Common Discourse is a project designed to help others (and ourselves) think through creativity, focus, and intentional work—from Alex Tan & Alice Otieno.
Every Tuesday we share words from a few ideas, a quote from somebody else, and links worth sharing. On Fridays we invite a guest to share images from their camera roll and a sound that resonates with them. Words from the Journal come on the first of each month.
Neema Githere is a New York/Nairobi based artist and theorist whose work explores the topics of love and indigeneity within the digital landscape.
Central to their practice, is a term they coined in 2017 of Afropresentism—which involves the fusing of archival and documentary work within fine arts, as an aid in connecting one to their ancestral roots.
While going through Neema’s work, I came across this quote from a conversation with artist Ethel Tawe via Bomb magazine. It really struck a chord with me, and made me rethink about the alternate ways we can approach and relate to time:
“I’m thinking about the seasons as a metric of measuring time, about spending time with my grandmother and seeing her live based off the harvest, based off connections with her community—the time it takes to have a conversation, the time it takes to finish a mug of tea.
[…]
The evolution of Afropresentism for me is about transcending time. That’s where the parallel comes in with African Ancient Futures. I always say that the present is the future in motion. The present is where all the time is layered upon itself in every moment. We carry ancient legacies and future aspirations in our bodies in the here and now.”
Here’s what they shared with us this week.
—Alice
Sights —
“You gravitate to that which you secretly love most You meet in life the exact reproduction of your own thoughts There is no chance, coincidence or accident In a world ruled by law and divine order You rise as high as your dominant aspiration You descend to the level of your lowest concept of your self Free your mind and your ass will follow.” — Funkadelic
Sounds —
Thanks for consuming!
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