A tin-mining company accidentally found the first Nok terracotta figurines in 1928. Further investigation, from 1943, led to the excavation of more sites in Jemaa, Taruga, and Jos, which were found to have terracotta concentrations resembling earlier settlements.
As historically important as the Nok cultural landscape is, proper protection and conservation efforts have been minimal. Researchers have failed to educate and involve the local community on the importance of Nok culture and its terracotta. Left behind are meagre photographs while foreign museums abound in cultural material associated with the Nok civilization. This means that the general Nigerian population lacks access to Nok artefacts.
Among Us is an interdisciplinary project that uses Augmented Reality to create a virtual scape of Nok artefacts. It combines the concepts of museum technology and art direction. The result will include a mixed-media collage zine with illustrations.
As discussions on climate issues prevail, our research into how the Nok Civilization adapted to its environment, while creating unique art that has survived time, will prove insightful. Among Us will be an alternative ecotourism highlighting local museums and the economy.
This project Among Us is part of the Open Country Magazine Fellowship sponsored by Africa No Filter.
Amaka Obioma
Amaka Obioma is a multimedia artist who works in performance, visual storytelling, fashion, and artistic research. She currently co-curates Tantdile Xperimenta Lab, an art collective that collaborates with the general public in a discussion of social issues. Her work explores human connection in the global stratosphere and means of sustainable living, womanism, and the body as media. It integrates freedom in perspective, syncretic beliefs, and socio-cultural activism.
Vetum Galadima
Vetum Gima Galadima is a visual interdisciplinary artist and curator from Kaduna. She is the creative director of Villager’s Paradise, of The Sundial, and of Vetum’s Pop-Up Space. She has a B.A. in Archaeology from Ahmadu Bello University and has working experience at the National Commission for Museum and Monuments, Ataoja’s Palace, and the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove. She is a 2021 Arts in Medicine Fellow and was a participant of the Goethe-Institut and Institut Francais 2021 Networking in Times of Crisis Digital Workshop. She has curated art exhibitions, including the #ArewaMeToo exhibition in Kaduna.
