Delving into Yoruba cosmology and epistemology, ‘Orí (Speaks)’ explores the central concept of orí meaning “head” which is considered in two senses: orí òde - the outer visible head which is simply an enclosure for the orí inú - the inner spiritual head, a representation of the individual’s inner essence and personal destiny.

The Yoruba are known for their complex divinatory and spiritual systems and ancient art. I am intrigued by the Yoruba creation tale whereby prior to an individual entering the physical world, their soul must choose an orí inú from a collection of clay heads made by the heavenly potter, Ajala. The clay heads are made to look alike, however each is intrinsically distinct. The individual’s choice then becomes an essential element of their metaphysical self, constituting the orí inú. The inner spiritual head can be physically represented by a symbolic object called iborí, which is then stored for protection within an ilé orí; a “house of the head”.¹

In Yoruba culture there is strong reverence of the head. However, self-understanding also relies on a principle of connectedness between people. An individual identity is formed through an integration of body, mind and spirit, and further integrated collectively in “continuity, community, reciprocity and balance” among the living, ancestors and the unborn. There is a fusion of the immaterial and physical worlds which depend on each other and cannot exist in isolation. The individual self is intertwined within both of these worlds and is, therefore, relational.²

Temitope Adefarakan describes this understanding of self “an important critical challenge” as the Yoruba’s particular way of tracing and experiencing the world, a distinctive ‘worldsense’, considers the body from a multi-sensory perspective. This is different to the Western construction of being which prioritises the visual. Adefarakan argues that this visual-focused approach to self is associated with “the colonial process of [our] spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual fragmentation and dissonance, making the goal of a harmonious, integrated self seem beyond reach” for marginalised and oppressed people.

As a Yoruba diasporic person in the UK, I grew up with warped knowledge of these spiritual systems. This is perhaps part of the reason for certain personal conflicts with identity. By putting the Yoruba concept of orí into practice through this work, ‘Orí (Speaks)’ aims to continue in conversation ideas shared by Adefarakan that “decolonisation also means becoming conscious of the spiritual dimension of our physical existence”. Adefarakan writes that “the teaching that is embedded in orí respects the requirement of process, which in turn necessitates some form of practice.”[2] Through the making of a symbolic interpretation of an iborí and its ilé orí, my work attempts to create intimate dialogue between these artefacts, choreographed in relation and within space. I consider distinguishing features, materiality and ornamentation that the iborí and ilé orí are associated with — conical shape, leather/fabric, cowrie shells, beads, mirror — as well as clay, another material of interest to me which the Yoruba are also highly skilled creators in. Through the project I expand my understanding on the theme of embodiment, experienced through feeling perceptions, as an intuitive practice of making and knowing.