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Kenteverse


The Kenteverse is a multifaceted Art, Design & Music project exploring Kente’s innate power to create. I’m primarily using sounds sampled from the loom during the weaving process to generate new Kente designs and experiences.

When I started this project, I thought I was merely observing and dissecting the anatomy of Kente. I wasn’t aware of the fact that I was peering into a whole universe, The Kenteverse. Sound & Rhythm drove me here, and they’ve been my main points of contact in understanding the numerous locations within this universe. Language, History & Fashion are just some of the areas I’ve gained access to during my time here.

+ Videos
+ Beats
+ SONX



+ Resources
+ Reez

Experiment: Receipts


A question that came up frequently while I interacted with Kente was and has been, “how do you get your designs?”

Answers for this vary; some weavers go off descriptions by commissioners, others have hand-drawn references on paper, and now some even get digital mockups. These digital ones, in full color, save weavers time in color guessing at market places. This is often an issue when stoles don’t match a commissioner’s idea.

However, I didn’t focus much on digital references. I was quite interested in the hand-drawn mono-color references. Mainly because of the creative freedom to come up with patterns that aren’t always set. Also, on the other hand, the weaver’s freedom to recreate in their interpretation as well. There’s some balance in the approach.

With this in mind, I want to explore some thermal printer possibilities that could still balance the commissioner’s idea with the weaver’s creative freedom.

All these will still be based on the ‘weaving’ beats. My exploration is really to see how this paper material also handles these patterns.

Working with the receipts allowed me to literally get in touch with the material side of this project. Although not hand-woven, this process got me closer to what these new generatied patterns could feel like.
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October 29 2020