• 3737 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL
Junkanooacome: From Fort Fredericksburg to Fort Tilden
2020
Video. Run-time: 4:42
Proposal
In Junkanooacome: From Fort Fredericksburg to Fort Tilden, artist Lyn-Kee-Chow researches prominent characters of the Jamaican jonkonnu through reinterpreted performances at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Junkanoo is a centuries-old ritual and art form based on celebrating freedom. It is a pre-abolition satirical masquerade and decolonization ceremony confronting slave masters, practiced during Christmas in parts of the Caribbean. Celebrations include parading with ornate costumes including grand hats, while others entail colorful characters engaging in miming, drumming, and dancing. Its namesake is born from the respect of the 18th century Akan warrior, Jon Konny who defended his native Prince’s Town, or what is known today as Ghana, from Dutch colonizers for over 20 years.
The artist imagines this work being projected on the wall of a building with a facade facing the beach or relevantly named location such as the Caribbean South Beach.
Biography
Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow, born in Jamaican. Lives/works in Queens, NY. Received a BFA from New World School of the Arts and an MFA from Hunter College. Her work explores performance and installation art focusing on Caribbean folklore, feminism, globalism, spirituality, and migration.