ZION ESTRADA. ARTIST RESEARCHER.
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Zion Estrada (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist researcher. Her work flows between archival assemblage filmmaking, sonic collage production and experiential design centering human and more-than-human (re)connection.
Zion’s experimental collage language in film and sonic works often use layering of field recordings, found sounds and carefully curated sound clips that score a line of discourse that complicate temporality, history and meaning making. Her practice is informed by the palimpsest and Pauline Olivero’s Deep Listening.
She is most interested in the non-verbal and more-than-human qualities of storytelling from the African diaspora (specifically the Caribbean) and how sounds hold the spirits of the past and the alchemic power to magnetize communities, movement, moods, and healing. She draws from the traditions of Black Trans abolitionists care making, sex worker solidarity, doula presence practices and movement architects love of release.
Zion is currently researching traditional forms of care and pod practices and repair as they relate to mangrove and wild grass systems.
Zion is the Creative Director of Black Discourse, co-founder of Wild Grass Design + Research Practice and owner of BZE Consultant LLC. She holds a M.A. Ed focused in participatory research and linguistics.
PREVIOUSLY
Director of Programs at BLD PWR; holds 10yrs as educator and curriculum developer.
CURRENTLY
Board member at Citizens of Culture
Exhibitor at the Ghetto Biennale in Jacmel, Haiti 2024
Participant in MIT Worlding Project Community 2023
Zion’s experimental collage language in film and sonic works often use layering of field recordings, found sounds and carefully curated sound clips that score a line of discourse that complicate temporality, history and meaning making. Her practice is informed by the palimpsest and Pauline Olivero’s Deep Listening.
She is most interested in the non-verbal and more-than-human qualities of storytelling from the African diaspora (specifically the Caribbean) and how sounds hold the spirits of the past and the alchemic power to magnetize communities, movement, moods, and healing. She draws from the traditions of Black Trans abolitionists care making, sex worker solidarity, doula presence practices and movement architects love of release.
Zion is currently researching traditional forms of care and pod practices and repair as they relate to mangrove and wild grass systems.
Zion is the Creative Director of Black Discourse, co-founder of Wild Grass Design + Research Practice and owner of BZE Consultant LLC. She holds a M.A. Ed focused in participatory research and linguistics.
PREVIOUSLY
Director of Programs at BLD PWR; holds 10yrs as educator and curriculum developer.
CURRENTLY
Board member at Citizens of Culture
Exhibitor at the Ghetto Biennale in Jacmel, Haiti 2024
Participant in MIT Worlding Project Community 2023
Film
Sound Works
- Wild Grass Sonic Feild Notes - Posture, Transmission, Land
- Brick by Brick
- Virgil Abloh Broke My Mind
- Hear Her Here
- Archipelago
- The Reclamation Project
- Sonic Architecture 405S
- River Fire Akosombo
- Rain Release Kauai
- Black Femme Relationality Kingston
- Kids Kids Goats Accra
- Birds Talking Shit Johannesburg
- Kandaka Sudan
Appearances
- Texte Zur Kunst Film Review Issue No.133/March 2024 “Restitution”
- Quantum Listening: Sound as Form/Practice
- Black Reconstruction Collective discusses UNMONUMENT CHICAGO:After Work, the group’s contribution to the 2023 Chicago Architecture Biennial
- Challenging the Perception of Preservation in Accra’s Architecture - Press
- ‘Certain Winds From the South’ NY African Film Festival
- Rhythmic Resistance
- Precious Time
- Love Extremist
- On the Art of Building New Language with Thando Hopa
- On the Art of Building from Scratch with Sandy Alibo
- On the Art of Lagosian Filmmaking with Arie & Chuko Esiri
SEE CURRENT VISUAL DISCOURSE ︎︎︎