Halima Cassells
08.12.18 - 15.01.19
08.12.18 - 15.01.19
Halima Cassells is on research residency at Njelele in collaboration with ZCCD from 8 December 2018 to 15 January 2019.Halima Cassells is an interdisciplinary artist and community organizer with deep roots in Detroit. Much of her work is located at the intersection of social practice, visual art, and community building. She is co-founder of the Free Market of Detroit, a multi-genre nomadic swap exchange where community members share goods, stories, information and artistic modalities. It is based on sharing resources and countering over-consumption, as well as challenging notions of value and disposability. The project has grown over the past seven years and will be documented in a forthcoming book, as well as in film. Halima has been actively involved in Detroit art circles as co-founder of the One M.I.L.E. project, has exhibited widely, and has presented at the N'Namdi Center, MOCAD, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Research
During her residency, Hallima Cassells explores her practice in the context of Zimbabwe. She will experience the ways in which artists and families creatively meet their needs, keep culture alive, and thrive in community despite the economic uncertainty. Cassells is interested in all the aspects of living in a thriving community and has experience with alternative economic models such as: gifting circles, co-operatives, micro-lending programs, timebanks, and cryptocurrency models, as means to facilitate exchange. Her practice resonates with indigenous ways of exchange in Zimbabwean culture.
Events
This residency is supported in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Cultural Centre of Detroit, funded by the Knights Foundation and Resonant Detroit, a Creative Many Michigan award.