Roots of Bias
I wanted this piece to somewhat translate the lived experience of Afro hair into pattern and colour. Starting with simple vector motifs such as braid paths, coil spirals, and the teeth of dressing combs. I layered, rotated, and scaled them to build a rhythmic surface that feels both intimate and ceremonial. Tight interlocking grids recall the precision of cornrows looser, sweeping curves evoke the freedom of untamed coils. Negative space becomes “scalp,” letting each form breathe like strands between partings.
The palette comes straight from the culture of care. Shea-brown, clay-red, palm-oil ochre, loc-gold and charcoal black. These pigments echo hair oils, wooden combs, earth dyes and the warmth of melanin. By repeating and gradating them across the cloth, I wanted to suggest the journey from rooted tradition to self-expression.
While my essay provides historical context, the tapestry is the argument made tangible. Its shift from dense order to open flow mirrors Black hair’s passage from regulation to reclamation. Every section asserts texture is heritage, motion is resilience, and adornment is power.
