Date of Award
Fall 1-6-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Film and Media Studies
First Advisor
Kara Lynch
Second Advisor
Reiko Tahara
Academic Program Adviser
Andrew Lund
Abstract
Revolutionary Women is a five screen video installation that honors five women leaders of the Haitian Revolution that lasted from August 22, 1791- January 1, 1804. Women revolutionaries are almost non-existent in its historical documentation in spite of their important roles as fighters, military leaders, and spiritual guides. Revolutionary Women aims to fill this gap. It re-inserts these erased women into the history of the Revolution through telling the stories of Cécile Fatiman, Dédée Bazile, Marie-Jeanne Lamartinière, Victoria "Abdaraya Toya" Montou, and Sanite Bélair. The video installation takes an experimental mixed-media approach to tell their dynamic stories. The five screens feature synchronized repetitions of movements, language, present day imagery, and war imagery that simultaneously, repetitively, and rhythmically introduces a vivid form of storytelling that marries historical knowledge to dance, color, typography, and archival live action footage. Intersectionality plays a big part in the project because the stories I’m telling are cross-cultural and examine the intersections of gender, race, sexuality, and mental health. Artistically, I take a mixed-media approach by including images and words from poet Audre Lorde, activist Assata Shakur, singer Miriam Makeba, and others. The piece makes the connections between the revolutionary women of past and present. As a Haitian-American woman, I felt compelled to tell a story that embodies the multiple identities that exist within me.
Recommended Citation
Noël, Fredgy, "Revolutionary Women" (2023). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/992