Nairobi drawing

On the most recent trip to Nairobi working on the Tupumue research study, (measuring the lung capacity of 2600 children aged 5-18 years from two areas in Nairobi: the informal settlement Mukuru and the adjacent affluent area Buruburu. The arts have been mobilised to sensitise the public and encourage participation and engagement) I drew feverishly and sought out visions which reflected some of the unique circumstances and realities facing residents of both communities. These drawings reflect a merger of observation and memory and are a re-construction of things seen, felt and experienced. As noted in other blog posts, Nairobi is a wildly dynamic place and the energy is infectious, it moves you to open your mind and heart in surprising ways. Creating these drawings enables me to reflect on the various experiences and understand their value to me but then extend and share that vision and experience with others. My orientation to the place is as a professional observer but not distanced and objective. I am invested in the encapsulated experience that the drawings capture. Their potential is in the re-creative act of looking and assemblage that takes place when the viewer performs, through the marks of the drawing, the moments of its making and the textures of vision. I will engage more fully with the context of each of these drawings in a longer form piece soon but for now, enjoy these visions.