Reclaiming the Current

Reclaiming the Current

Stephen L. Hayes and Javier Wallace

Join us to learn about this exciting new project by two Duke faculty. Hear about their project launch last summer in Barbados, and learn about their goals for growing the project over the next several years. Find out how you can get involved.

This project is more than art—it is memory, history, and global connection. It invites communities worldwide to engage with their histories of enslavement, reckon with the past, and honor the resilience and humanity of those who endured it.

A light reception will follow the conversation. 

Background: Renowned sculptor Stephen Hayes, MFA and cultural storyteller Javier Wallace, PhD have joined forces to create a series of underwater sculptures intentionally dedicated to enslaved Africans and their descendants. This living memorial is a groundbreaking way to honor the African diaspora—rooted in truth, humanity, and artistic innovation.

The project began during Hayes’s residency at Black Rock Senegal, where he envisioned “collaborating with the water” at historic ports connected to the transatlantic slave trade. At each location, Hayes will cast at least two descendants of the enslaved—people whose family histories are tied to that place. The sculptures are then submerged in local waters for one year. Over that time, the ocean becomes an active collaborator, transforming the work through coral growth, salt, and tide.

After a year, the sculptures are retrieved and placed on pedestals, carrying the story of their journey. They will then travel to museums and galleries worldwide, forming a powerful, collective narrative of the African diaspora.

Dr. Javier Wallace ensures each installation is rooted in meticulous historical research, centering the humanity of Africans who were forcibly taken from their families, communities, and continents. Using archival data, including slave ship records, the project connects each sculpture to specific stories, voyages, and people.

The inaugural chapter launched in partnership with the Barbados Division of Culture in June 2025, honoring the legacy of King Cuffee. On June 12, 1675, enslaved Africans in Barbados planned a rebellion to overthrow the brutal slave system and install Cuffee as king. The plan was discovered, and many were executed or tortured.

Exactly 350 years later, on June 12, 2025, two sculptures were submerged 22 feet beneath the waters of Speightstown, Barbados, following a moving ceremony and public program. These sculptures will remain in place until June 2026, when they will be raised from the ocean, transformed by the sea, and displayed publicly.

Learn more on the project website.