The Baptism of an Igbo Man - VR Installation
An immersive and multi-sensory installation of my work The Baptism of an Igbo Man at Abuja Art Week in November 2019
This past Sunday I hosted an immersive Virtual Reality installation of my work “The Baptism of an Igbo Man” at the just-concluded @abujaartweek (<<pls swipe there are like 100 pics here>>). In the space I juxtaposed elements of traditional spirituality and the new religion in a bid to explore the reconfiguration of African belief systems, and therefore ways of seeing, in the colonial context. In true @naijatechcreatives fashion, the center-piece of the installation was a Virtual Reality baptism experience. I invited the audience to “come and be baptized” by donning a VR headset and being plunged into a virtual river. This was complemented by The Baptism of an Igbo Man photographs as well as a soundtrack that gradually progressed from a traditional Igbo prayer (igo ofor) to the lord’s prayer, first in English then in Igbo. The aim was to provide a firsthand metaphorical experience of religion’s part to play in the formation of post-colonial identity. Will do a full walkthrough of the space in a subsequent video.
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I’m grateful to everyone who came and partook in this experience, left comments and affirmations and good good energy! I’m grateful to @g_rizo and Abuja Art Week for understanding that this brilliant city has a thousand unsung songs to sing, and for helping it find its voice. I’m grateful to Naija Tech Creatives for providing a unique platform for me to fully express myself as an artist and a technologist. Grateful to @tobimarho and Saros VR who helped me make the VR component come alive - you were so amazing to work with! And last but definitely not least super super grateful to Ojima who was really just her normal self tbh and held everything down in my absence
