[sound of foil pieces tapping against each other in the wind]
I wish that I spoke more languages
because I think each language is a window completely.
It's a new window.
I at times regret that I'm not very good at languages.
I'd love to have more windows opening to me.
There are times that I name my--title my--works in my language, Ewe
Like in my language, there are several words which would have multiple meanings
With a little tonality change, the word "Gli"
can mean so many things
"Gli" is "wall"
"Gli", same spelling, is "story"
"Gli" is like "disrupt"
or "Gli" can mean erupt
And so on and so forth
Several of the words that I use have such a range of meanings
Whereas with English I find that it is a bit specific
And since I'm working with the idea of non-fixity
and something indeterminate, I don't want the language to inform.
Because wanting it to inform, and by giving it a context
you limit its ability to stretch,
and I want it to remain contextless
so that it leads you anywhere.
The tradition that actually started my profession off
was this collection of symbols that
they call Adinkra symbols
"Adinkra" means saying goodbye.
It's actually a series of signs and symbols that
are printed on textiles.
In a library, I read a couple of books
in which there were claims that Africa didn't have art
or that African art is not abstract
and then I saw these signs in which you clearly see
people making attempts to encapsulate abstract ideas
like the oneness of God or unity
That really opened my eyes, and I stayed with those signs for well over 5 years
after I finished school.
Just like in Europe you will go to the museum to see
the artworks of your forebearers,
this was my museum that I discovered.