Let’s Turn Time on the Table is a multimedia body of work that revisit history. It probes into Nigeria’s historical past using highlife music as a takeoff point to explore its place in her history given its social, political and economic significance during the struggle for independence and the period of the civil war. These sound highlights some events in the socio-political space 1960 – 1980, bring to fore the effect of the music in the formation of identity and nationhood.
The pieces created in the similitude of a Record player holds reconstructed photographed album cover and original vinyl of songs which lyrics are of everyday life, politics, economics, eulogy or telling folklore.
The materiality of the covers is a documentation of date and time that artist occupies. Registered on each cover is the musician, the album title, the record label, the year it came out, the photographer, the designer, and the country where it was released, all these are elements of the critical analysis. A collaboration of the image, text, graphic design and the fragile look of some of the covers anthologized within a historic context help communicate the idea.
A quick response (QR) code encrypted with the link of the songs on the vinyl to foster audience participation. These sculptural panels, album covers and sounds coalesce and interact to create an artistic aesthetic serving as a mnemonic
Turntable 1 (2019), 41x65cm, Digital print, corrugated cardboard, acrylic, canvas, strawboard, screw anchor, QRcode, Dr Victor Olaiya in the Sixties Vinyl 1960 on board
TURNTABLE 2 (2019), 41x65cm, Digital prints, corrugated cardboard, acrylic, canvas, strawboard, screw anchor, QR code, Rex Lawson Victories Vinyl 1969 on board
TURNTABLE 3 (2019), 41x65cm, Digital prints, corrugated cardboard, acrylic, canvas, strawboard, screw anchor, QR code, Sir Victor Owaifo and His big sound Vinyl 1969 on board
TURNTABLE 4 (2019), 41x65cm, Digital prints, corrugated cardboard, acrylic, canvas, strawboard, screw anchor, QR code, IK Dairo & His Blue Spot Band Vinyl 1978 on board
TURNTABLE 5 (2019), 41x65cm, Digital prints, corrugated cardboard, acrylic, canvas, strawboard, screw anchor, QR code, Ebenezer Obey & The Horse, The Man & The Son Vinyl 1973 on board
TURNTABLE 6 (2019), 41x65cm, Digital prints, corrugated cardboard, acrylic, canvas, strawboard, screw anchor, QR code, Prince Nico Mbarga and Rocafil Jazz, Vinyl 1976 on board
TURNTABLE 7 (2019), 41x65cm, Digital prints, corrugated cardboard, acrylic, canvas, strawboard, screw anchor, QR code, Orlando Owoh & His Omimah Band, Vinyl 1976 on board