Jasmine Velez
About
Jasmine Velez is a junior at Queens College majoring in Cinema Studies and minoring in Anthropology. From 2011-2013 she co-directed the short documentary film Triggering Wounds in conjunction with Maysles Film Center and Harlem Hospital. Most recently, she directed, edited and produced a documentary short titled Frisly, which premiered in April 2014 at the Tribeca Film Festival, received the Tribeca Film Fellows 2014 Creative Excellence Award and went on the screen at the Queens Museum. Her documentaries have been featured in The New York Times and on NBC Voces. Her 2014 The Power of Words contribution included the interactive project titled Truth Booth, by Hank Willis Thomas and A Fork, A Spoon and A Knight, by Mira Nair.
A Fork, A Spoon and A Knight
An unknown slum boy grows up to transform one of Uganda’s largest slums, into an internationally recognized Chess Sanctuary.
Mandela quote: "Difficulties break some men but make others."
Truth Booth
In Search of the Truth (Truth Booth) is an installation comprised of a touring, portable, inflatable "Truth Booth" that embarked on a world tour at the Galway Arts Festival, Ireland in 2011. The project was created by artists Hank Willis Thomas, Ryan Alexiev, and Jim Ricks of the Cause Collective. The exterior is ironically shaped like a giant cartoon speech bubble with the word "TRUTH" boldly printed on the side. The interior acts much like a photo booth, but serves to compile no longer than two minute video responses from the public. Once seated inside people are invited to record their opinions and thoughts as they finish the statement: “The truth is...”. Throughout this long-term
project the video footage will be compiled and edited into a video artwork. To expand and engage with audiences, movements of the Truth Booth and sample responses will be tracked, edited, and categorized on a website.
Mandela quote: "The truth is that we are not yet free; we have merely achieved the freedom to be free, the right not to be oppressed."