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Re/Clamation: Performing the Black Body in Afrofuturism
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Transcript of Re/Clamation: Performing the Black Body in Afrofuturism
Re/Clamation:Performing the Black
Body in Afrofuturism
Zoe JourdainJonathan PalmerChristian Keeve
Afrofuturism - Fall 2014
Ancien
t Aest
hetics
Steam
funks
Robo
-Diva
s
VOL. 1 NO. 1
On the album cover for
Wanna Funk (1982), we see a profile of Sylvester embodied as a Sphinx-
like form, recalling pan-Africanist
legacies of ancient Egyptian royal
heritages. Futuristic accessories are
accentuated by androgyny of the nail
polish, lipstick, and jewelry. Sylvester
deliberately roots himself in a glori
fied and fantastical Black historical legacy while simultaneously calling
up a futuristic post-gender façade. All
these factors blend into each other
and into his body, allowing him to
exist in a state of poly-temporality
and collapse these temporal anchors
onto his form.
Sun Ra frequently wore ancient
Egyptian inspired clothing in
public. Colorful garb with either
space or ancient themes was a
constant in his wardrobe. Even
Ra’s spaceship and his film Space is the place contained
many Egyptian themes such
as the set and many Egyptian
symbols.
Sun Ra
Sylvester
ANCIENT
On the album cover for Do Ya
(1982), we see a profile of Sylvester embodied as a Sphinx-
like form, recalling pan-Africanist
legacies of ancient Egyptian royal
heritages. Futuristic accessories are
accentuated by androgyny of the nail
polish, lipstick, and jewelry. Sylvester
deliberately roots himself in a glori-
fied and fantastical Black historical legacy while simultaneously calling
up a futuristic post-gender façade. All
these factors blend into each other
and into his body, allowing him to
exist in a state of poly-temporality
and collapse these temporal anchors
onto his form.
Bambaataa has many ties back to Africa including the name of his
group called the Universal Zulu
Nation. While his ties specifically to Egypt are few, he has per-
formed shows fully clothed in
Egyptian inspired attire, including
the head mask which was fea-
tured in his 2004 album cover art
for Dark Matter Moving At The
Speed Of Light.
Afrika Bambaataa
Sylvester
AESTHETICS
STEAMFUNKRetrofuturist subculture
blending Victorian / Post-bellum aesthetics with a Black cultural/historical
frameworks and futuristic possibilities
Critiques Utopianism of both Afrofuturism and Ste-ampunk, opening up dis-cussions on race, gender, class, queerness, ability. Embraces the messiness
that comes with it.
Black bodies reclaim 19th century cultural
narratives and form dis-tinctly Black American mythologies through engagement with the fantastic, legendary,
and technological
Resonates strongly with Black cosplay-
ers who must straddle subcultural
intersection, re-sponding directly
to Afrofuturist and Steampunk spaces
Janelle Monáe’s album cover for The Archandroid mimics that of
the poster for the 1927 German movie Metropolis. Metropolis is widely heralded as one of the first science fictions films. Both posters show technology growing out of the head of the main figure. Monáe has a city while the figure in Metropolis
has a tower. Monáe’s city is bright and sparkling possibly pointing to a bright future, which in science fiction is rarely shown stemming from a
person of color.
Erykah Badu’s album cover for New Amerykah Part II plays on the same
tropes as Janelle’s ArchAndroid. They both position themselves as the fount of their respective ecologies, centering on the head. However, Erykah’s metallic
form is contrasted by the imagery of naturalism and spirituality that surrounds her. She does away with the binary between the robotic and the biological, positioning the
android as an inheritor of, and contributor to, life.
Nicki Minaj’s performance in the music video Turn Me On is
another example of Minaj diving into the robotic form. Much of Minaj’s music has futuristic or mechanical undertones in its style, but Minaj also has an
obsession with the figure of the Barbie. In the music video, Minaj because a life-sized mechanical Barbie, one in a line of many mechanical women that are being
made in the video.
Beyoncé, in this 2007 performance of Get Me Bodied, dons a full android
suit remiscent of Maria’s robot double in Metropolis. The song itself centers around strong themes of human physicality and displays a variety of vernacular
Black dance forms, which is unusual for Beyoncé’s repertoire. Her deployment of android aesthetics in this instance adds to the discussion of what roboticism can
mena for the movement of Black bodies.
Janelle Monáe’s album cover for The Archandroid mimics that of
the poster for the 1927 German movie Metropolis. Metropolis is widely heralded as one of the first science fictions films. Both posters show technology grow-ing out of the head of the main figure. Monáe has a city while the figure in Metropolis
has a tower. Monáe’s city is bright and sparkling possibly pointing to a bright future, which in science fiction is rarely shown stemming from a
person of color.
Erykah Badu’s album cover for New Amerykah Part II plays on the same
tropes as Janelle’s ArchAndroid. They both position themselves as the fount of their respective ecologies, centering on the head. However, Erykah’s metallic
form is contrasted by the imagery of naturalism and spirituality that surrounds her. She does away with the binary between the robotic and the biological, positioning the
android as an inheritor of, and contributor to, life.
Nicki Minaj’s performance in the music video Turn Me On is
another example of Minaj diving into the robotic form. Much of Minaj’s music has futuristic or mechanical undertones in its style, but Minaj also has an
obsession with the figure of the Barbie. In the music video, Minaj because a life-sized mechanical Barbie, one in a line of many mechanical women that are being
made in the video.
Beyoncé, in this 2007 performance of Get Me Bodied, dons a full android
suit remiscent of Maria’s robot double in Metropolis. The song itself cen-ters around strong themes of human physicality and displays a variety of vernacular
Black dance forms, which is unusual for Beyoncé’s repertoire. Her deployment of android aesthetics in this instance adds to the discussion of what roboticism can
mena for the movement of Black bodies.
ROBO
DIVAS
This zine seeks to flesh out the embodiment of Afrofuturistic aesthetics, from cosplayers to cultural icons. It functions as a
physical manifestation of a field that came about largely through
Afro-digital spaces. It aims to center Black bodies in redefining
the archive and reimagining cultural narratives through the
reclamation of temporal spaces.