Afroquatics: A Call and Response Below the Surface

Afroquatics is an interactive installation that transports visitors into an underwater landscape. Drawing upon archival records and maps that document selected aspects of the Middle Passage (the transatlantic route endured by enslaved people over centuries), this installation invites visitors into an imagined underwater world, where the spirits of those who died at sea take on powerful afterlives.          

Afroquatics pulls inspiration from the West African spiritual tradition of Orisha (deities with divine natural powers), the little-known history of expert freedivers (highly skilled divers that existed throughout coastal communities in West Africa) and underwater worlds imagined by artists and storytellers of the African diaspora, such as electronic music duo Drexciya.  

Through curiosity and contemplation, participants are introduced to the intersection of ancient wisdom, modern technology and speculative narratives. By reimagining the stories of the past, we can craft empowering understandings that heal our present and move into our futures. 

This installation has been created by City of Victoria Artist in Residence Kemi Craig, in collaboration with Hololabs.