design indaba 2016: lekan jeyifo's shanty mega structures question the future of deprived slums

design indaba 2016 lekan jeyifo shanty mega structures: nigerian-born, brooklyn-based artist and designer lekan jeyifo, has created a series of digital collages using juxtaposed images of coveted real-estate in lagos. the project explores the sculptural quality contained within the architectural landscape of such settlements and highlights the important questions regarding the future of these deprived areas. 

collages detail colossal vertical slums, constructed using worn-out rusted parts from impoverished shacks

shanty towns are frequently seen as unsightly eyesores to be bulldozed, leaving their inhabitants completely displaced. lekan jeyifo explains that ‘the idea was to utilise the material, organisational and construction typologies of shacks and shanty settlements in order to create structures at the scale of large commercial developments in order to bring visibility to these marginalised communities through a somewhat dystopian perspective.’

plywood, sheets of plastic, cardboard boxes and corrugated metal have been used collaged together

through the fields of design, architecture, and art, jeyifo aims to question the present and future of shanty towns, by placing an existing typology within a new context. his collages detail colossal vertical slums, constructed using worn-out rusted parts from impoverished shacks. plywood, sheets of plastic, cardboard boxes and corrugated metal have been layered to create these unusual structures. highways and rivers circle the developments, forming a complex landscape which introduces a new frame of reference by drawing attention to these often disregarded settlements.

through the fields of design, architecture, and art, jeyifo aims to question the present and future of shanty towns 

highways and rivers circle the developments

the shanty town at night

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design indaba
is a multifaceted platform committed to a better world through creativity. the south-african online publication hosts an annual festival and social impact do tank in cape town. the design indaba festival has been created by ravi naidoo in 1995, with focus on african and global creativity, through the lens of the work and ideas of leading thinkers and doers, opinion formers, trendsetters and industry experts.

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: hollie smith | designboom