Exchange — Bridging the Gap

Exchange is a video production that celebrates and bridges the gap between Afro-American and West African culture. In this unique production, we transition from present day to the late 1960s. We chose this era because it represents a period of heightened cultural awareness within the diaspora, both in North America and West Africa.

We took inspiration from two legendary photographers who highlighted Black and African culture in the late 60s — Kwame Brathwaite of Harlem and Malick Sidibe of Mali.

Past Meets Present

Exchange was filmed in two NYC studios. Present Day scenes were shot in a vintage Brownstone apartment in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, NYC. 1960s period scenes were shot in Astoria, Queens, NYC, on a vintage 16mm film camera. To add even more authenticity, vintage clothing pieces from the 1960s were sourced for the shoot.

Through fashion and visual storytelling, Exchange illustrates the cultural ties between West Africans and African Americans, both in the past and present day.

Sponsored by Muddaland Worldwide

Muddaland is a lifestyle brand that specializes in creating wearable art pieces. Many of these pieces are 1 of 1s handmade by Muddaland Ant & his small team in Brooklyn, NYC. We had the pleasure of featuring some of their West African-inspired pieces in Exchange.

Muddaland draws inspiration from all over the African diaspora to engineer pieces that are specially designed to empower whoever puts them on. There is love in every stitch and intention in every detail. We hope you enjoy these pieces as much as we enjoyed creating them.