A(spora) | SEEK Raleigh | Raleighnc.gov

Artist Statement

Jazsalyn’s A(spora) reinterprets Afro Atlantic history through augmented scends of the Gullah Geechee Corridor- a region of cultural significance to West African descendants, recognized as a National Heritage area, stretching along the costal plains from North Carolina to Florida. The digital landscape of A(spora) renders microscopic imagery of Indigenous African plant species, such as indigo (indigofera tinctoria) and okra (abelmoschus caillei), to transform the corridor through collage, artificial intelligence, and 3D simulation technologies. Each visual scene considers the significance of ancestral agricultural knowledge to contemporary industrial practices. A(spora) references the root term ‘spore’ within ‘diaspora’ to embrace the regenerative capacity of various life forms, knowledge systems, and African cultural practices that flourish in new environments despite displacement. Experienced as an interactive digital installation, A(spora) invites viewers to navigate its digital landscape.

The artwork is on view on the windows of the Chavis Commmunity Center.

About the Artist

Artist Jazsalyn, photo by Khoa Nguyen

Jazsalyn is an artist and technologist working where fiction and reality collide. Through alternative and computer- based media, she extends the practice of re-indigenization as a ritual to recall ancestral intelligence.

In addition to her art practice, Jazsalyn directs BLACK BEYOND, a collective practice where antidisciplinary artists reimagine alternate realities for blackness. Through BLACK BEYOND, she has designed and curated immersive experiences at The Kitchen, NEW INC in the New Museum, and OXN Studio of the Onassis Foundation. She also hosts an experimental series titled ALTERNATE REALITIES on dublab radio. Her work has been featured in publications such as Cultured Magazine, It’s Nice That, Vogue, and The New Yorker.

Instagram: @jazsalyn

About SEEK Raleigh

SEEK Raleigh is an experimental public art program by Raleigh Arts that engages the community through public art in City of Raleigh Parks, greenways, and/or community spaces. The program provides an opportunity for artists to introduce the public to new, unusual, and thought-provoking experiences through temporary public art.

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About Raleigh Arts

Raleigh Arts, a part of the City of Raleigh’s Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department, fosters and promotes the arts in Raleigh by administering the programs of the Raleigh Arts Commission and the Public Art and Design Board and supporting the Pullen and Sertoma Arts Centers.

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