red clay

tamale is home to one of ghana's most interesting contemporary art projects. just outside the city, internationally renowned ghanaian artist ibrahim mahama has created red clay, an unusual combination of art galleries, studios, educational facilities and historical collections, including old aircraft and railway carriages.

his artwork often makes use of discarded materials such as jute sacks, old furniture and industrial objects. through large-scale installations, he explores themes of labour, trade, migration and colonial history, giving materials that have served their original purpose a new meaning.

i have visited red clay three times now, and like to go back every time i'm in tamale. there are always new angles, new meanings to explore, new encounters. and photos, many of them.

what makes red clay particularly interesting is its combination of art, history, technology and education. old machines become classrooms, discarded materials become artworks, and former industrial structures find new uses.

there are several retired aircraft and historic railway carriages, transported to tamale. these machines offer visitors, particularly schoolchildren who may never have seen an aircraft or a train close up, an opportunity to explore engineering, aviation and ghana's transport history.

they also reflect mahama's interest in preserving industrial objects that might otherwise have ended up as scrap.

some of the paintings contain known faces - either of well-known public figures, or of people that i have actually met here in tamale. if you are one of them, go and find your picture!