Afro(tecture) (Re)collection

How does the process of abstraction actually bring us closer to understanding and connecting with the world and ourselves? As a project partner with Brooklyn-based designer Heather Hart, I used the technique of abstraction to explore the narratives embedded within Black cultural icons. I researched landmarks and public figures in Black history and through exercises in fragmenting and form-giving, I iterated objects that contended with the experiences of encountering them. The final 3D-printed forms are a product of a process of visual editing, laying bare the key ideas behind the space qualities while also giving space for individual readings and interpretations. 

Two of my works were recently featured at the Davidson Gallery in NYC as part of the “She Cuts Through Worlds” exhibit. The two models pictured are inspired by Uhura’s workstation in the original Star Trek TV series and the famous Jazz musician Sun Ra. As the gallery described it, “they combine personal effects with a sense of the unknown and the abyss of space, intimating at the human desire for discovery of frontiers and of the self.”