Shaping the Future Though Breaking Present Conventions

Janelle Monae’s 2018 studio album, Dirty Computer, is a brilliant mix that addresses feminism specific to the Black, bisexual, and polyamorous communities. Her “emotion picture” based on the album explores an afrofuturist scenario in which African Americans are “dirty computers” that need cleaning. In this dystopian future, the House of the New Dawn is a scientific facility where white scientists delete African Americans’ memories as a mechanism for control. The main character, Jane 57821, played by Janelle Monae, is the newest victim. Her old friend and lover, Zen, who has already had her memory wiped, is her guide through the process, emphasizing, “you have some bugs, we are here to get you clean.” As the scientists leaf through her memories, viewers find that they are organized around a variety of songs from her album. Through these music videos, we see the power of music and art in subverting dominant positions of authority.

I have been familiar with Janelle Monae for years and am a fan of her music, but I have never seen Dirty Computer. I really enjoyed it! Something that struck me was the incorporation of surrealist themes with futurism and the deliberate blending of these two artistic traditions. In particular, the music video for “I Like That” begins with the unsettling form of Monae cloaked in a triangular tunic with a black and white geometric headdress. Her hair frames her body and her face is obscured with black face paint. This style seems reminiscent of the fashion designs of surrealist artist Elsa Schiaparelli. A hundred years after the initial roots of Surrealism in the 20th century, it seems this modernist artistic crisis will be prolonged. The question still stands: how do we live with changing technology in a world insistent on maintaining tradition?