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AGBARHA - OTOR
HARMATTAN WORKSHOP 2000
The
Harmattan 2000 Workshop took place between March 27th and 11th April
2000. This was the 3rd a in series of workshops and artistic retreats.
successfully organised by the noted African Printmaker Bruce Onobrakpeya,
in conjunction with the Ovumaroro Studio and Gallery and The Bruce
Onobrakpeya Foundation.
The name
“Harmattan” was given to the workshops because they are scheduled to
take place during the dry season: the Harmattan (months of December,
January, February and March). The Ovuomaroro Studio and Gallery is
located in a trough, usually flooded during the rainy season. These
months also coincide with the bumper harvest of palm fruits and the
bailing of ponds for the fish festival. Participating artists and
visitors were also able to participate and witness these celebrations.
The Harmattan workshop centre at Agbarha-Otor is a place where
contemporary artists from all over the globe converge for creative
retreats for a period of two weeks annually. During that period, they
think art, see art, use the language of art to discuss art extensively,
and, above all, explore different techniques in creating visual art. To
get their creative minds relaxed and focused well for the creative task,
the participants in their different groups introduced various forms of
entertainment aimed at reducing the thinking fatigues associated with
the creation of art. Very intensive work has been done in every section
of the workshop. The artworks produced by the participants were quite
exciting, aesthetically appealing, historically rich and most creative
in all ramifications. This was made possible through the able hands of
experienced coordinators, facilitators and more particularly, the
initiator, Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya. On arrival at the centre, the
participants were required to choose themes from the various events in
the society on which to produce their artworks. The workshop programmes
were very professionally structured. The participants were made to
register for major and minor disciplines. The first week which is the
most serious period of the programme, was devoted to the major
discipline while the second week was for the minor discipline. It was
during this second week that the exhibition of all the objects executed
during the workshop was held to mark the closure of the entire programme.
The exhibition created the opportunity to interact with each group,
compare and admire was we produced.
Compared to
the previous workshops in the centre, the scope of the Harmatten 2000
Workshop was significantly broadened. About sixty artists participated,
though. some of them came in late. Metal sculpture and ceramics were
introduced by Olu Amoda and John Agberia of Yaba College of Technology
and the University of Port-Harcourt respectively. Mr. Olu Amoda
introduced the various processes of metal sculpturing. He encouraged and
led the participants in his group to Ugheli town where they decongested
the metal scraps that littered the major streets. These were used to
create very impressive, usable objects. Two major things were achieved
by the metal sculpture section: first, was the clearing of most of the
junk at Ugheli town, second, using such junk to create objects that
could be used in our homes. This is one of the ways of recyling of
materials that hitherto people thought were no longer useful.
Metal
sculpture was the focal point of this workshop just as the stone
sculpture produced during the 1999 Harmattan workshop. This was made
possible through the wealth of experience of Mr. Olu Amoda. He had
attended many workshops both nationally and internationally from which
he gained experiences through interaction with well-experienced artists.
Sculpture in other media such as wood, concrete and fibre glass is yet
to be introduced in the workshop. These will take their turn gradually.
The ceramics section,
in contrast, made little impact. This was probably due to the fact that
most of the equipment for the making of ceramics were yet to be
installed and the low registration of participants in this section.
However Dr. John Agberia and C.S. Emoda from the University of Port
Harcourt and Auchi Polytechnic respectively, demonstrated the coli
techniques to create impressive utilitarian objects as well as ceramic
sculptures.
The stone
sculpture, painting and print-making sections which had already taken
their roots from the previous workshops in 1998 and 1999, continued to
make further improvement. For example, in the printing-making section,
new techniques were introduced to the participants. These included mono
print, serigraphy, block print, lino mosonite and dry print. Most of the
participants in the print section registered in degree programmes from
various universities confirmed that they had achieved so much as most of
these techniques were yet to be taught in the university. The workshop
enabled them to be further trained in the few techniques they had been
taught in university.
As in the
metal sculpture section, it was lively all through in the painting
section. The participants created quite impressive works. This was made
possible through the vibrant demonstration of Mr. Ovraiti, formally of
the Auchi Polytechnic. Ovaraiti has just concluded his M.F.A. programme
in painting at the University of Benin. He shared his wealth of teaching
experience from the University of Benin and Auchi Polytechnic where he
obtained his Bachelors degree. He took the participants under him
through various techniques, especially watercolour, giving practical
demonstrations and theoretical lectures that highlighted painting
skills.
Mr.
Emmanuel Epeni, his colleague from Auchi Polytechnic who is presently
teaching there added more when he introduced and demonstrated the
technique of rhapsody. Rhapsody is a unique technique of using oil
colour either on paper, canvas or board to behave like water colour and
is not yet common among the contemporary Nigerian artists, though some
of the late Gani Odutkun’s paintings have the rhapsody effect. The
effect created from this technique is quite interesting. If properly
handled. A lot was achieved from the painting section during the sharing
of ideas. In the previous workshop, painting was handled by Mr. Mike
Omoighe of the Yaba College of Technology, who discussed the basic
aspects of painting and advised participants to always seek to improvise
materials for themselves. They experimented on the use of local colours.
Mrs. Anthonia Okogwu of the Uuniversity of Port-Harcourt still worked
with such experimental colours in this year’s workshop. The result was
bright and heavy colours on canvas.
On 7th
March 2000, a general class on life drawing was organised for
participants from all the sections. A bicycle boy was employed as model.
Such media as pencil, pen charcoal, watercolour and paint were used in
capturing the figures. Many participants achieved interesting result
from their drawing. Though drawings by Nse Abasi Inyang appeared in the
previous workshops, this was the first time the life drawing class was
being organised for the participants.
Very
impressive results were recorded from all the sections of the workshop.
The introduction of observers to the year 2000 workshop was unique and a
sign of progress, showing that the workshop had attained international
standard. One of the observers, Mr. Simon O. Ikpakronyi, is a seasoned
art historian and curator and commentator on African art.
Another
unique experience in the workshop was the introduction of a seminar
where scholarly papers were presented. Some of the papers presented
include The Iron Age of Sculpture: Its Uses and Practices in Nigeria by
Olu Amoda; Role and Functions of The Art Historian by Simon O.
Ikpakronyi, Trends in Contemporary Scholarship in Studio Art Patronage
by Osa Egonwa; Nigerian Stone Carving by Oladapo Afolayan. Talkshops
were also held during which several issues in contemporary art scene
were raised and discussed. The essence of seminar and talkshop is to
make studio artists theoretically efficient.
In the bid
to relieve the participants of stress, a number cultural trips were
organised and undertaken by artists. One of the trips took them to Otor-Edo
in Ughelli environ on the 3rd March 2000 to see where ceramics were
produced locally in large quantity without the use of a potter’s wheel.
It was quite interesting how identity and perfection were achieved by
the producers through mere use of hands. The production of ceramics in
that village was exclusively reserved for women and children of school
age, while their male counterparts engaged themselves in farming and
other activities. However, the men dug and gathered the clay for the
women to use.
The
producers of the ceramics demonstrated to the participants both the
methods of making and firing of the ceramics. As in the case of modern
produced ceramics, the pre-heating of the objects was still done first
to reduce the content of water so that they would not crack during the
main firing. For the pre-heating stage, the objects were arranged neatly
on a shade-like structurespecially constructed for that purpose. Fire
was set under to heat them up for about four hours before they were
transferred for the main firing. For the main firing, fire wood was
spaciously and neatly arranged before the objects are equally neatly
arranged inside; fresh leaves, mostly banana, were used in covering them
and lighter fire wood arranged on top of them before fire was set on to
burn. The essence of the fresh leaves was for fire and smoke to be
concentrated on the objects for a beautiful and successful burning
effect.
The tools
popularly used by the local ceramists include shell which is mostly for
shaping and smoothening and cloths used to shape and run the edge of the
ceramics. The trip was quite rewarding as the academically trained
ceramists among us learnt so much from them. Arrangements are being made
to invite some of them to the next workshop. In order to have an
intercharge of ideas and techniques between the locally and academically
trained ceramists.
On 4th
April 2000, we went to the International Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor
on a sight-seeing trip. The centre is owned by Michael Ibru. All
Christian denominations as well as non-Christian and Muslims go there
for religious retreats. The workshop participants were conducted round
the various facilities and sections in the centre. The sections include
where old men and their wives stay in a relax moon and communicate to
God. There is St. Michael’s Court where people from the age of 25 stay
for retreat which caters for the religious, social and educational needs
of people of all ages and positions. Headed by a director-general,
Pastor Lucky Ajene Ekonwe, the centre will undoubtedly help to service
the Harmattan workshop centre in various ways.
On 4th
March 2000, Dr. G.G. Darah arrived with a cultural group, Sir Juju and
his group. Introducing the group, Dr. Darah said that the music and
dance group, used story telling in songs to highlight past social events
not only in Urhobo area but also around its environs. He gave a brief
history of Agbarha-Otor and its environs. According to him, Agbarha-Otor
had the largest administrative structure in the area.
On the
culture of Urhobo, Dr. Darah said that Urhobo dance and art movement and
its use of colours were manifested in most works produced by Dr. Bruce
Onobrakpeya. He stated that Urhobo art emphasized multiplicity and added
that Bruce Onobrakpeya was the only Urhobo artist known globally.
Defining an artist as a person that visualized the world around him and
created work of beauty, he said that without artists in the world life
would have been dull and uninteresting. His talk helped to enlighten the
participants on many issues. The musical group of Sir Juju equally made
that evening very interesting with his beautifully melodious songs.
Other side
events which made the retreat exciting included celebrating the
birthdays of participants in the centre. In all, four participants,
Bunmi Davies, Akanro Afolayan (Jnr), Anthonia Okogwu and Moses Unokwa
marked their birthdays before the end of the workshop. The initiator of
the workshop sponsored these events with adequate. This was not all,
every participant, throughout, the two weeks of the workshop feed three
times daily, different types of meals were served. Physical
exercises of various kinds were organised for participants every morning
before breakfast to keep them healthy and fit. Further to this, on 6th
March 2000, a marital artist (Barret Akpokabayan) demonstrated the
various techniques of defending oneself. According to him, Judoka
develops the body, soul and the mind of individuals.
The entire
programme was quite interesting and successful, and received very active
sponsorship from the Nigerian Gallery of Art, Lagos, Cadbury Nigeria
Plc, Nestle Plc, Society of Nigerian Artists, Nigeria Breweries Plc.
Bruce
Onobrakpeya,
one of
Africa’s foremost printmaker,
is the
initiator of the Agbara Otor Project |
