CAMO 08
“We desire to bequeath two things to our children; the first one is roots, the other one is wings.”
Sudanese Proverb
The eyewear of Camo 8 perches on the model's brow, made from hair pins in distinct red and yellow fan-shaped holders that are found at local Kenyan hair stalls and smaller hair salons. The long black pins have never changed- worn by the artist as well as her mother and grandmother- and remain as pragmatic as they were in the past. This eyewear is a nod to African consistency- so that even though there is change in the continent, the important African things remain the same.
In an artistic emphasis to the hair pin eyewear of Camo 8, the zigzag braids are based off a common Kenyan hairstyle technique. Braiding is usually done at local Kenyan hair stalls. These stalls are clustered together in open air markets, the most noteworthy within Nairobi called 'Kenyatta Market'. The market is renown for the diversity of skill and speed that the hair stylists offer; and the local hairdressers aggressively shout their wares, or sit perched on plastic chairs with combs in their hands all ready to braid, weave, straighten or cut any Kenyan woman's hair if she only steps into their booth. Once complete, every woman has her trendy, prestine couiffure pinned in place with the black hair pins used for the Camo 8 eyewear, as she steps away into the grid-like market that bursts with energy.
Photography, 2021
Jet Ink Print of FineArt RAG+ Matt 310g mounted on aluminium dibond in black pre-made float frame
