3.11.08 Ground Hog day at the 'Vines'

Discovered that in order to get the complimentary breakfast, or as l was lead to believe bed and breakfast, you had to sign in at reception EACH day paying one day at a time...did not get the hang of this until the third day when two eggs appeared, instead of one, dressed in very elaborate cucumber hats....to cut a long story short l decided to abandon this element of bureaucracy and find the supermarket!

Amara arrived and we stood by the side of the road to flag down a taxi for our visit to the National Gallery of Art (NGA)...discovered pretty quickly to hide in the undergrowth by the side of the road, or look as if l was on my own some distance from Amara, to get a reasonable ratel! Reminds me of hitch-hiking in the 70's when the bloke would jump out of the bushes leaving the girl to attract the lift!! By the end of the whole project we got quite expert at it, but never-the-less I felt rather uncomfortable with it!

Finally got to the NGA where I was welcomed by everyone and handshaking was the order of the day - sliding palms and sometimes clicking the fingers on release, as you let go of the middle finger. Amara's boss Mr Abulahi, Director of Curatorial Services, was very supportive of the project and recognised the value of it for Amara and the gallery, so let Amara have time off with pay which l thought was very visionary of the organisation - to be applauded!

Later in the day l met the Reverend Ngozi Akamdiocha, who was one of Amara's contacts, who was going to help us negotiate our way around the Owerri villages for the research...he was fondly referred to as 'Reverend' by both of us. In this photo of him (towards the end of the trip) the light played on his face in a very unusual way which reminded me of a mask and the uncanny stories from people we interviewed in the field and the general culture of myth and magic - which l was at first skeptical about because of cultural stereotypes.

ABUJA 2.11.08

Arrived in Abuja early in the morning to a wall of humid heat and bright sunshine, the plants and earth surrounding the airport car park smelling of memories of the Kenyan environment - lovely! However being the new commercial capital of Nigeria it turned out to be a very different place, more industrial with a lot of new buildings going up, polluted atmosphere, and chaotic lifestyle. Less electricity than l imagined, which was to have more impact later on as I realised this effected the pumping up of the water from bore holes too - effecting washing, loos, preparing food and the like!

Amarachi met me at the hotel, after Mayo (Nath Mayo Adediran - Director of the National Commission of Museum and Monuments) kindly met me at the airport and took me to the Vines Hotel - where health and safety and make-do-and-mend formed my first photographic documentation and of course the view from the window.

This amusing introduction was not complete without the complimentary breakfast, that turned into groundhog day!

Past, Present and Future

Arrived back safely after a whirlwind of an adventure full of scary, humorous, novel, dangerous and friendly moments. My journey encompassed Abuja, Owerri where most of the academic research on Mbari houses/shrines was carried out, Umuahia, Enugu on the way to Nsukka and finally Lagos where l did not see the Hyena Men, but experienced the rather intriguing 'taxi service' which is more a lesson on how to fix cars and get out of difficulties!!!

I will start this series of six diaries and images chronologically, although in the final analysis the context of being in and part of the whole culture was as much part of the research for making artwork as the academic focus on Mbari houses and shrines themselves.

Ready for off!

Well everything is done and waiting to board the coach for Heathrow having contacted academics, friends and acquaintances for people to meet up with while l am in Abuja, Owerri, Nukka and Lagos - you know who you all are. Here's to the adventure! Thanks to everyone for making this happen.

Stories

One of the facets for me about Kenyan culture was the stories that people told in terms of advice and guidance or pearls of wisdom which l found a good way of describing pictures in words.

Having just spoken to Professor John Picton to glean words of wisdom and knowlege before l embark on this new journey l realise how much this element of African culture has entered into his way of thinking.

One of his most amusing pieces of advice was to wear a skirt when travelling on the road........as l/we may need to squat by the roadside to relieve ourselves and this would mean l could/might retain a modicum of modesty during the whole proceedings!!!

I am sure there will be more stories to tell as the project progresses.....watch this space!

Methodology

Diaries
As well as this blog, l am keeping my own diary of events and thoughts leading up to going on the field trip in A6 sketchbooks. This form of reflexive diary l have previously kept whilst on the field trip to Giriamaland to carry out my doctoral research into the Commemorative Grave Posts inland from Kilifi in Kenya. I also keep studio diaries, which are useful to analyse later on for recurrent themes and thoughts in my art practice. This will also form an important element of my work and documentation on returning from Nigeria, as l experiment and later prepare artwork for the exhibitions.

Photographs/video footage will also be kept as a visual record during the fieldwork, and a photographic record of the artwork as it progresses in the studio.

The methodology is essentially phenomenological.

Preparing for field trip to Nigeria

This is the start of the anthropological research into the Mbari houses with Amarachi Okafor (Amara). I will be flying out to Abuja in November to meet up with Amara, who is now a curator at the National Art Gallery there, and we will travel to Owerri her home town to carry out a survey of the Mbari still standing and the contemporary versions. During the latter part of December we will go to Lagos to connect with other contemporary African artists living and working there.

It is with great delight that l acknowledge the support of the Arts Council of England Grants for the Arts, who have made this project possible, leading on to the joint exhibitions of our work in both London and Nigeria. Other funding applications are currently under review.

Bath Spa University and Weston College have also agreed to a two month sabbatical from teaching duties to carry out this investigation, to whom l am also indepted.