semzyiri is a multimedia storyteller who blends surrealism, existentialism, cosmic wonder, and inner worlds with the lived reality of a neuroqueer cultural nomad.
Navigating the crossroads of a world in poly-crisis and of nature divorced from human experience, semzyiri's work captures the intricate dance between the internal and external, offering a unique lens on our interconnected existence.
I first met semzyiri at an ‘Ideas, Welcome’ Session hosted by the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre meeting about social infrastructure and third places, organised by Luc Lalande and colleagues (see an upcoming episode about him) at the Rideau Community Hub, in Ottawa.
We met again by chance at a local eco fair on June 1 2024 where we talked about our common interest in community engaged arts, art and ecology and in social collapse awareness and acceptance.
One of the topics that struck me in my conversation was the notion of ‘numbness’, which is coming back again and again this 5th season of the podcast, notably in e171 kimberly skye richards - dept of utopian arts & letters (‘one of the roles that artists play within the poly crisis is supporting us through processes of unnumbing’). semzyiri reminds us that :
After our conversation semzyiri told me more about a new organization of which they are a co-founder called Collaborative Movements, a multimedia amplifier that centres community initiatives through a documentary series, a podcast, a website hub, and community events and that this initiative highlights and supports a network of third spaces, community centres, social enterprises, non-profit organizations, social innovation labs, and more. The idea is to address a diverse range of themes including local arts, sciences, sustainability, community mental health, social housing, food insecurity, IBPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, and immigrant stories.
This is a welcome development in the Ottawa arts and media community, and I hope other communities are creating their own collaborative movements.
semzyiri recommends the following publications:
Note: Link to semzyiri's Substack.