Freshwater Hymns / Rituals of Becoming

Images from the field

An intimate crew in the Shenandoah Valley - so lucky to have been working with filmmaker Chani Bockwinkel for years now and artist and photojournalist Jeremy Starn as our driver and incredible PA.

I’m on a production schedule right now in Harrisonburg, Virginia shooting performances for Freshwater Hymns. I didn’t know that we’d be shooting in 12” - 16” of snow, but the icy conditions have transformed the feeling of the work in profound ways and deepened the bond between crew and performers as we work to care for each other in freezing temperatures.

A northernmost section of Black Run, semi-frozen.

It has been delightful over the past few days to work as a director and choreographer - creating supported opportunities for local performers at different stages in their careers to take creative risks.

Actor Richard Waddingham and social practice artist Jon Henry.

For younger artists, it is my hope that this experience sets a standard that they can refer to when working in the future. I want them to expect to be paid, have their creative labor valued and credited and to have their physical and psychological needs and boundaries expressed and cared for while on a shoot. Most of us who have been working in the arts for any length of time, know that this is not always the case. I believe that part of my work in the arts involves using Cazimi Studio to create working opportunities for others and to heal the culture of artist exploitation and devaluation one project at a time.

Dancer and video artist Zada Sudduth.

Whenever possible, I like for a percentage of my budget in a place where I’ve been invited to work, to go back into that local artistic community. These are just some of the talented folks I’ve been working with on this special project, re-imagining what kind of relationship can be had with the stream Black’s Run.

With dancer Lauren Clingenpeel

I believe in the power of water to remember who we are and to show us a path forward for who we can be. It is my hope that Freshwater Hymns/Rituals of Becoming can support Harrisonburg in healing its imagination of and with Black’s Run. One thing I love about this project is how central the land and water is in this story - another important ethic of Cazimi Studio. We know how the world turns out when human beings are kept at the center. When humanity no longer needs to be centered to be cared for, a world of creative possibility opens up. You can learn more about Black’s Run here:

https://www.whsv.com/video/2024/04/13/harrisonburg-anticipates-record-turnout-26th-annual-blacks-run-clean-up-day/

https://silverrunforestfarm.org/rooted

Where Black’s Run meets Cook’s Creek and the North River. I love how humble beginnings and understandings can eventually make their way out into the expanse of the Atlantic.