CORPORAL RENEWAL | SITES OF MEMORY | HISTORY IN THE MAKING
THE WAKE
“To be in the wake is to occupy and to be occupied by the continuous and changing present of slavery’s as yet unresolved unfolding” - Christina Sharpe
Inspired by the shape of a cowrie shell, The Wake represents the perseverance, prosperity and beauty rooted in Africa and African diasporic heritage.
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The cowrie shell was used as currency across Africa, and later adopted by European traders as currency. The shell quickly became an exchange means for enslaved individuals, positioning it as a stark symbol of slavery and exploitation of human life.
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Influential abolitionist and formerly enslaved author, Oluadah Equiano, describes being sold for 172 Cowrie shells in his memoir. Here I am repositioning the cowrie as a multifaceted symbol of resilience.
At nearly 7 metres high, this bronze sculptural installation is designed to enter and pause within. There are two accessible entrances, marked by bronze sugar loaf mould sculptures. These represent the sugar industry and its slave labour dependence.
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The ramp is engraved with new poems from poet Yrsa Daley Ward. Inside, the walls list enslaved people's names, as well as blank lists acknowledging those we could not identify.
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Overall, the work is a remembrance vessel, where rest and refuge are possible. Where we can listen to our hearts and experience a joy that allows grieving space.
