Weaving Spirals (2023)

Inspired by the maypole plaiting ritual found in Barbados Landship, Weaving Spirals presents a process of learning and repetition as it becomes embodied practice. The ritual took place on Sunday 19th November, 2023, as part of a community gathering at the Memorial Glade on the UC Berkeley campus. 

The themes of ritual, community building, honoring ancestors and their traditions are at the center of the work. The Maypole stands eleven feet tall in the middle of the grassy field of Memorial Glade on UC Berkeley campus. The Campanile Tower and University Library can be seen in the background, emblems of monumental Western architecture. The Maypole can be seen as a counter-monument with eight satin ribbons billowing in the wind; their colors of red, black, green and  blue allude to  Pan-African values and maritime history. The plaiting of the Maypole in Barbados is an integral part of the embodied resistance through dance and masquerade found in the Landship tradition, which was established in response to colonial subjugation. 

Credits: 

Concept, Direction, Performance, Video editing: Valencia James

Cinematography and videography: Jes Gallegos

Videography: Erik Scanlon

Sound design: Zekarias Thompson

Music: Stefan Walcott, Wayne ‘Poonka’ Willock

Ritual Consultant & Libation: Yeye Luisah Teish

Maypole performers: Courtney Desiree Morris, Salimatu Amabebe, Darian Longmire, Jasmine Nyende, Monica Leslie, Sanie Brock, and Ade Richardson