françois beaurain animates everyday life in liberia

since 2014, françois beaurain has been artistically animating the lively streets of monrovia — the capital city of liberia. through an ongoing series series of short, looping gifs, beaurain immortalizes the people met and places visited while wandering through the coastal region. typical scenes of street life are imagined in perpetual motion, repeating the often mundane, yet mesmerizing actions of the citizens in endless loops.

beaurain uses a variety of architectural and urban settings as a backdrop — the ducor hotel, a now abandoned, but once five-star luxury accommodation; the former mount coffee hydropower plant; a few of the city’s countless evangelical churches; and beaches inhabited by fishing communities, located a few kilometers outside of monrovia.

while the animations bring a sense of whimsy and playfulness to the urban surroundings, they also shed light on some of the simple social interactions between residents. alongside a gif of two children playing with a well, beaurain comments that ‘most of liberian people do not have access to water and sanitation. wells are important social places in communities where people meet and chat.’ accompanying an animation of local kids playfully throwing balls down a hill, the artist notes that ‘heavy rains turn the streets into torrents and cascades, eroding the foundation of houses.’