Just over four years ago in November 2008, team Decon and Jay Electronica took a trip across the globe from New York to South Asia (and later, Dubai).  Kathmandu was not the original destination.  The plan was to start in Mumbai, India.  However these plans would be diverted after the attacks that occurred there, literally days before they were to leave.  In fact, theywere scheduled to check into one of the very hotels where the attacks occurred.

In this piece, the project’s executive producer, and director Jason Goldwatch travels with Jay Electronica on a spiritual journey throughout Nepal.

“Time Pieces” are black and white, Super 8 mm, short films by Goldwatch that focus on his personal heroes and cultural icons.

Textured, intimate and shot silent, Goldwatch shoots and also edits the film himself by hand, setting the images to ironic sound beds.

The entire country of India was on high alert when they were there, fortunately their producer in New York, Isaiah Seret, had an idea. Isaiah had lived and studied in Kathamandu, Nepal for 2 years and kept many contacts on the ground there. They were able to move quickly throughtout Nepal.

They were able to elaborate Buddhist ceremony at the main temple in Kathmandu, Boudhanath, that happens once a year but had been cancelled for budgetary reasons in previous years.

If you follow Jay Electronica at all, that’s where his avatar photo comes from with him sitting in the front of a crowd of Nepalis, outside Boudha Stupa, the most iconic of all buildings in Nepal (they thought he was President Barack Obama!). On the roof of the monastery, Jay Electronica sat privately with the head monk where they conducted an impromptu interview.