Summary

Obi Mbu (The Primordial House) (2021) is a 30 minute experimental dance film that is centered in the Primordial House, located in the Sirius star system, from which creation emerges. Eke-Nnechukwu, the Igbo high god, and Chukwu, Her masculine counterpart, exist in perfect unity in and as the Blackness of space. Although They are dual aspects of the Primordial Androgynous deity, Chukwu sections off a part of space exclusively for Himself in the form of a sacred pillared chamber in the heart of the Primordial House. He engages in a secret work by dancing in and out of this chamber, which sets off a chain of irrevocable circumstances that lead to our current world and condition. 

Directors: Mikael Owunna & Marques Redd 

Movement Director: Ursula Payne 

Chukwu: Corey Bourbonniere 

Eke-Nnechukwu: Victoria Watford 

Sound Design: Herman Pearl / soy s0s 

Producer: Marquita Sams

Production Assistant: Isabelle Analo

Movement Consultant: Marquita Sams

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2021

New York City: ClampArt Gallery, September 17 - October 30, 2021

Opening Reception: Friday, September 17, 2021, 6-8pm

Los Angeles: Iris Project Gallery, November 6 - December 19, 2021

Screenings with Artist Talks:

Saturday, November 6, 2021: 3PM

Saturday, November 20, 2021: 3PM

Saturday, December 18, 2021: 2PM

Raleigh, NC: Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh, November 14 & 18, 2021

Sunday, November 14, 2021: 5-8pm

Thursday, November 18, 2021: 7-9pm

Big Sur, CA: The Esalen Institute, December 8, 2021, 7pm

2022

Pittsburgh, PA: Kelly Strayhorn Theater, February 25, 2022, 7pm

Chautauqua, NY: Chautauqua Institution, June 26 - August 7, 2022

Opening Reception: Sunday, June 26, 2022, 6-8pm 

Martha's Vineyard, MA: Mariposa Museum & World Cultural Center, July 5 & 8, 2022

Tuesday, July 5, 2022: 4PM

Friday, July 8, 2022: 4PM

Pittsburgh, PA: AlphaLab, August 9, 2022

Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Museum of Art, October 7, 2022-December 31, 2024

Friday, October 7, 2022, 6-10pm

Big Sur, CA: The Esalen Institute, October 21, 2022

Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Silicon Valley Archives, October 26, 2022, 6pm

Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University, November 8 & 16, 2022

2023

Rancho Cucamonga, CA: Chaffey College, February 8, 2023, 12:30pm

Washington, DC: National Museum of African American History and Culture, March 13, 2023 - March 13, 2024

Cambridge, MA: MIT Media Lab, March 15, 2023

Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Frick Fine Arts Building, March 16, 2023, 7:30pm