A Collaborative Storytelling and Printing Workshop by Avery Youngblood
Join us at G.A.S. Lagos on December 19th for Primitive Hypertext, a presentation and hands-on workshop in collaborative storytelling and printing, led by current resident, Avery Youngblood. This event will highlight Avery's residency research which has explored how obsolete technologies influence contemporary creative practices and the interplay between memory, archives, and interconnected ways of thinking.
The presentation portion of the evening will uncover Avery’s research into the history of printing and its role in communal language-making. Central to her approach is the concept of "primitive hypertext," inspired by Octavia E. Butler (1947–2006) an influential African American science fiction writer known for groundbreaking works such as the Parable series, Kindred, and the Patternist series. Her stories often explored themes of identity, hierarchy, and survival, and she was among the first Black women to gain prominence in the science fiction genre.
The concept of “primitive hypertext” implies seamless shifts across diverse references, much like navigating digital links and tabs, enabling unexpected connections and the emergence of new and sometimes surprising narratives. Together with the audience, Avery will consider how this non-linear process of narrative-making fosters innovation, deepens our understanding of the past and reimagines the ways in which stories are told.
Event Details
Date: 19th December, 2024
Time: 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: 9b, Hakeem Dickson Drive, off TF Kuboye Road, Oniru, Lagos.
This event is free however spaces are limited therefore it is essential to RSVP to secure your spot.
Call For Submissions: Primitive Hypertext Workshop
Ahead of the Primitive Hypertext workshop, Avery Youngblood invites submissions of text, photos, videos, and other materials to contribute to a deconstructed publication inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s creative process—a synthesis of memory, archives, and interconnected ideas. This distinctive method merges elements from history, science, culture, and personal experience into cohesive stories. Participants are encouraged to reflect on the past and submit up to three references that hold personal or historical significance.
In crafting your submission, consider the following guiding questions:
- What memories or moments do you keep returning to?
- How do you uncover traces of the past in personal or public archives?
- How do fragments from different sources speak to one another?
These submissions will play a key role in the upcoming workshop, serving as the foundation for a collaborative, layered Riso-printed publication, blending fragments into a collective narrative rooted in memory, collage, and invention.
Deadline: 16th December 2024
By submitting your references, you confirm that you grant G.A.S. Foundation permission to use the materials for artistic purposes, including display during the residency presentation and related promotional materials.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
AVERY YOUNGBLOOD is a video-artist and designer from Dallas, Texas. She has a background in linguistics and comparative studies in race and ethnicity from Stanford University (BA), and works alongside the moving image to explore themes of science fiction, myth, language, identity, and race. She is also a Yale School of Art MFA graduate in Graphic Design where she collaborated across disciplines of sculpture, performance, filmmaking, and design. Her work is both metaphorical, sensorial and multi-dimensional, using techniques such as layering, collage, repetition, the moving image, audio, and the body to create a visual language that reflects the decentralized and interconnected nature of her thinking.
Avery's residency is generously supported by the Yale School of Art.
