Along the shores of Senya Beraku, chance has a way of making introductions. It was at a local market that Steyaert met Uncle Taller, whose towering stature brought to mind a photograph of a Rwandan dignitary she couldn't shake. She improvised the look with bleached branches and an embroidered jalabiya. Several Polaroids later, Uncle Taller stood before her, robed and regal.

Later, she crossed paths with photographer and stylist Sackitey Tesa. Borrowing from the cheeky slogans painted across Accra's trotros and taxis, the pair reimagined them into sculptural headpieces. "They're often funny, but their wisdom sticks," Steyaert says. "People don't know, unless you tell them — that's one I'm trying to live by these days."