The new HBO late-night show Random Acts of Flyness created an ear ringing buzz on the heels of its August 3rd premiere with a surreal pop-up museum experience.
Every installation at the visually stimulating pop-up museum was thought-provoking and pulled directly from the series. All were designed to spark a conversation and pique interest in the series.
My personal favorite was the “Black Women Won’t Save Us All” room — guests were encouraged to write the names of black women who impacted their lives and the world on its walls. Several ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) booths were available for attendees to listen to concentrated sounds from the black community — a hot comb on textured hair, Double Dutch, the clacking of long nails, a large bed with vibrations linked to the pulse of music in the room, and much more.
From creator Terence Nance, Random Acts of Flyness is a unique, innovative compilation of genres (documentary, musical performances, surrealist melodrama, and animation). Through a variety of interconnected stream-of-consciousness vignettes, the six-episode series explores major issues in American culture directly affecting the black community. Nance and his artistic team have intricately woven together years of ancestral trauma and black history to create something never before seen in mainstream media.
The series not only features the performing talent of Nance himself but also guest stars including Dominique Fishback (The Deuce), Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple), Gillian Jacobs (Love, Community), Ntare Guma Mwine (The Chi, The Knick), Adepero Oduye (Pariah, The Big Short, 12 Years a Slave), Natalie Paul (The Deuce), Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire), and others.
Random Acts of Flyness is something completely new and different; that alone earns it a worthwhile watch. Change your perspective on the composition of media and the surrounding culture. Watch the first two episodes, and you might just find yourself addicted to this fast-paced, attention-grabbing series.
PHOTO credit: Dorothy Hong/Team Epiphany