Goethe-Institut Nigeria is set to host the public —and curious minds beyond—to “Dreaming New Worlds 2024.” This month-long cultural immersion promises to unravel the threads connecting past, present, and future, offering a stage for artists and scientists whose works interrogate human experience at the intersection of art, science, and technology. Culminating in a grand finale exhibition, Kedu Lagos, this initiative transforms Lagos’s historic Old Government Printing Press into a cauldron of ideas, memories, and forward-thinking visions.
The highlight, Kedu Lagos, takes inspiration from Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe’s 1996 album Kedu America, where the legendary highlife musician pondered cultural nostalgia. Here, Osadebe’s sentiments are reimagined and rooted in Lagos, a city at the crossroads of cultural preservation and digital revolution. Against this vibrant backdrop, Kedu Lagos showcases installations that blend the deeply local with the universal, inviting audiences to rethink how technology reshapes cultural knowledge and identity.
From November 9th, the Old Government Printing Press comes alive with an immersive exhibition that dares to stretch the imagination. Visitors can engage with experimental art powered by quantum mechanics and augmented reality, as well as works that trace Lagos’s evolution from colonial hub to bustling megacity.
Key installations for the immersive exhibition include:
Pidgin Choreography by Alexandra Martens Serrano: Drawing from the frenetic visual language of digital screens in Nigerian public spaces, this piece uses quantum entanglement as a poetic metaphor for cultural knowledge-sharing.
Source Code by Ayomitunde Adeleke, Femi Fala, Nonso Neec, and Ayeni Olajide: A multimedia exploration of memory, nostalgia, and Lagos’s unending rhythm.
Totem by the Chronoverse collective: A fascinating dive into rites of passage and entrepreneurship, this installation reimagines the Igbo apprenticeship system, Igba boi, in light of communal traditions shared across cultures.
Events After the Opening
Beyond visual marvels, Dreaming New Worlds offers thought-provoking conversations. On November 6 by 6pm a panel discussion on Digital and Contemporary Art after the NFT Boom will analyze the evolving digital art landscape in a world recalibrated by blockchain and Web3. While the NFT frenzy may have subsided, the ripple effects are still reshaping economies and creative markets. Curators and artists from global and local contexts will ponder what comes next, ensuring a robust dialogue on technology’s impact on art.
Architecture enthusiasts will be delighted by Facades Nigeria’s exploration of 19th- and 20th-century Lagosian architecture on November 14th by 12pm. This talk, culminating in a guided photo walk, revisits architectural gems that tell the story of a city transformed by colonial and post-colonial influences.
For those eager to create, November 18th and 19th brings an interactive design workshop led by the inventive Femi Fala. Participants will delve into the hands-on process of digital and interactive art, a fitting prelude to the closing party. On November 30th, the exhibition concludes with a celebration that bridges dialogue and festivity. Expect insightful discussions from the artists behind Source Code and Totem, who will explore themes of collective memory and entrepreneurial traditions, set against a vibrant evening of music and revelry.
Dreaming New Worlds 2024 is a cultural moment that tells boundary pushing stories, challenges norms and envisions new futures.
Commentaires