“EL BEMBÉ”: CELEBRATING IMMERSIVE COMMUNITY ART

Intergenerational residents use Augmented and Virtual Reality to preserve Afro-Puerto Rican heritage and local histories.
About this Event

“EL BEMBÉ”: CELEBRATING IMMERSIVE COMMUNITY ART

Termite TV Collective and the Norris Square Neighborhood Project (NSNP) in partnership with The Philadelphia Latino Arts and Film Festival (PHLAFF), invite you to El Bembé on Saturday, October 10, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Held at the historic Las Parcelas and Villa Africana Colobó Gardens, the event celebrates the launch of the latest Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) installations from the ongoing community media project, Places of Power: Las Parcelas.

Co-directed by Anula Shetty and Michael Kuetemeyer (Termite TV) and Iris Brown (NSNP), Places of Power: Las Parcelas engages an intergenerational group of Norris Square residents to preserve neighborhood memories, traditions, and stories. Through hands-on workshops, community participants have co-created immersive digital works using 3D photogrammetry portraits, 360-degree virtual tours, and filmed oral histories.

This year’s showcase highlights stories centered on Bomba and Plena—two spiritual Afro-Puerto Rican musical traditions born from the need to honor ancestors, survive hardship, and resist colonialism. Through AR technology, physical landmarks and objects throughout the gardens are transformed into interactive portals, bringing resident voices and historic memories directly to visitors.

“Bembé” is an African word for a celebration or gathering of friends, chosen to honor African roots and bring that cultural connection into the work happening in the workshops and the gardens.

Event Highlights Include:

· Immersive AR/VR Art Installations: Interactive technology integrated throughout two vibrant community gardens celebrating Puerto Rico and the African Diaspora.

· Live Musical Performance: A special presentation by El Junte, an Afro-Puerto Rican collective of community educators and artists honoring ancestral legacies through live drumming, song, and dance.

· NSNP Archive Activation: Explore photographs from NSNP’s community archive and leave a recorded memory for future generations.

Las Parcelas and Villa Africana Colobó will be open beginning at 11 AM for North Philadelphia History Festival programming, with El Bembé beginning at 2 PM.