Wa PaPo: What is it?
With the Wa PaPo project, launched in 2021 with husband David Allen Harris (photographer), there’s an effort of revitalizing holistic histories and lore through reintroducing African-inspired elements with our own personal flair. This is a homage, rather than an ethnographic survey that accurately depicts any one place or culture. Instead, we hope to infuse new life and meaning into the ways of showing and retelling Black and Western folklore in public and digital spaces.
Over the course of the Wa PaPo project, the artists explored stories about different figures of the African diaspora through prose, art, and reenactments on film, using creative license to change details for more original and interpretive artistic effect. Lyric is an interdisciplinary artist with ties to social practice art, writing, bodypainting, muraling, and assemblage; David is similarly equipped as a photographer and software engineer/computer scientist. Together, they use traditional and new media to fully tell the tales we weave.
Over the course of the Wa PaPo project, the artists explored stories about different figures of the African diaspora through prose, art, and reenactments on film, using creative license to change details for more original and interpretive artistic effect. Lyric is an interdisciplinary artist with ties to social practice art, writing, bodypainting, muraling, and assemblage; David is similarly equipped as a photographer and software engineer/computer scientist. Together, they use traditional and new media to fully tell the tales we weave.
History of Wa PaPo
In 2013, Lyric Prince Harris started an interactive arts event in Philadelphia called Manic Machine, being one of the first to come up with the concept of “adult coloring.” During the course of that year, she staged four different public interventions at Blick Art and at different community events, inviting people to come and paint– usually on canvas, but sometimes on live models. She also worked with other artists to introduce their mediums and artworks.
Photos below are courtesy of artist and Kene Photo.
Photos below are courtesy of artist and Kene Photo.
Real-world results of Manic Machine work. The first two pictures were directly worked on in-store; the last two feature canvases that were later refined and then given to private collectors. Body painting on far left was done in partnership with Intuitive Expressions.
Real-world results of Manic Machine work. The first two pictures were directly worked on in-store; the last two feature canvases that were later refined and then given to private collectors. Body painting on far left was done in partnership with Intuitive Expressions.
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Market East Art series, a few months after the Blick shows. Images courtesy of Tieska Smith/Witty Gritty, 2013.
Coloring outside of the lines: The artist launched two different versions of coloring pages to go along with the real-world happenings in Philadelphia. Over the course of the year, she published one hardcopy of a coloring page, and five electronic coloring pages on www.elpea.me (now offline.) There was a color legend for those who wanted one, but participants were encouraged to follow their own preferences.
In 2016, the artist followed up with a second version of the experience, staging a live painting mural at Arlington Arts Center. Over the course of her four-month residency, she guided participants to paint on her wall, which would then be incorporated into the larger fabric of the mural’s progress. Also, she used cast-off items from a previous installation with fellow AAC artist Rachel Schmidt, as well as other found items around the center.
Photos courtesy of artist and Yuri Long.
In 2016, the artist followed up with a second version of the experience, staging a live painting mural at Arlington Arts Center. Over the course of her four-month residency, she guided participants to paint on her wall, which would then be incorporated into the larger fabric of the mural’s progress. Also, she used cast-off items from a previous installation with fellow AAC artist Rachel Schmidt, as well as other found items around the center.
Photos courtesy of artist and Yuri Long.
Before and after photos: first one is strictly audience-led, the second is after editing by artist.
The mural’s circuit around the room.
The mural’s circuit around the room.
Crowd shots from mural’s progress, Jan-August, 2016. Photos by artist, Hilary Morgan-Watt and Mavra Bari.
In 2017, the artist led a Project Create Family Day workshop, in which 20 participants, from pre-K to 12, created a paper collage.
Below, see the premade “before” canvas that uses orange and brown tones, in comparison to the final result, which use all of the colors of fall.
In 2020, the artist teamed up with David Allen Harris, who started to work with her on creating immersive sets. Instead of hiring models, the artist decided to use her own body as a prop to tell the new stories she was devising along with the series. Below, see stills from stories such as “The Three Sisters,” “The Rainbow Warrior,” and “Tiger/Lamb.” In the near future, they aim to execute details with another story, called “The Ibis and the Starling.”
In 2020, the artist teamed up with David Allen Harris, who started to work with her on creating immersive sets. Instead of hiring models, the artist decided to use her own body as a prop to tell the new stories she was devising along with the series. Below, see stills from stories such as “The Three Sisters,” “The Rainbow Warrior,” and “Tiger/Lamb.” In the near future, they aim to execute details with another story, called “The Ibis and the Starling.”
Wa PaPo Short
feat. Lyric Prince and David Allen Harris
dir. by Doug Harris
Features live bodypainting
Click here to see "The Rainbow Warrior"
Notice: features body art.
Copyright 2021-2022, Lyric Prince Harris. All rights reserved.