Faculty of Design

Material Art & Design

Khalalelo Sithole

Quilted Dress

Quilted dress that reflects symbolic storytelling of African Canadian history: The Black Loyalists, Africville, and the Underground Railroad.

“Quilts can be seen as resources in reconstructing and retelling the experiences from African Canadian women. I’ve incorporated common geometric symbols found in Freedom Quilts, which were a part of the Underground Railroad, and iconography from my Ndebele tribe in Zimbabwe. Both cultures share a similar history of lost identity during times of oppression. Each garment tells a story embedded within the textiles. The coded collection is a representation of my identity and the erasure that has been placed on African Canadian history.”