That, Around Which The Universe Resolves:
On Rhythmanalysis of Memory, Times, Bodies in Space

Ojuelegba, Ojuelegba, For Ojuelegba; Lagos city, Surulere, ogoro center, For ojuelegba, for ojuelegba Moto dey come from south, Moto dey come from north, Moto dey come from east , Moto dey come from west, And policeman no dey for center, Na confusion be dat-o

Fela Kuti, Confusion

The Lagos chapter of  That, Around Which the Universe Revolves involves a series of performative interventions in and around Ojuelegba, the famous Lagos intersection which is literally the heart of the city, whose beat propels and animates all of Lagos’ rhythms, distributing information, bodies, desires, knowledge and capital into the city at regular intervals. Ojuelegba literally translates as the “eye” or “shrine” of Elegba, and used to function as a place whre sacrifices were made to Eshu Elegbara, the Yoruba deity and trickster who conveyed information between this earthly and the celestial sphere. In the song Confusion, Fela Kuti pays tribute to the incredible complexity of this space, which functions as a vortex for all the flows within Lagos, being the key of all transport nodes, but also the centre of the ingenuity and zealousness of Lagos’ informal economic activities. Artists were invited to engage with the complex rhythms of this crucial space, in order to investigate Lagos’ temporal and spacial dimensions, seen through the interrelations between the body, rhythm and urban structures.