Ámà – The Gathering Place

Details

Ámà: The Gathering Place is an installation inspired by the Igbo culture, integrating sound, sculpture, and textiles, continues Ogboh’s multisensory approach to interpreting place, which is at the core of his art. In the Igbo ámà, music is performed both for entertainment and sacred ceremonies.

The artwork incorporates new recordings of a choir singing Igbo folk songs. These 12 songs address universal human concerns such as relationships, triumphs, hope, beauty, and adversities. The songs are transmitted through multichannel speakers. A sculptural rendering of a tree anchors the work at and evokes the iroko tree found in the Igbo ámà (village square).

Complementing the music, and sharing its source in Igbo folk traditions, regionally specific akwétè cloth – named after the Igbo community Akwétè – augments this project. One of West Africa’s oldest and most celebrated textile traditions, akwétè’s bold colors and striking patterns are worn on ceremonial and festive occasions.

Maintaining its functional role, the akwétè in this project serves as bark on the tree and covers seating on which visitors can recline and listen. The patterns on display, created by Nigerian graphic designers and the weavers themselves, combine traditional patterns and contemporary designs.

Info

• Title : Àmà: The Gathering Place

• Year : 2019

• Medium : Multimedia Installation (12-channel sound, 30 feet tree sculpture & hand-woven fabrics)

• Duration : Variable.