we were baby armadillos

still image of kelly shaw nyala (from "we were baby armadillos") by John Pierpont

Oya brings colorful, welcomed change ~

the kind of change preceded by storms. always.

this change is very new 4 me, & has risen from years of 

shadow-y. inner-werk. utterly painful. often private.

necessary, tho. sweet moments too. (where to begin?)

👽 💋 💕 🍊 🍄 🌵 🍋 🐚
🍍 🍧 🍏 🌺 🐣 🐍 🐌 🐋

below are still images from both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Costa Rica, where i began working on my debut/original short film, "we were baby armadillos," which speaks up about machismo as an illness. + i perform rituals that honor the aesthetic of my work (as interdisciplinary performance artist) since 2005. + i storytell thru the voices of 11,678 women. ... the script wrote itself about 6-7 months ago, was fully erased intentionally, and now is being recreated. i am so excited to share this completed work with you in or after 2022.

still image of kelly shaw willman by John Pierpont

still image of kelly shaw willman by John Pierpont

* a little raw footage sneak-peak by John Pierpont *

** NOTE: ALL FOOTAGE with John Pierpont took place in Playas del Coco, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. ALL FOOTAGE with Jesse Artavia (below) took place in Playa Negra in the Talamanca (Limón) region of Costa Rica, the Caribbean coast. 

my irritability has been high, and i'm having tough dreams again. it was hard to share space, in spite of how much i love and trust my friend, Jesse. he came to film with me for a few days very recently. i was able to break the ice by giving about 20+ minutes of vulnerable interviews. i also told the story of one of my favorite Caribbean women, who directly channels GAWD. this is me, kelly shaw willman, in my Playa Negra apartment, on 4.10.2018. image: Jesse Artavia. 👄

pre-ritual. kelly shaw willman by Jesse Artavia

post-ritual. kelly shaw willman by Jesse Artavia

kelly shaw willman by Jesse Artavia

kelly shaw willman by Jesse Artavia

kelly shaw willman by Jesse Artavia

p.s. recently in NYC.

p.s. recently in NYC.

kelly shaw willman 

💦 💚 💀 ❤ 💫 🌱 
🍂 🍒 🍑 🐇 🐚 🐋