A Personal History of Home: an Anthology

'Being Black, Being Abstract, Being Invisible' No 1/2, 2021, Gouache 6 x 6 inches

The Personal History of Home anthology project, an initiative led by Dr Jennifer Wong during her period as a humanities exchange fellow, is supported by TORCH (The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities), a hub for intellectual collaboration and cross-disciplinary research projects and research engagement based at the University of Oxford. 

In July 2022, I answered a call by Dr Wong for submissions to the anthology project — an invitation to submit creative compositions including poems, flash fiction/short stories, nonfiction, photographs, and artwork.

'No Place Like Home' No 2/12, 2019, Mixed Media, 11.7 x 16.5 inches

My initial submission No Place Like Home is one of a series of twelve spontaneous abstract artworks made in 2019 and marked my decision to explore making larger-scale paintings. Spontaneous Abstract is a form of art involving the combination of abstract art and bold colour schemes using a range of mediums. Another term would be Abstract Expressionism. Making this stream-of-consciousness artwork enabled me to bring out my voice and add the texture of multilayered phrases to the artwork. 

Working in this artwork style has surprised me as some of the pieces have revealed autobiographical connotations that must have been in my subconscious. Painting in this spontaneous abstract genre gave me enough incentive and motivation towards completing the whole series. The accumulative effect of working on the series provided a sense of creative freedom.

For an in-depth discussion about my spontaneous abstract piece, No Place Like Home, which includes an explanation of the thematic concept of the artwork, do check out my YouTube video below:

Instead of selecting No Place Like Home, Dr Jennifer Wong decided to choose one of my other artwork pieces posted on this blog, Being Black, Being Abstract, Being Invisible No 1, stating, "To me that speaks about identity and hence, the transition of home (it doesn't need to be personal, but the concept behind drives the way we see belonging/spaces/identities)."  

I'm pleased to say that my submission: Being Black, Being Abstract, Being Invisible No 1/2  (2021) has been included on page 96 of the anthology and published on a digital library via the Oxford TORCH website in December 2022, so that anyone can access the stories and artwork and feel inspired. 

For the full details about my artwork Being Black, Being Abstract, Being Invisible, do check out my blog post here.

Thanks for reading.

World Afro Day 2022

Shangwe · World Afro Day 2022

 

Hair Power (2020) ⓒ Nicole Moore

Hair Power
2020
Mixed Media Abstract Realism
8.25 x 11.7 inches

Today is World Afro Day, (WAD) founded on 15 September 2017, by London-based Michelle De Leon, as a platform for celebrating afro excellence and ending afro hair discrimination. WAD is about the education and empowerment of people with afro hair. 

To mark WAD 2022, I am sharing Hair Power, a piece of artwork I made as a result of being invited to participate as a panel speaker at a WAD event on 15 September 2020: 'Hair Today/Wear Tomorrow' where I read poems from my independently published anthology Hair Power Skin Revolution (2010). 

Nicole Moore (1970s)

Later that day, I posted a photograph of myself on Instagram, wearing an Afro, taken at Mount Pleasant Hotel gardens, in central London, where I lived/worked between 1976-1978 as a catering secretary. In the Instagram caption, I wrote: 'The more we challenge the stereotypes which seek to influence our lives, the more society will be forced to accept us on our own terms and that can only happen when we as Black people collectively share and confront our own fears of wearing our hair the way we want to.'

The Artistic Process

As a reference for Hair Power, I used my own afro comb for the design by literally drawing around it, thereby using the comb—a symbolic icon—as a geometric measuring tool in a similar way a ruler was used for the marking and positioning of the design. I then lightly sketched and interspersed the remaining elements of the composition at different angles to display the afro combs as a central focused and unified entity. I used Crayola Super Tips and a black V7 Hi-Tecpoint pen for fine lines.

The aim was to create an illusion of a three-dimensional form and shape by layering and overlapping the afro combs, placing them in an asymmetrical stylised arrangement to arrive at a more dynamic outcome, one that included a sense of rhythm of combs spiralling that led the viewer's eye to view the artwork at a focal point of visual unity and to then look elsewhere.

The idea of a Black Power fist evolved over a period of a few days.  It made sense to incorporate this part of the image at the top to make a connection, not just with the power of afro hair, but with the history of how the Black Power fist became an icon overnight, when Tommie Smith and John Carlos protested on the podium at the 1968 Olympics, while the US national anthem was playing, refusing to salute while raising their fists up as they bowed their heads to symbolise Black Power.

Nicole Moore (2010) 

The rich vibrant background colour scheme of gouache paint in red, yellow, and green was added to make Africentric diasporic cultural connections with the Rastafari flag, my Guyanese heritage, the history of wearing my hair in dreadlocks between 2006 and 2012, and wearing my hair in an Afro in the 1970s. These interconnections supported the artistic process. I also documented the art method by taking photos at different stages and by making audio recordings to capture my thoughts and feelings.

Afro Hair Discrimination

Afro hair discrimination is particularly rife, especially but not exclusively, in schools all over the UK, and continues to affect black pupils—girls and boys—who wear afro hairstyles such as dreadlocks, braids, afros, and cornrows. This is where the risk of damage to black pupils is greatest because not only do they have to deal with everyday racism in education, but they also have the double whammy of being discriminated against if they wear their afro hair in a natural style. 

Black pupils who wear their afro hair natural at school are seen as a 'problem' to be fixed and punished. This has a lot to do with the way that the British education system's historical ideology of fitting in with whiteness perceives the black child — as a black body only, without any humanity and respect. If children enter the education system and the first reaction they get is that their hair is unacceptable, then this can jeopardise the young person's self-esteem, confidence and education; it can become a life-long sentence.  

Furthermore, it is not just children and young adults on the receiving end of afro hair discrimination. Black adults wearing their afro hair natural are also perceived as 'unprofessional' in the corporate workplace. And even though the Equality Act 2010 protects individuals on the grounds of nine "protected characteristics" including race, age, religion and sexual orientation, the Act, excludes hair from being named as a "protected characteristic". 

Education should first and foremost be about learning and empowering young people so that they move forward in society as best they can, seizing ambitious opportunities to develop their true potential. Education should not be about singling out black pupils because they want to wear their afro hair in natural styles.

Socially Acceptable

Thankfully, afro hair is becoming more socially acceptable. For example, the British advertising industry is working towards a more inclusive and diverse representation of the black image in its adverts and narratives. Images that portray black people wearing their afro hair in dreadlocks, afros, and braids are becoming the norm. This means black imagery of afro hairstyles has slowly but surely broken through the mainstream media. 

World Afro Day is part of a growing and developing movement that is working with schools in the UK to turn things around so that schools are educated on the intricacies of afro hair and how important it is not to single out their black pupils and make an example of them because they choose to wear their afro hair natural but instead encourage them to celebrate their natural locks with pride.

Comments welcome!

Thanks for reading.

Make Art, Not War

Shangwe · Make Art, Not War

Make Art, Not War (2017) ⓒ Nicole Moore

Make Art, Not War
2017
Mixed Media Collage
8.3 x 11.7 inches

This month I wanted to feature Make Art, Not War , a mixed media collage made as part of a 2017 'Have You Made Art Today?' project to decorate my first sketchbook cover. In my case, it gave my sketchbook an identity. 

Recycled materials used were strips of red, yellow, and green wrapping paper, plus items from a Vogue Magazine — a red 'spiral' shape and an A4 size sheet of art text which I cut up and rearranged vertically and horizontally. Also in the magazine was a small 'Make Art, Not War' image. I replaced this original image with a cutout copy of a headshot photograph of myself taken in the 1980s by a friend named Lennox. At the time the photograph was taken, I was holding Lennox's newborn baby daughter Kadesha, hence the smile! 

'Make Art, Not War' is a popular slogan for artwork; an alternative phrase inspired by the popular 1960s anti-war mantra, "Make love, not war." There are numerous examples of the 'original' 'Make Art, Not War' image on the Internet. 

My version of Make Art, Not War is both optimistic and political. In this current climate of war in numerous countries around the globe, it helps to take time to consider how we would like the world to be. Whilst making the artwork, I imagined how different our world could be if we made art, and made ourselves participate in creativity of all shapes and forms, rather than be at war, not only within the world but with the natural environment. 

What does peace mean to you?

Comments welcome!

Thanks for reading.

Art Matters

Shangwe · Art Matters

Art Matters  2017 ⓒ Nicole Moore

 Art Matters
 2017
 8.5 x 12.5 inches
 Mixed Media Newspaper   Abstract Collage

This collage was made in an environmentally-friendly way, using recycled materials mounted on a used piece of cardboard, that was originally a parcel envelope.

The beauty of making a collage is that there are no rules, although 'good' composition is important in terms of harmony. Really, there are numerous ways of making a collage since you can assemble multiple textures, materials and colours; it is a fluid and flexible artwork process. You can even create new collages by reworking old ones plus you can add paint. The sky's the limit!😊

Magazines & Newspapers:

For my Art Matters collage, I used a simple technique of tearing up pages from a copy of The Guardian Newspaper, pasting them over or near one another using a Liquitex Matte Gel medium, and applying surfaces in some kind of colour scheme. I selected the newspaper pages that drew me to them because of their cool blue and green tones and then I added imagery of cars, and people with umbrellas. The section where the traffic lights and buildings are placed upside down is deliberate. I paid less attention to the context and content of the newspaper pages. I was more interested in assembling shapes and creating something new. I did however choose the additional text/phrases carefully. The final piece is offered to the viewer as a long read.

Art Matters:

When I made the Art Matters collage (2017)) it was the year after the then Chancellor abolished maintenance grants for lower-income students. University student fees in England also increased from £9,000 to £9,250 in the same year for full-time and from £4,500  to £4,625 for part-time students. 

As I reflect back to when I was a mature student studying for a BA degree at the University of Westminster in the 1980s aged 28, I am grateful that not only did I have no fees to pay, but I also received a grant towards my living expenses. Those days are long gone. However, I haven't stopped valuing education, probably because of disruptions to my secondary education in the early days for all manner of reasons.  

Fast forward to modern times and university fees continue to be barriers to higher education, and universities are run more like an enterprise than an educational places of learning. You can't blame the younger generation of potential students fresh out of school or college for being reluctant to apply for a student loan knowing that they are going to end up in debt. The problem with this dilemma is that the arts and creative industries will end up being elite businesses, as we lose the dynamic and diverse pool of art students. And it's not just the arts that will lose the pool of talent. In all fields of potential graduate employment, the same will apply. 

Art Matters! It can communicate, inspire, motivate and educate. Visual art in particular has a dynamic power that enables anyone with access to a pencil and a sketchpad to express themselves in any way they desire. Art has helped me make sense of our complex world by giving me a language for my emotions that I may otherwise have struggled to put into words. Joy, sadness, rage — all can be expressed by the power of art. We need the arts in education to be open and accessible to all without the financial barriers of university fees and the burden of debt.

Comments welcome!

Thanks for reading.

George Floyd Two Years On — 'I Can't Breathe!' Abstract Art Series

I Can't Breathe! (2020) ⓒ Nicole Moore

Abstract Series
I Can't Breathe!
2020
Transparent Watercolours
10 x 8 inches

Today I'm sharing what compelled me to make I Can't Breathe!, which actually started off as a series of abstract art pieces that I completed in an A4 size sketchbook. This piece was made with Pelikan Transparent Watercolour Paints in June 2020.

The Painting:

The painting, I Can't Breathe! came first, the words came second arriving on 2 June 2020.  I wrote them on my phone that evening. 

I used Canva graphic design software to add the words, so as to tie the painting together and produce it as a piece of mixed-media abstract art.

The Motivation:

The motivation for the I Can't Breathe! painting, evolved as the world watched the visceral horror of George Floyd's slow public execution under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer in the United States. 

The unforgettable sight cut through the global consciousness in a way not seen since the police attack and killing of Rodney King in 1991.

In June 2020, I posted a YouTube video:

In the video, I stated: 

I stand in solidarity with the African American community, the African Caribbean community, the black British community and with the black community throughout the world. 

I'm aligned to the spirit and soul of Black Lives Matter everywhere. I think the world has woken up at last and is listening.

On 2 June 2020, I also posted a photo of the I Can't Breathe! painting on my Instagram account stating:

Justice will only be achieved when the police culture in the US (and UK) is dismantled and those racist cops are expelled once and for all from brutalising Black people when they should be protecting them!

Violent Policing:

Two years on, where are we in the UK particularly with regards to police brutality? There's no doubt that George Floyd's murder sparked an unprecedented global reaction and the Black Lives Matter movement generated peaceful protests unheard and unseen before. However, it is widely known in general that the use of force especially but not exclusively by the Metropolitan Police has increased over the last two years, with black people four times more likely to have force used against them than white people.

In my Birkbeck College — Culture, Community, Identity assignment completed in April 2022, I discussed the debates relating to police violence and stated that the issue of police accountability is at the heart of police violence and how outrageous it is that not one police officer in the UK has ever been convicted for the death of a black person in custody. 

BBC London News — Call to Action:

When the former Commissioner Cressida Dick announced her resignation in February 2022, I was relieved, because, for many years, she had been in denial that institutional racism existed in the Metropolitan Police Force. In February 2022, I felt compelled to respond to a call to action from BBC London News for 'Thoughts on policing priorities for London and the next Commissioner.' In response to the call to action, I wrote a lengthy email stating how I had lost faith and confidence in the leadership of Cressida Dick a long time ago not just because of her denial that the Metropolitan Police were institutionally racist, but because of her big errors of judgement which under her watch led to a litany of failures — too many to mention here. 

Racist Ideology:

I emphasised in my email to BBC London News how policing in the UK is steeped in racist (and sexist) ideology and until those ideologies are independently uprooted, deconstructed, evaluated and reviewed with appropriate cutting edge research, together with significant action, then real change is not going to happen. And by change, I mean change that's in line with our current twenty-first century and the sophisticated demands of that twenty-first century, especially institutional racism, as it is one of the most major concerns for black people living in the UK, particularly for young boys/men.

The roots of policing policies and practices have to be pulled up and new thoughts and ideas that are revolutionarily inclusive and diverse have to be replanted. It's not just about placing a big dressing on an open wound or police culture because that open wound has been festering for many years. It's about a complete change of police recruitment training and promotion policies that root out any racist, sexist, misogynistic, and homophobic attitudes and behaviours.

New Commissioner:

When it comes to a new Metropolitan Police Commissioner, it's not about gender, i.e. a new Commissioner being a woman or man. It's about the right person to lead the Metropolitan Police; someone that has the vision to see a police force with all its systemic problems and failures, someone who has the ability and vision to make some very revolutionary decisions and critical changes within the force — changes which in reality stop new and unsuitable police recruits slipping through the net because of inadequate recruitment screening. 

It is absolutely imperative that the new Commissioner has the courage to shake up the current Metropolitan Police Force so that police officers are held accountable for their actions, and in serious cases of gross misconduct, are sacked rather than given a slap on the wrist and later on given the privilege of promotion. In other words, a complete overhaul and restructuring of the Metropolitan Police is crucial and urgent.

Comments welcome!

Thanks for reading.

It's My Country Too! — Acrylics Painting Series

Shangwe · It's My Country Too!

It's My Country Too! (2021) ⓒ Nicole Moore

Geometric Abstract Series #3
It's My Country Too!
2021
Acrylics
7 x 7 inches

This is the third and final part of a series of geometric abstract paintings, using the Kuba Design of eight triangles within a square. For the first piece, I used four Liquitex Professional Body Acrylics — Magenta, Bronze Yellow/Titanium White mix, Purple/Titanium White mix, Emerald Green/Titanium mix. Mixing in white with those colours really enhanced the pigment of the paint into a lovely creamy consistency, which is particularly noticeable with the colours purple and emerald green, as it results in a really smooth coverage. It's always a good idea to experiment with colour mixing.

It's My Country Too! (2021) ⓒ Nicole Moore

The title of this second piece — It's My Country Too! — arrived towards the completion stage, as a result of an experience of a racially motivated incident that took place on the same day that I worked on the painting (22/09/21). 

Cultural Diversity:

The person in question had said (briefly), "I don't believe in cultural diversity ... this is my country ... it's  not yours ... I'm English." I responded by saying, "So because you're white and English, you think this is your country? It's my country as much as it is yours." He didn't agree. There endeth our 'conversation'!

This is the first time that I've titled a painting in this way. It seems quite appropriate and poignant to turn a negative experience into something creative and positive.

To be even more positive, I was able to take this racially motivated incident further on a more formal basis and action was taken against the perpetrator. 

Zero-Tolerance Policy:

As a black person who was born in London (England) and has lived and worked here for many years and is someone who is personally and politically committed to anti-racism activism, I have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to racially motivated incidents. I will continue to call out racism by reporting it if/when it happens again.

Anti-Racism Resources:

Click here for anti-racism resources, where you will find a selection of recommended books, articles, podcasts, audiobooks, films, documentaries, TV series, seminars/talks, websites, and so much more!

Comments welcome!

Thanks for reading.

No To Racism — Transparent Watercolour Painting Series

Shangwe · No To Racism

Geometric Abstract Series #2:
No To Racism No 1/2
2021
Transparent Watercolour
5 x 5 inches

This is the second of a series of geometric abstract paintings, using the Kuba design of eight triangles within a square. Still feeling inspired by African American artist Faith Ringgold's Love Black Life, particularly its colour scheme. 

I did a modification No To Racism No 1/2 and as per the previous painting Being Black, Being Abstract, Being Invisible 1/2, I used four colours: Pelican Transparent Watercolours this time — Carmine Red, Prussian Blue, Lamp Black, and Ultramarine Blue. This combination of colours isn't of my choosing as I tend to prefer vibrant colours. Sometimes, it's a good idea to go against your own idea of what colour scheme might work. I do like how striking the Carmine Red is against the remaining colours. 

Geometric Abstract Series #2:
No To Racism No 2/2
2021
Canva Graphic Design
4.75 x 4.75 inches

You could say that the No To Racism No 2/2 is a semi-abstract piece, since it incorporates text using a Canva graphic design adding a very different dimension. 

I like that one abstract piece can be used graphically. This eliminates the idea of writing the actual words freehand on the original. There's something really satisfying about making two pieces of art from one!

Culture, Community, Identity:

No To Racism was integrated as a symbolic gesture into my Birkbeck College Culture, Community, Identity assignment completed in April 2022. The assignment involved discussing the civil unrest of 2011 and whether this event was the culmination of decades of discriminatory and violent policing.

The civil unrest of 2011, more widely known as the London riots, erupted as a result of a 29 year-old Black man, Mark Duggan, being killed by the police on 4 August 2011, in Tottenham, north London. 

In my assignment, I discussed how decades of discriminatory and violent policing played a significant part in the London riots. I considered the debates relating to policing and resistance in Britain and explored the range of reactions to the riots that included government responses, rioters' perspectives, and those of the police themselves and discussed whether police violence has changed.

I included my own reactions to the London riots; Birkbeck College encourages students to illuminate our own arguments throughout assignments thereby foregrounding our own voice rather than the work of other writers. 

I shared my reaction to the London riots by way of a visit on 24 August 2021, to the Institute of Contemporary Arts exhibition: War Inna Babylon: The Community's Struggle for Truth and Rights, curated by Tottenham Rights activist, Stafford Scott. Here is an excerpt that depicts a reflection ten years on of my memory at that time:

I remember the police killing of Mark Duggan particularly well because I was working in Tottenham at the time. But that wasn't all. I was close enough, (Edmonton, north London) to know that something appalling was going on. I and many Black people I know watched in horror at the TV footage of Duggan's killing and we were outraged by it. And the outrage led to anger when the police refused to communicate with Duggan's family members as they congregated quietly and humbly outside Tottenham police station. The missed opportunity of a decent and respectful communication was the downfall of the police and elicited yet more distrust and lack of faith than ever before. The nationwide uprisings that followed were inevitable yet could have been avoided. 

War Inna Babylon:

The War Inna Babylon exhibition shone a light on the collective action, resistance, and grassroots activism of Black communities across the UK in response to over seventy years of societal and institutional racism, in particular how the resuscitation of the Victorian Vagrancy Act 1824 in the form of the 'Sus' law gave rise to a generation of Black youth who were harassed and criminalised as a whole.

Violent Policing:

It is widely known in general, that the use of force by the Metropolitan Police has increased over the last couple of years, with Black people four times more likely to have force used against them than white people. 

I have witnessed TV footage many times of police officers' 'treatment' of Black people as if they are sub-human, who in the process of policing often dehumanise innocent people and use discriminatory practices and behaviour. In this context, Black bodies are not valued, and Black lives are seen as expendable and often criminalised by the police from a very young age, leading to adultification, as in the recent shocking case in 2020 of a fifteen-year-old Black schoolgirl known as 'Child Q', who was strip searched in her school in Hackney, East London, while menstruating.

Police Injustices:

Civil unrest is often sparked as a result of police injustices and police brutalities and ignited when those injustices are integrated with a failure by the government and the police forces to fully understand the complexities of urban, social, economic, political, and cultural challenges that continue to permeate inner city residents. 

Decades of discriminatory and violent policing played a significant part in the civil unrest of 2011, despite the unrealistic reactions and superficial narratives from the government and the police themselves that criminality was the cause. The police continue to deny that they were, and still are, a big part of the problem, and therefore remain a big part of the solution. 

Institutional Racism:

However, failures in policing Black people are clear to see by the general public and the media despite the denial of institutionalised racism that is embedded in the UK police forces, especially the Metropolitan Police Service. 

The denial of institutional racism continues to blame and stigmatise marginalised communities rather than investigate how disappointed those marginalised communities actually have been historically, and still are today, with being treated unfairly by oppressive and repressive policing tactics, that stem from discriminatory and violent policing. 

The Way Forward:

There is so much more that needs to be explored by way of media and political commentary that contributes to rather than detracts from the realities of discriminatory and violent policing. 

Fortunately, I sense hope that a new generation of young people who have peacefully demonstrated that Black Lives Matter, will continue to stand up to racial injustice and violent policing for many decades to come, until policing in the UK and especially in urban cities, is completely reformed.

Comments welcome!

Thanks for reading.