The launch of the website was marked by a launch party, held at The Old Coal Yard in Newcastle from 7 to 10pm. The evening saw speeches from Dami, various performers - musicians, dancers, and poets - and the showcasing of short films. The various acts were a wonderful, well-rounded snippet of the content we can expect to see up and running soon on NaviiMedia.com.
Dami began the evening by introducing themselves, and Navii Media as a concept, from its origins as a plan on a sticky note to its fruition. At around 8pm, we all set off party poppers as the website went live, to many happy cheers.
from its origins as a plan on a sticky note to its fruition
We then all sat and watched the short film 'dey Dream', a visual poem by director Kanea Indigo, celebrating black trans masculine joy. Instagram: @kanea.indigo
This was shortly followed by the singer Paige, who did an acoustic set, with both covers and original songs, providing the venue with soothing, chilled vibes. Instagram: @paige_does_life
After a short break, we were blessed with an exhilarating performance from dancer Iuliia Antonova. Instagram: @guildenstern.and.you
This was followed by a back to back of poetry performances, from Amy Langdown (Instagram: @amylangdown_), and Laura Kasongo (Instagram: @aperturepoetry), whose magical words lit up the room as the sun slowly set outside.
Another short film was played, from @dubedesigned, before Fawehinmi ended the night by leading a breathing exercise to relax us all. Overall, the performances provided an array of both excitement and calming vibes, and were a great insight into what we can expect from the website in the months to come. To check out and/or pitch your own content, see: Naviimedia.com