I am so happy I finally get to share this project with everyone! The biggest shout-out goes to my girls/team: Jasmine Larmond, Master Hairdresser, Ashely Allen, Makeup Artist, Zunyda Watson & Simone Thompson, Fashion Stylists, and Brianna Sealey, Set Decorator/Prop Master. They are some of the most talented people I know, and I have learned so much during our time working together, and can’t wait to continue working on the Hair•itage Project next year. Please go follow them to see their work. 

This project was inspired by J.D. Waiheke Okhai Ojeikere’s photographic exploration of unique African hairstyles found throughout Africa; as well as, the women in my family: 

When I was younger, my Aunts would communion in my grandmother’s room to braid each other’s hair while watching the Knicks play, as my grandmother occasionally shouted, “Hercules.” I remember seeing my younger cousins sitting between one of my Aunts’ legs, next to a pile of hair, as they organized the bundles of hair for my Aunt to braid into their scalp. My grandmother would tell me stories of how my aunts paid their way through college by braiding their classmates’ hair. These memories of the women in my family are the foundation of this project.

Throughout many generations and many cultures in Africa, hair was originally seen as a way to identify particular members and groups within societies. Hairdressers were esteemed members of society, used for more than just grooming, as they were often the pillars of many societal rituals and ceremonies. The process of braiding and twisting was seen as a sacred and communal activity, for it provided the opportunity for the passing down of oral history and tradition as well as important governing information amongst the ruling class.

Thank you to Project For Empty Space for trusting and believing in this project. And congratulations to all the recipients!

More to be revealed!