Imagining Sound

I used Leonado AI to create this comic techno DJ:-)

Often overlooked as the birthplace of techno music, Detroit offers a unique lens through which we can explore the powerful role of sound in Afrofuturism. As I continue developing my forthcoming exhibition on techno in the city, I hope to introduce people MSU Museum visitors to a sonic world more complex than they realize. Engaging with techno in Detroit is vital to understanding Afrofuturist expression and worldbuilding. Afrofuturism, a cultural and artistic movement, merges elements of African diaspora culture with futuristic visions, often incorporating sound as a central theme. Sound serves as a medium for music and a technology for storytelling and cultural transmission.

As I continue to think about the ideological roots of sound in Afrofuturism, patterns of engagement highlight the ways black artists have been innovators for decades. This approach builds on Alondra Nelson's idea in 2002 when she asked us to consider the long legacy of black artistic innovation as an alternative framework for considering modernity. What could “progress” be if we engage with black sonic practice? Often, these sounds provide a way for the powerless to make clear the ways equity can be achieved.