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CBC
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Those striking photos at Sankofa Square? They capture a journey of self-discovery
Since the beginning of January, an outdoor photography exhibition has been lighting up Toronto's Sankofa Square. It's called At the Conjuring of Roots, I Wished to Meet Me …, and will appear there through the end of the month. Five massive screens at the corner of Yonge and Dundas display a collection of striking portraits by Delali Cofie. The images hold their own against the jumble of billboards that dominate the intersection, and depending on your vantage point, it's possible to spy the art from blocks away. That was Cofie's own experience of seeing the show for the first time. He was walking north on Yonge, he says, when he caught sight of a photo and felt his heart skip a beat. "It was a bit unbelievable," he says, flashing back to that moment. "I turned the corner and the images were right there, you know. Everywhere." In each shot, incredible garments fill the frame, pulling all focus. They are voluminous creations that ripple with fringey layers of raffia and ruffles. In one picture, a woman lies in bed. She appears serene, lost in thought. Only her head is visible, however; a cocoon of bristles and patterned fabric has enveloped the rest of her. In another portrait, shot at night, a lone figure stands against a garden wall framed by leafy shrubs and branches. In a way, the model is camouflaged — hidden by the heavy layers of a grassy, green cloak. And yet, they demand to be seen. Their gaze is steady. Self-assured. Through the trees and shadows, their bright eyes lock on the viewer. The exhibition is appearing downtown as part of DesignTO. More of Cofie's work can be seen at another festival event, a group exhibition called Revive, which is on at the Harbourfront Centre through March 30. But for Cofie, there was something especially remarkable about seeing his large-scale photographs appear in Sankofa Square amid the crowds of Eaton Centre shoppers — the traffic, the skyscrapers and all the chaos of the city. "I was a little speechless, to be honest. And when I think about it now, I still am. Thinking about the concept of the work and the story behind it," he says, "it shows the spirit of what I was aiming for." The project, he says, "is basically an ode to self," he says — a story of becoming who we will be. Meet the artist So who is Delali Cofie? He's an artist with a busy schedule, for one. In addition to the DesignTO exhibitions, Cofie has a show at the Stewart Hall art gallery in Pointe-Claire, Que., this month. That group exhibition, Afrotopos, runs through March 30. And in early March, he'll be off to Milan, where he'll be bringing more of his work to the PhotoVogue Festival. It just goes to show how much can change in a year. This time last winter, Cofie was still a student at OCAD University. He graduated in the spring, and the photos appearing at DesignTO emerged from his award-winning thesis project. Like the show appearing at the corner of Yonge and Dundas, that series' title is At the Conjuring of Roots, I Wished to Meet Me…. The pictures were shot in Accra, Cofie's hometown in Ghana. Born in 1999, the artist was raised in Africa, but moved to Toronto in 2017 for university. Originally, his plan was to study mechanical engineering at York University, but soon, he realized his true calling was photography, and he enrolled at OCAD in 2020. By his second year at OCAD, Cofie was already working through ideas he'd realize in At the Conjuring of Roots, I Wished to Meet Me…. At first, he was interested in the masquerade traditions that exist across West Africa. He was inspired by "the magnificence of those costumes," he says, and he began thinking about how identity and the construction of self might be represented through wearing one of these incredible, layered garments. He imagined it as "this weight that you balance, that you carry around," he says. "It can be a burden, or it can be a graceful sort of carry." Clothes make the man Cofie designed the clothing that appears in his photographs. The frame-filling garb is made of raffia, a palm native to Africa. He also incorporates plenty of fabric — used fabric — which is selected for its symbolic heft. The patterns are cut from bedsheets and old clothes, things he gathered from home and also purchased secondhand. "I call them artifacts of time," he says of the material. Each finished costume is meant to be a representation of who we are as individuals, he says. "You are wearing the history that you don't necessarily see." Like a lot of students, Cofie would go back home when he could, visiting family in the summer and over the holidays. It was during such a trip in 2023 that he began developing the project in earnest. His dad, who's also an artist, was an early supporter of the idea. "It's kind of wild, but he was all for it," says Cofie. He brought his son old clothes that he could use, including the outfit he was wearing when he proposed to Cofie's mother. Together, they found traders who'd sell them raffia, and artisans who could dye it forest green and a rich blood red. They also hired a team of seamstresses to realize Cofie's designs. While those local sewers had never made masquerade costumes before, everyone threw themselves into the challenge, with the elder Cofie acting as a translator between the artist and artisans. "Although I was born and raised in Ghana, I don't speak any of the local languages," he says. "There were many hands involved in bringing the vision to life." 'A process of self-discovery' The opportunity to work so closely with his dad was one of the most meaningful aspects of the project, Cofie explains, and there's a photo at Harbourfront Centre where the two men are pictured together. They sit side by side in matching robes, as the artist turns toward his father. The elder Cofie looks straight ahead, his expression full of pride. "But I'm also controlling the camera, looking back at us," says Cofie. "It's thinking about the cyclical nature of life, and the project, and sort of searching for myself within my father." "That's not an image I could have planned for," he says. "I think that's something that really just came to me as I was working on the project and seeing how collaborative it was." "The project is about self-discovery," says Cofie, "and making the work became a process of self-discovery as well. Simply being in Accra shaped the direction of the project, he explains. "I think despite growing up there [in Ghana] my entire life, there's always been some points where I didn't necessarily fully feel connected." As a kid, he felt caught between cultures. His mom is from Nigeria; his dad is from Ghana. "We sort of just spoke English at home," he says, and there were times when he felt like a tourist in his own city. The search for "home" has been a recurring theme in his work, he says, but being back on familiar streets — spending time in his parents' home, his father's garden — shifted his perspective a bit, attuning him to the heightened emotion of returning to a place he knows well. Cofie is continuing to work on the series, and he plans to expand it with short films and more photographs later this year. He's designing additional apparel too. "[It] feels like this is a large internal adventure where I'm meeting different forms of myself," he says of the process. And he feels like a new person compared to who he was at the start of this creative journey. "Seeing the way [the series] has been received is extremely affirming," he says. "I feel like I'm starting to realize my voice."
Associated Press
27-01-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
PPHC Acquires TrailRunner International in Major Expansion of Strategic Communications Offering and Geographic Reach
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Public Policy Holding Company, Inc. ('PPHC' or 'the Group'), the leading government relations and public affairs group, today announced its binding agreement to acquire TrailRunner International ('TrailRunner'), marking a major expansion of the Group's capabilities into strategic and financial communications. The deal, set to close by April 1, 2025, represents PPHC's fifth significant acquisition since its 2021 IPO and establishes the Group as a truly global player in strategic communications services. Founded in 2016, TrailRunner adds over 80 full time professionals across eight global offices to PPHC's network. The acquisition significantly expands PPHC's footprint with new offices in high-growth U.S. markets, including Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, Nashville, TN, and New York City. It also expands the Group's existing presence in Northern California and London, while establishing key new capabilities in Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai. TrailRunner significantly strengthens PPHC offerings in corporate affairs, financial communications, litigation communications, and crisis management, and also sports through TrailRunner's sports practice, TrailRunner Sports. TrailRunner's lengthy roster of clients adds to PPHC's portfolio of over 1,200 corporates, including nearly half of the Fortune 500, and many leading trade organizations, non-profit institutions, and government entities. 'The acquisition of TrailRunner marks a transformational moment for PPHC as we simultaneously deepen our U.S. position and establish ourselves as a truly global strategic communications group,' said Stewart Hall, CEO of PPHC. 'This expansion significantly advances our strategy of building the world's most comprehensive provider of government relations and corporate communications services.' 'Today's global megatrend in our business is the collision of critical practice areas, including corporate reputation, government relations, finance, crisis, litigation, and sports and I can think of no better strategic growth partner to capitalize on it than PPHC,' said Jim Wilkinson, Executive Chairman of TrailRunner International. 'TrailRunner is a unique and exciting growth company with a track record of proven financial success, an aggressive strategy for continued growth, and the deep bench of talent required to succeed.' Jim Hughes, CEO of TrailRunner International, added: 'We are excited about this opportunity to accelerate our growth even further as a part of the PPHC family of companies. From our very first conversations with Stewart and the PPHC team, it has been clear that there is very strong alignment between our cultures and our shared vision for the long-term opportunity in corporate advisory for firms that are truly committed to the success of their clients. TrailRunner's robust capabilities across strategic communications complement PPHC's strong offerings across government relations, public affairs, and public policy, and we are eager to join forces with PPHC to help even more clients around the world build and maintain the stakeholder support they need to achieve their business objectives.' TrailRunner's exclusive financial advisor in the transaction was GP Bullhound, a leading technology advisory and investment firm which provides transaction advice and capital to the world's best entrepreneurs and founders. Founded in 1999 in London and Menlo Park, the firm today has 12 offices spanning the US and Europe ( About PPHC Public Policy Holding Company (PPHC) is the leading government relations and public affairs group, providing comprehensive solutions for organizations navigating complex policy and communications challenges. For five years running, PPHC has been recognized by legal disclosures as the largest provider of U.S. Federal and State Lobbying and has expanded its services into the areas of public affairs, research and grassroots campaigning in the U.S. and internationally. With the addition of TrailRunner, PPHC now operates through 11 subsidiaries globally. About TrailRunner International TrailRunner International is a rapidly growing global strategic communications advisory firm that provides crisis communications, financial communications, litigation communications, and ongoing corporate communications support to the world's top enterprises, institutions, and individuals. The firm also has a strong and growing sports portfolio through its TrailRunner International Sports business, providing strategic business advisory and communications support to sports clients around the world. TrailRunner International is headquartered in Dallas/Fort Worth with offices in New York, Nashville, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London, Shanghai, and Truckee. TrailRunner's success is grounded in its strong culture which nurtures its rich talent base, leading to high retention rates of both clients as well as employees. Leadership talent includes Jim Wilkinson (Executive Chairman), Jim Hughes (CEO), Zack Kozlak (Head of US), Sarah Grubbs (Chief Growth Officer), Pat Shortridge (Head of Corporate and Public Affairs), Seth Hand (Head of International), Kelly Wallace (Chief Media/Brand Officer), David Lee (Chief Financial Officer), Georgia Walker (Managing Director, Head of London), Eric Bormann (Managing Director, Head of Dallas/Fort Worth), Lauren DiGeronimo (Managing Director, Head of Client Operations), Johanna Hoopes (Managing Director, Head of Nashville), Teresa Henderson (Managing Director, Head of Client Success), Trudy Wang (Managing Director, Head of Shanghai), and Jennifer Potthoff (Chief Administrative Officer).
