Rhizome DC is a home for non-mainstream arts programming in Takoma Park neighborhood in Washington DC. Since February 2015, many cross-genre music shows, workshops, performances, talks, and exhibitions happened at Rhizome. Community members and artists remember stories of the space (that follows in footsteps of many similar DIY venues), representing marginalized voices in the arts, resilient under constant threats of dislocation in shape-shifting gentrified cities. Featuring mind-bending performances over the years, this film presents snippets of memory of experimental arts in the historic Takoma house in DC.

This film is based on oral history interviews, collected in 2021 and stored in the DC Public Library archives, including raw footage of the Maple Street house by Mai Nolasco, and Rhizome DC events archive through 2019 by Nate Sociable. It features archival footage, collected from Rhizome DC community.

Directed by Tatev Sargsyan
Video by Mai Nolasco (and Rhizome DC community)
Archival Research by Layne Garrett
Edited by Dan Sripuntanagoon
Sound by Sam Chintha (and Rhizome DC community)

Featuring Interviews with: Twin Jude, Khalid Thomspon, Laura Irene, Layne Garrett, Leslie Bumstead, Luke Stewart, Pat Cain, Peter Redgrave, Sarah Hughes, Steve Korn, Thomas Stanley, Wendy Jason.

Incomplete list of performances and artists in film credits. If you notice art that is not credited, let us know. The film is made for non-commercial educational purposes.

mexico city, 2022

35 MM B/W FILM, 2022