I am thrilled to invite to you to my latest art installation ‘A Space for Resistance and Renewal’, commissioned for the Vital Signs show by Science Gallery London at Kings College London.
I designed ‘A Space for Resistance and Renewal’ to help you imagine how to resist the tyrannical forces that plague us in communion.
Cocooned in regenerative plant fibres and adorned with shield motifs from Buganda, come to rest in this special space for refuge. Lay down, sit or huddle in a pair – you are welcome.
The installation will support you here until 17 May 2025, and will also be hosting informal gatherings to explore our shared struggle to tend to our health.
“A Space for Resistance and Renewal is a trio of bark cloth structures that provide a gathering place for rest, repair and resistance. As a self-taught artist, Kawooya came to fibre artistry as a healing practice. Here, she can imagine being liberated from the interlocking forces of systemic racism, capitalism, sexism and ableism.
The artist has chosen regenerative materials traditionally used in Ugandan art; olubugo (bark cloth), banana fibre, raffia and Brixton-grown bamboo. When harvesting bark cloth, artisans wrap the omutuba tree with banana leaf once the bark is removed, which allows the tree to repair and be harvested in future rainy seasons.
The designs feature shield motifs from the Kingdom of Buganda, symbolising protection, and the earthenware pots which tether the structures are filled with plants known for their therapeutic properties.” Science Gallery London
