I walked past the infamous urban lights on Wilshire Boulevard and immediately spotted Tyler the Creator outside the corner of my eye. My gaze drifted left as I tried to inconspicuously confirm it was him. With my pulse racing, I entered the large auditorium and took my seat. Even before the show began, I knew this was going to be a night to remember.
The star of the night is Solange. The soulful singer, songwriter and now auteur is taking an extended, director's cut version of her visual album _When I get Home_ and screening it at museums across the country. I had the opportunity to watch the visual experience at LACMA last Wednesday where I witnessed her indescribable fierceness first hand.
Through mesmerising visuals and heartfelt minimal lyrics laid perfectly in place to ambient tracks, I felt as if I was given exclusive access into the genius that is her mind. Our stream of consciousness fused into one as her spiritual jazz and contemporary R&B album allowed me to feel reminiscent of a familiar place I had yet to discover. The album pays homage to her hometown of Houston, Texas - that is the Houston of Solange’s mind. It’s nostalgic while simultaneously having futuristic tones, animation and cinematography. In one moment cowboys galloped into a blissful yet ominous dusk sky and in the next her wavy butt length thick black hair effortlessly flowed across her nude back as she vouged to psychedelic tracks.
She is an enigma driven by ferocity and her ability to turn whatever she imagines into pure, breathtaking art. The 41 minute visual experience directed by Solange along with contributing directors Alan Ferguson, Terence Nance, Jacolby Satterwhite, and Ray Tintori flew by in the blink of an eye. I believe this exploratory album is a means of self expression not only of and for herself, but as a way for her fans to gain insight into her most coveted attribute: her soul.
_When I Get Home_ will be screening on tour in this summer.
July 26 – New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Museum of Art
July 28 – Boston, MA @ The Institute of Contemporary Art
August 1 – Miami, FL @ PAMM Free Community Night
August 2-8 – New Orleans, LA @ The Broad Theater
August 3 – Chicago, IL @ MCA
August 3, 14 & 24 – Baltimore, MD @ BMA Lexington Market
August 4 – Philadelphia, PA @ BlackStar Film Festival
August 30 – London, UK @ V&A
October 13 – Marfa, TX @ Chinati Weekend, Chinati Foundation
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