Steffani Jemison

In this video, Steffani Jemison explores the relationships between bodies, architecture, and structures. The camera captures two performers, who improvise movements amidst the scaffolding of a sculpture placed against a blue backdrop. With their eyes closed, they traverse the structure, always staying in contact with the metal bars. They have to maintain confidence in their bodies to find their balance and continue moving without ever falling. The soundtrack overlays the sound of bodies rattling against metal with musical samples. The lyrics of the song "Bridge Over Troubled Water," sung by Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, CeCe Winans, the Swan Silvertones, and other performers, mix with spirituals — those old slave songs that are the origin of Gospel music. The verse "I'll be a bridge" echoes the position of the performers' bodies, which form an arch in the middle of the architectural grid. Beyond the play and manipulation of forms, the performance traces elusive geographies: ways of occupying space that escape colonial and capitalist norms, sideward perspectives where bodies plot possible forms of resistance and a reinvention of shared space.