Rumble in the Remix Jungle

Installation and performance (on October 2), as part of the exhibition “Ali to LA” at Transformative Arts, Los Angeles. Curated by jill moniz. In partnership with PBS and the upcoming documentary by Ken Burns. Artists Edgar Arceneaux, April Banks, Kendell Carter, Veronica De Jesus, Manuel Lopez, Mariangeles Soto-Diaz and Kuamen. September 18 – October 2, 2021.

For this project, I approached Ali’s legacy by highlighting his rhetorical power: the proud performative wordsmith in his ability to denounce racism and colonialism, bringing together struggles in segregated America and abroad in a larger quest for global peace. For the installation, I created an imaginary, floating encounter between Ali’s words and those of judo founder Jigoro Kano, who also used his platform for humanitarian advocacy.

The title for this series is a wordplay drawn from a 1974 joyful “happening” in Kinshasa, Zaire called The Rumble in the Jungle, an event that accompanied the heavyweight boxing championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, and that was incidentally announced in my birthplace of Venezuela by Ali. The Rumble in the Jungle was a complex event that brought together African, African American and Latin music in a three-day music festival to surround the fight.

“Rumble in the Remix Jungle”, the performance, featured:
Sensei Nori Bunasawa, Judoka, 9th dan Black & Red belt
Tsubasa Goya, Judoka, 3rd dan Black belt
Mariángeles Soto-Díaz, Judoka, Brown belt
Darryl Taylor, Narration
JoVia Armstrong, Sound Art (cajón)
Jessica Ramirez, Performer
Kuamen, Music Remix