Sands of Time

Sands of Time by Nigerian Collective Ala Praxis has toured Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Dakar (Senegal) and has now come home to Lagos (Nigeria).

In Sands of Time, Ala Praxis presents a body of work that showcases the grounding ethos of their manifesto: a pedagogy inspired by nature. In their hourglass inspired installation, sound and sand dialogue; inviting visitors to reflect on their relationship with time and value. Additionally, the use of photography and fabric further explores how this connection impacts both nature and culture.

Each photograph, supported by sound scape,  hypnotically echoes the rhythms of the coastal city of Dar es Salaam. Together, they evoke a shared sensibility of the liminal nature which the ocean conjures for many African coastal cities. The photographs capture an essence within these landscapes and a transport of this essence, with quiet pessimism, to new functions and meanings. The water pools in puddles across scenes of Dar es Salaam’s mainland, and in the ruins of old coastal houses haunted by the phantoms of their former selves, an eerie suggestion that this essence may be seeking retribution emerges. The photographs and the Kanga fabric draped from the ceiling dialogue as recordings of a present shaped by past memories and myths of the people of Tanzania.

While the beach scenes communicate a tension between that which is orchestrated by Ala Praxis and human impulse, the subjects emerge not just as witnesses but also manifestations of our relationship with that which is valuable: playing, digging, commemorating, waiting. 

The central installation features an interactive hourglass. A deliberate space between its two halves echoes the beach’s horizon, contributing to the conversation with the immersive soundscape. The work is activated only through visitor interaction. As they pour sand into the top half of the hourglass, the soundscape unfurls, emphasizing the intentional act of maintaining the delicate relationship with nature.

Ala Praxis have chosen plastic as the material for the hourglass. Plastic is a modern intruder on the beachfront. Difficult to recycle, its juxtaposition with sand and the sea within the gallery space confronts us with the challenge of reconciling extraction and consumption. Sand, the resource in this conversation, like the skyscrapers  in the distance of the photographs of Ala Praxis, invites visitors to ponder what is sacrificed at the altar of human desire and how we might rethink our relationship with the coast.

Obieze Chinyere