David Ballam - Ilha 62 Format:Framed 120cm x 80cm Origin: Kwele people

Origin: Kwele people

African grain stompers are made when they hollow out tree trucks and large branches to create these which are then used to grind grain

Each shield is carved from a single piece of Baobab wood — a sacred wood used for medicinal and ritual purposes for centuries — then covered in hundreds of hand-placed beads on manila string in a circular pattern around a dimensional cluster of natural cowrie shells at the centre

Small:  42cmH x 23cmW

offering an endless dance of potential placement

David Ballam - Ilha 62 Format:Framed 120cm x 80cm Origin: Kwele peopleA selection of images taken in and around Ilha de Moambique. The island, which is located in northern Mozambique, was used as a vital trading link between Asia, Africa and Europe. For 400 years the island was to be the capital of Portuguese East Africa. David Ballam was born and schooled in Johannesburg, South Africa. He first attended university in Cape Town but later moved to Rhodes University in the Eastern Cape. He was introduced to the camera by