A Darktown Cakewalk by Montenez Lowery - Georgia State University, Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design

A Darktown Cakewalk explores the beginnings of cultural transformation through pinhole photography, using objects tied to Black identity as both tools and symbols. The project emphasises the objects; histories and role in shaping cultural identity by inviting subjects to contribute personal items – such as Nike shoeboxes or Eco Styler gel containers – that are transformed into pinhole cameras. The resulting portraits are abstract, blurred and distorted, reflecting the fragmentation of identity when cultural practices and objects are displaced or appropriated.