Photographic documentation and motif extraction of KÒKÒRÒ (insects) in YORÙBÁLAND for contemporary design applications

Abstract

This study explores the photographic documentation and motif extraction of Kòkòrò (insects) indigenous to Yorùbáland as a strategy for developing culturally grounded motifs for contemporary design applications. Anchored in Yorùbá indigenous knowledge systems, the research adopts a practice-based design methodology that integrates field photography, visual analysis, and studio experimentation. Selected insect species were identified and photographed across different ecological and cultural contexts within Yorùbáland, with emphasis on their form, texture, symmetry, and symbolic associations. The photographic images were analytically translated into stylised motifs through processes of abstraction, simplification, repetition, and recomposition. These extracted motifs were subsequently adapted and tested in selected design applications, demonstrating their functional and aesthetic viability. Findings reveal that Kòkòrò (insects) possess rich visual and symbolic potentials that can be effectively transformed into contemporary motifs without eroding their cultural essence. The study contributes to design scholarship by documenting an indigenous visual resource, proposing a systematic motif-extraction framework, and expanding the discourse on nature-inspired design within African contexts. It further underscores the relevance of practice-based research in bridging indigenous knowledge, visual documentation, and contemporary industrial design practice.

Keywords: Aesthetic viability, Indigenous knowledge, Kokoro, Motif-extraction, Visual documentation, Yorubaland