Ever wanted to play a famous musician?
Iowa Citians have that chance this weekend by channeling the late singer-songwriter Luther Vandross.
Fans, the “Luther-curious,” and everyone else are invited Gabe’s Iowa City and the Englert Theatre Saturday, Sunday and Monday to be filmed singing, lip-synching or freestyling short sections of Vandross’ songs.
Doing so makes them part of a research-and-film project from Center for Afrofuturist Studies artist-in-residence L. Franklin Gilliam, who uses both female and plural pronouns, who is in Iowa City for a residence this month.
Gilliam is an artist, educator and strategist based in New York whose creative work has included film, video art, installation and more, according to her website. Gilliam is the senior design and strategy officer at the Lambent Foundation, which provides grants that support artistic and cultural practices in Nairobi, New Orleans and New York City.
Gilliam, in an interview with the Press-Citizen, said she thought about Vandross as a performer and a cultural icon for a few years prior to their Iowa City artist-in-residency.
Vandross was an eight-time Grammy Award winner and acclaimed R&B artist whose career spanned decades until he died in 2005. The singer-songwriter and producer is known for hits like “Never Too Much” and “Here and Now” and his distinctive, beloved voice.
“In my mind, he reaches wider and I’m trying to test that out a little bit,” Gilliam said. “Are there more people (that) when they hear about him, have something to say and what is that? Do we learn anything about how we present ourselves and how we judge one another and how we see art by trying to inhabit his persona for even a few minutes or talk about it for even a few minutes?”
This particular project on Vandross isn’t due to Gilliam being a lifelong fan of the artist.
In fact, Gilliam wasn't a big fan of Vandross while he was alive. Gilliam recalled “Never Too Much” being a popular song in the 1980s, or his version of “A House is Not a Home,” things she said that most people know about the legendary R&B artist.
Gilliam thought of him as a bit of a tragic figure.
“One day, I was walking to my studio in Brooklyn, and just the algorithm dropped this Luther Vandross song into my ears, and I was walking and listening, and I was just thinking, like, ‘Who is this person?’” Gilliam said.
Gilliam had just bits and pieces of who Vandross was and wanted to investigate further.
More:Andre Wright teams with Warner Music Group to aid young Iowans in their creative dreams
Though Gilliam’s research leads them to believe this will be a film project, it is not a biopic or documentary.
As an artist not making a large feature film, it’s more interesting for Gilliam to think about how to use sound and images and explore what the building blocks of a performance, of an interpretation, are. Gilliam will use those elements to craft together a final product.
Iowa Citians have that chance this weekend by channeling the late singer-songwriter Luther Vandross.
Fans, the “Luther-curious,” and everyone else are invited Gabe’s Iowa City and the Englert Theatre Saturday, Sunday and Monday to be filmed singing, lip-synching or freestyling short sections of Vandross’ songs.
Doing so makes them part of a research-and-film project from Center for Afrofuturist Studies artist-in-residence L. Franklin Gilliam, who uses both female and plural pronouns, who is in Iowa City for a residence this month.
Gilliam is an artist, educator and strategist based in New York whose creative work has included film, video art, installation and more, according to her website. Gilliam is the senior design and strategy officer at the Lambent Foundation, which provides grants that support artistic and cultural practices in Nairobi, New Orleans and New York City.
Gilliam, in an interview with the Press-Citizen, said she thought about Vandross as a performer and a cultural icon for a few years prior to their Iowa City artist-in-residency.
Vandross was an eight-time Grammy Award winner and acclaimed R&B artist whose career spanned decades until he died in 2005. The singer-songwriter and producer is known for hits like “Never Too Much” and “Here and Now” and his distinctive, beloved voice.
“In my mind, he reaches wider and I’m trying to test that out a little bit,” Gilliam said. “Are there more people (that) when they hear about him, have something to say and what is that? Do we learn anything about how we present ourselves and how we judge one another and how we see art by trying to inhabit his persona for even a few minutes or talk about it for even a few minutes?”
This particular project on Vandross isn’t due to Gilliam being a lifelong fan of the artist.
In fact, Gilliam wasn't a big fan of Vandross while he was alive. Gilliam recalled “Never Too Much” being a popular song in the 1980s, or his version of “A House is Not a Home,” things she said that most people know about the legendary R&B artist.
Gilliam thought of him as a bit of a tragic figure.
“One day, I was walking to my studio in Brooklyn, and just the algorithm dropped this Luther Vandross song into my ears, and I was walking and listening, and I was just thinking, like, ‘Who is this person?’” Gilliam said.
Gilliam had just bits and pieces of who Vandross was and wanted to investigate further.
More:Andre Wright teams with Warner Music Group to aid young Iowans in their creative dreams
Though Gilliam’s research leads them to believe this will be a film project, it is not a biopic or documentary.
As an artist not making a large feature film, it’s more interesting for Gilliam to think about how to use sound and images and explore what the building blocks of a performance, of an interpretation, are. Gilliam will use those elements to craft together a final product.
Center for Afrofuturist Studies artist-in-residence seeks Luther Vandross performances in Iowa City for project
L. Franklin Gilliam, artist-in-residence at the Center for Afrofuturist Studies, invites people to channel Luther Vandross for their ongoing research.
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