Discotropic

Discotropic situates itself between the pragmatic and the fantastical while exploring the relationship between science fiction, disco, astrophysics and the black American experience.

Reflecting on the role of black presence in sci-fi history, inspiration was drawn from 70’s actor Diahann Carroll known for her part in the TV movie Star Wars Holiday Special. Cast by NBC at the behest of donors and audience members, who insisted that a black person appear on the show, Carroll appears only as a holographic fantasy—an illusion that distills the ways in which the black female body has been consumed in mass media: as alien, bodacious, and marginalized. Dominant science fiction narratives are rewritten through engagement with queer politics and Afrofuturism, claiming new imaginary territory rich in possibility.