Synead and Damani Pompey create a moment of healing through ‘Whirlwind’ film
Artist Synead and director Damani Pompey capture truth and healing through visual narrative ‘Whirlwind’.
juliemango.tv speaks to poly-disciplinary performance artist & expressionist Synead and multi-hyphenate artist and choreographer Damani Pompey about the conceptual short film for Synead’s single Whirlwind.
The pair, who met in high school, give us a peek behind the creative curtain in this gracious interview. Watch Whirlwind on Magnus Work’s Vimeo page below.
juliemango.tv: Before we dive into the artistic statement that is Whirlwind, I’m excited to get to learn a bit more about you! You’re both New York City natives, can you tell us about your Caribbean roots?
Damani Pompey: My family is from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. My mother is from Bequia, a part of the archipelago. My father is from the mainland. Although I was born in Brooklyn, NY, I spent a lot of my early childhood living on the island raised by my grandmother Silma Duncan (Poet Laureate of St. Vincent) and great-grandmother.
Synead: I am a first-generation American, but both of my parents immigrated to New York City from Trinidad in the late ’80s. My mom grew up in the countryside in Toco, Grande Rivière, a very small town that isn’t densely populated. My dad grew up more in town, Sangre Grande. His dad was actually from St.Vincent and immigrated to Trinidad. I started to get more acquainted with that side of my family throughout my teens and adulthood.
Synead, as an artist, it seems like you don’t place any boundaries on the mediums and type of expressions you place your energies into. You’re a singer-songwriter, actress, dancer, poet, model, activist, and more. What’s your artistic community or support system like?
Synead: It looks like an endless-tentacled octopus. I feel lucky for understanding the things that make me tick as a human and for finally coming to terms with the notion that I do not have to figure things out all on my own. It is actually so much easier to ask for help. It helps as well when others are aligned with my community-centric ideal and dreams.
It brings me back to the idea that there is prosperity in reciprocity. Most people I commune with really engage with the concept that all things we do are energetic exchanges and offerings between one another. It creates an endless system of check-ins & balances. It does become a bit more difficult to shape my community when the things that I need as well as what my community needs are always changing. So I have to always be prepared and open to giving and relinquishing.
And Damani, you’ve been dancing essentially your whole life and built your own community through your artistic movement platform Magnus Works, can you tell me how this space came about?
Damani Pompey: This space came about organically. At one point, when I was fresh out of college, I was dancing for 9 people (being paid $100 per show) by two, and also maintained a job in hospitality. I was exhausted and felt misunderstood amidst a clamor for understanding. The older generations didn’t recognize the vitality it took to maintain, as a young 22-year-old, in a rapidly changing culture. I always wanted to dance but was not gifted with the Euro-centric frame that is celebrated.
I realized that I was not going to get a dance contract, and if I did, I’d have to sacrifice my journey for identity. I challenged myself with working in all things dance. I’ve mentored, taught, created, and moved. I was receiving abundance in the same space, but just differently. I decided to establish the Magnus Works platform to commit to changing the narrative of black bodies, black thinkers and creators, and to provide a safe space for expression and an exchange of ideas.
Source: Magnus Works
And that brings us to Whirlwind, you released the single in 2019. It’s co-written with Matt FX, Ollie Chanin, and produced by Emmett Kai. Can you talk a bit about the creative process for bringing this song to life?
Synead: We put that song out in 2019, wrote it the year before in 2018. So it was grueling because I had to learn and exhibit patience. Emmett had already produced it and sent it to Matt and I. He heard it first and sent it to me and I felt it immediately. We had the four of us in the studio and the writing process was 100% emotional. I was having a terrible time with romance at that point in my life and I got to thinking about the changes I desperately needed.
We delved a bit into those spaces and came out with the lyrics. Matt & Ollie were really helpful with bringing out the feelings I was experiencing and helping me form the words and energy around it all.. it all came together so smoothly. That year-long wait to put it out was the pits, but everything in its own time and to be honest, I think it came out at the best time.
So, the single is out on all major streaming platforms and you’re ready to work on the visuals. How did you all conceptualize this film?
Damani Pompey: At the height of BLM [2020], the universe connected us again, for good. We are both passionate about truth. As I created the treatment, I channeled Synead’s busy and beautiful brain. My goal was to offer her a space to process and heal, whilst connecting her soul, temple, and spirit. Alignment was a major goal while highlighting and honoring our relationships with each other and our ancestors. We are forever becoming, and we wanted to solidify that.
2020 was really the year a lot of people had to slow down and examine their performative behaviors, reevaluate self, and how they move through the world. From the very first frame Whirlwind hits you with a message “Wake the fuck up”, how was working on the film transformative for you both?
Synead: This film forced me to step into a space I was always afraid to inhabit. I often gave my artistry/creativity over to others for them to wield as they saw fit. I realized very early on in this process that if I wanted my voice to be heard, I couldn't be afraid of whom my message might shake or disrupt. 2020 made me overhaul my entire existence. Performative behaviors came to an immediate halt and self-reflection and healing came to the forefront.
Damani Pompey: The film helped us realize that life is undoubtedly rich in ways that we have not been taught. It has helped us understand the power and beauty of the composition. It has helped us distinguish our resilience over rage. The pandemic has fortified our identity.
In your artistic statement for Whirlwind you wrote, “what a time to realize the knowledge that ripples down your ancestral bark”. The scene that resembles a healing ceremony is the first thing that came to mind for me, can you talk about how connecting with ancestry through self shows up for you?
Damani Pompey: Connecting to my ancestors is a deep and timeless ritual. Because of slavery and the Caribbean disconnect from self and root, I am constantly trying to channel those who I feel have protected me in this tumultuous life. I feel protected and seen by energies that are familiar. My family has failed to engage in the power of storytelling. My story begins with my great-grandmother. I realize that as I am typing this. My grandmother has tried to reignite our stories and I am honored to help pass this energy forward.
What was your favourite scene to shoot/produce?
Synead: My favorite scene to shoot were the ones in the house. I had just inherited it from my family and was taking it over as the sole tenant. I had grown up in this apartment on and off for over two decades and here it was getting a revival. I was seeing the space in a whole new light. It was a very enlightening experience. I always felt as if my place in this apartment was very transient and so for the first time I was feeling so much more rooted.
Damani Pompey: My absolute favorite shot was the underwater scene, channeling Synead’s divinity and inner peace.
Stay connected with Synead here and Damani Pompey on the Magnus Works site. ‘Whirlwind’ was screened virtually at the 2021 Conch Shell International FIlm Festival.
