Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/974985
3 8 P E R S P E C T I V E | M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 8 My journey really began six years ago when I met Ryan Coogler on an awkward Skype call, which had my computer freezing, flipping the image upside down and at times, dropping out altogether. Those gliches, however, became necessary moments of levity as we discussed the death of Oscar Grant and Ryan's script for Fruitvale Station. During the conversation, something clicked and I knew two things: this young man (Ryan was 24 years old at the time) is going to be important, not just to me, but to many others in the world; and two, I wanted the project. Forty-five minutes after our Skype session ended, Ryan called me back and hired me to design the film. Fast-forward to May of 2016. Ryan and I are sitting in his office at Marvel talking about what Wakanda means. "Who are you?" "Ungubani?" in Xhosa, this is a question the characters ask and are asked several times in Black Panther. The question became the foundation for everything done for the design and costumes. The most important part of this journey was understanding the question of "what is it to be African?" What is it to be African-American, or more pointedly, the hyphenate between the two words, disconnected and defined by the color of your skin; while at the same time, knowing little to nothing about your ancestry and heritage before slavery? The task at hand was to create a technologically advanced country that was never colonized on a continent that was ravaged by colonization centuries ago. So where do you start? Africa. I had a lot of excitement and reservations about the trip to South Africa. Nervous about what I might find, wondering if everything I learned and had been told was true? Would I recognize myself in the people, or would I be a strange otherly thing? Would I belong? The thoughts turned into a sinking feeling. How do I interpret thousands of languages, cultures and tribes into this film—and did I have the right to do it? Eighteen hours on a plane will have you questioning many things. I guess these are the questions that lead creators to their destiny. Phambili! Onward! A. PALACE LANDING PAD, ILLUSTRATED BY TILL NOWAK USING 3DS MAX, V-RAY AND PHOTOSHOP. B. SET PHOTO OF SHURI'S LAB. C. SHURI'S LAB, PLAN BY C. SCOTT BAKER DRAWN IN RHINO, BUILT ON STAGE IN ATLANTA. D. SHURI'S LAB, ILLUSTRATED BY DREW LEUNG USING MAYA, V-RAY AND PHOTOSHOP. B A