I Don't Protest, I Just Dance In My Shadow (2017)

“I don’t want to feel like it’s only me. I know it’s not only me, because there are others out there…”

‘I Don’t Protest, I Just Dance In My Shadow’ is a short visual essay film by artist animator, Jessica Ashman, about navigating the visual art and animation world as a black face in a white space.

Using animation and recorded interviews of eight other women of colour artists, ‘I Don’t Protest, I Just Dance In My Shadow’ is an abstract confessional from the director herself: a visualisation of the joy, frustration, wishes and dreams of what it feels like to be a black women and a woman of colour artist, creating and existing.

Developed by Animate Projects and funded by Arts Council England, 'I Don't Protest, I Just Dance In My Shadow' also screened as part of a 10 day installation at the Four Corners Gallery, June 2017, designed by Jessica. The installation was created to accompany the film and showcased in depth the artists interviewed and experimental abstracts from the film-making process.

Exhibition Produced by Tega Okiti
Sound Design by Seb Bruen
AV technician: Andy Jenkin
Sound Installation Support: Par Carlsson
Project Assistants: Jonathan Long, Leni Kauffman, Jen Hanlon and Sameer Shastri.

Featuring the words and voices of artists: Annlin Chao, Ng’endo Mukii, Maybelle Peters, Jessica Knights, Airelle Ray and Suraya Raja.

Supported by Animate Projects, Jerwood Charitable Foundation and Arts Council England
Selected for:

Factional Animation Film Festival 2018
Encounters Film Festival 2018
Blackstar Film Festival 2018 - Nominated for Best Experimental
Flatpack Film Festival 2018
Fighting Talk - Group Show, 35 Chapel Walk (2018)
Brooklyn Women's Film Festival 2018 - Winner of Best Experimental
Single Frame Film Festival 2018
Cardiff International Animation Festival 2018
Underwire Film Festival 2017
Diaspora Dialogues - Group Exhibition, Winns Gallery

Cast: Jessica Ashman

Tags: experimental, animation, women of colour artists and Black women artists