Brooklyn Bronzes
Manahatta-NYC,
NY, USA
NY, USA
Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art
first installation 08/2023
Installation
Community Engagement
Advocacy
The first 20 sculptures of Brooklyn Bronzes were installed at Ubuntu Garden in August 2023. An ode to the generative legacies that have affirmed the agency of Black communities in Brooklyn.
Detail photograph of Brooklyn Bronzes
Ubuntu garden holds a significant place in the hearts and minds of Black Brooklyn communities. Through the installation of the Brooklyn Bronzes, we embrace and revive ancestral practices that celebrate and document the contributions of our leaders and elders. Created through processes of 3-dimensional scanning and lost-PLA casting, this installation pays homage to the creation of Benin Bronzes. In keeping with oral narrative cultural practices from across the diaspora, the installation also creates opportunities to hear the stories of the elders and leaders we celebrate in their own voice.
In a borough that is experiencing displacement and gentrification, Brooklyn Bronzes is a spatial, and oral narrative monument to the joy, resistance, resilience, and legacy of Black advocates, community organizers, artists, educators, and spiritual leaders. Their commitment and legacy serve as a reminder that we too are future ancestors.
Perhaps the most special day was the opening, people who’s faces were cast were able to make it to the opening and celebrate with their families and the community.
Using 3D scanning applications the faces of 20 Brooklyn community leaders were digitized. These digital models were then edited and cropped to create 3D models ready for 3D printing. Initially the 3D printing process produced solid pieces, but over time the process was refined to produce hollow busts with a 1/4”thickness that could be bronze cast.
As the project progressed the 1:1 facial scans were printed and a mock up was created to resolve the layout on site. The intention was initially to only have 20 people, but as the project progressed we decided it would be best to make the project a multi-year event and have the first 20 up in August of 2023.
The second to last stage part of the process was bronze casting, using the PLA 3D printed moulds as casts required multiple tests and iterations. Our foundry had extensive experience with wax casting but PLA casting has not been extensively explored in the bronze casting world. The foundry was able to ensure detail such as glasses and hats were able to be kept.
Community participants:Laurie Cumno
Otto Neals
Ibon Muhammad
Monifa Bandele
Lumumba Bandele
Fela Barclift
Nupol Kiazolu
Zaki Smith
Elizabeth Yeampierre
Cheif Awonsanmi Sékou Alájé
Mikki Shepard
Chie Ossé
April Walker
Dr Rob Gore
Essie Gregory
Régine M. Roumain
Johnny Nelson
Lynn Nottage
Sharon Content
Richard Beavers
Team:
Artist: Kholisile Mazithulela Mufari Dhliwayo
Artist team: Gabriel Soomar
Bronze Foundry: Gina Michaels, Tobias Canfield
MOCADA curator:Amy Andrieux
MOCADA curatorial team: Zola-Jourdan Savage