Through this project, I am creating a new visual language that is unique to me as it combines sensibilities from Kumasi, Ghana, and Portland, Oregon. It is 2018, the current toxic political discourse on race, culture, and diversity has underscored this thesis. There have been commendable efforts in Portland to push for a design ethos in areas of diversity and inclusion, but the fact remains that European design sensibilities influence the city. It is a notion that extends into creative domestic objects; there is lack of variety especially in terms of design inspirations that come from the continent of Africa.

I am addressing my ideas through the pluralistic nature of the American social and cultural makeup, which is a mixed bag of cultural influences. This is an idea steeped in the ideals of diversity, equality, and opportunities for all, and through my expectations of what I understand as a citizen of America.

Through a suite of objects, I reference and explore cross-cultural topologies from Ghana and the United States, two distinct geographical locations, by activating shapes, forms, and signifiers that provoke and foster familial, communal experiences through objects for the domestic sphere.