A Short Summary of who we are & what we want to do
Invisible Borders Trans-African Project was established in 2009 by a group of African artists with aims to promote movement and Trans-border exchange in Africa using visual, literary and performing arts. The flagship project is the Invisible Borders Road Trip which every year unites up to 10 artists - photographers, writers, filmmakers, to make road trips across the borders of countries in Africa. During the road trip, the artists produce works, through the medium of photography, writing, film and performance art. Beyond that they also consolidate networks through outreach programs such as workshops, presentations and exhibitions while on the go.
1. A ROAD TRIP FROM LAGOS (NIGERIA) TO SARAJEVO (BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA)
This trip, the 5th in the series, will be the first Transcontinental Road Trip of the collective and will be from Lagos (Nigeria) to Sarajevo (Bosnia) through 21 countries in Africa and Europe. There has hardly been a trip of this kind in the history of African art.
During the last four editions of the Road Trip the group has explored African countries from the West to the East and Central Africa. The impressions of the last four years have given rise to reflections and subsequent evolution of questions surrounding the complexness of borders. This year’s road trip is therefore an attempt to approach the core of what necessitates borders: Movement. The road trip project is an attempt to draw a tangible line of connection across chosen geographic locations in order to transcend the limitations proposed by the existing demarcating lines.
The road trip will assemble up to 10 artists (accompanied by 3 technical crew members) from countries in Africa whose previous work are rooted in the reality of the African continent. It will be made up of photographers, writers, video artists, art critics, art historians and performance artists. Read about the participants.
The journey will last 151 days (22 weeks) from the 2nd of June until 31st of October 2014. Read more about the road trip
2. A BOOK ABOUT OUR FIRST FOUR ROAD TRIPS
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Book Cover Design: Kummer & Hermann
In collaboration with Institut Francais,we plan to produce a book that articulates the discoveries, experiences and reflections of the first four editions of the road trip from 2009 to 2012, bringing together rich and powerful images complemented by essays from the writers that traveled on the road trip as well as by engaging scholars, art historians and curators invited to contribute.
The reader of the Invisible Borders book will enjoy fluid navigation of images and texts in different rhythms and layers amounting to a sort of a non-linear rendition of the experiences of the project, featuring images and writings from places like Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia Senegal, Cameroon, Gabon and more.
This book will find its way into libraries of schools and art institutions in the African continent and beyond. It will be out on time for our next road trip from Lagos to Sarajevo come June 2014. This gives the opportunity to distribute them along the way as we trek from Africa to Europe.
The book comes as a softcover, of 200 full colour images and approximately 320 pages and it is scheduled to be launched in April 2014.
Not only will your contributions make this endeavour a reality, it is symbolic of your support towards documentation of creative endeavours in Africa in this stage of the 21st century, and that is extremely historical.
What We Need & What You Get
- $173,600 is a lot, but that's what we need to make the road trip and book possible. This will cover the accommodation, per diem, transportation, and publishing costs. Consider donating the smallest (or largest!) fraction of this, and you'll be part of history!
- Our perks are generous as well: you can get limited-edition DVDs, copies of the book, t-shirts, postcards, and you stand a chance to meet us during the road trip
Breakdown of costs
We’re aiming for 173,600 USD which covers:
$78,520: per diems (covering feeding and pocket expenses) for our artists for 22 weeks
$58, 890: accommodation during the road trip
$12,000: printing of the book
$10,000: paying the designers of the book
$ 6,680: Indiegogo commission (4% of total)
$4,500: paying authors fee for the artists whose work are included in the book
$3,000: payment for the driver of the Van
The Impact
We are convinced that for there to be a steadfast progress in Africa from which all countries can benefit, there must first be freedom of movement of peoples and cultures across borders. Furthermore, we hope to offer an unconventional perspective of Africa - one that has suffered under the blatancy of mass media.
Other Ways You Can Help
Remember that if you are on this page you can do something to help our cause. You can share the campaign with your network using the Indiegogo campaign tool. Or if you have any question, please email us right away (info@invisible-borders.com)