26 LETTERS
An exploration of human nature through the “26” letters which create the alphabet.
‘LETTERS’ are used as an access point to connectivity, intimacy & friendship.
A “LETTER” was shared daily for the month of February,
existing as emotional subtext for curated dialogue and spacial activations.
‘26 LETTERS’ debuted at the California Institute of the Arts in 2019.
Materials: sound, film, image, paint, collage, digital media, text, program & performance.
Unless stated otherwise All original work(s) by Tru.
A - “AFRAID”
B - “BE”
C - “COMPASSION”
IN COLLABORATION WITH SCOTT KELLEY
D - “DON’T WORRY” (LIVE PERFORMANCE)
UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPHER
E - “EMPYREAN”
IN COLLABORATION WITH CAMERON GREENE
F - “FUSS”
IN COLLABORATION WITH JOSHUA VALLE
G - “GLOOM”
ACRYLIC, 4’ X 4’
H - “HOLD TIGHT”
I - “ISN’T THIS LOVE”
IN COLLABORATION WITH AHJEE PARKER
J - “JADED”
ARTWORK, LOVERBOY
K - “KNOW LOVE”
IN COLLABORATION WITH SOPHIA MCDOWELL
L - “LIBERATORY”
IN COLLABORATION WITH BRONTE VELEZ
M - “MAYBE NEXT TIME”
N - “NOTHING ON YOU” (LIVE PERFORMANCE)
UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPHER
O - “ONEIRIC”
IN COLLABORATION WITH SYDNEY WAYNE & MAYA ANGEL
P - “PAIN”
Q - “QUEEN”
IN COLLABORATION WITH CAMERON GREENE
R - “RIPPLE”
ARTWORK, LOVERBOY
We are the ripples
Effect, of known causes
Connected by trauma
Finding our treasure
We weave magic.
Thereʼs beauty in that magic;
In the strength of the people.
Power is the people
Collective consciousness; collecting common sense.
What a time weʼre in.
What a time to be alive.
I hear cries as loud as the cheers
I see smiles often as tears,
And in all,
We dance together.
S - “SENTIMENT”
ARTWORK, LOVERBOY
Stop yourself
Stop yourself
Take a minute just a moment
Go and realign yourself
I got problems
All been through it
We all deprived of help
How we survive this hell
Only the time will tell
Iʼm wishing on stars
They shooting my brothers and sisters
We all on a hitlist
We all on a mission
We journey to justice and freedom
Seeing my people believe that they equal
And that they deserve it
And that they worth this life that we all blessed with
I got message, listen, dont you forget it
I - Cannot pretend I ainʼt fed up
The gestures are reckless
My efforts are nothing compared to the essence of love in the ether
That got us connected
You must not forget
That all come from places we never remember for sake of us falling in love again
And then again, and then again
Earth is buried all secrets
You know that itʼs sacred
You safe with us
Tell us your story dont save it
We all want the glory we all want the cake and we all want a cut at the end of the day
We all have this pain
And we all got our pleases
We all got some habits we needing to break
Fuss out my face
With that fairness
Flush out the waste I canʼt take this
Now and then I grab the pen and lace the page the fiend as finally spoke again
Toke the token kid, he rolling lowkey the most potent of poets you heard of yet, yeah
Sure enough if itʼs one thing that can heal the scars of this world we in
Itʼs love, thats the divine within
I need away
To let go of my worries
I turn the page
But the Memories keep on burning
Holes in through my heart
And Iʼm fillin these
Voids with the wrong thangs
Iʼm filling these voids with the wrong waves
Wonder when I’m gon’ learn my lesson
Maybe I’m a bad student
Baby I’m a bad influence
Tell me what you plan on doing tonight
You got me sentimental
You got me feeling things I aint felt before
You got me feeling things I gotta let you know
Sentimental, you got me sentimental.
T - “TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT”
U - “UNCONDITIONAL”
IN COLLABORATION WITH BARLITXS
V - “VULNERABILITY”
PHOTOGRAPH, EUNNURI LEE
PHOTOGRAPH, JOSUÈ RIVAS
W - “WHEN THE HEART WINS”
IN COLLABORATION WITH JAQ MALIQ
X - “XANTHIPPE”
Y - “YOUNG & RECKLESS”
IN COLLABORATION WITH CAMERON GREENE & MANNY S. JIMENEZ
Z - “ZOETIC”
L-O-V-E
Zoetic
Feel so poetic
Vital to life
I know what I neeed
I get it
We all in daze
So many struggles a day
Blowing my bubbles away
Im feelin lonely
But like it alone
So Iʼm never phased
Write on page
Passion is safer
My love on the page
I write like a savior
Saying
Why why my people gotta go thru it like that
We work hard for that paper
Then big man take it back
We all cut from the same cloth
No matter white or you black
But these days itʼs only few hearts who believe that
Itʼs energy that we love
Yet energy that we lack
Caught up with all the buzz
Got you fussin like that
Donʼt be jaded
By the wrong thangs
Who am I to say whatʼs right
But we know what the song say
This no ordinary love
Very rare like that Sade
If I fall in love I hope I donʼt shy away.
“REFERENCES”
PHOTOGRAPH, SARAH SEKULA
ARTWORK, LOVERBOY
fin.