Graeme Spencer Smith, an artist and draftsman of Jamaican-British descent, joins the creative community at G.A.S. Lagos for a residency commencing on 01-04-2024 until 26-04-2024. Equiped with a background in ceramics and glass from the Royal College of Art, Graeme melds the worlds of architecture, crafts, and sculpture. His unique focus during this residency is to explore Nigerian glass beads, drawing inspiration from their history, patterns, colours, and the interplay of myth. The residency will see him delve into Bida-Masagá glass, not only to study but to design bespoke exhibition furniture, showcasing the essence of his research. As a craftsman who finds solace in the hands-on, Graeme hopes to create new work with locally sourced glass, in response to his experiences at G.A.S. and within the dynamic artistic community of Lagos.

Remi Kuforiji, an architect, spatial practitioner, and researcher in residence at G.A.S. Lagos, invited members of the creative community to apply to attend 'Playful Preservation', a free workshop on April 4th at G.A.S. Lagos, to collaboratively propose alternative ways of preserving Afro-Brazilian history and culture in Lagos.

This opportunity was open to diverse practitioners, including artists, architects, artisans, performers, and other makers and thinkers. Participants were involved in a symposium discussing issues around preserving the urban fabric of the Afro-Brazilian community on Lagos Island. In response to this discussion, participants proposed alternative realities through collaging, drawing and experimenting on top of archival and current photographs of Afro-Brazilian architecture in Lagos. Finally, participants played a prototype of “Anti-Monopoly: Brazilian Quarters” - a board game where players win by preserving the most Afro-Brazilian buildings in Lagos Island. Instead of developing land, you restore buildings; instead of paying rent, you pay visiting fees; instead of going bankrupt, you run out of the preservation budget. Through this playful process of world-building, participants interrogate issues of preserving the cultural memory of the relationship between Lagos and Brazil.

Rafael Kouto, a multidisciplinary designer and researcher in residence at G.A.S. Lagos, invites members of the creative community to apply to attend Circular Heroes, a free upcycling workshop at G.A.S. Lagos. This opportunity is open to fashion, textile, and other crafts practitioners. Participants will receive instructions on methods such as embroidery, applique, and weaving, and apply them in various exercises. This workshop takes a cue from the sprawling waterside communities of Lagos, whose landfills provide the workshop materials. 

The 2024 residency programme at G.A.S. Foundation commenced with the arrival of Victor Svensson and Eric Oetterli, Retail Management bachelor's thesis students from the Stockholm School of Economics, marking the second cohort of the prestigious Yinka Shonibare Thesis Scholarship initiated in 2023 in partnership with Art Initiative, Misum, Mistra Center for Sustainable Markets, and Stockholm School of Economics. During their residency, they explored the intricacies of Nigeria's cryptocurrency adoption, examining its ramifications on retail, economic growth, and financial inclusion. From their base at G.A.S. Lagos, they conducted a comprehensive series of in-person interviews with local retailers. Victor and Eric collaborated closely with a consultancy firm to design and circulate a survey garnering over 800 responses to unearth invaluable insights into the landscape of cryptocurrency adoption in Nigeria.

Originating against the backdrop of the Isale-Akoka area in Bariga, the first iteration of Circular Heroes was hosted by Rafael Kouto in collaboration with Peter D. Abayomi of the Eran Jije Project, whose work activates communities through music, dance, and environmental awareness. This upcycling workshop engaged 15 young people from one of Lagos' most ingenious waterside communities, characterised by adjacent landfills that provide inhabitants with building materials and income streams through recycling. The exercise served as a prequel to another workshop held at the G.A.S. Lagos residency space, attended by fashion designers, visual artists, photographers, climate activists and resource reclamation entrepreneurs.