Ancestral Foundations explores the impact that African ancestry plays on our sense of identity, especially for those growing up in countries with a history of colonialism and prejudice. It looks to question the effects that this has had on many of us who have grown up in the UK and America with African families or mixed backgrounds. How does this mix of vastly different cultures and perspectives influence our lives and sense of identity?

Equally many have never had the fortune of being able to trace their ancestral roots due to the impact of Colonialism and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This has led to generations of people across the Western world with lost African ancestry and yet who are still subject to the same systematic issues of prejudice and injustice that impacted the lives of their past generations dating back to those who were taken from their homelands and enslaved.

How does the impact of this lost connection effect their lives and sense of identity, and how does this compare with those who have been fortunate enough to maintain those connections?

The work consists of a series of audio conversations accompanied by dual portraits intended as a means of gaining a truer reflection of each individual and the background that has influenced their lives. The dual portraits also plays on W.E.B Du Bois’ concept of “Double Consciousness” a reflection of the internal conflict experienced by subordinated or colonized groups in an oppressive society. Each portrait involves a layering technique with the use of photo transfers as a means of creating deeply personal portraits which capture and visualise significant moments in each person’s lives which have influenced their sense of identity.