About 
Me!

As a Mechanical Engineer in the manufacturing sector, I have always had an interest in how and why things work. I discovered my creative talent whilst participating in various carnival activities and over the years and worked in various Masquerade camps, volunteering in the illustration and production of costumes. I discovered my interest in carnival costume design, although initially from an engineer’s perspective.

As a member of the Yaa Asantewaa Community Centre, I joined their Carnival Band and for many years participated in the construction, decoration, and production of large individual costumes, and invariably designed some pieces. With no formal costume design training I started from scratch under the wing of Shabaka Thompson who was my inspiration and mentor. Yaa also commissioned in skilled technicians and creative practitioners, specifically the Callaloo Company (Peter Minshalls Team from Trinidad) to develop our skill sets.

In 2008 I completed a residency with well-known designer, Geraldo Viera Jnr in Trinidad where the outcome was a set of completed drawings for the Carnival band theme “Face Yaa Fears”, reflecting on the state or mind of a population in the aftermath of the 2007 terrorist bombing of the London Underground. Since then, I attended workshops in London to enhance my skills, including wire bending, printing and drawing.

My work is now continuing with De Core UK and other groups/organisations in their own Carnival Development, focusing on production and presentation. We collaborate and have cultural exchanges involving countries such as Nigeria, Trinidad, Germany, France, Denmark and London Notting Hill Carnival, were my designs have been presented.

The advent of Covid-19 has given me the opportunity to review my current skills and how these can be developed utilising digital technology to achieve differentiated artistic outcomes which can have a sustainable presence in diverse cultural spaces such as Carnivals, business showcases, and community events.

 

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