30 shades of purpleDesign Indaba
In her work 30 Shades of Purple, Kenyan designer Anyango Mpinga uses the color purple to explore different aspects of Kenyan culture.
30 shades of purpleDesign Indaba
Part of what inspired this work is a traditional Kenyan dance, in which the participants wear colorful attire and elaborate headdresses called a "Kondo Udo".
The Kondo Udo Dance, Kenya (2020) by Ayango MpingaDesign Indaba
Watch members of the Hombay County community in Kenya perform the Kondo Udo dance. Can you spot the purple sisal skirts?
30 shades of purpleDesign Indaba
In addition to Kondo Udo hats, the male dancers wear multicolored costumes while the female dancers wear vibrant Sisal skirts which have been dyed purple.
30 shades of purple by 3D rendering by Yifan PuDesign Indaba
As Anyango notes, Kenya's national bird, the Lilac Breasted Roller is also purple. She references this throughout her design by including illustrations of these birds, repeated in different guises.
30 shades of purpleDesign Indaba
In addition to its national bird, the Kenyan national flower is also purple and illustrations of the Tropical Orchid occur repeatedly within the print.
In referencing the traditional dances from her mother's home town, Mpinga not only uses the color purple to explore Kenyan culture, but also uses it to access her personal relationship to the dance and by extension, the color purple.
