Press

The Creators Project: Meet the Arts Collective Pioneering Hyper-Local, High-Tech Activism

Posted on November 17, 2016

Complex Movements was recently interviewed for The Creators Project.

"Inspired by quantum physics and the teachings of human rights advocate Grace Lee Boggs, an arts collective in Detroit is rethinking activism for the 21st century. Complex Movements creates extraordinary multimedia experiences that engage citizens and support social change. Blending the talents of graphic designer and fine artist Wesley Taylor, music producer and filmmaker Waajeed, lyricist, performance artist and activist Invincible, designer and engineer Carlos Garcia (L05), and producer and cultural strategist Sage Crump, their work defies categorization, preaching change through a kaleidoscope of artistic mediums."

Read the full article here.

Art in America: Seeds of Resistance: Complex Movements in Detroit

Posted on November 17, 2016

Complex Movements was recently interviewed for Art in America.

"As a project, Beware of the Dandelions exceeds the scope of the performances. The collective started developing the project in 2013. That's because Complex Movements has put together not just a performance piece, but a mobile platform for organizing social-justice movements. While the Beware of the Dandelions live performance is a kind of fictionalized synthesis of social-justice work, there are two other forms of activity that accompany the shows -"community mode" and "installation mode.""

Read the full article here.

Fader Magazine: Complex Movements Is The Detroit Collective Using Sci-Fi Storytelling To Empower Its Community

Posted on November 17, 2016

Complex Movements was recently interviewed for Fader Magazine.

"Innovation can take on a multitude of forms. In a new venue in northeast Detroit, innovation looks like a 400-square-foot polyhedron pod in which you are invited to bear witness to the future history of a parallel world. Hidden from sight, a group of performers tell a sci-fi parable through video-mapped visuals and a soundtrack inspired by hip-hop and electronic music. At times, they ask the audience to interact with each other in order to reveal the next chapter of the story. It’s an entrancing experience, a music show that strives for more than entertainment; one that leaves you thinking about your place in the city and the communities that surround you."

Read the full article here.

Detroit Metro Times: Complex Movements present Beware of the Dandelions

Posted on November 17, 2016

Complex Movements was recently interviewed for the Detroit Metro Times.

October marks the ambitious project's homecoming after residencies in Seattle and Dallas. It's taking place in Complex Movements' new permanent home Talking Dolls, which they share with an artist collective of the same name. Twenty performances, four installation viewings, and 10 community events will occur over the course of the month.

Read the full article here.

Creative Capital: Complex Movements Honor Decentralized Networks and Resilience

Posted on October 11, 2016

Complex Movements was recently interviewed for Creative Capital.

' “How do we build movements where there are many leaders?” wonders Carlos Garcia in a recent interview. That’s just one question at the heart of Beware of the Dandelions by the Detroit-based collective Complex Movements. The Creative Capital-supported project is a traveling, video installation pod which is activated through community and audience engagement, hip hop and science fiction narrative that mutates depending on where it’s performed. The collaboration started out of a conversation that stemmed from dissatisfaction that live hip hop was limited to the usual on-stage performance. The group—made up of Invincible/ill Weaver, Waajeed, Wes Taylor and Carlos Garcia—decided to explore social injustice they experience in Detroit and critical theory they were reading about through a multi-disciplinary project. Beware of the Dandelions has traveled to Seattle and Dallas, among other cities, but it premieres Oct 6-31 at Talking Dolls, as part of a “homecoming” to their native Detroit. An album by the same name is also available for sale. To get a better idea of what the project as a whole is, we caught up with the group.'

Read the full interview here.

Independent Magazine: 10 Filmmakers to Watch: Complex Movements

Posted on April 14, 2016

Complex Movements was recently added to the list of "10 Filmmakers to Watch" by The Independent Magazine. The team sat down with The Independent to talk about what makes Complex Movements unique.

"The Beware of The Dandelions community engagement strategy begins with building community cohorts and advisory circles consisting of artists, organizers, and other community members in host cities to ensure local relevance and deepen impact. Through these community cohorts we listen and learn about community resistance and resilience in the face of challenges and exchange stories and strategies between each city and Detroit. The community cohorts co-curate and co-facilitate the activities and workshop that take place during the engagement and work with us to intentionally invite communities that are typically excluded from traditional arts institutions."

Read the full article here.

Theater Jones Review: Complex Movements: Beware of the Dandelions | Ignite/Arts Dallas

Posted on April 07, 2016

Janice L. Franklin recently reviewed Beware of the Dandelions for Theater Jones. See what she had to say below:

" Detroit's Complex Movements offers an unforgettable immersive performance and visual art experience with Beware of the Dandelions in Fair Park, in SMU's Arts and Urbanism initiative. 

 “We all carry the weight of long term neglect.” It is impossible to overstate the power of the words spoken by Invincible. It is not simply the word choices but the tone and vocal inflections coupled with the rhythmic sense that reverberate like shock waves to the senses. “Forcing me to pay for my defiance.” The ‘beyond the barbed wire’ segment is aptly metaphorical, brilliantly seamed together in a way that is direct and unflinching in its pointedness. Waajeed’s bass accompaniment is sheer perfection, the music redirecting the audience’s pulse rendering all compliant and in full surrender to the textures and the beats. One can only imagine how many hours were spent modeling, building the animation, creating all of the imagery that causes the audience to pay attention to every detail. Thousands of hours. The work in Beware of the Dandelions is rigorous, intelligent, and provocative. "

Read the full article here.