‘The Beaded Project’

As the pressures from the global pandemic slowly started to lift, I acknowledged myself to be in a pool of introspection and longing, finding myself feeling incredibly empty-nested. In an attempt to examine the the dilution of my African roots, I considered the connection between the Black colonized experience and culture against that of our indigenous cultures of origin.

In this visual story, I intend to illustrate the dichotomy of beauty and cultural status through incorporation of “beads”; the transformation of garments throughout the expansion of the African diaspora. Most specifically, I compare the European importance and status of the pearl vs. the African heritage and significance of the cowrie shell. How these “beads” transcend cultural lines and how they conversely create barriers within the context of high fashion.