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Wide version - to comply with the 4:3 landscape photo requirements of the LEGO Ideas Afrofuturism contest.
UPDATE: This was selected in the Top-10 (yay!), and now the fan vote is open. Think I might have been the only finalist to use physical bricks too... thanks again, everyone for the support!
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Vinyl Wrap: Patterns of the People
Title: Patterns for the People (POP)
Artwork by: Danilo Deluxo McCallum
The artwork design on the TORONTO Sign uses vibrant African fabric patterns as a backdrop to represent the diverse community of people of African descent in Toronto and globally.
Woven into the colourful patterns are African cultural symbols like the Adinkra Sankofa bird, which represents the importance of moving forward through recalling the past.
The inclusion of portraits of Canadians of African descent is an important statement in recognition that people of African descent are here, beautiful, bold and proud, holding Toronto accountable for justice and equity.
The City of Toronto recognizes the United Nations’ International Decade for People of African descent (2015 to 2024).
About the Artist
Danilo Deluxo McCallum is a Toronto based visual artist. He works professionally as a painter, videographer, illustrator, graphic designer, muralist and art mentor. A product of the city, the characters depicted in McCallum’s work reflect a diverse landscape of people.
For more information about Danilo Deluxo McCallum, visit deluxo.ca
Source: www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/history-art-culture/toronto-...
Built for the Afrofuturism contest over on LEGO Ideas.
Inspired by the Anansi stories of the Akan people of West Africa. Sometimes Anansi is depicted as being a spider with the head of a man. I chose to have him be robotic, with the face of a tribal mask. One of the main Anansi stories is about how Anansi obtained the stories of the Sky-God Nyame, whom I have reinterpreted here as being an all-seeing satellite in the skies above. I also thought it would be appropriate for Anansi to share all of those stories across the world-wide-web. The "web portal" behind him I shaped similarly to the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra, Ghana. The pattern on the panels flanking each side of the portal are meant to mimic the adinkra symbol "NEA ONNIM NO SUA A, OHU" ("He who does not know can know from learning").
EDIT: This was selected in the Top-10 (yay!), and now the fan vote is open. Think I might have been the only finalist to use physical bricks too... thanks again, everyone for the support!
"This compelling, close to life-size sculpture of a young black woman is inspired in part by the male kouros figures of ancient Greek sculpture. Christopher Smith was drawn to the potential movement in the ancient figures whose feet were positioned in a walking pose, though both flat on the ground and with arms symmetrically placed at their sides. Traditionally, a woman kore (maiden) was clothed and stood with her feet together, arms at her sides in the manner of a column.
In titling this work, Sankofa Kore, Smith references the Adinkra symbol of the Akan people of Ghana. The literal translation of “sankofa” means “return and get it.” It’s associated proverbial phrase is interpreted as taking from the past what is good and bringing it into the present. Sankofa Kore is a powerful sculpture whose presence connects with a different time.
The sculpture was a collaboration of sorts between fine art model, Kelicia Pitts, and artist, Christopher Smith. After meeting at Fleisher Art Memorial, Smith booked Kelicia to model for a life drawing group held at his studio. When she saw his work, she asked if he would do a sculpture of her if she were to pose for free and in turn receive a plaster cast."
Mural designed by Kathryne Gardette which incorporates West African symbols called adinkras. Walnut Hills, Cincinnati
Friday, 30 December 2022: our temperature is -6°C (windchill -8°C) just after 10:00 am. Sunrise was at 8:39 am, and sunset is at 4:38 pm.
Thank goodness our brutally cold spell has come to an end!! That was COLD, with temperatures down into the -30°Cs and windchill temperatures down into the -40°Cs! For now we are a few degrees above or below 0°C. For the past week, since 21 December 2022, days have been getting longer by 2 minutes, 7 seconds each day.
Still no new images, as I have only left the house once since 15 December, and that was to go to one of the Primary Care Centres. My 'normal' chronic cough that I have had for years became worse and I was having extremely painful sharp pains around my right side every time I breathed in or coughed. The cough was causing inflammation in the muscles.
I am adding the description that I wrote under a previously posted photo taken on the same outing.
"The red and white barn quilt above the open door has a special meaning. The symbol means ASASE YE DURU - The Earth has weight. Divinity of Mother Earth, the importance of Mother Earth in sustaining life. This logo is an Adinkra Symbol from the Asante culture in Ghana. The word "Akesi" is from the Fante language - Fante is one of the languages that Kwesi speaks.
On 18 August 2019, I was fortunate enough to make a return visit to a wonderful farm, NW of the city. I left home a few minutes before 8:00 am and arrived back home at 8:00 pm, feeling totally tired out. This was partly because I had only had a couple of hours' sleep the night before, and because it took me two hours to get to the farm. This was the first time I had ever driven myself there, as we had carpooled on the previous two visits. After leaving the farm, I took some new back roads that had been recommended to me while I was at the farm; roads that I had never driven before. Beautiful scenery, and I discovered a rather nice old log cabin and two or three old rusty vehicles, including a beautiful big, blue bus. I am SO happy that I made myself do both drives. I had to do it, as this is an amazing farm, and I couldn't bear the thought of not visiting again.
This 53 acre farm, Akesi Farms, is a 90 minute drive from downtown Calgary and is near the town of Sundre. It belongs to Meghan Vesey and Kwesi Haizel. It is permaculture based with future crops of eggs, mushrooms, fruits and nuts! Hard to believe that this beautiful place has only belonged to this young, hardworking, enthusiastic couple since November 2014. A tremendous amount of work, thought and planning has already gone into adding to what was already there, with a 'little' help from family and friends.
Our visit coincided with Alberta Open Farms weekend, where about 100 farms were open to the public. Our Naturalist leader had arranged to take anyone interested in nature on a nature walk, at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. A very interesting, short talk on the history of Bergen and the area around the farm was given by Marilyn Halvorson, who has lived in the area for many years. Three tables had also been set up - one had attractive barn quilts painted on wood (Jenni Weeks at N50 Barn Quilts). Another had knitted items and quilts from Irene Echlin. The third had produce such as jars of home-made marmalade (from Kettle Crossing Farm), and also green tomatoes which had been grown in a massive greenhouse near Olds. I discovered when I got home that eating just one tomato was not enough, they were so good. This is something I have been very impressed by ever since I first met Meghan and Kwesi. They are very community-minded, helping other farmers, which is so good to see.
We were also shown a small display of several edible mushroom species that are being grown on the farm, Some of them are also growing in a few places around the farm - Meghan's mother very kindly pulled a little cluster of three Wine Caps that were growing in the vegetable garden, for me to take home and try. Of course, I had to take a few photos last night, before I added them to a Spanish Omelette : )
Check out their mushroom business. They are selling mushroom spawn for if you want to grow your own. They also offer talks on how to do this.
Thank you so much, Meghan, Kwesi and Meghan's parents, for such a lovely day! Great to see new additions to the farm (well done, Kwesi!), as well as all the familiar things, including those beautiful dogs, Whiskey and Titan, and your chickens and geese. Too bad we missed the honey created in your beehives. I wish you all the very best - you deserve all the successes that come your way."
Although the African Burial Ground National Monument was opened to the public in 2010, this is a first visit to the site. The discovery of the remains of hundreds of Africans in an excavation site in preparation to build a skyscraper in Manhattan in 1991 was a watershed moment, which opened the doors to the rediscovery of the early history of New York City (then New Amsterdam.)
It was revealed that Africans (the majority of whom had been enslaved), who had worked to build the settlement of New Amsterdam in the 17th and 18th centuries, were not allowed to bury their dead in the grounds where the European immigrants buried their own dead. Thus one of the first instances of segregation in what was to become the United States of America had some early origins. Closed as a burial site nineteen years following the U.S. declared its independence from England, the site fell into disuse, and became part of the growing settlement which would eventually become the metropolis of New York City.
It wouldn’t be rediscovered almost 200 years later, but was developed as a national monument, following an extremely strong advocacy from the local and national African American community.
This saturday marked the second bicycle race at wawase organised yearly by Me We Onlus to help raise funds and awareness for the orphanage they are running in the village. The person who runs the project is a friend of mine, also half italian and half ghanaian as myself, and in his own way tries to give back to his country as much as he can.
I was over there to photograph the event. Had a really good time and also managed to capture some really authentic shots of life in the village. i just love getting out of the city and being around real ghanaian communities with all their problems, contradictions and fascinations.
The children in this picture are all kids that grew up in the orphanage. In honour of the day's event, they prepared a brief sketch. Each child told us the history of the great fathers of our nation - Kwame Nkrumah, Yaa Asantewaa, Tetteh Quarshie,
They were proud.
Proud as our heritage and our culture
Proud as our attire
and the challanges on their shoulders that have been overcome
proud as a child
growing into a man
into a woman
that believes firmly in the promise of tomorrow
Pipe: [NikotiN] Pipe Shadow
Sunglasses: [Iruco] Round Sunglasses
Hair : [Iruco]hair37(light brown)
Mustach : [Iruco] Mustache / light brown
Coat : {Howl} Boston Muffler Coat[Black]
Mesh Body : TMP(Animated face)
Skin : ~Tableau Vivant~ Rays II - TMP applier - Tone 6
Tattoo : AITUI TATTOO - Adinkra (TMP Applier)
Location : My space :P
These are rubber stamps made from my doodles and hand-carved stamps. Some of the doodles are based on African symbols called Adinkra. This is an unmounted, 8-1/2" x 11" rubber stamp sheet.
Solomon's knot (Latin: sigillum Salomonis, literally 'Solomon's seal') is a traditional decorative motif used since ancient times, and found in many cultures. Despite the name, it is classified as a link, and is not a true knot according to the definitions of mathematical knot theory.
The Solomon's knot consists of two closed loops, which are doubly interlinked in an interlaced manner. If laid flat, the Solomon's knot is seen to have four crossings where the two loops interweave under and over each other. This contrasts with two crossings in the simpler Hopf link.
In most artistic representations, the parts of the loops that alternately cross over and under each other become the sides of a central square, while four loopings extend outward in four directions. The four extending loopings may have oval, square, or triangular endings, or may terminate with free-form shapes such as leaves, lobes, blades, wings etc.
The Solomon's knot often occurs in ancient Roman mosaics, usually represented as two interlaced ovals.
Across the Middle East, historical Islamic sites show Solomon's knot as part of Muslim tradition. It appears over the doorway of an early twentieth century CE mosque/madrasa in Cairo. Two versions of Solomon's knot are included in the recently excavated Yattir Mosaic in Jordan. To the east, it is woven into an antique Central Asian prayer rug. To the west, Solomon's knot appeared in Moorish Spain, and it shines in leaded glass windows in a late twentieth century CE mosque in the United States. The British Museum, London, England has a fourteenth-century CE Egyptian Qur'an with a Solomon's Knot as its frontispiece.
University of California at Los Angeles Fowler Museum of Cultural History, USA has a large African collection that includes nineteenth and twentieth century CE Yoruba glass beadwork crowns and masks decorated with Solomon's Knots.
Home of Peace Mausoleum, a Jewish Cemetery, Los Angeles, California, USA has multiple images of Solomon's knot in stone and concrete bas reliefs sculpted 1934 CE.
Saint Sophia's Greek Orthodox Cathedral, "Byzantine District" of Los Angeles, California, USA has an olive wood Epitaphios (bier for Christ) with Solomon's knots carved at each corner. The Epitaphios is used in the Greek Easter services.
Powell Library University of California at Los Angeles, USA has ceiling beams in the Main Reading Room covered with Solomon's Knots. Built in 1926 CE, the reading room also features a central Dome of Wisdom bordered by Solomon's knots.
Name
In Latin, this configuration was sometimes known as sigillum Salomonis, meaning literally "seal of Solomon". It was associated with the Biblical monarch Solomon because of his reputation for wisdom and knowledge (and in some legends, his occult powers). This phrase is usually rendered into English as "Solomon's knot", since "seal of Solomon" has other conflicting meanings (often referring to either a Star of David or pentagram). In the study of ancient mosaics, the Solomon's knot is often known as a "guilloche knot" or "duplex knot", while a Solomon's knot in the center of a decorative configuration of four curving arcs is known as a "pelta-swastika" (where pelta is Latin for "shield").
Among other names currently in use are the following:
"Foundation Knot" applies to the interweaving or interlacing which is the basis for many elaborate Celtic designs, and is used in the United States in crochet and macramé patterns.
"Imbolo" describes the knot design on the textiles of the Kuba people of Congo.
"Nodo di Salomone" is the Italian term for Solomon's Knot, and is used to name the Solomon's Knot mosaic found at the ruins of a synagogue at Ostia, the ancient seaport for Rome.
Since the knot has been used across a number of cultures and historical eras, it can be given a range of symbolic interpretations.
Because there is no visible beginning or ending, it may represent immortality and eternity—as does the more complicated Buddhist Endless Knot.
Because the knot seems to be two entwined figures, it is sometimes interpreted as a Lover's Knot, although that name may indicate another knot.
Because of religious connections, the knot is sometimes designated the all-faith symbol of faith, but, at the same time, it appears in many places as a valued secular symbol of prestige, importance, beauty.
Solomon's Knot appears on tombstones and mausoleums in Jewish graveyards and catacombs in many nations. In this context, Solomon's Knot is currently interpreted to symbolize eternity.
Some seek to connect it with Solomon by translating the Hebrew word peka'im (פקעים) found in the Bible at I Kings 6:18 and I Kings 7:24 as meaning "knobs" or "knots", and interpreting it to refer to Solomon's knot; however, the more accepted modern translation of this word is "gourd-shaped ornaments".
In Africa, Solomon's knot is found on glass beadwork, textiles, and carvings of the Yoruba people. When the knot appears in this culture, it often denotes royal status; thus, it is featured on crowns, tunics, and other ceremonial objects. Also in Africa, the Knot is found on Kasai velvet, the raffia woven cloth of the Kuba people. They attribute mystical meaning to it, as do the Akan people of West Africa who stamp it on their sacred Adinkra cloth. In the Adinkra symbol system, a version of Solomon's knot is the Kramo-bone symbol, interpreted as meaning "one being bad makes all appear to be bad".
In Latvia, when Solomon's knot is used on textiles and metal work, it is associated with time, motion, and the powers of ancient pagan gods.
In modern science, some versions of the conventionalized sign for an atom (electrons orbiting a nucleus) are variations of Solomon's knot. The logo of the Joomla software program is a Solomon's knot.
Black Star Square,
nota anche come Independence Square , è una piazza pubblica di Accra delimitata dall'Accra Sports Stadium e dal Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.
La piazza ospita spesso le celebrazioni annuali dell'indipendenza e altri eventi nazionali, ed è il luogo di tutte le parate civiche e militari e di altri raduni nazionali.
Fu completata nel 1961, in tempo per la visita di stato della regina Elisabetta II in Ghana.
Black Star Square è il luogo in cui si tiene la parata del Giorno dell'Indipendenza del Ghana, che si tiene ogni anno il 6 marzo.
La piazza vanta tre monumenti che racchiudono la lotta per l'indipendenza e la liberazione.
Tra questi, l' Arco dell'Indipendenza , il Monumento del Giorno della Liberazione e la Porta della Stella Nera , nota anche come Monumento della Stella Nera.
Black Star Square,
also known as Independence Square, is a public square in Accra bordered by the Accra Sports Stadium and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.
The square often hosts annual independence celebrations and other national events, and is the site of all civic and military parades and other national gatherings.
It was completed in 1961, in time for the state visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ghana.
Black Star Square is the site of Ghana's Independence Day parade, held annually on March 6.
The square boasts three monuments that encapsulate the struggle for independence and liberation.
These include the Independence Arch, the Liberation Day Monument, and the Black Star Gate, also known as the Black Star Monument.
The golden symbols on the brazier in the foreground are likely Adinkra, traditional Ghanaian symbols representing concepts and aphorisms.
IMG_20250305_173332m
Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana, "Black Star Square"