For this research-creation project, our methodology moves beyond standard data collection and traditional siloed research to employ what call, ancestral inquiry: a lineage-led framework used to animate the fragments of a story that was never fully stored. Our approach is to interweave archival records and secondary materials with the fragmented oral memories handed through generations; this treats the researcher’s own positionality as a primary navigational tool. We venture into the silences of the past, raising questions that speculate on the erased or unknown aspects of ancestral lives by looking closely at the gaps of what was left untold. This process transforms the archive from a static repository into a living site of speculative restoration and creative reclamation.

The Ancestral Mist project employs creative writing, animation and ancestral portraiture to act as one of the forms of recovering physical and nominal stories. Through the analysis of physical markers and persistent traits found in living descendants, we breathe creative life into the faces of ancestors whose physical likenesses were lost to time. This work is a restorative act of recognition, designed to welcome these ancestors back into visible memory.

The current pilot stage of the project employs StoryJS as a preliminary map, establishing a foundational narrative structure that will eventually transition into an Imaginarium—an immersive 3D visual model. Our vision is to construct a spatial hypothesis, a digital blueprint that will culminate in a hyper-realistic 3D environment designed to imagine the lives of these ancestors with greater intimacy. This memory space is intended to spatialize the history of these individuals, reconstructing pivotal moments of their lives as a series of fragmentary narratives. Within this environment, we will re-enact their crafts, reconstruct their spaces of practice in the Bight of Benin and Brazil, and recreate the domestic spheres of the returnee families.

Unlike a static database, our planned 3D animation projects, building on the current portraiture, will serve as a speculative structure where researchers and descendants can navigate the textures of a reclaimed home. By placing the viewer within these reconstructed settings, the project allows the silence of the archive to finally be experienced as a lived, multidimensional presence. This transition from flat record to immersive space ensures that the legacy of the Agudas is not merely read, but inhabited, bridging the gap between the historical margin and the domestic center. For now, we invite you to enjoy our current evocation and reclamation of these lives.