HEAVY DISTORTION

We were the proud recipients of the black music city Grant and for this project we decided to do an augmented reality piece celebrating sister Rosetta Tharpe.

Heavy Distortion is an augmented reality project celebrating the influence of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She is most known for a technique called heavy distortion. This piece aims to immerse the experiencer in heavy distortion.

Huge thanks to
#BlackMusicCityGrant @wxpnfm @recphilly
#sisterrosettatharpe

AR USER EXPERIENCE INSTRUCTIONS

Heavy Distortion V1

The first one is image responsive. Meaning that if you download the @Artivive app on a mobile device and show it the image marker and it will activate the Augmented reality.

Heavy Distortion V2

This one is activated by a link or QR code.

by Mz. Icar

MISED TOUR

In 2018-19 the Mz.Icar Collective was incredibly honored to collaborate with Ms. Lauryn Hill to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her iconic album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Our team was commissioned to design a collection of limited edition scarves, tees, and merchandise for the 20th-anniversary tour, and we lent our creative skills in the form of visuals for the world tour.

A few of the pieces created for the tour were on exhibit as part of @nonamegalleryphilly ‘s Hip Hop exhibition.

If you are interested in this work contact sales@mzicar.com

by Mz. Icar

SOFT SPACES + THE FITLER

The crew and are so very excited to announce that we are Artists in Residency @fitlerclub.

As part of the residency, we are exhibiting an installation and a series of photo illustrations from our new Soft Space series. Each print is a combination of traditional photography and AI. All pieces have an AR component which allows the viewers to experience the prices come to life and talk.

These prints are a signed embossed series in an edition of 10. The certificates of authenticity will be issued as an NFT

The exhibition opened June 5th and was a private shendig. If you would like learn more about the latest collection pls email sales@mzicar.com

Thank you so much @fitlerclub for the honor, much gratitude to @triciam001 and congratulations to the other participating creatives @saleemahmed @scottico12 @nicologentile @e.m.artt @kristasvalbonas @parisiendurag @idaliavasquez @elizabethbergeland @rcarterphoto @doahstudio @agathebouton @mz.icar @kriversphoto @paul_farber nazeersabree @lindseysca @johnjarbeard @crystalcuevas

ARTIST STATEMENT

This collection of work is an exploration of the power of softness, both
in a literal and figurative sense. Through a combination of photo illustrations and yarn and pom pom installation pieces, We aim to create an environment that celebrates the beauty and strength of softness, particularly as it is embodied by Black people.

In this work, We challenge conventional notions of what strength and power look like, and instead focus on the ways in which softness can be a powerful force for change. We use soft materials such as yarn and pom poms to create tactile and sensory installations that invite the viewer to engage with their surroundings and connect with their emotions.

Our photo illustrations capture stoically posed Black people in soft spaces, showing how softness and strength coexist. Through the use of natural lighting and strong poses, and soft florals we create a space that feels regal and nurturing, inviting the viewer to connect with their own emotional experiences.

Our yarn and pom pom TV installations are designed to be immersive, with soft textures and playful colors creating a whimsical and inviting atmosphere. Through these TV installations, We hope to create a space where viewers can let go of their guard and allow themselves to be vul- nerable, even if just for a moment.

Through this collection of work, We celebrate the power of softness, particularly as it is embodied by Black people. We challenge the notion of who embodies that strength and power and invite viewers to see the beauty and strength that can be found in vulnerability and emotional openness.

by Mz. Icar

BACK TO THE SOURCE

In honor of 20 years of indigenous hip hop in Uganda, @babaluku invited a group of extremely talented spoken word artists to commune with incredible local artists in Uganda. We had the chance to tag along with @toughdumplin and document the whole experience. Here’s a teaser from the documentary that we are currently editing of this incredible meeting of the minds featuring the following n. American artists.
@spokensoulto @randelladjei @northerngriots @nthdigri @eddy_daoriginalone @dwayne_morgan @wordsbeatsandlife @substantialmusic

I’m sure one day we will organize and exhibition of this experience, in the mean time we’ll edit, process and recenter. This trip was a whole paradigm shift and It’s being reflected in our work-particularly about being held, supported and in environments that are centered around what is best for its people.

by Mz. Icar

SOFT STUDIES & YAB

We were in an incredible group show called Drip! Drop! Slice! At You are Beautiful in Chicago @yabsticker it was curated by Christopher Jobson of @Colossal and includes the works of Dan Lam @sopopomo Yuko Nishikawa @yuko_nishikawa Dave Towers @t_o_w_e_r_s Brian Giniewski & Holly Jean Studios @brianginiewski @hollyjean.studios Kassandra Guzman @kuupottery Ben Houtkamp @bens.website Lalese Stamps @lollylollyceramics Adrianne Hawthorne @ponnopozz

We have been working a lot with textiles and tufting projects under the them of ‘Soft Spaces’.This exhibition showcased a few of our studies.

by Mz. Icar

MZ BK XBOX

MZ BK XBOX

Over the winter we were minding our business planting seeds and tending to our garden. This of our first spring projects.

We had the lovely opportunity to collaborate with @xbox and their celebration of the Brooklyn Nets’ 10 years in Brooklyn @seedbrklyn.

Time is so interesting. I feel like it was just yesterday when all of BK was up in arms about building that Barclay center, but at the same time had excitement about a basketball team returning to the borough. We’ve been so humbled to experience such a grand transformation.

We definitely have very, very bittersweet emotions around the Brooklyn that exists now and past Brooklyn but in the stew of life, I guess it’s all one big pot of gumbo. And the one thing that is a constant is change. We’ve changed. It’s changed. You’ve changed. No one is the same as who they were before.

For this project, we created a mural, limited edition jackets and a very limited edition run of custom prints for Xbox. It was a real pleasure to be in community and celebrate. They even got us to dust off our thread skills and we had a live embroidery set up doing patches. It was a lot of fun.

Some of you may remember that under a different iteration, we used to be on the streets of New York City almost every weekend vending, selling bizarre handmade upcycled goods and artwork before there was language and context behind what we were doing. This event took us back to the early/mid 2000s and had us thinking about our journey.

We channeled that journey into this work and the illustration created for the mural and we’re beyond thrilled to be able to mirror that back to BK.

Much gratitude to @palettegrp for including us in this celebration

by Mz. Icar

POSSIBLY CONNECTED

In January we took a trip out to Cincinnati and chatted with folks around NFTs and web3

It was a really neat conversation and one that we see as an ongoing conversation, we were on a panel moderated by Jeni Barton @mega_ultra_10_thousand for @artswave with artist, NFT collector, educator and collector @annieaburke and Jordan Tate Jordan Tate
Associate Director, School of Art at University of Cincinnati.

This particular panel was unique as at the end the participants were able to successfully obtain a digital wallet and collect their very first NFT by yours truly

We, along with the rest of the planet are still very much so working our way through the possibilities of Web3.0. Here are some brief thoughts on things

The piece shown is called: Possibly Connected
This piece is part of our Computer Cousin Series. We used artificial intelligence to compose this portrait. It was created by inputting a series of complicated prompts to specify style content, light color, and composition. All of these prompts had to account for and work around biases that are evident in the algorithms for the AI generator. This piece is an example of using technology as an assist for creating work. It also brings up many ideas around authenticity, reality, perception possibility, and authorship.

NFTs

Well, let’s start with crypto. It’s not exactly a day-to-day use currency. The whole exchange requires way too much, The design is not simple/accessible enough for day-to-day exchanges. Perhaps it could be in the future, but it’s mostly techy people telling you how easy it is. Well, people who aren’t so techy feel quite alienated. Now let’s get into NFTs as those are backed by cryptocurrency, We have loved the idea of NFTs being a great way of exchange and storytelling. They appear to be way better platforms than social media as they just crowdsource content for very little or free 99. We currently use NFTs as certificates of authenticity for our artworks and plan on releasing a short episodic series of NFTs later this year.

AI

The collective is straight split on artificial intelligence. Some of the members love the possibilities and the ease that it provides, particularly for administrative things, and generating pieces for collage work. other members feel that it is taking over the place that artist occupies. Oftentimes artists, creatives, women, and people of color have not been on the beneficial side of copyright laws, accessibility, and usage and we see this perhaps as being a space that could potentially balance that a bit. We love that our team is split in the center of this and we look forward to seeing how this balances out.

AR

well, if you’re going to be on your phone while in real-life might as well integrate technology into real life. So yeah, we’ll keep playing in the augmented reality space, especially in our murals.

All of these thoughts are subject to change. They’re just reminders to use these things as tools and to mindfully approach all of them.

by Mz. Icar

WHEN IN GERMANY

We were invited to Flöha, Saxony, Germany along with a bunch of other incredible artists to transform this closed paper factory into a playground of creativity for this year’s @ibug.art festival

The process:
When we asked about assigned spaces we were told by the organizers to let the wall speak to us. I’m not going to lie. It’s really stressful to create work on the spot. It’s a great exercise but it’s rough. Our installation piece ‘PRODUCTIVE HUMAN BEING’ was created on the spot and in response to what we learned about the paper, factory and materials that were found in the building.

The context:
There is a lot of intersectionality btwn the fall of industrialism in US cities and the story of this paper factory. Folks put a lot of value and identity in occupation and seem to start blaming anyone they think they can when stuff falls apart.

This area is seeing a rise in right wing support because just like a lot of the center states folks feel forgotten, work isn’t what it use to be and pivoting is harder than blaming marginalized people and honestly it’s hard to find grounding when bellies are grumbling.

The work:
So it got us thinking… If value is subtracted from productivity, perhaps most of this wouldn’t be so much of an issue. This installation piece tackles the concept of unhinging the correlation between what we make, who we are and where we sit in society. We painted a mantra of ‘value does not equal productivity’ and ‘productivity does not equal value’ on rolls of paper that we found in the factory. We then assembled these pieces on the wall to create a sculpture falling out of a hand coming out of the building. This was done as a reminder that there is more to life than work and what we make though it is important to make. It’s important to also understand what and who we’re making for.

The Protectors.
Of course we had to bring our people with us. This is an iteration of our piece called the ‘Protectors’. There are a couple figures in the collage that are images from the US archives of people who were sharecroppers and/or former enslaved people. We incorporate these figures into this collage because it’s important for them to be dignified and there’s something incredibly satisfying about bringing them all over the world to see what we see. I’m glad we brought them. As much as we enjoyed ourselves, being ‘othered’ is exhausting.

Speaking of dignity, taking responsibility…and all things that come with making amends, here is an observation. It’s seems way easier to be apologetic when you don’t have to live/deal with/see the folks you are apologizing too. It’s like apologizing to relics.

This is all intersectional.

The lesson: the people who have been the victims of the atrocities are the ones who determine if amends have been made/proper reconsolidation have been put into place. It is never determined by those that have inflicted the atrocities. They were never qualified to do that, thus the atrocious acts.

by Mz. Icar

NEW GROWTH

50’W x 15’H mural

We were invited to Edmond OK to create this piece for Sunny Dayz mural festival. We decided to focus on New Growth. The term new growth is often associated with chemically-altered textured hair and transitioning hair, new growth is often easily detected. It appears thicker, with greater texture–when relaxed hair begins growing out, and/or is seen as the person’s natural hair color–if hair has been color-treated.

We used this analogy when creating this piece. The concept of growth is organic, expressive and sometimes scary. This piece is a celebration of transitions and the support that it takes to grow.

It’s a reminder that growth is wide, larger than us, and requires healthy roots.

by Mz. Icar

INVISIBLE MAN

60’W x 15’H mural

Invisible Man was commissioned for Oklahoma City’s Plaza Wallz Festival. It honors the legacy of the author Ralph Ellison and his book Invisible Man. The mural has an augmented reality component and is animated upon activation.

Location: 1708 N Indiana Ave, Oklahoma City OK

by Mz. Icar