Assembly

Assembly is a journey into Black and queer futures that refuses to be boxed in. Part documentary and part multi-sensory performance piece, the film dives behind the scenes of Rashaad Newsome’s groundbreaking installation at New York’s Park Avenue Armory, witnessing a bastion of white military power as it is transformed into a celebration of queer joy and resistance.

Bringing together performers from Brazil, Japan, Ukraine, and the U.S., and incorporating music, dance, poetry, sculpture, holograms, and African fractal patterns, the exhibition channels the energy of the queer underground while delivering political commentary. At its center is Being the Digital Griot, a voguing, storytelling, non-binary AI informed by the writings of Black feminist thinkers. Through the film, Being underscores the urgency of decolonization and imagines a future where machines amplify diverse voices.

Through hybrid storytelling and visual effects, Assembly weaves together Rashaad’s creative process, dynamic performances, and the lives of his global collaborators. Moments such as a journey to Ghana to commune with enslaved ancestors and a tribute to murdered Black trans women that evolves into a protest march highlight art’s capacity to reclaim agency and inspire change. As the exhibit celebrates community, solidarity, and liberation, Assembly becomes a vision of intergenerational resilience and a love letter to queer Black excellence.