Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art? It doesn't matter. The bottom line is that art depicts our lives and beliefs. Our realities are then made richer through shiny, color-corrected pixels, the pixels influence life, and the Möbius strip never ends. That’s particularly dangerous right now, as we’re living in a time when American history (especially Black and Queer history) is quietly getting scrubbed from official sites and erased off calendars. If we don’t stay alert, we will see our histories torn to pieces.
Reel Folklore is a Media Heritage Lab exploring Black and Queer life as preserved in film media and music. The Lab also experiments with intentionally using media to proactively conserve our heritage and help us dream + build up new, more inclusive realities.
Art and media have been used to sway the masses for thousands of years. In a world where a Cheeto and his puffs are…ruining everything for everyone, it is crucial that we also engage in media as a way to save the landscapes and histories that teach us what not to repeat and fill us with the pride and bravery to see this ish out. Today may not last forever, but today will live forever in our hearts - and our screens.
