July 8th - 14:03

Title: July 8th - 14:03 Medium: Super-8 film Aspect Ratio: 4:3 Resolution: 2880 x 2160 File Type: H.264 Codec / MP4. Comments: On the road to New Orleans we passed a massive gator that stretched out the entire length of the road. It was roadkill, but it was certainly a sight I would not forget. We are in gator country now! We arrived in New Orleans and landed at Nyssa's spot. Last time I saw Nyssa she was living in her van in Bushwick with her cat. Nyssa is one of my oldest friends from Bushwick. She held space for me for my first art studio at The Living Gallery back in 2014. This is where I created the Cognition series. She is a master of community building and supporting the locals, and taught me everything I know about bringing people together. The last time we saw one another was before the pandemic. We did a photoshoot at Dead Horse Bay in Brooklyn. This beach was filled with glass, yet none of us got hurt walking barefoot through the sand and water. It was a polluted and quiet place to make art. We shot her Smoke and Mirrors portrait as well as a surrealist short Super 8 film called, Laundry. When I saw her in Louisiana I gave her a big hug hello. She had more face tattoos from when I saw her last. Nyssa gave us her home to sleep in for the next few days as long as we take good care of her new kitten and grown cat. We embarked on a photoshoot before her plane ride back to New York to see her dad. It started to rain and she brought us to a place she liked to go an write poetry. By the train tracks filled with grit and graffiti. The perfect stomping ground to get inspired to write songs and slam poetry. Before heading to the airport I mentioned I wanted to collect some of her art and the T-shirt she is wearing in the film. She didn't give me a price and said I can have it all. But that did not feel right to me so I took out a few hundred dollars and gave it to her. She smiled, took a swig from her flask, and kissed me on my cheek. We drove her to the airport and waved her goodbye before heading back to the home to rest and play with the cats on a rainy day in the hood in New Orleans.