Community Event, Dance, Music, Poetry, Theatre, Visual Art

Worldbuilding Duets Residency

Inaugural Artist Residency at the Painted Bride Project Space
Worldbuilding Duets Works-in-Progress Showcase
Four duos. Eight artists. One big question: What art does this moment call for?
When
Sat. Aug. 23 | Works-In-Progress Showcase: 1 PM - 4 PM
Where
4029 Cambridge Street
Worldbuilding Duets: Artists in Collaboration
Inaugural Residency at Painted Bride Project Space

Join us for a culminating day of intimate performances, conversation, and collective reflection as the artists share works-in-progress from their residency. Come ready for experimentation, exchange, and chill talkbacks between pieces.

Works-in-Progress Public Showcase (mark your calendars)
Saturday, August 23, 1:00–4:00 PM (Performance schedule TBC)
Painted Bride Project Space – 4029 Cambridge St.
Free with RSVP Let us know your coming!

What happens when artists from different disciplines come together to build something neither could make alone?

This summer, four dynamic duos of performers, musicians, dancers, and storytellers are in residence at the Bride’s new home in East Parkside in response to a powerful prompt, What art does this moment call for? Over the course of six weeks, they’re experimenting, listening, co-creating, and inviting community along for the journey.

These are Worldbuilding Duets—part rehearsal, part ritual, part creative collision. Each pairing is a response to the times we’re in and a leap into what’s possible when we blur genres and break form.

Meet the Artists:

  • Chloe Marie + Oluwafemi
  • Rhonda Moore + Doug Greene
  • Paul Giess + Black Buttafly
  • Neptune XXI + Germán Vázquez

From movement to music, poetry to performance, each duet brings its own language, and is learning a new one together.

 

Featured Artists
Chloe Marie
Chloe Marie is a multidisciplinary artist, choreographer, and educator based on Lenni Lenape land, also known as Philadelphia.
Oluwafemi
Oluwafemi is a Philadelphia-based rhythmist by way of Lagos, Nigeria, whose multidisciplinary practice explores rhythm and repetition as fundamental forces in music, visual art, and daily life.
Rhonda Moore
Rhonda Moore is a Philadelphia-based dancer, performance artist, and educator whose career has helped shape the evolution of contemporary dance in the U.S.
Doug Greene
Doug Greene is a Philadelphia-based actor, installation artist, set and costume designer, and performer whose work bridges theater, visual art, and radical imagination.
Paul Giess
Paul Giess is a Philadelphia‑based musician, producer, educator, and composer whose versatile talents span jazz, funk, sound design, and multimedia storytelling.
Black Buttafly
From the vibrant streets of New Brunswick, New Jersey, emerges 28-year-old Kayla Childs, the artist known as Black Buttafly—a singular musical force weaving soul, jazz, and gospel into a deeply resonant sound.
Neptune XXI
Neptune XXI is a multidisciplinary artist, storyteller, and cultural architect whose work blends sound, spirit, and story into transformative experiences.
Germán Vázquez
German Ayala Vazquez (he/him) is a Puerto Rican photographer and visual artist based in Philadelphia whose practice blends fashion, portraiture, and photojournalism with vibrant conceptual depth.