JP Youth Gather for Health Equity

I enjoyed filming a gathering of young people in Jamaica Plain to talk about what they can do to help close the gap in health outcomes between different ethnic and socioeconomic groups. The meeting was organized by Jamaica Plain Youth Health Equity Collaborative, a dynamic grassroots group run out of the Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center.

The Collaborative is working on several fronts to address the structural roots of health inequality. They are currently focusing on youth employment - both on the policy level to preserve funding for youth jobs, and in developing a youth-run business. They also published a great report to educate young people in Jamaica Plain about the complex causes of health disparities.

It's been fun meeting several articulate new leaders in JP, and the health center's Manager of Community Health Programs, Abigail Ortiz (pictured above, leading a role play). She knows how to keep a room full of young people engaged and cooperating on ambitious projects for their community's future. 

Tom Wolff wrote a nice article in his newsletter about the Youth Collaborative's work, and that of one of their funders, the Center for Health Equity and Social Justice at Boston Public Health Commission (who has hired me to document some of their grantees).

100 Days Post-Spill

It's now been 100 days since BP's oil rig exploded, killing 11 rig workers and setting off a massive crude oil leak. Thankfully, the cap on the well seems to be holding, and if all goes according to plan (a big IF), a relief well will soon enable a permanent end to the spill. Of course, the estimated 92 million gallons of oil that have already leaked into the Gulf of Mexico will continue to affect the area's wildlife, vegetation, and economy for years.

The oil spill also threatens to end indigenous people's ability to live off Louisiana's land and water, as they have for hundreds of years. I am co-producing and editing a film called Under Water's Mercy that follows one Native American family's struggle to maintain their traditional way of life alongside oil and gas industries in Southeast Louisiana. The film is directed by Sharon Linezo Hong, and shot by her and Monique Verdin (who also made the photo above on the Pointe au Chien Bayou). In the film, Monique returns to her Houma community as they face a series of manmade environmental disasters, and gradually finds a sense of purpose as a photographer and storyteller for her people.

This fall, we'll be meeting with potential funders, broadcasters, and distributors who could help us get the film out into the world.

Alcohol Prevention Front and Center

Earlier this week I found myself immersed in the research and strategies for preventing high-risk drinking at colleges. Outside the Classroom asked me to film their Alcohol Prevention Coalition's second Annual Research Summit at Babson College. It's a gathering of top administrators, health educators, and student affairs directors who work to minimize binge drinking and its ramifications such as sexual assault, poor academic performance, and damaged town-gown relationships.

I am excited to be working with Outside the Classroom because I find them to be not only a top-notch research and strategy organization, but a great example of social entrepreneurship. They seem to be a for-profit business that operates with a non-profit mission. Their website says they aim to "Run Like a Business ~ Act Like a Nonprofit ~ Feel Like a Family ~ Care to Be Better."

Founder and CEO Brandon Busteed (pictured above) described the complexity of their approach to alcohol prevention, which brings together a diverse range of partners - deans, athletic directors, student affairs officers, health educators, student groups, faculty, and Greek organizations - and uses the Coalition's rich data on student attitudes and behavior to design policy.

I'm looking forward to producing some webclips to get the word out about the Coalition.

Mattapan Moving for Life

On Saturday I had the opportunity to attend and film Mattapan Moving for Life, an an annual event to encourage healthy physical activity for residents of all ages. There was hula hooping and tai chi, zumba and double dutch, and free healthy food from Brookwood Community Farm and other vendors.

Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition, the sponsoring organization, hopes that this and their many other programs will help change the daunting health statistics of this community; Mattapan has some of the highest rates of obesity and diabetes in Boston. The roots of this disparity lie in deep socioeconomic factors, from lack of access to healthy food to unsafe streets and playgounds (or sometimes just the perception of danger) to systemic racism.

The Coalition's vision is that "Mattapan will become known as one of the healthiest communities in Boston, with easy access to affordable and healthy food. Our streets will be clean, safe and walk-able. Our residents of all ages and abilities will take regular advantage of the abundant and inviting play spaces and recreational opportunities."

I was shooting the event with one of my favorite cameramen, Thomas Danielczik, as part of a two-year documentation project for the Boston Public Health Commission. Congratulations to Mattapan for a great community event!

Springtime Shoot in Paris

I just got back from a nice shoot in Paris for my Lalitafilm. I have now filmed in all three cities Lalita has lived: Mumbai, Paris, and Montréal. My film partly has to do with the ways our bodies are shaped or affected by the places we live. So I was looking for images that feel in some ways quintessentially Paris - and yet are not cliché... for some reason, I found that shooting on my cheap little Flip camera yielded some interesting results.

On the sightseeing part of the trip, I also enjoyed visiting the Mosquée de Paris, where in addition to seeing the beautiful tilework and gardens, you can get a full hammamtreatment with steam baths, black soap, and muscular old ladies massaging you down with scented oil...

First Showing of Lalita Installation

I had the first public showing of my Lalita installation at Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason in San Francisco last week as part of San Francisco Art Institute's graduating MFA show. It was a great experience to build a room and deal with all the technical details for a two-channel HD video projection. (Thanks a million to musicians-turned-builders Jorrit Dijkstra and Matthias Bossi for the help!) I also had the opportunity to show the piece to artist Nalini Malani, who was receiving an honorary doctorate from SFAI, and Johan Pijnappel, a Dutch curator living in Mumbai and specializing in Asian video and new media art.

Royal Toast CD out today

My friend John Hollenbeck, a great drummer/composer, is releasing a new CD today called Royal Toast. The album features his Claudia Quintet together with Gary Versace on piano. My colleague John Harrison and I pulled together some existing footage of the band to make a little Youtube video to help launch the CD.

John Hollenbeck was nominated for a Grammy last year, and continues prolifically to produce some very interesting music. He plays in several groups in addition to the Claudia Quintet, including a duo with my husband Jorrit Dijkstra on saxophone and electronics.