For my series Interwoven, I explored homosexuality in the hyper-masculine Swazi culture and howit interacted with other ostracized groups within society. Due to the fact that homosexuality in Swaziland isillegal, Gay men constantly have to hide their sexuality and suppress their true identity. As a gay man who was affected by this, I started to explore other groups that were also hiding their true identities. Women in Swaziland have limited rights and have difficulty expressing their opinions; it is not uncommon for them to seek the assistance of their husbands, fathers or brothers to accomplish basic civil functions in society. As I observed Swazi women over time, I did realize that the one way many chose to express themselves was bythe use of fabric in various day to day tasks.
The wax-print fabric is a quintessential component of every day life for Swaziland's women. They use this fabric to wrap around the waist, head and even the back to carry infants. After learning how tomake a head wrap from a local woman, I began experimenting on my own by wrapping, twisting and knotting fabrics around my head. By expanding on what I had been taught, I quickly became able to make arange of wraps, from simple twisted hats to extravagant bows and flower shaped headpieces. Although thelocal women used the fabric to pull their hair back or as a simple fashion statement, my head-wraps becameflamboyant, fun, and an extension of who I am.
To elaborate on my own personal experience, I set out to find gay Swazi men, who then confided inme and told me of their individual stories. After listening to each of them, I made unique wraps on eachof their heads, giving them their own unique outlet to express their femininity and individuality that theyregularly have to hide. It would be taboo for men to wear these head-wraps in public, as that would indicatehomosexual tendencies, but each man was ecstatic to be a part of the process.
The process of hand-shredding the photographs and weaving them with fabric from the head wrapsadds texture and dimension to the original two-dimensional photograph. For each of the men I wove overtheir face concealing their identity but exposing their eyes to confront the viewer as they are hidden behind the fabric. Through this series, I aim to channel a voice for these suppressed men, while embracing an otherwise frowned-upon identity with a sense of pride without neglecting the reality of their every day lives.