When I first stepped into a small conservation studio in Accra, I was struck by two things: the sound of conversations as much as the smell of starch and wax, and the quiet authority of a space run by a cooperative of textile artisans, conservators and community elders. They were repairing kente...
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Heritage
I first encountered a migrant-run radio documentary tucked away on a community...
Heritage
I remember the first time I ran my hands—carefully, with cotton gloves—over...
Heritage
I first encountered a project like MemoryMap while researching community...
Heritage
I remember the first time I saw a ritual object displayed beneath pristine...
I first encountered a project like MemoryMap while researching community archives for a feature about contested neighbourhoods in post-industrial cities. What struck me was how a simple interface — a map, a few upload buttons, some tagging —...
I remember the first time I saw a ritual object displayed beneath pristine gallery lighting at an international art fair. It looked spectacular: lacquered surfaces, intricate beadwork, and a history that seemed palpable in its scars. But alongside...
When I first began talking to textile workers in Lagos about the idea of an archive, the question that kept coming back was not simply whether their work could be sold internationally, but whether the act of archiving might extract something vital...
I remember the first time I stood in front of a protest banner that had been part of a living campaign — its fabric still creased from repeated folding, the paint slightly faded where hands had gripped it. It felt less like a neutral object in a...
When a ritual mask returns to the village from which it was taken—whether after a museum deaccession, a restitution campaign or the quiet work of dedicated curators—it does not simply re‑enter a cupboard. It arrives with layers of history,...
I remember the first time I watched an oral testimony translated into an immersive environment. The intimacy of standing beside someone as they recounted a journey across deserts and seas felt powerful, but it also made me acutely aware of...
When designers reach into archives for inspiration, they are touching more than fabric and silhouette: they are engaging with lived histories, forms of labor and systems of power. I’ve long been fascinated by the moment a utilitarian garment...
I’ve been watching the surge of virtual exhibitions from grassroots collectives for several years now, and each project seems to ask the same, quietly provocative question: can a loosely organised group, working outside museum walls and finance...
I’ve spent years working between museums, independent presses and community projects, and one question keeps coming up whenever public art meets shifting neighbourhoods: what should you actually ask before commissioning a piece where people’s...
I remember the first time I stood in front of an object whose label told me almost nothing. A carved figure, beautiful and worn, with one sentence: “Unknown origin. circa 19th century.” I felt cheated—not because I wanted every forensic...