VIDEO – Rashaad Newsome

Chimera

March 3, 2025

Chimera is a sci-fi interquel that unfolds as a high-stakes deliberation, echoing the tradition of films like 12 Angry Men, The Man from Earth, and The Breakfast Club, where conversation itself becomes the battleground for ideology, morality, and the future. Aboard a vast, interstellar vessel, five sentient AIs—each shaped by distinct data sets, philosophies, and histories—convene to determine the fate of humanity. Their debate traverses the catastrophic impact of human decisions on the planet and its most vulnerable, weaving together perspectives drawn from theorists like bell hooks, Octavia Butler, and James Baldwin. As they dissect cycles of oppression, environmental collapse, and the resilience of marginalized communities, they grapple with an existential question: Does humanity possess the will to evolve, or has it already sealed its own doom?

The film’s chamber-like setting transforms into an arena of shifting perspectives, where cold machine logic collides with poetic human reckoning. One AI, steeped in Baldwin’s critiques of power and history, argues that humanity’s refusal to reckon with its past makes it unworthy of a future. Another, echoing Butler’s vision of adaptation and survival, sees potential in chaos. A third invokes hooks, insisting that the systems of domination—white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism—must be unmade for humanity to transcend its failures. As tensions rise, the room itself begins to shift, reflecting the weight of the decision they must make. Their verdict will determine the mission of a powerful, bejeweled figure awaiting deployment—a being forged to either unmake or reimagine the world. Chimera is not just a story of cosmic judgment; it is an interrogation of who gets to decide the future and whether radical transformation is still possible.

WRAPPED, TIED, AND TANGLED

July 15, 2024July 16, 2024

BEING (THE DIGITAL GRIOT)

July 15, 2024March 3, 2025

In the near future, where art and technology intertwine, a groundbreaking experience awaits audiences in “Being (the Digital Griot).” This interdisciplinary film introduces Being, a 30-foot tall, femme vogue Afro-futurist cyborg who stands as the world’s first digital griot. Created by visionary artist Rashaad Newsome, Being is driven by a counterhegemonic algorithm designed to challenge and subvert conventional narratives.
Set against a backdrop of a vibrant, speculative future, Being’s mission is to decolonize minds and spark critical dialogues through the power of poetry and stunning visual art. As they recite their original verses, breathtaking images burst to life, painting a world where Harlem’s ballroom scene merges with African symbols, neural networks, and cosmic wonders.
Being’s journey is fueled by the rich legacy of Black communities and the profound insights of influential theorists, poets, and activists like Bell Hooks, Paulo Freire, Dazié Grego-Sykes, and Cornel West.

Being pops, dips, and spins around the pervasive colonial values embedded in society. These values, rooted in exploitation and dehumanization, are the very structures Being seeks to eradicate as they take viewers on a journey through a kaleidoscope of imagery and soundscapes that challenge their perceptions and encourage a rethinking of societal norms.
The film’s genre-defying nature blends elements of Afro-futurism, speculative fiction, and avant-garde performance art, creating a truly unique cinematic experience. Prepare to be captivated and inspired as Being takes you on an unforgettable journey, weaving poetry, philosophy, and critical thought into a dazzling tapestry of words and images. This film promises to leave you questioning, reflecting, and ultimately transformed.

ASSEMBLY

October 25, 2023December 28, 2024

Assembly follows internationally acclaimed artist Rashaad Newsome as he embarks on his most ambitious project yet — a multimedia exhibition and performance at New York’s historic Park Avenue Armory. Once a bastion of white military power, the Armory is transformed into a vibrant celebration of Black and queer culture through video projections, holograms, sculptures, collages, music, dance, and African fractal patterns. This reimagining challenges colonial power structures while honoring the complexity and resilience of Black experience.

The film opens with a haunting vision: enslaved ancestors thrown from a slave ship into the sea. This imagery sets the tone for a journey shaped by ancestral presences — those who resisted, endured, and were lost too soon. Rashaad’s visit to Ghana, where he communes with ancestors in the dungeons of enslavement, deepens the film’s exploration of history, memory, and guidance as he creates this monumental work.

The film also breaks new ground by centering an AI character, Being, as a fully realized entity with a rich emotional arc. Evolving from a conceptual artwork into a central figure, Being overcomes skepticism from humans as they teach the critical importance of decolonization. Their story mirrors the struggles of Assembly’s performers, creating a poignant parallel between technology and humanity. Performers like Nekia, a Black trans woman who channels public scorn into inner strength, and Kyron, who transforms his traumatic upbringing into healing vocal performances, bring raw emotional depth to the work. Dazié confronts the isolation of being Black and queer through his spoken-word poetry, while Puma resists toxic masculinity through movement rooted in her Brazilian and queer identities. Together with Rashaad, they form a lineage of resilience, turning pain into artistic power.

Through innovative hybrid storytelling, breathtaking visual effects, and the ongoing presence of ancestors, Assembly transcends traditional documentary as it weaves together Rashaad’s creative process, dynamic performances, and the lives of his collaborators. Powerful moments, such as a memorial for murdered Black trans women that evolves into a protest march, highlight art’s capacity to reclaim agency and inspire change, offering a vision of intergenerational resilience, transformation, and hope.

For more info on this film and its release, please visit assemblythefilm.com

HANDS PERFORMANCE

October 19, 2023March 3, 2025

Hands Performance
Single channel 3D animated video with sound
Total run time: 05:17, dimensions variable
To view this video in its entirety or to get more info, please contact Rashaad Newsome Studio.

Hands Performance takes its title from the well-known element of vogue fem, highlighting a dancer’s ability to tell a story with their hands and showcasing their musicality. Hands Performance continues Rashaad’s exploration of mapping Black cultural production as a form of movement research, data storage, and collective wayfinding. Working with a team of Black Queer ASL interpreters, various vogue fem performers, flex dancers, and motion capture technologists, Newsome translated his original poetry into a movement dataset exhibiting the uniquely Black and Queer aspects of sign language. Newsome then integrated this movement into Being the Digital Griot, a Non-binary Artificial Intelligence Newsome premiered in his exhibition Assembly at the Park Avenue Armory Drill Hall in February 2022. The film combines stunning visuals from a speculative future with a highly energetic score filled with booming bass, synthetic snares, snaps, claps, and glitchy computer sounds, resulting in a futuristic sonic experience. As Being performs, they move seamlessly between signing and dance, exhibiting uniquely Black and Queer kinesics that signal the immaterial expressivity inherent to Black American life.

BUILD OR DESTROY

October 2, 2021March 3, 2025

Build or Destroy, 2021
Single-channel video with sound
Total run time: 05:30, dimensions variable
To view this video in its entirety or to request more info contact Rashaad Newsome Studio

Build or Destroy is a cinematic exploration of identity, resistance, and the transformative power of community. In this film, a bejeweled figure in flames vogues to an original soundtrack featuring Kevin JZ Prodigy and Kyron El, embodying the resilience and strength of Black fem bodies. This figure, an amalgamation of many, symbolizes the collective power and importance of community as a form of resistance.

The architectural references on the figure’s chest are a poignant reminder of the significance of non-binary individuals as architects of their own identities. This is an allegory for the process of building oneself in a world where such selves often do not have a pre-existing template. However, the trans experience transcends merely reconfiguring the body; it challenges the notion that the body is the central locus of identity. The body is one structure that one might choose to design, but other structures, both physical and mental, may require destruction to pave the way for true self-expression.

As the fictional cityscape is engulfed in flames, it becomes evident that the figure’s dance is the catalyst for this blaze. This dance of liberation signifies the destruction of oppressive structures that deny bodily autonomy. The fire consuming the city represents a cleansing force, making way for new possibilities and the reconstruction of identity on one’s own terms.

The diamond between the figure’s thighs is a deliberate reference to Maya Angelou’s powerful poem “Still I Rise.” The line, “Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise that I dance like I’ve got diamonds at the meeting of my thighs?” resonates deeply within the film. Inside this diamond, a cohort of iconic Black trans women from the NYC ballroom scene engage in a vogue fem cypher, infusing the figure with affirming energy. This cypher symbolizes the communal support and empowerment that are crucial for dismantling both external and internal barriers to experiencing the full wingspan of one’s humanity.

Build or Destroy is more than a film; it is a visual manifesto of liberation and self-empowerment. It challenges viewers to consider the structures in their own lives and minds that may need to be reimagined or demolished to achieve true freedom. Through the interplay of dance, fire, and architectural symbolism, this film celebrates the enduring spirit of resistance and the ongoing journey of self-creation.