Camille Steele

Camille Steele

Systems & Society

Bio

Steele is an ancestral archaeologist welding historical data research with cultural myths, oral histories, and movement to conjure ancient liberatory practices and deliver them to our present moment. Her lineage traces the Great Migration from Mississippi and Alabama to Detroit, inspiring her craft in metal fabrication, land stewardship and organizing her community around storytelling and performance.

Portfolio

I stand on a history cratered by redaction. centuries of red clay tremble at the jubilant cries of my ancestors. a rolling thunder ushering in a nascent flood. whispers of secrets drip from my crown and pool at my dancing feet. wading in a divine ocean. the truth unfurls from my soul

the future is by our design

when visions of time are obfuscated by the concepts of our oppressors, it is our gift to conjure new worlds enriched by the dreams of our ancestors

...

the secrets of the past pierce a black infinity

pay close attention to the glitter

radical fantasy

a balm for unfathomable loss
Image: Venerating my ancestors through my re-imaginations of history, I invoke their stories through handcrafted artifacts. My hands are muddied from excavating dreams buried at the shores. Materials for the collection are all repurposed from family fabric donations.
Image: An intuitive metal working process led me to explore symbols threaded through Black myths and histories. The North Star, or the Drinking Gourd, a navigational tool to freedom. The Whale Tail, an homage to Drexciya's underwater companions.
Image: Looks inspired by Black songstresses that I grew up on. These women, like my family, are unapologetic in the expression of their beauty.
Image: Thank you sisters <3

Photographers: Chiemeka Offor, Rio Hamilton
Videographer: Taylor Wren
Editors: Camille Steele, Taylor Wren
Models: Amber Paige, Peyton Thompson, Camille Steele, Kayla Jones, Amina Gisaw, Oyinko Akinbolagbe, Kia, Perle Toure
Assists: Jenele Steele-Wyatt, Micah Wong, Zybri Edwards, Amber Paige, Gisele Thompson, Selah Payne, Maddox Davis, Francesca Erdosh, Karryne Wilson, Salma Chicas