Taiwo Jacob Ojudun / Uche Emmanuel Enechukwu
Unbound Geographies: Reimagining Bodies, Borders, and the City
20. 7. – 8. 8. 26
Unbound Geographies is a three-week interdisciplinary workshop exploring how bodies, borders, and urban spaces shape one another. Initiated by Taiwo Jacob Ojudun in cooperation with Christoph Schlingensief’s Opera VillageAfrica, the course examines how histories of migration, displacement, and colonialism are embodied in contemporary European cities.
Through group activities and individual consultations, participants will investigate borders as lived experiencesshaped by memory and social structures. Working with dance, somatic practice, collective public space, oral archives, speculative media, and multimedia experimentation, participants will learn new artistic techniques,improve individual expressiveness, and enhance their ability to work collaboratively.
Participants will understand performance as a mediator of memory and community and will develop artistic and critical interventions in urban space. The course culminates in a public presentation that brings together research and artistic outcomes, supporting participants in strengthening their own practice and perspectives.
Christoph Schlingensief’s Opera Village Africa
The Opera Village Africa is an international arts project in Burkina Faso that has been developing since 2009. Founded on Christoph Schlingensief’s (1960–2010) vision, it combines artistic practice, intercultural exchange, and postcolonial educational work. Its core mission is to bring people of diverse backgrounds together, nurture creative potential, and strengthen social structures sustainably. Located thirty kilometres outside Ouagadougou on land provided by the Burkinabè government, the village has grown into a vibrant community of twenty-six buildings, including school facilities, medical centres, studios, housing, and open spaces for artistic and culturalactivities. Beyond its architecture, the Opera Village Africa is a living social organism. It develops programs that enhance education, cultural participation, and healthcare, while connecting people across borders. The local community actively participates, fostering self-determination and long-term development. At the same time, the village serves as a platform for critical international exchange, promoting nuanced perspectives on Africa, encouraging mutual learning, and questioning global power structures.
key data
- Venue
- Festung Hohensalzburg
- Date
- 20. 7. – 8. 8. 26
- Teaching language
- English (German and Yoruba possible)
- Participation fee
- 890 Euro (reduced 635 Euro)
- Requirements
- Open to all artistic, curatorial, and creative backgrounds. No specific prior technical skills required. Willingness to engage in group work and individual consultations, and openness to interdisciplinary process.
- Maximum number of participants
- 20
Taiwo Jacob Ojudun
Taiwo Jacob Ojudun is a dancer, choreographer, performer and community organizer based in Lagos and Berlin. In 2015, Taiwo co-founded Illuminatetheatre, a creative lab that uses dance as a tool to empower young people. Taiwo’s work delves into the landscapes of everyday life, using interdisciplinary mediums and performances to engage socio-political themes of identity, marginalized histories, and neo-colonialism. His projects foster dialogue, solidarity, and transformation among fabricated communities. In 2020, Taiwo was one of the resident artists at Christoph Schlingensief’s Opera Village Africa in Burkina Faso where his project focused on empowering girls through embodied practice and collective expression.
Exhibitions
2025 Trümmerberg Cartographies: Rituals, Memory, and Counter-Archives in Public Space, movement research project, Volkspark Hasenheide, Berlin.
2024 The Migrant, multimedia dance performance, independent production, Berlin.
2023 EXIT Strategies: Unraveling Environmental Crises and Pursuing Climate Justice in the Global South, ufaFabrik, Berlin.
2018 what if:, experimental film collage and live performance, exchange with Galerie Wedding and SAVVY Contemporary, Berlin.
Uche Emmanuel Enechukwu
Uche Emmanuel Enechukwu is a Nigerian performance artist, choreographer, and creative director. Co-founder of Illuminatetheatre Productions in Lagos, he explores identity, societal transformation, and collective narratives through performance and community engagement. Trained under Segun Adefila, he has worked internationally on projects including Long Distance Call, Dear Beloved Friend, and FESTIWALL Berlin. In 2025, he developed GBÉBÒRÙN on environmental themes and initiated THE PLACE, fostering dialogue and social cohesion through art.
