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Repatterning and Practice: Incantations for the Apocalypse

Teachers
Amina Ross, Hiba Ali
Guests
Cy X
Date
Section 1: September 15, 2024 to November 17, 2024
Section 2: September 21, 2024 to November 23, 2024

(10 classes)
Time
Section 1: Sundays, 7-10pm ET Section 2: Saturdays, 1-3pm ET
Location
Online (Zoom)
Cost
$1200 Scholarships available learn more...
Deadline
Applications closed on August 4, 2024

Apply Now

Description

Being alive in the ongoing apocalypse demands that we create protective amulets and daily practices that fortify our spirits and connect us to our lineages. What are our repositories of ancestral songs? How do we respond to the carceral extractive gaze wielded daily against our bodies, spirits and communities? In this class, we will create our own digital protective amulets aided by Blender and pair these objects with their own sonic incantations crafted through song writing and mixing on Bandlab. The objects and sounds we create will come together in a collective portal space using the virtual world building platform New Art City showcased at an in-person event at Hex House, a contemporary art space in NYC. We will create our own archives of ritual beyond the colonial repository and build an emboldened protective mystical practice. BIPOC applicants will be prioritized for this class. This is a beginner-friendly class; no previous experience with Blender, 3D modeling, animation, Bandlab, or music production is necessary.

Course of Study

  • Exploring the role of amulets and learn about the ways digital technologies can aid in connecting us to our ancestral practices
  • Exploring amulets as 3D sculpture, animism, and objects
  • Fundamentals of 3D modeling, animation, and music production using Blender and Bandlab
  • Creating digital astrolabes as a wayfinding somatic instrument
  • Animating 3D objects through sound
  • Remixing, resampling, and editing digital objects as gifts to each other

Expectations

Time & Workload
  • Students should expect to spend approximately 2-3 hours per week on readings or assignments outside of class. This may vary depending on individual learning styles and project engagement.
  • The culmination of this class will involve the creation of digital protective amulets using Blender, paired with sonic incantations crafted through songwriting and mixing on Bandlab. These creations will be showcased in a collective portal space using the virtual world-building platform New Art City, as well as at an in-person event.
Learning Outcomes

By taking this class you can expect to gain the following:

  • Meaningful relationships with spiritually engaged BIPOC technologists and artists, showing up with curiosity in the class content and participants is deeply valued in the space we are creating.
  • Develop an understanding of the significance of protective rituals and practices in response to the white-supremacist-settler-colonial oppression.
  • Acquire skills in digital artistry, including 3D modeling, animation, and music production.
  • Explore and honor our respective ancestral lineages through the creation of digital amulets and sonic incantations.
  • Engage critically with the intersections of technology, spirituality, and community building.
  • Collaborate with peers to build a collective portal space that reflects their shared experiences and aspirations.

Is this class for me?

This class may be for you if you:

  • Identify as Black, Indigenous or as a person of color and seek a supportive and empowering learning environment.
  • Are committed to anti-oppressive practices including: challenging anti-Black racism, zionism, ableism, elitism, colorism, and all other modes of oppression rooted in settler colonial violence.
  • Are interested in exploring the intersection of technology, spirituality, and ancestral wisdom.
  • Have minimal experience with 3D modeling and want to learn digital artistry skills such as 3D modeling, animation, and music production.
  • Are excited about creating digital protective amulets and sonic incantations to fortify spirits and build community.
  • Are eager to connect theoretical knowledge with practical application through collaborative projects.

This class may NOT be for you if:

  • Are not interested in community building.
  • Prefer traditional lecture-style classes with minimal hands-on creative activities.
  • Don’t want to learn 3D modeling or sound making applications.
  • Are not willing to troubleshoot in order to overcome technological hurdles.

Meet the Teachers & Guests

teacher

Amina Ross

Amina Ross is an artist whose practice scrutinizes the subtle workings of systems of power and their influence on sense perception and behavior. Ross' creative output spans video, sound, sculpture and installation, emphasizing nonlinear storytelling, free association and plural meaning. Recent exhibition venues include MoMA PS1, Someday gallery, the Hessel Museum of Art and the Tang Teaching Museum. Ross is a recent Macdowell Fellow and was a featured artist at the 68th annual Flaherty Film Seminar: Queer World Mending. They hold a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Yale School of Art, where they received the Fannie B. Pardee Prize in sculpture. Ross lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

they/them · website · instagram

teacher

Hiba Ali

Hiba Ali is an Afrasian worldbuilder and digital somatics practitioner and shares their digital art in the form of immersive digital environments, sculpture-based installations, moving images, garments, and sound. They developed the term, digital somatics, to embody the body-mind-spirit connection to the principles of game design and narrative storytelling. They use virtual reality, 3D animation and augmented reality to slow down time and create portals of solace and care and consider the digital portal as a liminal space where they call forth more loving and healing into our world.

they · website · instagram

guest

Cy X

CY X is an erotic writer, performance artist, and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. They work to uncover the way that the erotic and space co-construct each other and utilize a perverted design philosophy that exposes structures of power while also identifying new opportunities for being a body amongst other human and other-than-human bodies in this world. They are grounded in: queer mysticism, BDSM, sex magic, queer theory, design thinking, embodied research, and more-than-human collaboration.

they/we · website · instagram

How do I apply?

Apply Now

Applications open until Applications closed on August 4, 2024.

You can expect to hear back from us about the status of your application on . Please email us at admissions@sfpc.study with any questions you have.

How much does it cost to attend?

For 10 classes, it costs $1200 + processing fees, for a one-time payment. We also offer payment plans. Participants can schedule weekly or monthly payments of the same amount. First and last payments must be made before the start and end of class. *Processing fees apply for each payment.

SFPC processes all payments via Withfriends and Stripe. Please email admissions@sfpc.study if these payment options don't work for you.

Applicant FAQ

For more information about what we look for in applicants, scholarships, and other frequently asked questions, please visit our applicant FAQ.

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