Eighteen-channel sound installation (35:25 min.), painted wall, galvanized steel and aluminum street sign, U-Bahn metro sign, concrete slab, vinyl wall graphic
Not on view
Nigerian artist Emeka Ogboh describes Lagos State of Mind III as “a real and invented world...in which the viewer is invited to look at Lagos through Berlin’s eye and vice versa.” This installation brings together field recordings made by the artist in these two cities, both of which he’s called home, over the past decade. The soundscape highlights specific aspects of daily life in those locales: car horns, engine roars, street music, voice-over announcements from Berlin’s train system, and conversations between African expatriates in introductory German.
Connecting sound and place, this auditory collage explores how collective memory and histories of globalization are encoded and transmitted. A fictional transit map on the walls imagines a version of Berlin public transportation that connects to bus stops and transportation hubs in Lagos. Layering sonic landscapes and visual languages of movement, this work sits at the intersection of two worlds inhabited by an immigrant.
2022
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African diaspora
Refers to the many peoples of African descent who live across the globe. For many of the people in this diaspora, their present place of residence is the result of forced migration due to historical events like the transatlantic slave trade or contemporary life-threatening events such as war or famine.
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Migration and movement
People have always moved around the world. Early humans were nomadic, traveling in search of food, shelter, and safety. Today, people move for many different reasons, including economic, political, cultural, religious, and environmental.
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Soundscape
An audio recording composed of multiple sound clips that, once assembled and arranged, creates an environment that surrounds the listener. These sounds can capture a real place or a place that no longer exists.
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