With the application of acute intuitive cognition evolved for survival in the harsh realities of their natural environment, ancient African societies begun charting the cycles of celestial bodies developing foundational principles which allowed them to create technologies that calculate distances and volumes, produce geometric formulas, and solve abstract equations. Today in Africa, these same principles are being manipulated by Artists to achieve new perspectives in visual narrative forms.
To understand African spiritual systems and technologies, one must appreciate the interdependence and inter-relatedness of all forms and forces that inhabit the universe. As an experimental exercise in new ways of seeing, the neophyte begun by focalizing and contemplating upon the fractal geometry of nature.
Rhythmic repetition of culturally familiar sounds and images referencing mundane items in context to their social utility across time, creates new manifestations of shared meaning.
The Art of adorning our bodies and environment with terrestrial elements in order to awaken and manipulate potential cosmic powers within our being, can be described as a means of balancing an equation. This is the process behind the production of artifacts such as Talismans. The transformation of these mundane items into advanced technological systems is attained through the practice of ritual. One of the most common effects of ritual practice is the creation of narratives which allow us to live out our own ideas, dreams and visions.
In Nairobi, the sculptural work of Evans Maina Ngure, created from urban waste products, playfully reflects our growing dependency on modern technology, while projecting those misgivings that arise from neglecting our natural world. The Artist manages to express the beauty and communicate the value of nature, in contrast to the discord of a techno-industrial African society. Ngure's unique pieces are imbued with anachronistic flares which ensnare the city's memories, creating space to reflect on our collective responsibility for our natural environment and our contribution to its current degradation.
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