What If

Ojudun Taiwo Jacob in collaboration with Victoria Simone develops a new project  what if– an experimental film collage and live performance work based on a decidedly African perspective of the Berlin Conference (1884-1885) and the exploration of their own continuous narrative of colonialist mentality.
 

Ojudun Taiwo Jacob  is a multimedia performance artist from Lagos, Nigeria. He lives and works as a performer, choreographer and curator in the Bariga district on the mainland of Lagos. In 2015, he co-founded Illuminatetheatre Productions, whose artistic director he has been since. He received his choreographic and artistic / conceptual training through his many years of collaboration with the Crown Troupe of Africa in Bariga, Lagos.

Taiwo's works are primarily premiered in open spaces where the public have free access to it. Tapping into his root, he admires the relationship and connection between African (Nigerian) tradition and the development of the contemporary culture. The blend of both cultures balances who he is and what he became. Taiwo comes from a culture where masquerades were the only form of resistance from pre-colonial (Nigerian, Yoruba) Monarchical policies. His works are basically focused on essentialism and existentialism. He believes that performance art evolves as a response to daily life encounters.
 

Victoria Simone is a filmmaker and multimedia artist. She has a background in documentary film making with a focus on ecology, sustainability and environmental racism. Recently she has explored the combination of surrealism and documentary film.