Founded in 2016 by Justen LeRoy, SON. is a platform that aims to showcase the multi-dimensional experience of the Black male identity and, by extension, Black life. Thus far, SON. has taken shape in print, online, and as a monthly radio program on NTS Radio. LEAVE A MESSAGE (2020) builds on this radio program, albeit with a startling level of intimacy that culls together music, conversation fragments, and sound bites from voice messages. These various parts are collaged together to create a soundscape in the collective and convivial spirit of home and his father’s barbershop space. Presented as part of 'Made in L.A. 2020: a version,' on view at the Hammer Museum and Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Please call 310-209-7999 and leave a message of gratitude at the tone. Messages will be considered for inclusion in future episodes.
In episode one, SON. founder Justen LeRoy weaves together voice messages and poetic reflections that dwell in the often nebulous, unseeable space of faith. And while faith is often oriented to the future, the opening words of gratitude from Tyler Mitchell conjure faith as a surrender to the here and now. Contributions from L.A. natives and artists Kayla Acosta, Ali Jachin and DG Santana invoke faith as a feeling that simultaneously demands, threatens, and promises. Artist Shikeith recalls the familial foundations to his spirituality that shape his artistic practice and search for the light through darkness. All these missives are held through an ecstatic soundscape scored by Slauson Malone and Leroy.
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