kenniese s. franklin
Kenniese is an artist, writer, designer and storykeeper with roots spread through the Great Plains, Appalachia and the South. Her career quietly began when she left her home state, Colorado to attend Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. While enrolled, she wandered along the Forgotten Coast through tiny beach towns and coastal forests, hypnotized by the cosmic orchestra and its obsession with detail. Kenniese identified trees, collected fallen leaves, photographed their intricacies and composed digital collages.
After graduating summa cum laude with a psychology degree, Kenniese journeyed to New Orleans and in 2016 began studying under the tutelage of sculptor, historian and hoodoo man Jean-Marcel St. Jacques. She was exposed to assemblage art, woodwork, multi-media collage and unconventional marketing. Kenniese’s shotgun apartment in Old Algiers sparkled with what she was learning about art curation and set building, while her long-time fascination with interior design swelled under the influence of New Orleans’s radiance.
In the backyard of her shotgun home, Kenniese dug up the stories of the land - uncovering cracked oyster shells, deceased pet collars and brick foundations that had been buried. She shared space with wisteria buds, aromatic camphor and banana trees.
Developing her own style of land literacy, Kenniese received guidance from the plants directly. The banana trees urged her to transform their fibers into fine art. She listened.
The art has since been recognized by A Studio In the Woods in New Orleans, LA and the National Black Arts Festival. Kenniese has showcased sculptural water features and banana leaf art around Atlanta, GA via Hidden Gallery, Peters Street Station and Koncept House.
In 2018, Kenniese founded Spatial Therapy, a design studio and methodology informed by the origin, evolution, inherent divinity and underlying sanctity of the homescape. She designs bespoke furnishings and fine art to feature in her projects.
Spatial Therapy
Kenniese calls herself a translator of the unseen and finds value in conscious collaboration with the intangible forces that power daily life. She has chosen the homescape as her vehicle, as it quite literally houses the unseen wave patterns that make up our habits, thoughts and emotions.
“Houses and the objects in them are portals to the inner world, tour guides of past times and gateways to the future,” says Kenniese.
If we look carefully at our living space, we see our inner state reflected. We see what our subconscious wants us to know. When we’re intentional about the way we design and maintain our space, we get to interact more deeply with the multi-dimensionality of the Self. The home becomes a breathing, vibrating companion that witnesses our evolution and helps us process change.
Over time we can strengthen our ability to meld this multi-dimensionality into whatever we please. We can work with the energy of the house to amplify our own energy fields and ultimately enhance our creative powers.
At Spatial Therapy, nature is our north star. We utilize the elements of the natural world as reference points for rhythm, symmetry, pattern and divine order.
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Image credit: Brittany Sade Guerin