#thisistomorrow
#thisistomorrow, 2015, duration 21:46 min
In this video piece: #thisistomorrow (2015), especially conceived for the District of Columbia Arts Center and filmed in DC, Leenaars mines the tradition and format of the protest song – or protest poem – as an open call that brings together a range of local performers, musicians, and poets to cathartically respond with their own artistic inflections and concerns. Re-mixed as a narrative sequence rather than a series of auditions, the video acts as a form of creative reportage uncovering personal experiences, collective histories, and a form of succinct expression that is devoid of hashtags, social media, and politicized slogans. What surfaces is a cross-section of a local, creative community’s response to the abuse of power and the radicalization of ideas. The performers in the video include: Shanna Lim, Born I Music, Joseph Ross, Katy Richey, Alan King, Abby Braitwaite, Courtney Dowe, Mansoor Celestin, and E.Ethelbert Miller. Camera Paul Deuth. Sound: Mathew Jinks.