Karine Fleurima (she/her) is a sound healer, musician and multimedia performance artist working in the Afro-futurist feminist tradition. We met Karine in January as we were starting to collaborate on an immersive sound healing experience to kick-off the 2020 Level Ground Festival. While this year’s festival has been cancelled due to COVID-19, we were so honored and excited to have Karine join the SKEW curatorial team as she excels at bringing people together through the connective power of immersive and meditative performance art. Drawn to themes of displacement, otherness, and interconnection infused with spirituality, Karine’s curatorial lens is a great fit for this year’s magazine. Enjoy getting to know Karine through our conversation below!

Interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

How would you describe AfroFuturism to someone who is unfamiliar with the term? And what drew you to it – and to Sound Healing – as an artist?

AfroFuturism is an imagined future that centers the Black experience. It incorporates elements of Science Fiction, Futurism and Black Liberation. Current interpretations of the movement are based on Octavia Butler's work and expand upon concepts that stem from 21 st century Black Feminism.

I was drawn to AfroFuturism because I've always been a huge Sci-Fi fan. I grew up watching Star Wars and Quantum Leap as well as reading Ray Bradbury & Octavia Butler's work which were huge influences on my imagination in this realm.

My introduction to Sound Healing came through many happy experimental art 'accidents' as I deepened my journey into meditation. While living in Brooklyn, I was attending the shows of artists like Maria Chavez and Val, Inc that led me to explore different ways of envisioning meditative performances. As a vocalist and composer, sound healing modalities just made sense to me. 

You know we love experimenting at Level Ground : ) You mentioned that "Ain't No Respect" was a previous project that you are particularly proud of. Could you talk more about that show?

"Ain't No Respect" was inspired from my experiences of being a Soul Singer in New York City. As I dug into my research, I realized that there is a sad legacy of disrespect for Soul Singers in our culture – whether it's a lack of remuneration for their work or recognition for their contributions to American music history. The concept of the show is a Soul Singer leaves Earth to embark on a new life on another planet. When she arrives, she finds that she has to navigate through the different lands of the planet in order to find Home. Home is essentially her coming back to herself.

The set for the show, designed by Aaqil Ka, was in the center of the gallery space while the audience was invited to surround the space. Video was projected throughout the space (including part of the ceiling) while original music (which I composed) played while my vocals were manipulated during the show.

I know you’ve been working hard to develop an offering that merges sound healing and AfroFuturism together. Can you share more details about that project, or are you keeping it close to the vest for now? 

Yes! I just did an offering in collaboration with Black Quantum Futurism out of Philly for their Black Womxn Time Camp. It was a 30 min Sound+Vision Activation called "Into The AfroFuture" that I will be posting clips to on my website later in October. Essentially, it was a guided meditation with original music and edited video that envisioned an interstellar Black life. Hopefully, I'll find another online space to present this work again soon

What do you aspire to with your art? What are your goals and dreams?

My goal is to engage with BIPOC communities around the concepts of Futurism, Joy, Rest as Resistance, and Self-Compassion to create intentional gatherings (online, in-person, & internationally).

How has your experience as a SKEW curator been like so far?

Curating the magazine has been such an enriching experience. I am loving the submissions we've received and have been so inspired seeing other people's work! I find the most exciting part is seeing other artist's that want to have similar conversations about Black Futures and Collective Healing.

Okay, one last question! What’s something about your art that you wish people understood better?

I wish people understood how long it takes to bring together all of these (seemingly) disparate ideas together to create something original, fresh & engaging. As a friend recently pointed out, I am constantly looking for new resources, inspiration and doing research. Also, it takes time to stay current with any shifts in technology and I am constantly teaching myself new software or apps in order to create content that is relevant to our daily experience.

To see more of Karine’s work, find her on Instagram at @Wikkid_Beat and @KarineFleurima, Twitter at @KarineFleurima, and check out her website at karinefleurima.com.