Chloe Johnson – PSHKN/a

“In the nonconsensual collaboration with inhuman materiality as both a property of energy and in concert with other energy sources (sugar, coal, mineral), slavery weaponised the redistribution of energy around the globe through the flesh of black bodies. [...] the human cost was the immense physical and psychological toll on the enslaved. Their lives were embedded in every coin that changed hands, each spoonful of sugar stirred into a cup of tea, each puff of a pipe, and every bite of rice." - Kathryn Yusoff, A Billion Black Anthropocenes or none

The following work uses granulated cane sugar as the primary medium - cast into objects that resonate with the Caribbean Diaspora, and used as a source of weight in soft sculptures that represent modes of punishment and oppression.

The body as a site of punishment. The body as a site of resistance.

Whilst at work, the bodies of the enslaved were in service of their owners and the clothing they wore reflected that. The clothing was made from fabrics, commonly referred to as 'slave cloth', that were coarse and durable and the items were typically mass produced and of low quality. The scarcity in the availability of the clothing, along with the back breaking work they endured daily, meant that the enslaved wore through their supplied clothing at an extreme- ly fast rate. Due to limited access to extra materials, many had to make do with what they had, repairing what they could as and when they needed to. By providing low quality and limited wardrobes, plantation owners were creating a visual code of dress that was meant to mark enslaved people. Immediately, by sight, you could tell who was free and who was not.

The enslaved didn’t just wear these markers of slavery without push back. Their bodies were used as sites of punishment, but they were also sites of resistance. People in the worst circumstances always find ways to bring joy and pride back into their lives in any way they can, and the enslaved did this particularly through taking pride in their dress and craft. They were resourceful, recycling, collecting scrap materials, using plants for natural dyes and also 'stealing' what they could to create clothing that spoke to their individuality, and their desire to rise above the way they were treated.

The following images show the initial development of The Uniform, a collection of base pieces created in a ‘slave cloth’, allowing for small individual customisations such as colour pocket placement and sleeve length. Intentional areas with a less than perfect fit to allow the wearer to show off other adornments of the body, changing the way we think about made to measure and what we define as luxury. A representation of creative resistance and resilience.

The possibilities are endless.

Metal often comes up when discussing the methods of punishment inflicted on others throughout history. Many other devices, hooks, and contraptions were forged in metal designed to inflict the maximum amount of suffering on the subject with some even designed to kill. You can find examples of these in museums and archives all over the world, and sometimes in the possession of descendants of plantation owners. From the moment of capture in Africa, iron chains and shackles were used to restrict movement, prevent escape, and instil fear. These were heavy, constantly rubbing against the skin, causing extreme discomfort for those forced to wear them.

In contrast, metal was also used to adorn the bodies of the enslaved in less harmful way. In art galleries and stately homes across Europe, you can find 16th and 17th century portraits of nobility with their young black slaves in tow. If you look closely enough, you will often notice these young slaves with a glimmer of silver around their necks. Many slave owners had their household slaves wear fine silver collars engraved with the owner’s name, address or family crest. These are the collars you can see in these paintings – paintings such as Young Negro with a Bow by Hyacinthe Rigaud and Portrait of Madame Claude Lambert de Thorigny by Nicolas de Largillierre.

A neck piece of precious metal that in one context is a marker of wealth in the wearer, is instead a signifier of servitude and the wealth of the owner. It’s a status symbol.

The idea that a slave would be adorned with something so ornate like a silver collar is one of the many paradoxes of enslavement.

Giving something of value to someone with no value, doesn’t quite make sense.

But this very idea inspired me to use precious metal to recreate these tools and markers of oppression, some wearable and some a little more violent.

The following works are exploration of creating little precious things with deeper, darker meanings.

Scent is a tool for Education

Birth, Death, Rebirth is multi-sensory scent experience inspired by the connection between scent, emotion, and memory. The aim of the experience is to take the participant on a journey through the Birth (life in 18th century West Africa), Death (the Middle Passage), and Rebirth (life on the plantations of the Caribbean) of the ancestral bodies of the Caribbean Diaspora using scent. The scents created for this experience, formulated in collaboration with IFF and perfumers from ISIPCA, are to be used as a tool to educate, provoke thought and conversation – adding a new dimension to the way that we learn and empathise with those around us.

With racially motivated hate crimes on the rise all over Europe, a little bit more empathy is something that we all need right now. Some of us more than others. 

Birth, Death, Rebirth takes on two forms, the first - a large-scale static installation to be set up in a gallery space such as the Tate or a disused sugar factory.

The installation consists of a large cloth and wood structure designed to fill a 30x30 square metre room. Those engaging with the installation will move between the cloth-walled rooms, experiencing the three differing scents and parts of the enslaved Africans journey as they go. The centre of the installation, the area that is representative of the middle passage, has a much darker and restrictive atmosphere, which combined with the scent, will give the participants a true sense of what it would have been like, below deck on a cargo ship. The material of the walls, the levels of light, the restriction of space and the feeling beneath their feet, all make the experience as immersive as it can be.

The other form that the experience takes is the most impactful. This version of the experience is designed to be a portable workshop that can be held in corporate workplaces, schools, colleges, and universities. This version could also be sent to individuals to experience within their homes.

This experience comes in the form of a box, containing three scented candles, a wooden tray, wooden wall hangings, a variety of educational materials and instructions on how to use them. The design, and material of each of these items has been carefully considered and has a relevance and significance to the narrative that is being told.

Olaudah Equiano’s memoirs were a key inspiration in formulating each of these scents – with his descriptions of his life before enslavement and his journey across the Atlantic inspiring many of the ingredients.

Birth is the scent that introduces the experience. It is inspired by life in 18th century Benin, Nigeria and is designed to bring forth the memories and emotions of a happy childhood.

Death is the most important and impactful of all the scents, intended to be a sharp contrast from the first. Inspired by the middle passage, this is the scent of pain and suffering, designed to make you feel fear, uncertainty, and despair.

Rebirth is the final scent. It’s a nod to life on the plantation estates of the Caribbean, the lives of the Caribbean diaspora today and their power of perseverance and optimism.