Rhythms You Can Feel
Shawnrenee
Bio
Dr. Shawn Renee Forman is a Detroit-based fine art and cultural photographer whose work explores the beauty, resilience, and humanity in everyday life. Since receiving her first camera, a Pentax K1000, in 1979, she has dedicated herself to documenting authentic moments that reveal the spirit of individuals and communities, both locally and internationally.
Dr. Forman, largely self-taught before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Wayne State University in 2009, has spent decades refining her artistic practice through candid photography that captures people in their natural environments. Her
work seeks to bring visibility to overlooked social issues, challenge conventional notions of beauty, and create thought-provoking opportunities for reflection and connection.
As a member of the National Conference of Artists, the Detroit Art Teachers Association, and the Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club, Dr. Forman has exhibited throughout metropolitan Detroit, including shows at the Detroit Design Festival, The Beholder: Observing From Behind the Lens, the Gilda Snowden Memorial Exhibition at the Scarab Club, and at Lawrence Street Gallery, Norwest Gallery, Kayrod Gallery, and Wayne County Community College. Her photography was also featured in the documentary Widening the View in America, which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the birth of author and journalist Alex Haley.
After several years of a creative hiatus, Dr. Forman received Best in Show at the Detroit Artists Market's All-Media Exhibition in 2020. Dr. Forman is currently exhibiting at the Ellery East Art Center’s Honoring Hombres and will be exhibiting in the 55th Annual Photography Exhibition at The Scarab Club. Through her lens, she preserves fleeting moments, inviting viewers to pause, reflect, and engage with stories that might otherwise go unseen. She believes photography can hold time still, offering viewers a momentary escape while fostering a deeper understanding of the human experience.
Project Statement
Rhythms You Can Feel is a multimedia photography and sensory exhibition by Dr. Shawn Renee Forman that documents youth dancers and street performers in Cape Town, South Africa. Through a series of black-and-white photographs, the project captures the energy, movement, cultural pride, and communal spirit of young performers as they sing, drum, dance, and celebrate their heritage in public spaces.
The images highlight children adorned in traditional attire, wearing handmade musical instruments crafted from recycled pop-can tops, tied around their ankles to create rhythmic sounds as they move. Similar to shakers, these ankle instruments transform dance into a visual and auditory experience, allowing performers to become musicians through movement.
Designed with accessibility at its core, the exhibition extends beyond traditional photography to engage visitors who are visually impaired. Braille overlays placed directly on the photographs offer detailed descriptions of the dancers’ movements, facial expressions, costumes, and interactions, enabling patrons to experience the visual narrative through touch and language.
To further immerse visitors in the environment depicted in the photographs, replica pop-can ankle shakers will be available for guests to wear and experience firsthand. As visitors move, they will produce the same rhythmic sounds as the young dancers, fostering a physical connection to the imagery and culture depicted in the work.
An accompanying audio installation featuring looping recordings of drumming, singing, dancing, and the jingling sounds of the ankle shakers will create an immersive soundscape. Together, the tactile, auditory, and visual components transform the exhibition into a multisensory experience that invites all visitors, regardless of visual ability, to engage with the photographs through movement, touch, sound, and imagination.
By combining documentary photography, accessibility, and cultural storytelling, Rhythms You Can Feel celebrates the creativity and resilience of African youth while challenging traditional ways of experiencing photographic art. The project encourages audiences not only to view the images but also to hear, feel, and embody the rhythms of the communities they represent.