Afro x Naut [af-roh-nawt] is the product of soul searching through the anomalies of black identity and Afro-Futurism. It is a project that focuses on Afro-futurism as a way of being and a way of thinking. It centers on the relationship between alien abduction and the abduction of black people into slavery.
Forced displacement.
It aligns the black experience with that of futuristic beings; thus the jump between the past and the future. A new Black consciousness. In the 1996 documentary by John Akomfrah The Last Angel of History, he dissects this movement through the eyes of a 'Data Thief' that narrates the history of this culture. In the most notable monologue the 'Data Thief' says,
"It's after the end of the world, don't you know that?"
Afro x Naut adopts, borrows, and steals subconscious and conscious symbols of blackness. It is our past and our future. Pyramids and Spaceships. It seeks to recognize and uplift the manifold, fractured, beautiful black self. More on this project at:
*Design features hand painted vinyl vest Photography || Slater
Afro x Naut was born out of Cairá Lee Conner's Spring 2012 presentation 'Sustainable Identity' while in the Fashion Department at SAIC. Through the centering, understanding, and then deconstruction of stereotypes and tropes of Blackness and Americaness, Cairá developed a 3 look art/fashion hybrid collection complete with designed wigs, masks, and shoes. The project included a photo series in collaboration with SAIC alum Slater and graphic postcards featuring the works.
Photography || Slater
Photography || Slater
Photography || Slater
Banana Holiday Postcard Collection || Baartman and the Apple Pie
Photography from The Walk || Karoda Photos
Photography from The Walk || Sumphoto Photography
Photography || Slater
Photography || Slater
Photography || Slater
Photography || Slater
Photography || Slater
Banana Holiday Postcard Collection || The Running [Wo]Man Earns the Stripes
Banana Holiday Postcard Collection || Banana Cakewalk
Photography from The Walk || Karoda hotos
Photography from The Walk || Karoda Photos