sylver

@temsbaby in @eulalee.studio earpiece and necklace for the @glblctzn campaign 2022⛓ styled by the incredible @dunsinwright assisted by @morenikecm 🫶🏾 〰️ A while ago now but a moment! July 2022 I was in the Swiss mountains on exchange making Ashanti metal castings, picked up my phone after a couple hours to loads of missed calls from @morenikecm who needed an earring I made on foundation for a shoot that was ‘something special’. I had no idea what it was but knew it was important, so with my hands covered in sand and manure (from the metal casting) spent the next couple of hours panicking on FaceTime to my mum asking her to go through all of my portfolios to find this piece that I hadn’t seen since 2019 and get it to the other side of London asap whilst trying not to burn my casting. I have a lot of work and a lot of random stuff that will maybe be work one day so this was a mission! Eventually after a tense few hours all was good and I learnt an important lesson - keep your work where you can find it so ya mum doesn’t have to tear your bedroom apart.😭 〰️ Thank you so much @dunsinwright , @temsbaby and @morenikecm for the love you’ve shown to my work (and for waiting for the piece to arrive😅) and to my mum and siblings @tfrcharlotte @alexanderjameseats for facilitating those stress filled phone calls and uber journeys🫶🏾 〰️ @csmbajewellerydesign @1granary @fashion_for_bank_robbers 〰️ #youngartist#jewellerydesign#jewellery#earcuff#thevanillaissue#textiles#iamglitch#illustration#contemporaryjewellery#upcycledclothing#iseejewellery#upcycledjewellery#styling#artdirection#armour#bodyarmour#glitch#tems#fashiondesign#blackpanther#globalcitizen#fashionscout#lagosfashion#tems#fashionforbankrobbers

‘The True Weight of Oppression.’ During lockdown I collected feathers found on my daily walks. I began to consider how you sometimes find one feather alone and sometimes a pile, where the bird clearly died. This led to me thinking how feathers can represent between life and death depending on time and place. In voodoo it’s believed that a circle of feathers is left on the pillow when someone dies and goes to heaven - the larger the circle the greater the wisdom of the person. This led to me creating this visual metaphor of all of the black souls that have died as a result of police brutality fuelled by racism. When worn covering the face it represents the moment of confusion between life and death felt by black people, you are blinded, confused and weighed down by your oppressor. The wearers face is covered so the oppressor can only see colour (race), instead of their soul and individuality. When worn above the head it is representative of the strength of the black existence, how we bear the emotional weight of our people who have been murdered. Our strength, invigorated as we carry this burden seemingly for an eternity. In creating this piece from feathers, reference to the apparent lightness but subverting that illusion by using them to create heaviness - addressing how oppression is commonly seen as a load black people should accept when the true weight is crippling. The title also makes refrence to Atlas, a Titan in Greek mythology (originally from Northwest Africa) who was condemned to hold up the skies by the Olympians, he became the personification of endurance. The Titans were vilified by the Olympians and throughout history were depicted as monstrous whilst the Olympians were depicted as beautiful, despite them destroying civilisations. This story draws many parallels to colonialism/imperialism, hence why I used it as a reference. The modern day telling of this and many other stories has been aesthetically purged of all the colour it once had by white artists during the Renaissance - whose goal was to centre whiteness as superior. This work is me reclaiming the whitewashing of art and history by centring the black narrative which has been omitted.

‘The Cumming of the Bronze Age’ metal corset made from tin plate. This project was about investigating the effect rape/ sexual assault has on the ‘survivor’s’ relationship with sex and pornography. The idea was to capture ‘ghostly’ memories of rape/ sexual assault and how those memories effect future sexual encounters, whether that be the individuals relationship with pornography or other people. My intensions for the project were to reject the shame and stigma surrounding female masturbation and reclaiming the power of the black womxn independent of abuse. This piece depicts the tin cracking and melting to make way for the bronze at a moment of climax - bronze being harder and more durable than previous metals reflecting the strength that comes with being a black womxn. I used the shape and materiality of the tin to embody my development of the Virgin-whore dichotomy by expanding this archetype to include the Negro (or Jezebel) - the three aspects I believe combined create the sexual archetype of the black womxn. The different finishes on the front panel reflecting these three identities through their forms. The three energies bursting out to create a new bronze womxn and the memories of touch that once stimulated fear now torn apart and repurposed as dangerous, sharp armour that will slice any person who attempts to take what isn’t theirs. @jewelleryactivist @csmbajewellerydesign @1granary @csm_news

Very excited to be hosting an in conversation with @bydestinypinto at @cluster__contemporaryjewellery ⛓️⛓️‍💥 Titled ‘Armours for A New Age’, we’ll be talking everything designing for social change, be that accessibility and disability representation or highlighting the unheard stories of marginalised communities as well as sharing our experiences in industry and our advice for those getting started. ‘sY?lver SYSTEMS: Armours for a New Age’ is a new community based body of work coming in 2025, and I’m so honoured to have @destinypinto joining me on this journey. Join us tomorrow afternoon at 4pm, Protein Studios EC2A 3EY Thank you @cluster__contemporaryjewellery for having us!🩶

I’m so so so excited to share that ‘Love & Rage: Munroe Bergdorf’ has finally been announced!!! As the first feature film I’ve worked on I couldn’t think of anything better than the story of @munroebergdorf who has been an inspiration to me for years. Thank you so so much @cappucciniliv for trusting me, you’re incredible and I’m so honoured to be a part of this.❤️‍🔥 Being Bespoke Fabrications Designer and Assistant Costume Designer to @artvomit was such a surreal experience, I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to turn the life experiences of someone who I admire so much into real life costumes. Thank you to my team for working tirelessly behind the scenes on this and to the @artvomitstudios team for making me feel so welcome! Coming 2025✨ @misfitsentertainmentlondon @universaldocumentaries

‘Ways of Seeing’ (2024) Part one of ‘sY?lver SYSTEMS: It’s Not Black and White’ The body adornment represents a revision of Lady Justice’s blindfold. The goggles are designed to distort the wearers vision submitting them to a perpetual state of disorientation and confusion, whilst from the outside appearing beautiful and alien, depicting how white supremacy alters people’s ‘ways of seeing’, colonising the wearer’s sight. Subverting the meaning of Lady Justice’s blindfold, representing fairness and impartiality, by making a bulbous translucent revision embodying white supremacy’s unfairness. Crafted from waste plastics, which are heat formed to create sculptural forms and patterns.

British Vogue!!! So honoured to be chosen as one of the runners up for the Vogue x BMW Future Creators design competition. If you know me personally you’ll know that behind the scenes my health has been really difficult this year so this application was done while I was sick, sent in a minute before the deadline after I gave up on trying to make it any better (hence the sketch is a little more minimal than I would’ve liked😅). So feeling particularly honoured to be shortlisted despite all that - persevering was worth it. Thank you @juliahobbs_ for your lovely words about my work at the @oxfamgb x @vinted LFW show, that was so surreal! Congratulations to all the winners, @destinypinto you’re such a star!✨💫 And the last slide is my dad’s reaction, he’s been chanting ‘VOGUE’ at me all week.🥹

THE CORSAGE EDIT - THE CAMPAIGN “TOO FLY TO CARE WHAT YOU THINK” This edit features the CORSAGE BRALETTE ALTERNATIVELY AS OVERSIZED SHADES further detailing CONFIDENCE AND BEING UNBOTHERED The CORSAGE BRALETTE was made in collaboration with @eulalee.studio . PREORDERS only from the 12/02/2024.

SPRING SUMMER PRE RELEASE CAMPAIGN - A NEO-FUTURISTIC EXPLORATION! THE CORSAGE BRALETTE in collaboration with UK designer @eulalee.studio for our SS24 and adorned in stunning jewelry by Nigerian accessory brand @lacebycataleya . Muse @shokunbi.halimotu Full release of the entire collection from the 12/02/24

SPRING SUMMER PRE RELEASE CAMPAIGN- EMERGED THE CORSAGE BRALETTE Emerging in it’s literal terms explores “OF BECOMING” For Our debut and sequel collections at ASO Nigeria, we delve into the relatable experience of struggling with self actualization and finding oneself and how much richer life becomes with our EMERGENCE. While the first collection explored and highlighted the difficulties of embracing oneself as an average Nigerian and essence and glamour of self actalization, The sequel collection- EMERGED aims to highlight CONFIDENTLY LIVING of a fully embraced and unapologetic existence. It raises questions about the components of Identity and fullness of Living Image by @chuchuojekwe

Guap Gala 2023 ‘Cosmic Dreams’ Constellation Custom for @dripeisha__ 🌌🤍 From meeting just over a year ago doing @ibrahimkamara_ ‘s ‘The Brief’ for @guapmag x @instagram to now creating this custom look for @guapgala feels like a full circle moment!! Thank you for trusting me to bring this vision to life!✨ For the theme ‘Cosmic Dreams’ I created this silver supernova from recycled tin foil embroidery stars inspired by the works from my first collection ‘sYlver’ with ‘The Cumming of the Bronze Age’ sculpted metal corset. The embroidery alone took 8 days but it was worth it! So so gassed that we made the top 10 best dressed @guapgala looks!! Go to @guapmag ’s post and comment number 10 to vote🖤⚔️ • • • #fashiondesign#fashionscout#jewellerydesign#jewellery#upcycledclothing#sustainablefashion#iseejewellery#costumedesign#dazedanddiscovered#guapmag#guapgala#centralsaintmartins#sculpture#thevanillaissue#londonfashionweek

‘The Cumming of the Bronze Age’ @eulalee.studio headpiece bts of the shoot with @iamblackpeppa 🖤⚔️ @jade_eastwood wearing the piece for final fittings and shape alterations ⛓⛓⛓ #jewellerydesign#jewellery#dazedanddiscovered#contemporaryjewellery#upcycledclothing#iseejewellery#film#behindthescenes#bts#artdirection#armour#bodyarmour#youngartist#thevanillaissue#fashionscout#centralsaintmartins#sculpture#dazedbeauty