The Origins Series

The origins of my practice are rooted in establishing an understanding of self through history. The Plantain Narrative commemorative cloth is based on a letter of complaint written by my grandfather about a 'Certain Woman' who continually roasts Plantain outside of his lodgings. The ' Certain Woman' referred to in the letter named Nana Pokuaa would later become my grandfather's mother-in-law and govern as a Queen Mother.  

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The Asante stylise their values and ethics through the poetics of Kente. This project aimed to document and preserve my familial history; As Kente is the language of my ancestors, and their histories are personal and shared. Spirituality and culture are present in every cloth fibre. Textiles are historical documents that can simultaneously document the history of trade and denote the status of its user. Gold for the Asante symbolises power and plays a vital role within the Origins series.  

Layers of meaning are present within the cloth as it functions as both a  response to the V&A collection of Asante Gold Weights and a document of metal craft. While the interplay of hand-dyed warp and weft reveal linear blocks that resemble the beams of metal disorderly organised around the workshop. The interlocking of woven cloth, wire and oxidised washers pay homage to my grandfather's craft of metalwork.