When I think about braiding, I think of nurture, nature, and care—fundamental forces woven into the fabric of community that invite intimacy, action, love, and inclusion.

Braiding is perhaps the most universal and foundational form of weaving. Predating the invention of the loom, it appears across cultures and continents as both a practical resource and a spiritual practice. We braid ropes and fishing nets, weave baskets, and braid our hair. In cultures such as the Quechua, systems of braiding and knotting have even functioned as forms of language, record-keeping, and timekeeping.

Drawing from these traditions, Communal Braidings explores how individual experiences can be woven into a shared narrative. Centered on braiding as a gesture of memory and interdependence, the project invites participants to gather and braid together while entering a state of “flow” or active meditation.  Through repetition and movement, braiding becomes a form of active meditation, creating space for both personal reflection and collective connection.

The braids created through these encounters become artifacts of collective action—material traces of what participants wish to release, remember, carry forward, or transform. In this way, the act of braiding becomes both a meditation on the past and a gesture toward the future, strengthening connections between individuals and the communities they form.

Communal Braidings is an ongoing participatory project since 2024.