Earlier this week, we welcomed Finnish filmmaker and artist Kush Badhwar for a four-week residency at G.A.S. Lagos. Working across moving image, sound, and research, his multidisciplinary practice explores the ecology of sound and image across time, political change, and large-scale development projects.
During his residency, Kush will focus on observing, researching, and learning from the city of Lagos, particularly its riparian zones, the dynamic spaces between land and water. He is interested in immersing himself in the rhythms of the city, seeking to understand its layered environments through lived experience. Kush also looks forward to meeting people, building friendships, and forming meaningful connections, allegiances, and potential collaborations. As part of this process, he hopes to engage with local platforms and initiatives such as Archivi.ng, Lagos Biennial, the Wits-TUB-UNILAG Urban Lab, and the African Film and Media Arts Collective (AFMAC).
Kush's residency is generously supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. To find out more about supporting G.A.S. Foundation, click here.
Image courtesy of Leo Hugendubel.
What is the current focus of your creative practice?
My current practice engages with counter-histories in relation to large-scale development projects using film and video, archives, artistic research, and urban studies.
What drew you to apply for this residency and how do you think it will inform your wider practice?
I undertook work in Ghana over the last year, and have been working in India for many years. Through this, I’ve developed a strong interest in South–South connections, particularly how different contexts relate to one another through shared histories and development processes. This residency offers an opportunity to continue exploring these connections within Lagos, and to see how this experience can inform and expand my wider practice.
Image courtesy of Kush Badhwar.
Can you give us an insight into how you hope to use the opportunity?
I want to expand my urban experience, and experiment in finding new ground between film and video, artistic research, and urban studies. I hope to spend time observing and learning from the city, and to engage with its different environments and communities. I also hope to build lasting friendships, and develop connections that could lead to future collaborations.
About Kush Badhwar
Kush Badhwar works across filmmaking, artistic and urban research as ongoing processes of being with ideas and places over time. He has been exploring the gradual making of counter-narrative around rapid and drastic changes in uses of water and land around urban peripheries.
Image courtesy of Kush Badhwar.
Kush's residency is generously supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
