Live-streamed performance
“Skin Tone was/is always a reactive project – relying heavily as I do on improvisation. Skin Tone is always changing; is always able to change. For a long time, it was my outlet to reflect on anti-black police violence – to respond to anti-black police violence.
This performance, this live iteration of how will we hold onto each other, is the same as what would have been presented in the gallery space on March 18th, 2020 – in a legal sense, it’s the fulfillment of the same contract. But naturally it’s also something quite different; it’s adapted from the gallery space to my home/adapted from a shared time & space to a shared time electronically mediated. Some of the words are the same (nothing was re-written per se) but the words I hadn’t written yet are undoubtedly different than they would have been.
Few predicted in November that the theme of the apocalypse would become so salient in March but here we are. I think the questions I was asking have only become more urgent – at least they have for me personally. I certainly never imagined that the refrain of the piece how will we hold on to each other would have become the central problem of many people’s lives. Although many things have changed, the future remains contested territory so let’s ask questions and think carefully about how it is to be shaped.”
Skin Tone is the solo performance practice of James Nicholas Dumile Goddard. For this performance via livestream, Skin Tone will incorporate found sound, mbira, voice, African wax print fabric, 35 mm slides, and saxophone. Skin Tone is an exploration of possible futures; is a recapitulation of hi-stories erased; is an echo of free jazz both spiritual and harsh; is black. For this performance Skin Tone will re-mix and re-contextualise the installation piece how will we hold onto each other presented in the exhibition In the No Longer Not Yet transforming the work from a spatialized to a durational piece.
You are invited to join Skin Tone after the performance for a live chat question period and conversation.
Watch here on April 1st, at 5:30 p.m.