Lilt: The Conception of Inspiration - Artist Highlight
Art by Azire Muhammad.
Centenary College is home to a vibrant community of artists, each telling their unique perspectives of life and identity through their art and creativity. Among them is Azire Muhammad, a talented visual artist, storyteller, and animator whose latest project displayed in the Meadows Museum this past February, "Lilt," has captivated audiences with its profound exploration of life, change, and inspiration. The Conglomerate had the opportunity to sit down with Azire to discuss the conceptual underpinnings of "Lilt," her artistic process, and the powerful messages embedded within her work:
The 2025 exhibition and film release of Lilt was based on the conceptions of visual motifs. This film is conceptual at its core. The overall ideology behind the exhibition and its narrative came down to the circular motifs present, my own inspiration from previous films and the ideology behind Black representation without centering blackness. The concept of inspiration in Lilt is something that grew and shifted as the project developed. What started as a simple idea became much deeper as I worked through it, influenced by both the limitations of the process and the themes I wanted to explore. The film became more than just a piece of animation—it turned into a narrative piece about personal perspectIve. At its core, Lilt isn’t just about Black representation but about human experience. I didn’t want to make it solely about blackness; instead, I wanted the characters’ stories to feel universal while still subtly touching on themes of race and identity. The story doesn’t center blackness, but it uses it as part of a broader narrative of change, fear, and transformation.
The exhibition space works to transform the film, where stationary art like paintings and sculptures complements the animation. This balance of stillness and motion mirrors the film’s message about life’s cycles and the fluidity of change. Circular motifs are everywhere in both the art and film, symbolizing the continuous flow of life, from innocence to death and beyond.The characters—the child, the mother, and Noel, the fish—are symbolic of different stages of life. The child witnesses a death, the mother has grown numb to wonder, and Noel faces his fear of living fully before confronting his inevitable end. These three perspectives show how the same event affects everyone differently, depending on where they are in their journey.
Through Lilt, I learned that inspiration is less about a single moment and more about how things evolve. I struggled a lot with completion of this work in a timely manner. The film is about facing fear, growing, and learning how to embrace life’s transitions. It’s my way of exploring not just animation but the deeper themes of identity and change, using the beauty of simplicity and fluidity in art to speak on universal truths. The exhibition uses a deliberate curation of repeated oblong shapes, which serve as visual metaphors for the fluidity and subtle shifts that underpin the film's story. The oblong forms—found in the sculptures and installation elements—echo the journey of the fish, which emerges from the stagnant water of a laundromat, symbolizing both change and cyclical patterns. These shapes subtly correspond with the film's themes, creating a cohesive visual language that invites the viewer to reflect on the passage of time, growth, and renewal. The repetition of these forms within the space serves as a rhythmic counterpoint to the film’s narrative flow, drawing attention to the connection between the physical world and the unfolding cinematic experience. The interaction between these shapes and the moving image creates a dynamic environment, where space, texture, and movement are in constant dialogue, offering viewers an immersive, participatory experience that deepens their engagement with the story. The ultimate crux of this film frames the cyclic and the mundane as being extraordinary in a place that can only be described as banal in its existence–the laundromat.
Artist Biography:
Azire Muhammad is a contemporary visual artist, storyteller, and 2D animator whose work explores themes of identity, culture, spirituality, and social justice. Born in New Orleans in 2005, Azire’s early exposure to the arts and storytelling within her community deeply influenced her creative path. Her unique approach merges visual art with digital animation, allowing her to create dynamic works that bridge the gap between tradition and modernity. Her 2D animations, often exploring the intersection of memory and identity, invite viewers to experience these themes in motion. Azire’s installations and sculptures further engage audiences, transforming spaces into immersive experiences that encourage reflection and interactions. She attends Centenary College of Louisiana and double majors in French and Art Studies. She’s heading into her junior year for the upcoming 2025 -2026 year but she’s been professionally making art since 8th grade.
