Academic and digital artist Nettrice R. Gaskins defines Techno-Vernacular Creativity (TVC) as something we already know – the ways Black people create and experiment with the resources available to us and the soul we infuse into it.
Gaskins names three modes of TVC: re-appropriation, improvisation, and conceptual remixing.
Re-appropriation is making things from our oppressors our own. One way is how Black poets reclaim historical documents in their work, like M. NourbeSe Philip’s interpretation of the Zong slave ship massacre, re-using the words from its case report to breathe life into the experiences of enslaved Africans instead.
Improvisation requires spontaneity and invention. One example is improvisational quilting, where pre-colonial and enslaved Africans skillfully used irregular patterning and fabric scraps, often without knowing what the finished product would look like. Similarly to playing music by ear or cooking without a recipe, those finished products were unique and captivating.
Conceptual remixing means combining available unlikely things. For example, Jamaicans in the 70s manipulated original recordings with elements like bass, echo, and delay. The rise of hip-hop included some of these techniques, leading to a lasting, still-evolving culture.
Our experimental creativity not only holds global influence today but will be part of our survival as we reclaim the past, destroy and rebel against oppressive systems, and rebuild a liberated future for the diaspora.