Afrofuturism Julien Creuzet
(Film 3 of 4) Mythical sea creatures drift through digital oceans, statues are freed from their pedestals to dance weightlessly, and toy soldiers float through different dimensions in the fantastical worlds of artist Julien Creuzet. “That is Afrofuturism,” says the artist. “It’s the power to make the representation of mythology, of what is invisible, of what is a dream, what is a speculation. It’s about emancipation.” Devising performances alongside choreographers and musicians, crafting immersive installations of video and sculpture, and utilizing digital tools to represent our interconnected histories, Creuzet’s wide-ranging body of work envisions possible futures through the lens of Afro-diasporic cultures and traditions. This suite of four documentary films explores the artist’s unique approach to making, merging digital and physical worlds to create a powerful and multidisciplinary language of liberation.
Credits
Executive Producer: Tina Kukielski. Series Producer: Ian Forster. Director of Development: Lolita Fierro. Associate Director of Communications: Hannah DeGarmo. Associate Curator: Jurrell Lewis. Curatorial Assistant: Noor Tamari.
Production Company: Rava Films. Producers: Ava Wiland & Rafael Salazar Moreno. Managing Producer: Danielle Davis.
Director/Producer: Jonna McKone. Cinematography Paris: Hervé Glabeck. Cinematography Berlin: Ora DeKornnfeld. Cinematography Richmond: Alexis Lorraine Chinery. Sound Paris: Noël Morrow. Sound Berlin: Jaime Guijarro-Bustamante. Sound Richmond: Glen Piegari. Field Producer Paris: Veronique Bernard. Field Producer Berlin: Monica Salazar. Assistant Camera Berlin: Milan Daemgen. Assistant Camera Richmond: Colin Earner. Editor: Russell Yaffe. Colorist: Russell Yaffe. Sound Mix: Russell Yaffe. Assistant Editor: Sam Klein. Visual Effects: Hyungjin Lee. Music: Spacelute. Composers: Troy Herion & J.R. Narrows. Title Design: Alina Rancier
Artwork Courtesy: Julien Creuzet, Andrew Kreps, DOCUMENT, & Mendes Wood DM.
Special Thanks: Scarlett Chaumien, Amber Esseiva, Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), Selena Hollemaert-Awadé, Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, Mimi Luse, Makeda Monnet, Cyrielle Ndjiki, & Ana Pi.
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Julien Creuzet was born in 1986 in Blanc-Mesnil, France, and lives and works in Montreuil, France. He graduated from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Caen, the Beaux-Arts in Lyon, and the Fresnoy-Studio National des Arts Contemporains. Through sculpture, video, animation, performance, and poetry, Creuzet’s practice highlights Afro-Diasporic experiences and postcolonial relationships between peoples, cultures, and nations. The artist draws upon the symbols, histories, and foundational myths of his ancestral home, Martinique, and the wider Caribbean, creating immersive experiences that give form to ideas like emancipation, decolonization, and modernity.
Julien Creuzet in <i>IRL/url</i>
That is Afrofuturism, it’s the power to make the representation of mythology, of what is invisible, of what is a dream, what is a speculation. It’s about emancipation.
Julien Creuzet