SHELBYWORKS
SHELBYWORKS

ABOUT CINEMA-Q

Cinema-Q is an anthology of cinematic portraits that combines the grandeur of contemporary cinema, the dark whimsicality of fantasy, and the candor of dailiness & process to highlight artists and creative entrepreneurs who are active in their communities & in creating community.

By investigating the quotidian of process and elevating it to visual lore, we celebrate our own communities and create real-time mythos around the values most important to us.

VOXIGMA

A 3-part documentary web series that follows the titular character as she closes her first solo exhibition all the way through to her monthly drag show with her least favorite topic at the forefront—the Future.

THE VESSEL PROJECT

This webseries marries art therapy and cosplay, inviting participants to create an alter-ego around traits they want to grow into and then pose for a portrait in-character.

Art therapy meets fantasy role play.

THE VESSEL PROJECT is a documentary web series where cosplay meets art therapy. In the first iteration, the director, with the help of photographer & performer Voxigma Lo, engages two NYC-natives—Freya and Danajha—in a task to create an aspirational alter ego and take a portrait in-character. Together they excavate inner child wounds to find pathways back to their authentic selves. As the process commences, they face tensions and trials that test their deep bonds with each other—underlining the inherent challenge of growth: how do we show up for ourselves and for others at the same time?

Photo by Jelani Ameer

NYC PREMIERE SCREENING

On the last Saturday of Summer 2024, the cast and crew gathered at Dixon Place to screen the first VESSEL PROJECT to an audience for the very first time. A vulnerable and tea-spilling discussion ensued, followed by a portrait session of the most stunning lewks curated by those vibrant personalities. Stay tuned for the next one this winter & don’t forget to sign up for updates. Photos by Cynthia Francillon.

Download hi-res photos here.

Voxigma Lo does not think about the future.

Neither does she expect to live very long, which is why she dedicates so much time and care to her work as a drag performer and portraitist. For the better part of the last decade, she has cemented herself as a shaman of Brooklyn's queer nightlife community with her entrancing performances and careful community photography.

VOXIGMA is a 3-part mini-docuseries that attempts to create a portrait of this portraitist. We follow the titular character as she closes her first solo exhibition all the way through to her monthly drag show with her least favorite topic at the forefront—the Future. Through candid day-in-the-life footage, intimate solitary moments, and trance-like lyrical vignettes; we journey through Voxigma's world and back-story to explore the effective use of portraiture and performance as a safeguard against mortality and transience.

Episode 3

It is the day of the much-anticipated, much-dreaded "Black to the Future" drag show. Voxigma pushes ahead amidst a whirlwind of last minute tasks.

Featuring Voxigma Lo | Directed & Edited by Shelby Zoe Coley | Consulting Producer - Abou Farman | Guest Appearances: Julie J and Paris Hilton Als of Sylvester, and Mx Fink

Episode 2

Voxigma reminisces on past Sylvester drag shows and de-installs her solo exhibition.

Featuring Voxigma Lo | Directed & Edited by Shelby Zoe Coley | Consulting Producer - Abou Farman | Guest Appearances: Daija, Dina, Brandon, Glenn, Blake, Khiry, and Dakota

Episode 1

Voxgima prepares for a guest drag performance for a friend & gets a call from her mom.

Featuring Voxigma Lo | Directed & Edited by Shelby Zoe Coley | Consulting Producer - Abou Farman | Guest Appearances: Ella Fartzgerald, Mx Fink