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FILM MAKERS:

SHARRIF SIMMONS

Originally from New York, SHARRIF SIMMONS is currently a resident of Birmingham, AL. An accomplished poet and musician, he has won several awards and received an Emmy nomination for his work on the Thornton Dial documentary soundtrack. He has appeared in several feature length films (Panther, Slam) and performed his original poetry on HBO's Def Poetry Jam. He is an Arts Education professional who works with ARTPLAY, the education outreach division of UAB's Alys Stephens Center. In 2010, Simmons founded B.A.A.M! (Birmingham Arts And Music) festival. The event is an annual showcase for the cultural arts community in Birmingham, Alabama.

HEIKE TJEPKEMA

In 1994 I graduated from the University of Amsterdam as a teacher of Dutch and drawing. To further develop myself as an artist, I have followed the Gerrit Rietveld Academie and graduated in 2001 as an independent artist.
Initially I started with drawings and paintings in mixed media, later I moved on to (video) installations, photographs and three-dimensional work. Once I started drawing pictures of an imaginary journey. It was a kind of diary in which I included drawings (with text) made of the landscape I was imagining. Also in my pictures and (video) installations, the environment plays an important role. My studio is in Amsterdam Southeast.

Work / project experience

THE VISION:

In June of 2011, My son Omari Jazz and myself, Sharrif Simmons, were awarded an artist residency through the Open Ateliers program in Amsterdam's Zuidoost (Southeast) "Bijlemer" district. On our way over to Holland from the United States, we developed a curiousity about the changing ways people were using (or not using) their voices in society. We decided to explore this idea further. After meeting independent filmmaker Heike Tjepkema, also a resident of Amsterdam, we embarked on a quest to discover the different and unique ways people are using their individual; as well as their collective VOICES. THE SPOKEN WORLD PROJECT: AMSTERDAM is the result of our time spent with the OAZO Residency Program.

THE FILM:

This documentary asks the question: "HOW DO YOU USE YOUR VOICE?" In today's technology driven society, dominated by social media, texting, Facebook, Twitter and non-verbal forms of communication, our traditional use of voice is rapidly changing. If we are not using our voices to socialize, educate and communicate, then what are we becoming? How do we preserve the Spoken World?

WE EXPLORE THIS QUESTION through interviews with actors, comedians, poets, artists, musicians, religious leaders, filmmakers, activists, vocal coaches and teachers. The documentary also follows our journey through the process. Capturing our difficult moments with no food or transportation and the help we received from friends and strangers. To date, our adventure has been a unique look into the current state of social evolution. Are we ready to live in a world without human voice? Are we evolving with the natural progress of science and technology? YOU DECIDE.

THE SOUNDTRACK:

Omari Jazz has become a prolific music producer at an early age. At 16 years old, he was the youngest artist to be offered an artist residency with the OAZO program in Amsterdam, Holland. While there, he performed on RED LIGHT RADIOhttp://www.redlightradio.net/shows/om...

OMARI's vision for the soundtrack is a collaboration with his father, Spoken Word Poet Sharrif Simmons. Together they will provide an audio-scape for the documentary while exploring the use of voice, music and sound-design.

Also see: http://vimeo.com/tag:Omari%20Jazz