Sands of Time

Sands of Time poster 1:1 © Ala Praxis

Venue: 13 Elsie Femi Pearse St, Victoria Island 106104, Lagos, Nigeria
Opening: Wednesday 16th July 2025, 5pm - 9pm
Exhibition Times: 12:00 pm - 6:00pm, Daily
Recitation: Saturday 19th July, 4pm
Evening Saloon: Sunday 20th July 2025, 4pm
RSVP Link (Book your Visit): https://tix.africa/sandsoftime
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

About Ala Praxis

Ala Praxis is a research focused collective transforming ideas into practical realities by developing projects that are rooted in the principles of environmental sustainability and Earth centered technology.

The collective is made up of: 
Peace Toba Olatunji, Philip Fagbeyiro, Jadesola Olaniyan, Josh Ike Egesi, Noah Misan Okwudini, Timilehin Osanyintolu 

Read More about them
 

Exhibition Guide

Find out more about the Sands of Time by Ala Praxis exhibition with the exhibition guide.

Web poster of Sands of Time Exhibition poster © Ala Praxis © Ala Praxis

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