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Refusing Refusal, a hybrid show

"Refusing Refusal is a hybrid multimedia show that explores how marginalized, intersectional, POC artists can disregard existing institutional rules to create spaces tailored to our unique identities."


We chose to showcase Episode 2, Off the Grid with some behind the scenes graphics sketched up while world-building. Watch the livestream here.


Read the Event Livestream Chat Below


OBSIDIAN Podcast​: Ayeee!


Grace Kwon: ​so excited!!


Samantha Vassor​: Yesssss!


Safiyah Cheatam​: There we go!


OBSIDIAN Podcast: ​Welcome to Off The Grid! Follow Naki and Temi on their trip through the outdoors


Adetola Abdulkadir: ​On the screen is the final cover art we settled on. You'll see some past iterations and ideas through the video


Safiyah Cheatam​: By Nadine Elsigai!


Adetola Abdulkadir​: Also that bit about her Dad is definitely inspired by my father telling me hiking outdoors was a waste of his time lol


Safiyah Cheatam​: https://www.instagram.com/rococojock/


Safiyah Cheatam​: artist who did the cover art^^


Adetola Abdulkadir​: Yes, Nadine is fantastic!


Adetola Abdulkadir: ​This is set in a future where people have razed so much of nature to "develop" that a park like the one Naki and Temi are at is very very difficult to get into


Safiyah Cheatam​: Just learned the word "razed" today, thank you


Adetola Abdulkadir: ​Haha anytime


Safiyah Cheatham: ​Original drawing by Adetola


Adetola Abdulkadir: ​Yeah that was a liil sketch of what we thought that scene would look like


Adetola Abdulkadir​: This is a sketch Safiyah put together early in the process to start figuring out what the cover art would look like


Adetola Abdulkadir​: And THIS one is from Nadine.


Adetola Abdulkadir: ​So are the next couple of concept art pieces. Nadine took our vision and began making it a real thing


Safiyah Cheatham: ​realizing it might be difficult to follow the story for the first time and also participate in the chat


Safiyah Cheatham: ​Lol, trust in the spirit of your ancestors!


Adetola Abdulkadir: ​Indeed. Ya'll can fonus on listening lol


Adetola Abdulkadir​: A great line!! lmao


Adetola Abdulkadir​: Stay strapped still cracks me up....lol


Adetola Abdulkadir​: The sound of that creature was partially inspired by a creature in the movie Annihilation


Safiyah Cheatam​: :(


Aliyah Khalifa: ​make more graphics


Aliyah Khalifa: ​like a lil picture book


Safiyah Cheatam​: hello, friend, good suggestion


Adetola Abdulkadir: ​Aliyah! Thanks for joining


Safiyah Cheatam​: well this is sorta picture book-esque


Adetola Abdulkadir: ​Yeah that would definitely be cool


Aliyah Khalifa: ​*comic


Aliyah Khalifa: ​it would be dope, and hey friends :)


Grace Kwon: ​omg the plot twist!


Adetola Abdulkadir: ​!!!!


Samantha Vassor: ​Intense


Adetola Abdulkadir​: This is a sketch of the lab they've entered...beneath the lake


Aliyah Khalifa: ​I like it


Adetola Abdulkadir: ​And this is a sketch of the conversation they're having right now


Safiyah Cheatham: ​dun dun duuuuunnnnn


Adetola Abdulkadir​: Thanks!


Safiyah Cheatham: ​You can access the script here! https://www.obsidianpodcast.com/post/off-the-grid


Samantha Vassor: ​Congratulations ya’ll


Grace Kwon​: that was amazing!


Adetola Abdulkadir: ​Hope ya'll enjoyed that! Any comments/questions about the episode?


Safiyah Cheatham: ​Thank you!!


Aliyah Khalifa​: twas gr8


Adetola Abdulkadir​: Yes thank you so much. That was recorded last year around October


Aliyah Khalifa​: music, background noises, and the ending were my fave


Grace Kwon: ​where do you guys get ur inspiration from??


Safiyah Cheatam​: Sound design by my MFA program member Adam Dronedurg


Adetola Abdulkadir​: Yes Marisha Tapera played the narrator and had a fun time switching it up from observor to an actual character in the end


Adetola Abdulkadir​: From a large number of places! Largely black writers like Octavia Butler and WEB Du Bois


Safiyah Cheatham: ​Inspirationnn, around then was the end of hiking season, we're both very concern about the future of environmentalism and our climate crisis


Adetola Abdulkadir​^^^^


Safiyah Cheatham: ​Oh! Actually there was an episode of The Truth I think I heard around that time where the consciousness of regular people could be stored digitally


Safiyah Cheatham: ​and of course Black Mirror plays in that arena often


Adetola Abdulkadir​: Thanks for listening yall! Have a great afternoon


Read more about Refusing Refusal here!


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