Cenozoic

Cenozoic is a narcissistic world, fascinated and preoccupied by the occurrences and microcosms. Angel City offers a bustling urban landscape to learn about our residents, who are incredibly skillful at managing not just one, but multiple identities simultaneously. A one-of its kind, front row, public viewing of the second world ruling the first world, a world suggested but not present. Situated in a world without smart technology, Clover, an overworked and underpaid barista, takes the quarter off from university as a result of her depleting mental health. Her love life sucks. Her friends are great. Her job’s alright. It's an average life. Dominic, a regular customer at Cafe Hippocampus, provokes a subtle yet compelling consequence of Clover’s pursuit, sparking a will-they-won't-they dynamic between the two. Aside from being a major conflict hub, the cafe also serves as a community third space, where Io, Kozi, Liya and Jelani frequent to study. More recently, they’ve utilized the cafe to develop their midterm presentation which dissects and contextualizes the topic of conspiracy theories, all while Liya and Jelani are caught up in a love triangle with an eager Neema– who we quickly learn is a victim of conditional love. Io, an alien from the planet Jupiter, diverges from the black and white context of the word in relation to extraterrestrial life, wandering into a grey area, by redefining a connotation often negatively associated with immigrants. Ultimately, the heart of Cenozoic centers the experiences of first generation, twenty-somethings across the African diaspora, navigating adulthood and drawing attention to the dynamics of the workplace in tandem with the friendships outside of it. It portrays life being lived despite and within restrictions, cementing Black leisure as a fundamental act. Beauty as deception, desire as formlessness. Cenozoic is recent life.