Nearly one hundred years after film The Birth of a Nation, performance artist and musician Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid, has “remixed” the film, using dj techniques that criticize and expose the racism and violence of that historical period – the Civil War, the Reconstruction period, and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan.

The film’s racist overtones are deconstructed by Miller’s extension of Birth’s already-sudden and quick scene changes and fragments, and the result is not just a film, but a multimedia experience that allows us to confront the history of racism in this country.

This theatrical version features an original score by Miller, performed by Kronos Quartet, and will be shown as part of MoMA’s ongoing film screenings from June 22-June 28. There will also be two screenings of MoMA’s archival print of the original film.

If you’re in NYC – find out info here.

June 22-28
Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street New York, NY 10019
(212) 708-9400
info@moma.org

June 15, 2009 by akshay
Tags: b-activists, dj spooky, film, performance art, Racism, rebirth of a nation, reconstruction, remix
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