Solitary / Inclusion

“We live as we dream … alone.”
-Joseph Conrad

“You are welcome!” It is a phrase one hears reiterated over and over from the moment you arrive in Lagos, Nigeria. Yet, while a visitor may be welcome, they are still alone. Barriers exist which separate, confine and contribute to a feeling of solitary isolation that contrasts with the population crush of life in a dense urban environment. It is a place where clearly drawn lines separate the populace along social, economic and cultural boundaries.

For may western Europeans, these boundaries become even more pronounced due to an insular life within compounds and all to real security concerns. These factors ,coupled with others, leads too very little true integration between local and non-local communities.

Through the juxtaposition of solitary portraits set within empty communal spaces, “Solitary / Inclusion” explores a sense of place comprised of isolation and confinement, as experienced by an outsider, within the context of one of the few western international schools in Nigeria.