Abi Ola created this artwork after a year-long artist residency at UCL East. During her residency, Ola visited the university’s Ethnographic Collection to view Oceanic and African art and speak to the archivist. Further inspiration came from trips to London galleries and museums, including Adire African Textiles and the William Morris Gallery. The objects, textiles and wallpapers she saw influenced her final work, which Ola created by hand-drawing and then scanning these drawings into a computer to play with design and scale.

The artwork’s two patterns reflect Ola’s Nigerian and British heritage. The blue design was inspired by àdìrẹ, a distinctive indigo tie-dyed cloth made by Yorùbá women in south-western Nigeria. The other is influenced by the ‘Cray’ pattern created by British designer, poet and activist, William Morris. Ola hopes that her artwork will inspire people to reflect on the origins of her designs and ‘put their own stories into the patterns as well’.

UCL East Pro-Provost Prize: Professor Paola Lettieri 2021