[IF…] Iterative Fictions

Join us for an evening with artist Eto Otitigbe as he presents [IF…] (Iterative Fictions), a creative research project that draws on materials from the Weeksville Heritage Center archives to imagine stories of Black life, past and future. “Iterative fiction” refers to a narrative process that shifts and expands over time, inviting multiple perspectives. Through this approach, [IF…] traces, recreates, and reactivates fragmented artifacts for future use.

This performance blends sculpture, sound, and visual media to reimagine the Black Archive and open new pathways for understanding history.

Otitigbe is joined by collaborators Zane Rodulfo and Dakota Ray. Rodulfo composed an original soundscape using interviews from the Weeksville Lost Jazz Shrines of Brooklyn, a project developed by Weeksville’s former research team that highlights Central Brooklyn’s jazz legacy. Ray contributes visual projections that combine vintage cartoons, blaxploitation films, and images from the Golden Legacy illustrated history series, creating a layered and visually striking atmosphere.

Featured Artists and Collaborators

Eto Otitigbe is a polymedia artist whose interdisciplinary practice spans sculpture, public art, performance, installation, and community engagement. His public works include installations at Socrates Sculpture Park and Randall’s Island Park, as well as a key role on the design team for the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at UVA. Recent projects include Peaceful Journey (Mt. Vernon, NY), a permanent tribute to Heavy D, and Invasive Species (Philadelphia, PA), a mixed reality work exploring plant life and migration.

Otitigbe has received fellowships and awards from the National Arts Club, CEC Artslink, and the Smithsonian, where he researched Urhobo language and African material culture. He is an Associate Professor of Sculpture at Brooklyn College and holds degrees from MIT, Stanford, and the University of Plymouth. He is also the founder of eo Studio, a 2023 Creative Capital Awardee focused on community-driven public art

Zane Rodulfo is a Trinidadian drummer and composer based in New York City. Trained in both Jazz Performance and Ethnomusicology at Oberlin Conservatory, he holds a graduate degree in Jazz Studies from NYU. Rodulfo has performed at venues including Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Blue Note and has opened for legends such as Stevie Wonder and Roy Ayers.

His work spans performance, composition, and sound installation, with commissions from the Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum, Brooklyn Arts Council, and more. His piece Around the Circle was featured in the Guggenheim’s Vasily Kandinsky exhibition (2021–2022) alongside his sound sculpture Abandoned Orchestra. Dakota Ray is a Brooklyn-based multimedia artist who learned very early that she could use art as a way of connection and expression. Through the use of comic art, sculpture, digital art, and drawing, many of her works center around evoking feelings of nostalgia, particularly around food. Dakota earned an A.A.S. (Honors) in Art Foundations-Studio Art with a concentration in Sculpture from CUNY BMCC in Spring 2023 and is currently a Senior at CUNY Brooklyn College, on track to receive a BA in Art, with a minor in Theater Production in May 2025. Dakota’s future goal is to create installations, public art, and scenic designs that are interactive and immersive.