" as well as their work on Cody Chestnut's "Til I Met Thee" video served as visual models for what I want to work towards. I've functioned as an archivist in my community, filming community events and such, but this was my first time using film\video where I was telling a fictional story.
2. How do you see your film taking up or engaging with conversations of Afrofuturism or the (Black) Speculative arts?
I believe it is important to note that in Afrofuturist creative production, the best work embraces the whole diaspora. Popular speculative tropes box in the future by only associating it with space travel or material technological advances , which I look at as the expression of capitalism through the unchecked space bound expansion of humanity (Colonialism redux). Cultural technology, or the materials, processes or skills that are utilized to propagate information necessary to maintaining or transforming the characteristics of a group's existence are at the center of my work as an Afrofuturist. In this context, writing, African dance, Capoeira, Samba, urban farming, and filmmaking are some of the vehicles that I can utilize to within the framework of Afrofuturism. In practicing and propagating culture via these different tools, I am laying the groundwork for them to be carried forward by subsequent practitioners and I am manifesting a Black Future for these different modalities. Afrofuturism facilitates creative endeavors that result in necessary art but it more important to me is that it provides guidance for culture and community building. I feel like it is the evolution of the Black Arts Movement. The erasure of the Black Arts Movement in Black academia, let alone in popular culture begat Afrofuturism in the same way various forces in New York begat Hip-Hop. Specifically in this film, African music, dance and ritual are cultural tools in use. M:M is an Afrofuturist myth set in the future.- A space opera meets community theater meets diasporic ritual that is told/rendered at twitter speed and filmed on a paypal budget.
3. In this film, voice and music seem to blend and merge into each other creating sort of this higher-level (and intentional) means of communication. Can you talk about your thinking or your reasoning for using multiple voices at one point in the film versus one voice at another point? And, what role does music play here in terms voice?
Baltimore is the CENTER of the poetry world, literally. This year, teams from Baltimore won the national slam championship, both Youth and Adult. This year's national slam champion is Kenneth Morrison Wernsdorfer from Baltimore. Additionally, we have the Arena Players, Kwame Kwei-Amahat the Center Stage theater, and Wombwork Productions, and more that are here doing great work, so the practice and tradition of spoken words and theater arts is major in Baltimore City.
That said, the interweaving of voices is a device that is commonly used here by spoken word and theater artists. I get to hear this tool used frequently in our community, and it presents information in a manner that--for my ear--functions as a communal call and response and is much more effective than a monologue. I wanted to present the information/dialogue of the film in a manner that linked with the music but also functioned to show the diversity of the concept; the voices are intergenerational, they are their own person, but they are bound to this idea as a collective. We hear the Mothers individually and they establish identities through the roll call of Goddesses. Another thing to clarify is that the idea of Mother as it applies to the Women shown in the film is presented in a non-linear manner, so we have an elder and we have a toddler and a preteen to represent the entire spectrum of Mother (ancestors, mothers, future mothers, grandmothers). We see them individually as they all experience flight in their own way, but the memory and the transmission of the myth is communal because that is what gives a myth (or news or history or language) it's power. The fact/idea takes hold only if there is a group that carries it forward and propagates it.
As far as the music as voice, I wanted a piece that would serve as a proper backdrop for narration; something that could convey a sense of wonder, that could build energy, and "Journey for Three Blue Stones," by Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble doesall of that in serving as the background music during the Mothership ritual.
Nicole Mitchell is a Chicago based musician, composer, bandleader, professor and Afrofuturist. Several years ago, Baba Kalamu va Salaamposted a link to Mitchell's Octavia Butler-inspired symphony, "Xenogenesis Suite" (here's a look at her upcoming performance events). That composition blew my mind and had me geeking out that someone was paying attention to something other than Butler's Kindred. I think that this book gets too much attention when compared to her other work). In M:M , “Journey for Three Blue Stones” has two components that stand out and work in conjunction with the visuals. The bass gives us the sonic interpretation of travel, and Mitchell's flute functions as the Mommas in transit.
4. On that note, what was your process for choosing the songs in the film? Can we get a playlist? :)
The radio montage consists of these tracks:
"What's Going On"- Marvin Gaye
"I'll Always Love My Momma"- The Intruders
"Dear Mama"- Tupac
"Bohemian Rhapsody"- Queen
"The Mothership Connection"- Parliament Funkadelic
"God Bless the Child"- Bille Holiday
The rationale behind the montage was to establish women as the center in a celebratory manner. I didn't want to visually mansplain (LOL) about Motherships. The idea is to connect the viewer with Mother in all her iterations and initially we are hearing “Mother” as found in popular music. The plaintive wail of Freddie Mercury, the schoolboy harmonies of The Intruders, the slick monologue of the Mothership Connection, the epistolary verses from 'Pac capped off by Billie telling us about what Momma did....they all serve to set the tone for the journey.
The intro credits song is "Mupepe"by Zap Mama. Zap Mama has ALWAYS been ahead of the curve in producing Afrofuturist work, and I think of this song as African/Black Womanist Space Pop. So it serves to set location: the Mommas are taking us to space or returning, depending on how one interprets the film.
The circle of Mothers sings "Ancestor's Breath" by Sweet Honey In the Rock.
Here in Baltimore, I am blessed to be surrounded by an incredible community of Women; to speak about this song specifically, the community theater group I referred to earlier, Wombworks Productions, that has been working in Baltimore for over 30 years. Wombworks is the type of institution where parents who performed as children in their productions bring their children to learn from Mama Kay Lawal-Muhammed and Mama Rashida Forman-Bey. There was a Bembe to honor Mama Rashida and another outstanding elder, Baba Ademola Ekonluna last year. During the bembe, a group of elder women performed this song pretty much like its depicted in the film, except Mama Rashida was in the center. I was there filming the Bembe and I was captivated by the song/ritual. I felt like if someone came out and sang something this powerful for me, I would be able to literally do anything. So in M:M, song and dance, that long stigmatized combination, is actually the fuel for the Motherships to fly, and I thought, what better way to fuel up for a trip than to Sweet Honey In the Rock?
Finally, the credits feature "Something 4 Da Honeyz (remix)" by Montel Jordan. Funk is inseparable from Afrofuturism for me, and the loopy keyboard bass in this instrumental sounds like what I imagine some of the Mommas boogeying to after they land. And I was feeling mannish after finishing the film, LOL.
5. There is also the distinctive theme of travel in the short film. Can you talk to us about travel and why the idea of travel holds such a prominent place here?
I am working on my first novel, which is about a young Black woman who has wings, so flight/travel is a big part of my work right now. This of course goes back to “Daughters of the Dust” as well as Toni Cade Bambara's The Salt Eaters, which which both reference Africans flying home. In the context of living in a racially stratified and oppressive society, flight/travel is powerful because it is a great visual representation of freedom.
In relation to other speculative/fantasy themes, I look at flight/travel as a choice or privilege that does not have to come at the expense of another individual. To frame it as a “geek,” when there are social media polls about "What is your super power?" or which superpower you prefer? flight (or teleportation) generally wins. M:M allows me to propagate the idea that through a communal effort, individuals all can achieve a certain successful outcome; in the film, the Mothers fly because they “sang and danced until we kicked up our own stardust.” Here again is the work that matters to me as an Afrofuturist- tying this idea to other work and myths in the African tradition to bring them into the future (Sankofa).
6. What is your intention with “MotherShip: MotherVerse”? In other words, what would you like your audience to take away from this film?
M:M is about to transcending one's circumstances or place. M:M is about the power of myth in service of community. On social media, #BlackGirlMagic memes are everywhere, and it functions in a way as self care for Black Women in response to the endless vitriol and negative imagery that we see online and elsewhere. Usually it is Women that create and propagate the #BGM memes but in this case, M:M is visual nod to and from Black Men without the use of mudcloth bikinis or strategically placed hibiscus. Just straight up #BlackGirlMagic.
7. For the individuals who have yet to see your film, what would you like to say to those viewers?
First thing I would say is “Make Black Film” like Spike says.We need more GOOD Black art- art that takes chances. Secondly, I would say, tell a friend about M:M and newfuturism.com. And finally...we are responsible for our history AND our myths.
8. Where else can we find Jason Harris or Redlines projects?
Most of my work can be found on my website, newfuturism.com, and I also have a vimeo channelthat has some of my community archivist work.
My first book, Redlines: Baltimore 2028,is being rereleased as a second edition with a teacher's guide this month (November). It can be found on Amazon, but also in Black Book stores nationally. My novel, Fly, Girl,will be out in time for the holidays as well through the same outlets.
I have a separate podcast project called "Black Books Live" which can be found through iTunes or through Pod-O-Matic. There is a dearth of audio book material for classic Black literature, so this is my attempt to fill a void. Currently, there are four episodes up that I created a couple of year ago: James Baldwin, Toni Cade Bambara, Arthur Flowers and J. California Cooper. I have several new episodes that will be going up in the next few months, but I have to upgrade my hosting in order to facilitate that...as it stands now, the podcast is getting enough traffic that its going over its bandwidth limit every month. So buy some books so I can post new episodes LOL!!!
9. Is there anything else you would like to add to this interview?
I'm honored to be featured here, and I am thankful to BSADA for featuring M:M, and I look forward to seeing other artist's work that BSADA features. I am excited about my work because I feel like its part of a continuum of work that Black Artists are creating, with the hope that it leads to a better and brighter day for our people. Onward and upward!
Thank you again for agreeing to sit down for an interview with the Black Speculative Arts Digital Archive. It is truly our pleasure to be working with you.
-BSADA
