Hailey Bennett is a woven textiles designer who visually explores the idea of cultural amalgamation within her work. Being deeply inspired by the melting pot atmosphere of her home city of Philadelphia, along with own heritage; she looks to explore how different aspects of cultural traditions can be explored and interpreted through textiles. Earning a degree in Fashion Design from Syracuse University, Hailey works within a fashion body context. Her current work at the RCA looks at the definition of weave as a way of theorizing her thoughts, while visually exploring ideas utilizing macrame, mark making, and vibrant colours.
Hailey Bennett
RESEE// Loving Jamaica From the Outside Looking in
What happens when we can resee the meaning of something and give it new life?
WEAVE (verb) : Form (fabric or a fabric item) by interlacing long threads passing in one direction with others at a right angle to them // Make (a complex story or pattern from a number of interconnected element
Loving Jamaica From The Outside Looking In; is an examination of the duality of cultural amalgamation; as I look to explore what it means to be a second generation born Jamaican American. To be Black in America is to never know who you really are; yet from the moment I can remember my Jamaican heritage has been intrinsic to who I am. Looking to understand this intrinsic pull; I explore my relationship to my cultural heritage through the definition of weave, repetition, colour play, and material explorations.
— macrame is weave by definition
— Inspired by the Pitchy Patchy character from the Jamaican Junkanoo festival these works explore mark making as a way of story telling.
mark making with macrame
— Exploring the bounds of singular macrame techniques through materiality and repetition.
pitchy patchy
— Re-seeing my Jamaican heritage through motif...Remembering my grandmother through imagery of her homeland...
Oreo (noun) — A derogatory term used by black individuals, to describe an individual they feel is trying to deny their black heritage in favor of assimilating to white cultural ideals.
