In Octavia Butler’s groundbreaking 1993 science fiction novel “Parable of the Sower,” the story begins with a diary entry from protagonist Lauren Olamina dated Saturday, July 20, 2024. To honor this significant date and pay tribute to the novel’s enduring legacy, we are proud to present “BLAQUE ORBIT,” a six-hour film marathon featuring shorts, feature-length films, and video art centered around the themes of Black science fiction and Afrofuturism. This date also coincides with International Moon Day.
The program includes works by John Akomfrah, Jean-Pierre Bekolo, S. Torriano Berry, Wangechi Mutu, Jabu Nadia Newman, Michelle Parkerson, Tabita Rezaire, Cauleen Smith, Standing on the Corner Art Ensemble, and Martine Syms; with performances by Black NASA and BAE BAE.
“BLAQUE ORBIT” welcomes viewers to observe and imagine what Blackness may look like in the future or in alternate realities; to dream of Black livelihood without constraints or confinements, where the possibilities for Black people are endless; or to consider how Black and brown oppression of the past and present may impact our futures. Each of the works featured in the program creates a world that looks both like and unlike our own. They transcend the normal circumstances of Black people by presenting parables, allegories, and prophecies through a celestial, fantastical, and Black cultural lens. “BLAQUE ORBIT” is an invitation to reimagine and rethink Black existence and its greater significance in the cosmos.
“BLAQUE ORBIT”
Curated by Camm Harrison (@slammdunx)
Saturday, July 20, 2024, 3–9PM, Doors open at 2:45; Screening begins at 3 PM
LACE Screening Room at the Philosophical Research Society
The LACE Screening Room is a moving image series organized by LACE and curated by guest curators at Philosophical Research Society while LACE’s home on Hollywood Boulevard is under renovation. Support for the LACE Screening Room is provided by the Pasadena Art Alliance.
