Fiber
I found the meaning of life through hair braiding. Three strands continuously overlapping; piece by piece the braid lengthens and strengthens. Having started from three singular strands,the continuous interconnection becomes a simulation of the delicate balance of life and growth.
Just as the Braid, my practice is an ongoing collection of one connected whole.
I have had a tumultuous relationship with life. At times, severe anxiety has played its role in riddling my mind with questions of self-value, heightening stress to unbearable levels and debilitating my ability to Live. The Braid became a reflection of myself and of my past and with that, an avenue to healing; I found refuge in the Braid. In recognizing the beauty and value within the craft despite it being recognized within the canon.
My practice expands beyond the physicality of technique
but instead explores themes of escapism and navigating the journey of healing within myself and the black people around me. The intimacy of hands on the scalp and fingers through hair is intimacy of another kind. My practice has brought light to self- reflection, spirituality, ancestry and the proliferation that is Life itself.