Kaos Theory: A Book Signing Event with Ben Caldwell Moderated by Isaac Alicea

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About the Book:

KAOS Theory: The Afrokosmic Ark of Ben Caldwell tells the story of filmmaker, educator and community activist Ben Caldwell and KAOS Network, the media-arts center he founded in Los Angeles's Leimert Park neighborhood. Through vivid illustrations, archival media, and engaging storytelling, KAOS Theory shows how Ben crafted a life centered around the power of fellowship, community, and the use of art and media as a social force. The text takes a journey through history and time, beginning with Ben's ancestors in the American southwest, up through Ben's childhood in New Mexico, his experiences in Vietnam, his work as a filmmaker and pioneer of the L.A. Rebellion Film Movement, and as founder of KAOS Network. But KAOS Theory is more than just the story of one man's life. It is a work of art, remembrance, and tribute. Encompassing music, film, art, and performance, KAOS Theory honors the vibrant and influential communities that continue to shape the cultural landscape of Los Angeles, the African Diaspora, and beyond.

About the Author:

Los Angeles-based artist, educator and independent filmmaker Ben Caldwell grew up assisting his grandfather, who projected movies at a small theater in New Mexico. His passion for the visual arts led him to study film at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and reside in the neighborhood of Leimert Park, the epicenter for the African American art scene in Los Angeles. After teaching film and video at Howard University in Washington D.C. from 1981—1984, Caldwell returned to Leimert Park to create an independent studio for video production and experimentation that became the KAOS Network, a community arts center providing digital arts, media arts, and multimedia training. It remains the only organization of its kind in South Central Los Angeles that offers courses in video production, animation, web development, video teleconferencing, and Internet exploration. Its legendary Project Blowed, a weekly open-mic workshop, gave birth to rappers and rap groups such as Aceyalone, Medusa, Busdriver, Freestyle Fellowship and Jurassic Five.

Caldwell’s films often trace historical and cultural connections. Eyewitness: Reflections of Malcolm X & the O.A.A.U. (2006) presents the Harlem reunion of ex-members of the Organization of Afro-American Unity. La Buena Vida (The Good Life) (2008), filmed over the course of three years while Caldwell taught at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), documents cultural exchanges between a group of L.A. hip hop artists and musicians and their counterparts in Havana, Cuba.