“"Don't play what's there, play what's not there."”
- Miles Davis
What Does Culture Mean To You?
One of the things I love about sf|noir is its inclusivity. While sf|noir seeks to highlight the contributions of African-Americans to art and culture, it does this not by narrowing its lens but rather widening it, illuminating how these contributions are interpreted and re-interpreted by different cultures, creating a rich and complex tapestry born out of diversity but woven together into a cohesive whole.
As an Advisory Committee member of sf|noir, I am proud of its long history of eclectic and cutting edge programming and look forward to supporting its continued growth as it enters its second decade.
As a Korean-American, who grew up in a vibrant arts community on the East Coast, culture is a shared yet constantly evolving sense of community that moves and shifts as new and different voices contribute to the larger collective. A few years ago, my father, nephew, and I watched Planet B-Boy, a documentary about Battle of the Year (BOTY) that highlighted the global influence of hip hop, showcasing the rise of Korean and other Asian B-boy crews. Needless to say, the film blew us away. For my father, who immigrated to the United States almost 40 years ago, it was a snapshot of a culture that felt both familiar yet incredibly foreign. The stories and struggles of some of the young dancers resonated with his own experience but were set against a cultural backdrop that had changed dramatically over the years. For my nephew, who was nine at the time, the movie opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Seeing boys like himself dancing on the big screen inspired him to start taking dance classes and he’s been B-boying ever since. Below is a clip from a winning performance of the Korean Crew. We look forward to you joining the sf|noir community.
Sincerely,
Sandra Park, Ph.D.