Multimedia Artist DJ Spooky Collaborates with Georgetown Chamber Singers on New Performance Piece
Last week, Paul D. Miller, known more broadly as DJ Spooky, performed alongside the Georgetown Chamber Singers, a show that concluded his residency at the university.
Miller partnered with Georgetown as a participant in the Racial Justice: Art(s) and Activism lecture series. This recent initiative cosponsored by the Department of African American Studies and Performing Arts and the Racial Justice Institute looks “to highlight art, activism and racial justice by focusing on work by literary, visual and performance artists whose art serves the ongoing struggle to produce new forms of racial freedom.”
This performance is representative of the types of learning experiences being cultivated at Georgetown.
“The presentation allowed a collaboration with world-renowned musician, Paul Miller, and the Georgetown Chamber Singers to display the depth of undergraduate learning in the Arts,” says Soyica Colbert, vice dean and department chair of the performing arts department. “This residency is not only a part of Georgetown’s investment in racial justice but also a longstanding commitment to artistic development.”
A renaissance man, Miller is a composer, multimedia artist, and writer. His work combines multiple genres and cultures, and addresses a myriad of social issues including racial injustice and climate change. Before the performance, he talked about the universal connections that connect us as human beings, and spoke of the importance of coming together to stop climate change.
“I have become passionate about this work because climate change and music theory are two things that unite society,” says Miller. “At the end of the day, it’s about people. Regardless of your ethnic group, it’s hard to argue with a storm that destroyed your house, or fires that destroyed your entire country. I’m really grateful that I have been able to perform at Georgetown. It’s those unexpected collisions that makes life more interesting.”
-by Shelby Roller (G’19)