Kampala Exchange Day 2 & 3
DAY TWO
Photograph Presentations
We presented our photographs and arguments which opened the floor for feedback and discussions about what we observed in the markets. It was fascinating to see various photos of Owino market targeting specific elements , most of which I had not seen or thought about in the ways they were presented. As my site, I struggled to find/understand photographs I could find before fieldwork and so during my fieldwork, I have been building a photo catalogue of areas within the market for the context of my project. It was really helpful to see the general collection of photos of Owino grow so quickly just from one afternoon - I could only imagine how much more could be documented if such an exercise was was done again and again. Mpho made a comment towards the end of our photo presentations that as a whole, our stories and chosen photographs portrayed a space that were being eroded away; this emphasised the importance of documenting current realities of markets but also reminded me that what we were doing and my project too, is not just a 'theoretical' exploration but important for preserving memories of the past and imagining new realities for Kampala.
Some of the points touched on and captured in photographs included: ways of arranging merchandise, interaction between merchant and merchandise, time and motion, sections and order, edge conditions, apertures, spillage, mobile money and more.
Bridget (an architecture student at Nkozi University) presenting her photographs below:
My Presentation
As part of the workshop, I was asked to give a presentation about my design and research work in Kampala. I was given the following questions as guidelines/points to consider::
How can one use Architectural tools to represent/visualise non-Architectural dynamics, such as work and mobility?
How do conventional means of architectural representation fail to represent contemporary African Urban conditions?
How did you approach the 'information gathering' process in your project? And for how long did you spend gathering the information and'translating/ compiling' it? What were the challenges and opportunities?
What role can academic institutions play in providing the new generation of Architects with the tools they need to better understand
and represent their own environments. In other words, tell us about your program.
I split the presentation into three parts: the first about the MAUD course and how it is structured. Second, about the first period of my project and how I undertook research/design before coming to Kampala. Finally, my fieldwork and the information I am gathering. I showed various images and picked a few which I explained the processes I used to create them
Feedback and reflections: I was asked a number of questions about technical aspects of my drawings: how I put them together and where and why I got the information I used. I was also questioned about about my general focus area which is something I have been thinking about recently and I am starting to narrow down to understand key areas/issues in the time that I have left. Overall, it was a great opportunity to present my work amongst a range of individuals familiar with the context I am working in but also who were spending a few days working in and around the same topic.
Me presenting:
Will Monteith: Refugee Livelihoods in Ugandan Cities Lecture
At the end of the day, Will monteith , a social scientist and collaborator in the 'Kampala as a City of Refuge' project gave a Skype lectutre about his research work in Kampala.
He recently completed his Political Science PHD at East Anglia University on Nakasero Market (the oldest market in Kampala) and has since worked on other research projects in Kampala . I came across Will's work towards the start of my project and got in touch with him; he gave me various insights into researching markets in Kampala and linked me to Doreen Adengo.
In his lecture, he shared about his work on Nakasero and following project about refugees participation in local markets with the UAL. Apart from the research purposes and findings, he talked about some of the research methods and appropriate methods for different projects ie. that ethnographic research provided more detail (which he did with Nakasero Market) but with less time interviews are a more efficient way of getting information. Also, surveys provided overview information, numerical and comparative data whereas interviews were done for in depth studies (both used for the refugee participation study). Will has shared his work with the local council and relevant policy makers about the need for 'people centred design' and the 'inclusive redeveloped space' which was particularly important advice for the architects in the room. Generally, it was helpful to see the research driving the project project and imagine how the architects/visualisers would start to represent this to share the findings with a larger audience, starting with the exhibition.
DAY THREE, THE FINAL DAY
Lecture from Ugandan Artist Taga Francis Nuwagaba
Mostly about his project ‘Changing Kampala’ in which he paints the city to document its transformation. I came across his work last year when I started working on my project and he has since become one of my favourite visual artists. I am interested in the way he paints the city to 'capture it' as new buildings rise up and change the city's landscape. He shared the purpose of his work to the details and methods of water colouring (ie. because the colours run quickly, he starts and finishes an image in one day. Though he paints quickly, if a mistake is made, the painting is lost so he has to be careful!). He described how he walks around the city and is drawn by the effect of light on different spaces which inspires him to start a piece. Every piece is carefully proportioned and he often allows the viewer to finish the image off (ie. with fading of edges)
Some of Taga's pieces:
The rest of the day was spent drawing or making collages through analysing our 5 photographs and we the presented our work to each other- see below:
WHAT NEXT...
Some of the photographs taken were/are being posted on Instagram @africanmobilites #Kampalaexchange. Also, a website is currently being set up for this project. - I'll post a link when it is up!
For more see: