Some of you may remember our interview with LA-based musician Mal, surrounding her wonderful EP In Free Fall, early last year. It was our pleasure to find out that she’d be heading to Chicago this week to connect with some of the city’s local creative community for an event she dreamed up alongside dancer Alyssa Allen. Rooted in the idea of bringing people together to experience art in person following a really limiting couple of years, the event will highlight handmade clothing, acoustic performances & film screenings this Saturday night in Wicker Park’s historic Flat Iron Building. Learn a bit about the event from Mal below & be sure to RSVP to check it out in person tomorrow eve.

Hey Mal, how have you been since the last time we caught up?

Yo! I’ve been well - feeling grateful and excited for things my friends are doing and things that I get to be a part of. I hope you’ve been well too.

You’re hosting an event in Chicago this weekend, what can you tell us about it?

It’s called Family Meeting and it will be a night where artists can come together, meet, and showcase work they are excited about. I feel like having a strong sense of community is crucial in art and just in general – especially after the past while. The hope is to bring that feeling to the surface in a genuine and physically interactive way.

We didn’t realize you had ties to Chicago (we’re proud!), what’s your connection to the city?

My sibling has been living there for the past 2 years or so. Also, my good friend Alyssa Allen (and co-host of Family Meeting) is part of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She is actually featured in the film I’ll be screening - which is a big reason why I wanted to do this event in Chicago with her.

Could you share a bit about the film you’ll be screening?

The film is called Continuous Short Feature Film and is an experimental piece I made over the past year with my good DP friend, Seannie Bryan, shot primarily on Super 8mm. It accompanies an EP I wrote and recorded in 2020 with the same title and is majorly influenced by surrealism + abstract art – artists like David Lynch, Norman McLaren, Man Ray, and Mark Rothko. So the film creates this ethereal space where sonic continuity and individualistic visual pieces beautifully clash to create an altered universe where the viewer can be fully immersed.

What can you tell us about some of the other artists showing?

We have incredible artists that will be featured throughout the night and more to come. Our musical acts, Glded + Alencia Norris, will be performing acoustic sets. We have writers/directors Boma Iluma + Dre Josia screening some powerful films they’ve recently made. We also have handmade clothing by Hannah DiLorenzo + Frances Whitford.

Anything our audience should know ahead of attending this Saturday?

Just support your artists however you can - whether it’s donations or staying up-to-date with their work after the event. Community is everything and the support it ultimately radiates keeps us artists inspired and motivated to keep making more art.

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