Protestimonial (2015)

Protestimonial is both a video installation and performance created through the compilation of protest footage filmed and edited by De Nichols. It first debuted as an installation for the exhibition, Taking It to the Streets, in 2017 and after a private performance in the space, it extended into a staged spoken word project at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. The video installation portrays a stream-of-conscious poem that overlays protest chants, “protest circle” speeches, and more moments by black women during protests in Ferguson, MO. Through paired performances, Nichols recites stream-of-conscious retellings, reflections, and reactions of featured moments through song, story, and poetry.