BEHIND THE SCENES ZINE
February-April 2024
Neimanis, Astrida, “Hydrofeminism: Or, on Becoming a Body of Water.” (2012).
...we are bodies of agbami ahu mmiri jikunan
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are all... of water agbami mmiri
What do “bodies of water” mean to you?
Between February-April 2024, the Fluid Lagos workshop brought together 9 strangers to co-create a film as a group.
One theme: “bodies of water” One location: Lagos.
Inspired by documentary practices, we explored how to craft a hybrid narrative out of various materials and perspectives.
This is the story of how we did it.
The workshop took place over 3 non-consecutive evenings: February 28th, March 20th and April 17th, 2024, 5.30-8pm.
The Fluid Lagos workshop was conceived and facilitated by artist-filmmaker Nora Mandray, as part of the 2024 Lagos-Berlin ArtistIn-Residence program, supported by Goethe-Institut Nigeria and 16/16.
ruwa
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jikunan
Making Kin with Water
Each cup, filled with a different amount of water.
Some cups are completely empty, others completely full. Some cups have just a little bit, some have just enough.
Pick one, then go around and experiment with your capacity to give and to receive.
Is your glass half-full or half-empty?
Create an ebb and flow.
Become low tide, or high tide.
Observe the currents, and the flow that forms in the process.
On the first day of the Fluid Lagos workshop, Kamnelechukwu, Lateefah, Morola, Nora, Wami, Dopay, Justine, Laboomz, Ramon and Uwana made kin with Atlantic seawater, freshly harvested from Tarkwa Bay.
3 groups were formed based on the flow they experienced with each other during these interactions.
This process was inspired by Alvin Collantes, a filipino-Canadian artist, drag performer, gaga teacher and a choreographer based in Berlin, Germany.
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Workshop 1: Brainstorming
Each participant brought Lagos-related materials evocative of “bodies of water”, which they felt comfortable sharing in a collective film format.
Each of the materials entered into a dialogue with one another.
Each material turned into a scene.
Looking for points of connection, we started dreaming up narratives.
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Workshop 2: Story structure
We listened as a group to the unedited interview of the protagonist Osan Kola (with the help of a poorly AI-generated transcript.) What sticks with you after listening?
We watched the dailies, assembled into a stringout. Which images pair up well with what we just listened to?
As we geared up for post, we wondered: should the three stories be separate or intertwined?
We thought of three chapters: I. The Boatman II. The Vessel III.The Passenger.
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Workshop 3: Rough Cut Feedback with special guest Abba Makama!
A first rough cut was assembled and refined based on our previous conversations and continous collective feedback over Whatsapp.
To give us extra pressure, we invited Abba Makama to join us to share his thoughts on our cut. Abba, filmmaker extraordinaire, is co-founder of the Surreal 16 collective and of the S16 film festival, and known for his award-winning films Green White Green (TIFF 2016), The Lost Okoroshi (TIFF 2019) and Juju Stories (Locarno 2021), among others.
“I love it! I wish it were longer, I wanted more! More chapters! You guys can be proud of yourself.”
Uff we were relieved.
“The last shot with the smoke, was it VFX?” “No, it was Lagos.”
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I. THE BOATMAN POOL
Dopay (architect/animator, 29, he/him)
@dopayanimation
“Bodies of water” means spirit to me, it means the fabric of human existence as humans are made more of water than any other elements. We are water therefore water entails motion and fluidity, shaped by its environment and passing through time. I would also like to mention that the work of C.J. Obasi’s Mami Wata lends me a perspective of water I never thought of: a vast mass of wave traveling back and forth in time, bringing with her our calvary or war.
Laboomz (DP/editor, 29, he/him)
@_laboomz
“Bodies of water”, to me, embody a rhythmic symphony of existence, echoing the eternal dance of life. The sea, with its ebbing tides and expansive horizons, whispers tales of resilience and the ceaseless cycle of change. The lagoon, a tranquil sanctuary, reflects the delicate balance between serenity and vitality. Mami Wata, a mystical embodiment of aquatic allure, embodies the enigmatic depths of our collective consciousness. A dancer, moving to the rhythm of music, mimics the fluidity of emotions and the kinetic energy that flows within us. It’s a metaphorical voyage where the essence of life intertwines with the ceaseless flow of water, creating a mosaic of experiences that shape the contours of our shared existence.
@blueeyeobservatory
Wami (researcher-photographer, 26, she/her)
I am particularly fascinated by water and what she teaches me about our interconnectedness and about the different aspects of myself and my psyche. For me, ‘bodies of water’ speaks to my larger energetic body. A body that is way bigger than my human form. A body that, once connected to, allows me to transcend my limitations.
II. THE VESSEL POOL
Kamnelechukwu (writer-photographer, 31, she/they)
@joydragger
When I think about “bodies of water” the human body shows up in my vision. As a container for memory, as water - ever moving but also has the capacity to be still. There’s space here for diversity - on most days I think about my body as a shapeshifter - an ocean on Monday, a lake on Saturdays, saltwater lake on Tuesday. I am also thinking about bodies of water as totems for truth telling - a mirror of some kind even on the days you do not want to look, it will always be there as true reflections of your physical body.
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Lateefah (filmmaker-journalist, 24, she/her) @lateefah_mayaki
Water being an element of diversity; so still yet so restless; so powerful yet so pure; Very similar to being human; to everything we can be and to everything we are not. To our diverse choices, beliefs, culture, language; all so beautiful yet so confusing. For every diversity, I would call a body, because it’s an essence and foundation to all that is living, one of the things we don’t own yet is so important to our existence as humans. The interconnectedness of individuals and the beauty that emerges from the coming together of our individual rivers into the vast and ever-changing sea of being.
Ramon (multidisciplinary artist, 31, he/him) @ramonshitta
I’m forced to think about connected elements that are also disconnected at the same time. With that, I’m comparing the water that’s inside each person that comes from the same source but causes different things to happen inside of each body. The same water causes health for one person and disease in another person. Through that lens, I am reminded that every body of water around me contains a different capacity and through communication which is also an exchange of water we change the composition of the water within us and reveal things that were previously invisible. How can the study of water not only help us understand ourselves but also give insights into how we can look within?
III. THE PASSENGER POOL
Justine (body movement artist, 31, he/him) @justine_chima
As a movement artist, “bodies of water” to me means fluidity, not conforming to societal pressure or ideas of what movement should be like. That’s why I focus on structuring my movement to be flowy, flexible, and graceful.
Morola (filmmaker, 24, she/her) @morolaiswicked
Bodies of water reflect portals to other states of being. After staying afloat for a prolonged period returning to land will require adjustments. Bodies of water have the power to absorb life from human beings. Multiple times I’ve tried to imagine what drowning must feel like. A compression of all breath in a body, I imagine a grand seduction, water spirit’s urging you to come along and become one with them, like entering a door.
Uwana (filmmaker, 21, he/him) @anthonychurchy “Bodies of water” hold profound significance as symbols of resilience, and interconnectedness. They represent not only physical entities but also metaphors for the human experience. Water, in its various forms, mirrors the complexities of identity, emotion, and existence. It is a reminder of our shared humanity and the interconnectedness of all living beings.
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WHAT DO “BODIES OF WATER” MEAN TO YOU?
This is your turn to think, draw, write, dream... Use these last two pages to do that <3
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CREDITS
FLUID LAGOS COLLECTIVE
Justine Chima Unanka
Kamnelechukwu Obasi
Kenneth ‘Laboomz’ Donatus
Lateefah Mayaki
Morola Odufuwa
Nora Mandray
Peace Olatunji ‘Dopay’
Ramon Shitta
Uwana Anthony ‘Churchy’
Wami Aluko
‘THE BOATMAN’
Osan Kola as himself
‘THE PASSENGER’ FILM CREW
Actor – Tola Adu
DP – Rufus Eniola
Camera Assistant – Temidayo Ogunremi
Costume Designer – Isabelle Irabor
SPECIAL THANKS
Nadine Siegert, Oluwadara Omotoso, Oludamilare Kolawole, Tushar Hathiramani, Oluwaseyifunmi
Mosuro, Christopher James, Godwin Musa Maizonko
Workshop Photographers: Chado (#1), Daniel Uwaga (#2), Rachel Hadiza (#3)
Zine conception/design: Nora Mandray
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