RESIDENCY AT VILLA STRAULI, WINTETHUR, SWITZERLAND

During my residency at Villa Strauli, I visited factories in Lustenau, Austria and St.Gallen, Switzerland where laces (embroidered textiles) are produced for the Nigerian market. Engaging the collections of these factories was the point of departure for my work

HOH factory- Lustenau

Mr Claudio La Cioppa at the factory

My first visit was to HOH Hoferhecht Stickereien Lustenau, where Claudio La Cioppa, the General Manager, pleasantly took me round the factory and introduced me to the different departments and their processes.
While there I was curious to know how designs are generated and what influenced their choices of themes. I was told that the designs are developed, collectively, by the Nigerian textile merchants and the company’s design team. More interesting, the Nigerians don't buy designs with African patterns and icons. hence deigns are inspired by themes and icons of global recognition. In fact, I was hinted that the manufacturers had once tried to create African patterns on a set of lace, but the products never sold. 

HOH factory

HOH factory 

Theresa's shop-African Lace shop at St. Margrethen- Switzerland

Theresa's shop, African lace shop at st Margrethen, Theresa barely had my time when she realized I wasn't there to shop but enquire about her business, She practically pleasantly asked that it was her break time and she couldn't attend to me, Then I headed off to HOH in Lustenau.

Theresa's shop

'African dressed' Dummies at Theresa's Shop

My studio @villa strauli

Thanks to Claudio who donated a box of textiles from their factories for my work.
At this point, I got involved with transforming the textile pieces and introducing "African icons''  inspired by traditional Nigerian textiles and ancient sign writing known as 'nsibidi', combined with Swiss magazine designs and content. This mix becomes part of the textile to contextualise the content of this textile pieces.
Find the series of 12 mixed media drawings

Title- Swiss Lace samples
medium - Swiss lace, ink, Swiss magazine
40x50cm each - 12 pieces
2014

In the absence of other materials, I had access to old newspapers which I collected from the garbage point, this news papers I re-purposed to create 'paper lace' which was made into an 'Agbada'. this was a tedious repetitive and performative process of  cutting, painting, folding and weaving newspapers which was finally laid into a piece of  garment.

Title: Paper-lace Agbada
Medium: Newspaper, Acylic and ink
size: 365.8x152.4cm
2014

studio

Prepared newpapers

woven newspapers

Short performative video on the process

Another work I re-purposed old Newspaper and magazines was:

'Title: Ofong'
Medium:Swiss Magazine and Newspapers
Size: 77x39x30cm
yr: 2014

I also  had a sound installation piece,  This work was done with second hand clothes donated to me based on my asking people to donate their used clothes for my project, This second hand clothing and some laces donated by HOH factory constituted this installation titled 'Oja'. This installation had an accompanying sound which I collected from the Second hand clothes market in Lagos.

Title: Oja
Medium:Swiss laces, Second-hand clothes, Piano, sound from Lagos market
Size: variable dimension
2014

And my exhibition and talk @ Villa strauli was opened on the 8th of April, 2014.

Invitation

Meet the Artists...

Thanks to Villa Strauli team, for giving me an opportunity to come live in this beautiful apartment, creating works in Wintethur. And to all of you that donated clothes to my work, Thank you. You turned up for on the 8th…Big Thanks.