The Black Constellation — a creative entity comprised musically of Shabazz Palaces and THEESatisfaction, and visually by artist and director Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes — have premiered their latest short film (Sparkles)...Recollections of the Wraith as part of their larger work, Ode to Octavia. Sparkles is a gorgeous short piece of cinematography and sound, one that uses color and detail to craft a unique piece of art that defies categorization in either area. The Black Constellation explain that their work "combines the astral and the earthly; the gorgeous with the abjectly honest; the ancient with the as of yet unimagined... All the while remaining in constant communion with the Sacred."
Presented initially as a piece in a thirteen-part installation at Seattle's Frye Art Museum, Ode To Octavia is in the words of the creators, "a brief peak into a sacred clandestine ceremony and celebratory act examined through video, object, and codified sound." The series is made in tribute of celebrated science fiction writer Octavia Butler. Since we're not sure where the rest of the installation can be viewed now that the exhibit at the Frye Museum has finished, we hope the released of Sparkles is only the first of more releases to come from The Black Constellation. Watch (Sparkles)...Recollections of the Wraith below.