live unchained


kathryn buford the chief visionary officer, creative director and editress of live unchained speaks with i.t.a.


firstly as i welcome you here to powder i’d like to say that we are pleased to be speaking with a woman such as yourself, who has achieved so much through your work with live unchained and achieved it in such an innovative, stimulating and ultimately empowering way.

some of our readers may not be familiar with live unchained could you please give them a rundown on the work you carry out?

We’re an arts media and events organization that features works by and showcasing women across the African diaspora. Live Unchained media includes our online magazine, where we’ve interviewed over 100 women artists from over 16 countries. Live Unchained events include art festivals, exhibits, concerts, film screenings, lectures and workshops. We also sponsor events relevant to diasporan communities. We recently joined MTV, ARC Magazine and many other brands as an International Reggae Poster Contest media sponsor and previously hosted the sold-out film screening of Middle of Nowhere, the groundbreaking film by the first African-American woman to win Best Director at Sundance Film Festival.

how did live unchained come to be established; what were your initial aims and how long has your organisation been operating?

My friend Miriam and I launched the website in 2009. But, I had the idea for a while before then. Initially, it was just going to be a newsletter and then an anthology that would satirize the mis-representation and under-representation of black women in dominant media outlets. Since then, the vision change to celebrate art by and featuring black women we truly appreciate.

live unchained is a project that seeks to encourage, empower and share the artistic talents of the women of the african diaspora. how do you carry out the logistics of these exhibitions and transactions and what aspect of the program do you believe most empowers these women?

Our team really steps up when it comes to events. I’ll have an idea for an event or campaign and then I’ll brainstorm with my team about how to make it happen given our available time and budget. The thing is, we’re entirely volunteer based, so, I put in a lot of sweat equity to get sponsors to support events, like our Anniversary Celebration.

I think the most empowering thing is getting to participate in that communal environment when we have an event. The art world can seem a bit pretentious and stuffy, but that’s not the vibe at a Live Unchained event. The folks are conscientious, but not uptight - we’ll have everyone laughing and screaming out LIVE UNCHAINED! And, singing along to good music at a Live Unchained event. I think it’s empowering that we can come together to experience art and each other at these events.

the empowerment of the artisans was obviously always a key factor for live unchained but i am wondering if there were any unforseen aspects of the project that have arisen along the way that have consumed more of your time than you had expected?

Definitely. I am a social entrepreneur and Live Unchained is a social enterprise. I’ve had to learn about the business world from writing and re-writing my business plan, to the best place to incorporate, organizational development, social media strategy, managing interns, creative direction and a lot more. And, it never ends, there’s always something more to learn to build your brand and communicate it better.

and you kathryn, how did you come to be involved? were you there from the inception?

Yes. I founded it with my friend. Later, I incorporated it and put together a team to help it grow.

also i’d just like to ask what it is like working with such a team of talented people at live unchained? having perused the bios of each of your staff members, they all seem exceptionally qualified and committed to the cause.

It’s incredible. You know, Jay Z says success is being able to work with someone that you call “friend.” And, for me, it’s great to be calling the women I admire my colleagues.

I like to think big and they’re all really good at helping me stay true to my vision.

While making the process to realizing it practically. And, there are a lot of people that have counseled me on Live Unchained matters that aren’t even featured on the site. I’m proud to have a lot of support from many good-hearted experts.

during the time you’ve been publishing live unchained you've featured over one hundred artists from over sixteen countries. are there any specific prerequisites when you are seeking new talent and is this difficult to co-ordinate given the international flavour of your project?

The only prerequisite for featuring a woman on the site is that we are sincerely impressed with her work. I think that’s what makes the writing on the site so powerful, we’re writing about art we genuinely care about and want to share.

Sometimes it is challenging to co-ordinate interviews with artists internationally, especailly those that travel. But, we find ways around this with skype, phone or e-mail interviews. I don’t mind getting on the phone at 3 am New York time to speak to an artist I care about!

whilst you’ve been studying the emancipatory knowledge regarding the african diaspora have you found that there is a commonality of issues faced by these communities who are situated around the globe or whether the issues faced are more regional?

Across the world, I see that African American women media consumers and artists want to see themselves reflected more in media and the art world. Too often dominant depictions don’t reflect the diversity of our perspectives, experiences, nations we come from and languages we speak.

Live Unchained is filling a void by bridging the art and media worlds to honor black women that defy the boxes, expectation and limitations others would impose on us and have us conform to.

So, we do recognize black women, who make up an international community, lead diverse lives. For example, as Minna Salamai said in our interview with her on black feminism: “With vast differences between urban and rural lifestyles, I think empowerment can mean very different things to different women. To one woman being empowered means being able to stay at home and look after her children, to another it means the opposite.”

you’ve been co-ordinating, organising and writing for some time now and i would like to ask you to share with us one of the most inspirational stories you can recount from your time there?

Oh wow, there’s a lot. And, it’s hard for me to say favorites, but I really find my interviews with Nigerian mixed media artist, Peju Alatise and Afro-German, Afro-punk/Electronica artist, Noah Sow inspirational.

I’ve actually become close with both of them since the interviews, they are major supporters of Live Unchained. The relationship I’ve been able to build with them inspires me. We’re sisters.

which artists, writers and pieces influence you?

The artists who work hard to perfect their craft and those who don’t try too hard. I do believe that people are given creative gifts, but not everyone takes the time to master them. I love hearing stories about “creative underdogs,” I guess, who take years to test the waters of their creative field or studying to perfect their art.

I'm also really intrigued by the artists who are reserved or laid-back in their demeanor, but whose work says a lot. Shantell Martin (England), Nina Chanel Abney (United States) and Bergitta Victor (Seychelles), are all approaching and easy going, but their work has so many layers to it and is so complex.

They inspire me to think simpler, to try to communicate more with less. I also really like Shantell Martin’s mantra: “Do less. Be More.”

the live unchained logo is intriguing; what is the inspiration behind it?

Live Unchained’s co-founder, Miriam, is a graphic designer. She knew it was important that we have an impactful logo. She had a stamp collection of West African adinkra symbols and suggested we take inspiration from one. We both gravitated to the Sankofa logo and she thought it was perfect given what she called the feeling of “looking behind and looking ahead.” She came up with some really beautiful designs and we decided on the beautiful icon we have now.

lastly what do you envisage for the next few months for live unchained and also what is going to be going on with kathryn buford?

I’m excited about the new photography camapaign to support our “Terrifying, Strange & Beautiful” campaign with Warsan Shire. So, folks can stay tuned to www.liveunchained.com to keep up to date with that.

Personally, I’m still a graduate student. I’ll be working on my dissertation proposal this summer. My research is inspired by Live Unchained.

cheers for speaking with powder kathryn. best of luck with live unchained and respect.


@liveunchained

check out live unchained

images:

image one by tyrone clemons

image two by kameelah janan rasheed

image three by sondai expressions

front page image kameelah janan rasheed