Chicago, Illinois
Multimedia, Dance Film

Adult Night is a multidisciplinary collaborative project exploring roller skating culture in America through a mix of photographic portraiture, audio interviews, and an experimental film. The musicians of D-Composed will collaborate with Chicago “JB” skaters to develop an original composition of chamber music and skate routine as an ode to Chicago’s South Side skate scene. Additionally, photographs document the broader skate scene in America, paired with text and audio about what skate rinks mean to the community and generations of skaters. Erik Ljung and Kori Coleman couple chamber music with the exuberant energy of roller skating with the intention of challenging preconceptions of both art forms, and to reach audiences that have felt excluded from art galleries and such music performances in the past. D-Composed aims to amplify the works of Black composers and present their compositions in new and imaginative ways.

Erik Ljung is a documentary filmmaker and photographer, whose work re-introduced him to roller skating in 2016. His debut feature film, The Blood is at the Doorstep, premiered at SXSW in 2017 where it earned a Hollywood Reporter’s critics pick. He is a former Nohl Fellow and three-time Brico Forward Fund winner for his documentary work. Kori Coleman is the curatorial artist behind D-Composed, which is a Chicago-based chamber music experience that honors Black creativity and culture through the music of Black composers. Her work with D-Composed has led to collaborations with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, The Rebuild Foundation, and SXSW.