Between Art and Fashion
Interview by Terrence Phearse
Ngadi Smart is a Sierra Leonean Visual Artist based between London, U.K and Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, who specialises in Illustration and Photography. This, combined with her love for the arts, fashion and a lifelong obsession with documenting everything around her, propelled her to start projects such as this editorial where she uses this town as her canvas shooting new trajectories.
How did your choice to use local designers, models and eco-materials tie into the narrative of climate change?
Using local designers and craftsmen meant we did not have to get any clothes flown in for this shoot. The material used for the clothing is made of natural fibers, and was from a previous collection of my friend Kader's brand (Olooh Concept) which meant nothing new was produced for the shoot. He also works with only one tailor — the work is never produced via a large factory. The wicker used for the hats are typically made from rattan which is a rapidly renewable material natural to the African forests where it is harvested. Since rattan grows very quickly, requires little water to grow and is almost always grown pesticide-free, it is an eco-friendly material that uses less of the Earth's resources. The flowers are local flowers from a local florist right around the corner from where I stayed. The raffia and for the feet and hand ornaments was locally sourced, and is biodegradable and recyclable. I was basically trying to use as many resources close to me, so as not to create much carbon footprint or use up new resources.
Do you find any connections between the materials used in the photoshoot with the environment seen in the photographs?
I used the flowers as their decaying nature mirrored the decaying nature of the environment and structures.
How do you use fashion in your photographic practice to speak to issues of sustainability?
This shoot was my first exploring the issue of sustainability and Fashion. However, I have been offered a grant by the Royal Photographic Society to explore this topic further. I plan to carry this out in documentary style photography, driving the narrative using coordinated colors, textures in affected buildings, clothing, and objects in my sitters’ portraits.
How integral are the designers to your process in making images?
I wanted to capture, through the styling, Bassam's mix of traditional and modern culture which is imprinted heavily in the town's architecture and community, and the way Bassam people are, their way of life.
The hand and feet raffia ornaments were created by a local artisan named Coulibaly Salia, directly inspired by Ivorian traditional raffia wear. More specifically, what the Guro and yacouba wear on their feet during their dance ceremonies. I thought they worked well style-wise and are recognizable (iconic) items. I chose to have local florist Jean-Baptiste Kiemtore create a different, more botanical take on the head ornaments, directly inspired by my research on traditional African raffia headpieces.
What’s next?
I will be shooting my series on the drag queen and LGBTQ community there, as well as further exploring the project on the effects of the environment issue in Grand Bassam. I also have a personal photo collage series coming out via Grain Photography Hub, as part of their COVID-19 program of Commissions and Bursaries.
Check out more of Ngadi Smart’s work on her website and Instagram.
