Miami-Dade Parks News - Marlon Johnson Presents The Retrofit at Deering Estate

April 20, 2023

Miami-Dade, FL -  Deering Estate Artist-in-Residence and Emmy-award winning filmmaker Marlon Johnson launches The Retrofit, a new interdisciplinary series inside the Deering Estate theatre. The Retrofit is a five-part multimedia film and live performance series at the intersection of the arts, natural environment, and social equity. Hosted by Miami Native Carla Hill, The Retrofit program will take place on Sunday, April 23rd at 4 p.m. Orature will be by Deering Estate Artist-in-Residence Dr. Keshia Abraham, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and on-camera contributors of the films.

The Retrofit is a campaign to reimagine spaces and expressions while celebrating a shared foundation. Curated by Marlon Johnson, this series champions the transformative power of the arts through storytelling and invites audiences along for the ride. This iteration of The Retrofit focuses on issues of environmental adaptation and how we can meet the challenges of a future global climate crisis. With filmmakers and scientists Alizé Carrère and Dr. Shireen Rahimi, this installment of the Retrofit tells the story of how communities around the world have devised ways to confront and surmount the imminent environmental crises they face.

The Retrofit will include the screening of ADAPTATION, a PBS digital series that presents a collection of real-life examples that showcase how people adjust, persevere, and thrive under even the most difficult of conditions. From Bangladesh to Vanuatu to the United States, Alizé Carrère speaks with people who are finding new ways to live in the midst of a global climate crisis. At the heart of each of their stories is a mindset that we can all learn from: when we work with nature — not against it — transformational solutions can emerge. Instead of asking what we are losing in the process of adapting, ADAPTATION instead asks, what are we regaining?

Dr. Shireen Rahimi’s film Veins of an Island: How Spring Water affects Coral Reefs in Mo'orea, French Polynesia looks at the island of Mo'orea, French Polynesia, where water rains down into freshwater springs that weave through the land, just like blood through our veins, eventually bubbling up from the ground, and flowing onto fringing coral reef ecosystems. This is a natural process--but something is now happening to this water, threatening the health of the reefs and the island residents' drinking water. Narrated by traditional knowledge scholar Teurumereariki Hinano Murphy, "Veins of an Island" follows Dr. Nyssa Silbiger, who is working with her students and Mo'orean residents to better understand why this is happening, and how we can stop it.

The show starts at 4 p.m., and doors will open 15 minutes prior to start time. A complimentary cocktail hour will be held outdoors with live music by DJ Le Spam from 3 - 4 p.m.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online. For more information, please visit the Deering Estate website

About the Deering Estate

Deering Estate, located at 16701 SW 72 Ave. in Miami, is a 21st Century house museum, cultural and ecological field station, and a national landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, owned by the State of Florida and managed by Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department. Deering Estate is designated as one of seven Miami Dade County “Heritage Parks” which have a vital role in our community’s history, environment and in providing recreational and cultural experiences. 

Cultural Arts Programming at the Deering Estate is made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, and The Deering Estate Foundation, Inc.

About the Deering Estate Foundation

For those who treasure the Deering Estate, who advocate for its preservation and wish to invest in its future, the Deering Estate Foundation provides opportunities for individuals and corporations alike to partake in membership, signature events, and one-of-a-kind experiences, all in service of providing vital funding and support to the Deering Estate. Through these efforts, the foundation fulfills its mission to uphold the legacy of Charles Deering's cherished 1920s-era property, to provide funding for the cultural, educational and recreational experiences it offers, as well as its significant scientific and archaeological endeavors to conserve its diverse flora, fauna and the eight native ecosystems that thrive on its 450 acres, and to ensure its longevity as a prized American heritage site. Established in 1989, The Deering Estate Foundation, Inc. is a community-based charitable 501(c) 3 Florida Corporation and the philanthropic partner of the Deering Estate.

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