Legacy: They Speak in Dreams, which opens on Saturday May 4th at the Here Here Gallery in Cleveland, is a living multimedia installation that includes a series of narratives, and an opening performance of live music and dance. Put together by junior Tai Collins, Legacy embodies a space that surrounds and utilizes the audience in narratives about Collins’ history, vision and dreams. She employs the essences of Southern-African-American aesthetics and Afro-Cuban folklore to create a cabaret-style concert. The multimedia installation incorporates everything from space-conscious art and audiovisual media to a live performance enacted by a small cast of artists, musicians and dancers.
A member of the Dance Diaspora Company, directed by distinguished artist Adenike Sharpley, Tai Collins is also the lead singer in the West African/Afro-Caribbean music group Ilu Aiye. Legacy is an account of Collins’ life and familial legacy. “My story begins with the limited background of where I came from. I am from New Orleans, which captures the essence of the African Diaspora, a dispersal of peoples from the Old to the New. I have attempted to further my knowledge of my ancestors through a small genealogy,” Collins said. Legacy is thus created from Collin’s wish to honor her diverse African, Caribbean and Native American heritage.
Collins’ admits that although Legacy was a tremendous task to undertake, she sees it as a powerful and necessary movement towards community building. In realizing the vision of Legacy, students from two different communities — the American Indian Council and the Black Student Union (ABUSUA) — were brought together through discourse about their separate but analogous histories. With the birth of Legacy, members of the AIC and ABUSUA initiated a dialogue about the role and significance of “memory, heritage and cultural awareness through art forms.”
In addition, Collins along with Musical Director Matthew Hill directed a West African Percussion and Dance Workshop with students at the Lorain Admiral King High School during the month of February. From this sprouted the Lorain Admiral King High School Percussion Ensemble.
The goal of creating Legacy: They Speak in Dreams, was an attempt by Collins and supporting members, to bridge various gaps within Oberlin and its surroundings. Having the show at the Here Here Gallery is not only a phenomenal task for Collins as a student, but it also opens the doors for more underrepresented or misrepresented artists to utilize the space.
Legacy will be in a installation at the Here Here Gallery in Cleveland from May 4th to May 13th. However, the live performance (which only happens on May 4th) is worth the trip to Cleveland. There will be free transportation available to the performance. Interested students should inquire at Wilder desk.