Beloved American Poetry Meets Evocative Drag Performance in Films for ALL ARTS

In collaboration with production team, Nature’s Darlings, Pomegranate Arts and Fat Squirrel, Other NYC saw ALL ARTS’s first artist-in-residence project through the post-production process. Other NYC’s Luis Moreno took on editorial of the films, including various shorts that feature drag performer, Taylor Mac, as he explores the underlying queerness and sensuality of Walt Whitman’s reverent poetry against the backdrop of the beautiful New York Hudson Valley.

Taylor Mac’s queer, seductive take on Whitman’s poems is a refreshing and alluring perspective we don’t often find within the context of the American poet’s work. The selected poems come from Whitman’s collection, 'Leaves of Grass', including three interpretations of 'Native Moments', 'To a Stranger', 'When I Heard at the Close of the Day', and section XXIV of 'Song of Myself'. Each piece feels revitalised while maintaining the grounded connection to nature that is a signature of Whitman. Between the naturally lush setting of the Hudson Valley, the extravagant yet raw costume and make-up design (Machine Dazzle and Anastasia Durasova respectively), and Taylor Mac’s evocative speech, Moreno pulls forth the humor, sensuality, angst, and longing of Whitman’s poetry in the films.

ALL ARTS has already initiated release of the short films via the ALL ARTS YouTube and Facebook, culminating in the release of the full short film on the organization’s website, and broadcast/streaming channel on May 2, at 10 p.m. EST.

Luis Moreno is one of the partner editors at Other NYC. His work can be seen on othernyc.com/editors. Other NYC works with a wide range of directors, agencies, and top tier brands, continually delivering powerful, emotional, and visually inventive results.