by Ayodele Arigbabu
SEEKING a breathe of fresh air, the design sleuth recently packed a backpack and hit the road to Ibadan with co-conspirator and fellow design inquisitor, James George, as company. The excuse was an invitation to speak with some university students at the IrawoUniversity Centre, however, the university being on strike, the trip turned out to be more of a pilgrimage to the two Demas Nwoko buildings domiciled in Ibadan — The Dominican Institute and the New Culture Studios at Oremeji. Architecture is a profound enterprise to engage with for the ones who create the experiential spaces we all love to visit and for those who will keep enjoying the little gifts of visual and spatial experiences tucked into the built forms for them to discover. At Ibadan, we had our fill; I’ll shut up now and let you have a taste...but for the real thing, you need to pay those buildings a visit! Thanks to Tayo Fagbule and everyone at Irawo who were such marvelous hosts, to Demass’ daughter-in-law and her twins, who opened the door at Oremeji and showed us round and to Father Justice at the Dominican Chapel who still shared in our awe of a building he’s experienced for decades.
No comments:
Post a Comment