Containment, 2024
Containment is a sister-series to De/Recomposition of 6” x 6” cyanotypes on fabric, toned with black tea, that take a step backwards in linear time to visually investigate the tightly contained hull of the slave ship. In this body of work, I represent the limitations of space on the body and spirit at a time when the human was considered cargo. Using tea to tone the fabric creates a tonal contrast to the boundless and near free colors of De/Recomposition. The use of that component is also a tribute to the integrated ritual of tea onto Black peoples who were colonized by oppressors who seeded that custom into the culture of the people they held as property. A reflection on my own family’s rituals who originate from Barbados, originally a British colony. These pieces are purposefully framed in an abysmal black matte and confined within the wood of the frame, a representation of the physical space of imprisonment.
