Grace Jones is an ongoing topic of conversation and research inquiry for me. On Saturday April 21st, I had the opportunity to talk about her various public stage, film, runway, and interview personas on a panel with performance artist Lady Shadow and international scholar Dr. Anta Merritt at San Diego Comic Fest's 6th annual romp.
Delores Fisher, Dr. Anta Merritt, and Lady Shadow Vampyre Fashionista
Here's my discussion focus:
A multi-genre performance artist whose intriguing visual representations span from late twentieth century to present, Grace Jones continues to embrace innovative "full body masks" as she inhabits spaces with “graphic novel edgy camp” to "alien futuristic cyborg" evoking an essence of Jamaican Junkanoo Festival. We will explore several of Grace Jone’s "Junkanooesque" embodiments.
Dr. Merritt is a colleague from the academic world, a faculty member of the San Diego State Africana Studies Department https://africana.sdsu.edu/faculty/merritt.htm . Lady Shadow is an artist I have know for many years whose work is at times controversial, at times ribald, at time poignant yet hilarious. https://www.facebook.com/VampyreFashionista/ Lady Shadow, Mari Williams, is also Ms Senior San Diego 2018.
We, Lady Shadow, Dr. Merritt, and I, joined together to present a fun assemblage of ideas and images that speak to the artistry of Grace Jones. We decided to blend a scholarly, experiential, web base, and fan based "just folks" approach as a way to talk about Ms. Jones, a favorite global pop culture personality.
Her most impressionable images for me are sometimes not the ones that most people pick out as classic Grace Jones. I have researched blog posts, printed and videos interviews, some of her record label issues, her autobiography, and latest festival appearances. This summer I hope to examine her song lyrics, live musical choices and stage personas.
As for our San Diego Comic Fest 2018 panel, I am hoping to keep "the band" together to go on a mini- speaking tour this summer. Dr. Merritt is an African Diaspora scholar who presents the history of Junkanoo and island beliefs. Lady Shadow, a Jones impersonator from time to time, speaks to the demands of a productive and ongoing show business career. I'm sort of in the middle. As a performer and a scholar I talk about early Jones influences on my life, as well as her space in my present scholarly projects.
One early Grace Jones influence on my life is the movie "Vamp". It was so camp!!! That's a really funky script. I kept thinking, I want to do that. I want to have fun acting. What a cool character Katrina is. (Of course when she went full-on vampire, I almost ran out the room to get away!)
Through the pool gate and into the alley to the Fest, I soaked in the ambiance. Cosplayers, directors, writers, story board artists, comic book vendors, scholars, fans interacting. To be honest with you . . .I'm not sure how I got into a conversation with a very Mrs Von Sholly, a sweet soft voiced woman. All I remember is that we talked about the film "Vamp" and its influence on my life as an aspiring young performance artist. But I'm glad I did. Her husband Peter Von Sholly created the story boards for the film. She told me to find her husband, that he had unique stories to tell about "Vamp" and Grace Jones' impact on its production.
The Pool Gate
Dr. Merritt, Lady Shadow and I presented on Saturday at 4:00PM in the Garden Salon II.
Our panel talked for a while before we joined other friends or went home. I attended another panel after which I went searching for Peter Von Sholly . . .didn't find him. However, since I planned to attend a few discussions on Sunday, I made up my mind to arrive early and locate him on Sunday to talk about Grace Jones. I went up to the cafe to get a cup of coffee and to see this year's decor. The cafe is always filled with fun theme decorations. This year was no exception. Frankenstein!!!!
Frankenstein's Bride
Frankenstein
Early Sunday morning, I revisited the 9th floor cafe, got a cup of coffee and an orange juice, then set out for the first panel. Gender, sex, and sexuality: the queer comix collaborations of Kathy Acker and David Wojnarowicz and the work of Roberta Gregory and Donna Barr provided lively information on underground and "isolationist" female comic books. Kinda mind teasing for 10:00AM. The panel was moderated by Dr. Yetta Howard who also talked about her newest work in the field.
Yetta Howard, Roberta Gregory, and Donna Barr
I was definitely awake, after that stimulating talk, for the 11:00 AM informative film critic analysis of Ajani Brown on the "Black Panther" film recently released in the U.S. It should be picked up by global distributors soon if it hasn't already been distributed for global movie screenings at the writing of this post. A full room of fans and Fest goers enjoyed Brown's presentation: the Black Panther as Afrofuturism . The popular and much in demand speaker Ajani Brown will present at WAKANDACON in Chicago during the summer.
Photo op Delores Fisher and author, lecturer Ajani Brown
Oh yea, a quick fact: San Diego Comic Fest was back at the Mission Valley Convention Center. Although a medium sized venue, it has multiple conference rooms and retains much of the intimacy that evades larger conventions. The main Exhibit Hall is surprisingly spacious, full of memorabilia comic book vendors, and fans looking for that special action figure or comic book.
The Exhibit Hall
In the exhibit hall, I met Sara Karloff daughter of actor Boris Karloff. Frankenstein film portrayal of Shelly's gentle monster is unmatchable. In the exhibit hall, I met Sara Karloff.
Sara Karloff
I enjoyed talking to Sara Karloff, Boris Karloff's daughter. At one point, she looked up and the resemblance was startling. Those eyes . . . . .
It took several minutes more to find Peter Von Sholly.
Here's an exclusive interview short about Grace Jones and the film "Vamp".
This was definitely an interesting and fun San Diego Comic Fest 2018. Look for the event next year. If you're in San Diego, come on over to the Fest , , , San Diego Comic Fest!
Delores Fisher, Lady Shadow, Dr. Anta Merritt Photo by Yetta Howard
Delores Fisher
Thinking of Grace . . . .
Here's my discussion focus:
A multi-genre performance artist whose intriguing visual representations span from late twentieth century to present, Grace Jones continues to embrace innovative "full body masks" as she inhabits spaces with “graphic novel edgy camp” to "alien futuristic cyborg" evoking an essence of Jamaican Junkanoo Festival. We will explore several of Grace Jone’s "Junkanooesque" embodiments.
Dr. Merritt is a colleague from the academic world, a faculty member of the San Diego State Africana Studies Department https://africana.sdsu.edu/faculty/merritt.htm . Lady Shadow is an artist I have know for many years whose work is at times controversial, at times ribald, at time poignant yet hilarious. https://www.facebook.com/VampyreFashionista/ Lady Shadow, Mari Williams, is also Ms Senior San Diego 2018.
We, Lady Shadow, Dr. Merritt, and I, joined together to present a fun assemblage of ideas and images that speak to the artistry of Grace Jones. We decided to blend a scholarly, experiential, web base, and fan based "just folks" approach as a way to talk about Ms. Jones, a favorite global pop culture personality.
Her most impressionable images for me are sometimes not the ones that most people pick out as classic Grace Jones. I have researched blog posts, printed and videos interviews, some of her record label issues, her autobiography, and latest festival appearances. This summer I hope to examine her song lyrics, live musical choices and stage personas.
As for our San Diego Comic Fest 2018 panel, I am hoping to keep "the band" together to go on a mini- speaking tour this summer. Dr. Merritt is an African Diaspora scholar who presents the history of Junkanoo and island beliefs. Lady Shadow, a Jones impersonator from time to time, speaks to the demands of a productive and ongoing show business career. I'm sort of in the middle. As a performer and a scholar I talk about early Jones influences on my life, as well as her space in my present scholarly projects.
One early Grace Jones influence on my life is the movie "Vamp". It was so camp!!! That's a really funky script. I kept thinking, I want to do that. I want to have fun acting. What a cool character Katrina is. (Of course when she went full-on vampire, I almost ran out the room to get away!)
Through the pool gate and into the alley to the Fest, I soaked in the ambiance. Cosplayers, directors, writers, story board artists, comic book vendors, scholars, fans interacting. To be honest with you . . .I'm not sure how I got into a conversation with a very Mrs Von Sholly, a sweet soft voiced woman. All I remember is that we talked about the film "Vamp" and its influence on my life as an aspiring young performance artist. But I'm glad I did. Her husband Peter Von Sholly created the story boards for the film. She told me to find her husband, that he had unique stories to tell about "Vamp" and Grace Jones' impact on its production.
The Pool Gate
Dr. Merritt, Lady Shadow and I presented on Saturday at 4:00PM in the Garden Salon II.
Our panel talked for a while before we joined other friends or went home. I attended another panel after which I went searching for Peter Von Sholly . . .didn't find him. However, since I planned to attend a few discussions on Sunday, I made up my mind to arrive early and locate him on Sunday to talk about Grace Jones. I went up to the cafe to get a cup of coffee and to see this year's decor. The cafe is always filled with fun theme decorations. This year was no exception. Frankenstein!!!!
Early Sunday morning, I revisited the 9th floor cafe, got a cup of coffee and an orange juice, then set out for the first panel. Gender, sex, and sexuality: the queer comix collaborations of Kathy Acker and David Wojnarowicz and the work of Roberta Gregory and Donna Barr provided lively information on underground and "isolationist" female comic books. Kinda mind teasing for 10:00AM. The panel was moderated by Dr. Yetta Howard who also talked about her newest work in the field.
Yetta Howard, Roberta Gregory, and Donna Barr
I was definitely awake, after that stimulating talk, for the 11:00 AM informative film critic analysis of Ajani Brown on the "Black Panther" film recently released in the U.S. It should be picked up by global distributors soon if it hasn't already been distributed for global movie screenings at the writing of this post. A full room of fans and Fest goers enjoyed Brown's presentation: the Black Panther as Afrofuturism . The popular and much in demand speaker Ajani Brown will present at WAKANDACON in Chicago during the summer.
Photo op Delores Fisher and author, lecturer Ajani Brown
Oh yea, a quick fact: San Diego Comic Fest was back at the Mission Valley Convention Center. Although a medium sized venue, it has multiple conference rooms and retains much of the intimacy that evades larger conventions. The main Exhibit Hall is surprisingly spacious, full of memorabilia comic book vendors, and fans looking for that special action figure or comic book.
In the exhibit hall, I met Sara Karloff daughter of actor Boris Karloff. Frankenstein film portrayal of Shelly's gentle monster is unmatchable. In the exhibit hall, I met Sara Karloff.
I enjoyed talking to Sara Karloff, Boris Karloff's daughter. At one point, she looked up and the resemblance was startling. Those eyes . . . . .
Here's an exclusive interview short about Grace Jones and the film "Vamp".
This was definitely an interesting and fun San Diego Comic Fest 2018. Look for the event next year. If you're in San Diego, come on over to the Fest , , , San Diego Comic Fest!
Delores Fisher
Thinking of Grace . . . .
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