Other Digital
Since last review I have contributed to a variety of video and photography projects that have been circulated in film festivals, on web-based platforms, in print, and on social media. Whether it's work that centers my dancing body, my fleshy body, or other artists through the lens of my camera, I consider these smaller experiments integral to my research questions on identity and representation, and to the tools/skills I am continuing to build.
Bombay Beach (2020)
Conceived and Performed by Olana Z. Flynn
Filmed by Joel Mejia Smith
Sound Design: Olana Z. Flynn
Edited: Olana Z. Flynnn
Premiered at the OFF LOCATION at Entrance, New York, NY
Additional Film Screenings This Review Period
Jump/Cut Festival, Gowanus, New York
"After Hours" as part of the "Please and Thank You" exhibit at VSOPProjects - Greenport, NY
Duality Series: 2017
Conceived and Photographed by Mike Esperanza in collaboration with Joel Mejia Smith
Featuring: Joel Smith
Featured in:
Presented as Part of Mouthful at Center for Performance Research, Brooklyn, NY, 2018
Published Images Below
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
Mr. Turk, Print and Online: 2018
by Jonathan Skow, Photographer and Designer
Featuring: Joel Smith
Skow, J. 2018. “Mr. Turk.” Men’s Evening, Leisure and Swimwear Fashion, supporting Queer visibility and colorful lifestyle alternative wear. I was hired as a dancer/model to wear Mr. Turk clothing for fall/winter online and print 2018 campaigns. Photos appeared on MrTurk.com (for advertising and online shopping – note that the season has passed and many of the pics have been removed, so refer to Instagram pics for examples) and Mr. Turk Instagram ex. Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, as well as in print catalogue. Gigs with Mr. Turk have been cultivated as a result of my Instagram, as well as from my dancing, which Jonathan Skow, photographer, was interested in and why I was hired.
Sample Published Images Below (and above in the links)
Wolfy Magazine, 2018
Photography by Joel Mejia Smith
Direct from Web: "In the intersection between art and life there lives Wolfy. A unique point of view and an expression of what we love, what inspires us, what turns us on and what disturbs us. We celebrate men loving men, the experimental, the hairy, the vintage, the latest, the beauty in all things natural and provocative. We vow to stay true to our nature and reject it back irreverently. Wolfy is an unapologetic magazine for the modern gay man with an artistic vision of the world. It is based in Madrid and edited in both New York and Madrid, founded in 2016. It is wholly independent and publishes twice a year."
Published Images Below (cover Image of Magazine is not my work)
UCR LGBTRC Donor Video (2021)
Conceived and Created by Joel Mejia Smith
Edited: Joel Mejia Smith
Music: Karyn Ellis
Invited to contribute a celebration video if UC Riverside's LGBT Resource Center reached their fundraising goal. This solo film is a product of the self-capture research being developed as part of mark/it/s.
3 Minutes Moving (3MM) (2021)
Film and Practice by Joel Mejia Smith
Captured and Edited by Joel Mejia Smith
Supporting Materials
Youtube: 3MM Channel
UCSC Online Education: 3MM Curriculum
Review: NewsCenter
Review: The Arts
3MM is a project of UCSC Online Education in collaboration with the Dance Faculty of UCSC’s Theater Arts Department, with support from Porter College and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History. 3 Minutes Moving (3MM) provides easy access to physical engagement with three-minute movement experiences presented by master teachers in dance, martial arts, and contemplative movement practices. These practices are for every body; no previous movement training is needed.
Instagram - @bluejadeandjoel
Instagram has been a useful platform for the curation and presentation of my visual art and photography. Most images center my relationship with my pitbull Jade, and others blur the intersection of the personal, social and political, and are of me as a queer subject - as flesh, as desire, as pleasure, and often in spaces that reflect my aesthetic and design interests. Some images and videos highlight or represent the new dance and digital projects I am working on. As a visual artist with strong interests in design and composition, Instagram's immediate publishing and circulation capacities have contributed to increased exposure has lead to other gigs and opportunities. As of June, 2022, I have 24,000 followers.
Select Images that reflect my page.
