Programme “Wewe”

« Pneumacity Lagos »

Andrew Esiebo . curated by Inês Valle

Exhibition in the public space-Nigeria . 17-11-2023 > 01.01.2025

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Taking place in Lagos, the Public Art Exhibition “Pneumacity Lagos” curated by Inês Valle, featuring Andrew Esiebo’s ethnographic photography and the showcase of project findings, at various vulcanizers’ workstations across the mega-city. As the art curator, referred: ‘this public exhibition takes the form of an urban acupuncture for the city, extending the reach of art and scientific knowledge to a broader audience across multiple urban hubs’.

An exhibition that aims to examine how both formal and informal infrastructures impact the well-being of city dwellers, with a particular focus on the everyday item we often take for granted – motor vehicle tyres. Tyres represent the ingenuity and resilience of urban life in African megacities. The challenge of recycling end-of-life tyres, often sidelined in policy discussions and environmental agendas, poses a significant global issue with widespread implications for health and well-being. Yet, it also serves as a source of creativity and livelihood, as our exhibition and wider project demonstrate.

  • Title: "Pneumacity Lagos"
    Project: PneumaCity
    Curator: Inês Valle
    Artists: Andrew Esiebo
    Dates: 17/11/2023 – 01/01/2025
    Venue: Lagos, Nigeria

    Partners: CERA PROJECT, University of Kent (UK), University of Lagos (NG),
    Funding: British Academy (UK)

  • Visit the Public Art Exhibition

    Click here > Google Maps

  • About the project: This interdisciplinary project, combining engineering and social sciences, addresses a global environmental challenge that is visibly dominant in African streetscapes: the ubiquity of end-of-life tyres (ELTs). Focusing on Lagos, the fastest growing city in Sub-Saharan Africa, ‘Pneuma-city’ explores the multifaceted impact of used tyres on road ecologies, while examining the urban economies of tyre repair and repurposing. The project ultimately aims to promoting social and technical solutions to create more sustainable urban environments that in turn improve the well-being of workers and residents.

    ‘Pneuma-city’ more specifically addresses (1) the gendered informal cultures, livelihoods and technologies of tyre-related work; (2) the complex place of waste tyres in street/road ecologies; (3) the circular economies of repurposing.

    The project bridges formal and informal infrastructures by conceptually tracing the role of tyres as ‘frictional’ within urban contexts where automobile transport is hegemonic, with the ambition to put ELT challenges and opportunities at the heart of a vision for a sustainable future.

    This project is funded by the British Academy and is part of the wider GCRF ‘Urban Infrastructures of Well-Being’ research programme.

    Official website of the project: https://pneuma-city.org/

  • Exhibition Opening:
    Date: Friday, 17 Nov
    Time: 1–4 PM
    Location:    LSVA Headquarters, Mushin, Lagos

    Workshop:
    Date: Wednesday, 15 Nov
    Time: 10 AM–4 PM
    Location:    Federal College of Education (Technical), Fine and Applied Arts Department, Lagos, Nigeria

    Conference:
    Date: Friday, 10 Nov
    Time: 9 AM–4 PM
    Location:    Arthur Mbanefo Digital Research Center, UniLag Campus, Lagos, Nigeria

  • Link for the exhibition leaflet PDF

    On the occasion of this exhibition, it print a limited-edition publication featuring original essays from various investigators and researchers involved in the project, sharing their insights and experiences of conducting research in the exhibition – Pneumacity Lagos – click here.

  • Andrew Esiebo

  • Inês Valle

  • Please click here to access the Press Kit