MORE DEVOTEDLY podcast Volume III

Friday, May 15; 6:30pm PT/9:30pm ET

FREE// If you can, please support our memory activism collective by a tax-deductible donation to >> vanportmosaic.org/donate

Michelle Fuji/Unit Souzou talks with Douglas Detrick/more devotedly about her "Constant State of Otherness" taiko project.

The event will begin with a live introduction given by Douglas Detrick, then a pre-recorded conversation between Detrick and Michelle Fujii, then both Detrick and Fujii will go live to continue the conversation incorporating comments from listeners on Facebook.

About Constant State of Otherness: After 3 years of deep, thoughtful process in conversation and practice, Unit Souzou taiko ensemble has been traveling the country to hear people’s stories and explore their own journey’s through feelings that result from being othered, excluded, or misunderstood. Soon, Unit Souzou will begin revealing some of the fruits of their deep creative investigations.

Constant State of Otherness is Unit Souzou’s ambitious new taiko project, which includes community engagement workshops and works-in-progress performances, as well as a full theatrical production set to premiere later this year. The project has been traveling the country engaging with a wide range of communities and individuals in D.C., Pennsylvania, Montana, and here in Oregon.“These feelings, of otherness, are heightened during our uncertain political times -- of deepening socio-economic disparities, ongoing debates of travel bans, border security, gentrification, and hostility towards immigrants,” says Michelle Fujii, Unit Souzou Founder and Co-Director. But rather than dwell on otherness, Fujii and her team’s intent is to share the universality of those feelings with the ultimate goal of fostering empathy in increasingly divided communities.

More Devotedly is a podcast for people who see the arts as a force for positive, progressive change. Subscribe and more info here.

The artists who will share their ideas and experience on this podcast are following that advice, but in many cases, they’re doing much more. Going beyond the traditional confines of artistic practice, they’re using new tools and tactics to realize a future that is more inclusive, more just, and more peaceful. More Devotedly seeks to help its community to recognize its power as messengers, warriors, and healers, and use that power in the cultural and political realms.