By Olamide Udoma
Also Read: Insider’s view of Lagos with architect Rem Koolhaas, 10 Must-See Architecture Documentaries, & Lagos: Infrastructure and improvisation
I have just been introduced to a sensory exploration of Lagos that uses various perspectives to explore the multi faceted city. This interactive documentary is based on the Lagos research project by Rem Koolhaas and The Harvard Project.
In 2001, architect Rem Koolhaas and filmmaker Bregtje van der Haak went to Lagos to document one of the fastest growing cities in Africa. Based on research by Koolhaas’ Harvard Project on the City, this interactive film presents an intense and chaotic engagement with a then hardly documented city.
The information has been organised according to distance. Loosely based on the trajectory of bus driver Olawole Busayo, it presents intimate encounters with the city and its people on the one hand (CLOSE), and a more removed perspective of Lagos on the other, (WIDE).
In the one hour interactive film, viewers are invited to join Busayo for his daily journey in the yellow Danfo (public minibus). Switch between a wide and a close view of Lagos and choose between three audio tracks: city sounds, interviews with lagos citizens, or comments by Rem Koolhaas. The two video channels and three audio channels are available to be played in parallel online in real time.
The one hour online adaptation has been made possible by Submarine Channel, providing a permanent and accessible resource for those interested in understanding Lagos and its rapid urban growth.
Watch the film at: lagos.submarinechannel.com
Film: Lagos Wide and Close – An Interactive Journey into an Exploding City
Director: Bregtje van der Haak
Producer: Submarine Channel
Designer: Silke Wawro
Photographer: Edgar Cleijne
Camera: Alexander Oey
Sound: Rik Meier