Thoughts about the Residency by Mirrored Fatality​​

We are so grateful to have been able to experience the artist residency at the MARS from April 1-26. During our residency, we did a meet in greet, a podcast interview with Porch Talk, two featured front page articles in the Starkville Daily News, and am article in the Life styles section of the Commercial Dispatch, a performance at the Starkville Area Arts Council, a performance and talk at Mississippi State University, created a technological noise sculptural mask where that we did an art trade with Jessie of Shedding Velvet Noise who in exchange gave us a one-of-a-kind noise pedal-board instrument, a 3-piece technological trash sculpture for the MARS land, finished our debut album, created a zine of our lyrics and descriptions for the song, finished editing 2 films, graphic designed the album booklet, practiced props, choreography, and sound for our live performance, and continued to book our tours across the East Coast and Europe. We also both were able to regenerate in the land and experience restoration, holistic health, and were able to rest after doing back-to-back tours across the USA. The time, space, and resources that the residency provide with the financial support of MARS and the Del Rendon Foundation, we were able to have the financial means to sustain ourselves on our upcoming DIY tours across the states, Europe, and Spain. 

We also were able to have stable housing and an in-home studio which is something we usually do not have access to as trans Kapampangan and South Asian artists who are constantly touring and usually not staying in a permanent residence. Without this residency, we would not have had the means to finish projects that we have been attempting to finish for almost 5 years. We started working on our album in 2020 and through this residency we were able to finalize all of the materials needed and confirm our release with the two labels we are working with: Get Better Records and Psychic Eye Records. Also, through meeting members of the MARS community, we were able to forge deeper relationships with like-minded members of the community including JC Long who so generously helped us fix our bass, get us another touch-me synth, and Jenna Altamonte who hired us as guest lecturers and performers in her MSU Art Class. Through the class, we were able to connect with MSU students from all backgrounds, especially queer students to share our activism and art practice and also learn from them as well. It was inspiring to meet other like-minded peers and be able to share the activism work we have done and also learn from the students. Our show at the student arts council also was amazing, as we are able to introduce experimental performance art and noise to the youth who came, inspire them, and they also purchased our merch because of how much our performance meant to them. There were people who came up to us in tears from how much the performance moved them and there were high school youth who now have our picture on their wall as a source of inspiration for their own musical career.

At the land, living in such beautiful nature and in an incredibly curated place supported both of us in our healing journeys and with mental health regulation. We are able to leave this residency more holistically supported than when we started as full time artists who have been doing labor intensive tours for months. Joe also has been extremely supportive of our artistic practice and has worked diligently to connect us to newspapers, opportunities, and members of the community. He has gone out of his way to make us feel supported, welcomed, and given us the space to work on our artistic practice with flexibility and care. We have had access to beautiful amenities in the cabin and also the wonderful nature around the property. We would work-out, run, stretch, and be in the sun and would utilize the nature trails to run and take long walks to meditate and let-go of any burdens or stress we were experiencing - a privilege we usually do not have when we are on the road. We felt safe to be free in the woods and wild without fear of being policed or attacked which was liberating. 

Being in this residency has informed our creative practice by giving us the mental clarity to be fully immersed in our creativity instead of having to work numerous jobs and be spread thin while trying to also do our work. We have been able to vision board, plan, and complete projects that we have been dreaming of completing for years. Through this residency, we were inspired by the nature surrounding us and also the other art we were able to experience in Starkville. The stipends we received from the residency came at a much needed time as we are aiming to be full time artists and have been relying on gig work and commissions. Without this stipend, we would have needed to work other jobs to sustain ourselves and also pay for our upcoming tours that are all independent and self-funded. As queer and trans artists of color, having access to an opportunity like this changed our lives and gave us the means to elevate our artistic practice to new heights. We are so grateful to Joe, MARS, and the Del Rendon foundation for this opportunity and will carry our time here in our hearts forever. 

Things we thought were incredible from Joe:

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• Your support and words of affirmation for our art.

• The freedom and flexibility you gave us to do as we wished.

• Your kindness and ability to bridge us with other like-minded artists.

• Genuinely being a believer in our work and recognizing our hard work - which is something not a lot of people understand and assume things are handed to us and you really saw thatand it made us feel really special.

• Your generosity, brilliance, and talent!

• Plugging us into local events we were interested in and making sure to introduce us to people we were aligned with.