Sankofa
Harlem, NY, USA, 2023
Jerome Haferd Studio & Harlem Grown
Location: Harlem, NY, Marcus Garvey Park
Year: 2023-2024
Partners: Harlem Grown, Ziello Steel, NVS Printing
Status: Built
Size: 3,200 sq ft
Team: Jerome Haferd, Gabriel Moyer-Perez, and Violet Greenberg
The design concept, inspired by working in community with members of the Marcus Garvey Park, draws upon intersectional cultures including African, Afro-caribbean and indigenous craft traditions as well as the everyday histories and contemporary life of the Park. The 32 foot circular structure incorporates a gathering space below a striking fabric mesh canopy that features a complex printed design depicting archival images and digitally composed layers evoking a “mythology” of Marcus Garvey Park, as well as other Harlem-inspired motifs.
The piece is conceived of as a community engagement device itself - a process which will unfold, evolve, and showcase the work and co-production of as many local artists as possible. Visitors pass underneath to reveal a ring of mounted artwork, a rotating exhibit that will feature the work of numerous local artists over the course of the summer. The project involves planning and collaboration across groups and BIPOC tradespersons.
“An Ode to Drexciya”, the second canopy design to be featured on Sankofa, is a collaboration between three Harlem-based Black / Afro-descendent woman artists and Jerome Haferd Studio. The composition is reminiscent of an aquascape and conjures themes of water, support, and diaspora. The design features an interplay between Élan Cadiz’ SCAFFOLD: Equity of Treatment, also known as the Scaffold Project, 2020 - ongoing, Laura Gadson’s ”Requiem”, and choreographer nia Love’s film “Undercurrents”, 2023.