Back in 2019 we shared a ‘first listen’ to NOA, an album by Chicago-based contemporary folk artist Taylor Rogers. That record was always intended to be part of a larger collaborative arts project, and now, two years later, Taylor Rogers and Bloomington, Indiana, filmmaker Lillian Walker are gearing up to release their NOA ‘music film’ on May 7th. The film builds on the album by having local Chicago performance artists interpret the songs and their messages.
We have the immense pleasure of sharing an extract from this 45-minute-long NOA film. This cut features Taylor’s song “N.A” being performed by Chicago-based performance artist Alana Parekh.
N.A (an initialism of “Not Anymore”) builds on Taylor’s song which reflects on reclaiming one’s voice after a long period of suffering.
Alana Parekh’s interpretation forms a powerful response to what is a potent song of awakening and self-discovery. Watching it felt both tumultuous, deeply emotional and moving. It’s a beautifully honest and perceptive interpretation.
In many ways, the “N.A.” video short embodies the spirit of NOA’s collaborative nature. The process of creating a visual offering gave an opportunity to filter the initial message through multiple new lenses. As Lillian explains “we wanted to show the way art can communicate by having the performers interpret the themes of each song through their own experiences. Those contributions are then interpreted through the filmmaking; each successive layer brings new qualities to the core message which enriches our understanding of what is being said.”
Alana Parekh’s dance interpretation of “N.A.” takes the viewer through a journey from repression to a bold embracing and following of her emotions. The spirit is heightened by the striking filming locations of the abandoned 120-year-old St. Boniface church on Chicago’s west side and the stunning lakeside landscape of Illinois Beach State Park.
“We watch the character wake up to the oppressive and unsustainable reality of their circumstances. They appear taken over by an emotional process they no longer want to control, guided by a newfound trust in their body’s inherent wisdom. When we let ourselves unashamedly be with those parts of ourselves we and others have rejected, a more empowered and sacred sense of self can emerge.”
Describing what qualities drew them together artistically, Taylor notes of Lilly that “She has a way of making the simplest moments breathtakingly beautiful. Her cinematography grounds me in the present, and the transitional scenes in NOA without music are some of its most powerful moments.” For her part, Lilly is effusive about Taylor’s “fierceness that she brings to both her inner emotional life and her external exploration of those experiences.” Lilly adds that “her philosophical background gives her songwriting a strong intellectual component that I really enjoy and so many of the songs have wonderful cinematic qualities that gave my imagination so much to latch on to.”
The 45-minute-long music film artfully explores questions that were uncovered in the songs on the namesake album, and which themselves were inspired by topics Taylor was investigating in her philosophical scholarship at Northwestern University on grieving. These questions are brought to life through scenes shot in locations across Chicagoland which feature a host of local performers and movement artists.
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Photo credit – Francisca Figueroa