What happens when you bring together poetry with visual art? An infinite number of collaborations and outcomes can occur. But when you bring together the work of two cousins, poet Kamilah Aisha Moon (referred to by friends and family as Aisha) and artist Najja Moon, it’s the stuff of magic. After Aisha passed away last fall, Najja began sifting through decades of her cousin’s work to find a way to pay homage to her poetry as well as her vibrant life. In the process, she uncovered an opportunity for a posthumous collaboration: a Miami-Dade County photobooth that allows visitors a poetic keepsake.
“Along with grieving her loss, a lot of other thoughts and feelings that came along were this kind of regret around having never made art together, never having had the opportunity to collaborate in an intentional way,” says Najja of the project. “I think that was the initial catalyst for this project: to honor my cousin, to work with her.”
She came to the idea while rereading her late cousin’s poetry books an effort to reconnect after her death. A poem called “Portrait at 34” was particularly inspiring. 34 years old at the time, Najja felt like Aisha’s work was a special gift to her. “How did she know? It was a beautiful, surreal kind of experience,” she says. “And that started this idea of, ‘What would it be like to try and create that same kind of gift for other people?’” O, Miami, an organization that builds community through poetry, had a call for proposals, and Najja’s idea was born.
“When this project came in, it was so beautiful and moving and also so ambitious,” says Caroline Cabrera of O, Miami. “Having worked with Najja before, we knew that she could execute such a grand vision, but still, seeing the final piece in place—seeing folks interact with it—has been awe-inspiring.”
To link Aisha’s poetry with experiential art, Najja created a photobooth that would guide participants through an experience. Instead of pressing a start button, you enter your age, then the camera counts down and takes three portraits. When the photographs print, the photo slip is paired with a poem dedicated to your age.
“You have this portrait of you written about this moment in time that you're experiencing in your life,” explains Najja. “We developed a lesson plan that we sent out to several schools throughout Miami-Dade County, so Aisha's poem was taught in schools in order to receive poetry submissions from elementary to high school students. And we received over 300 submissions.”
Najja’s cousin and Aisha’s sister, Niya Moon, rallied Aisha’s friends and poetry community to acquire additional poetry submissions. Then Najja and the team at O, Miami read through hundreds of poems to choose just one for each age. By linking poetry written by the Miami community as well as Aisha’s friends with experiential art, she’s seen people of all ages and walks of life come to the photobooth.
“Every aspect of this project, from the technology to the physical structure to the poetic infrastructure needed, was a grand vision and a big lift, but Najja is unstoppable,” says Cabrera. “The combination of literal physical endurance needed for this project and the human softness and empathy that she keeps at the heart of her process is so beautiful to witness.”
The next pop-up for "Portrait at 34" will be held on April 29 at The Underline in Miami, Florida.
