Creative inspiration comes from all around us. For many dancers, it is their day to day existence that provides inspiration. We connected with Ambrose Tjark, one of the founding members of Westyde Lifestyle to get a glimpse of his day to day life; a bit of Lagos through his eyes. Below are his submissions, each with an explanation of what is captured and why it resonates with him.
photo 1
“One of my favorite places right now.. it’s the Atan cemetery where picture Kodak’s body is laying, located at Yaba, on University of Lagos road.. close to Kodak’s former apartment, where she paid her first rent.. I go there to relax, and seek solitude, peace of mind and reflect on my day or week....” —Ambrose TJark
Photo 2
“The eko market, Lagos island.. one of my favorite markets to shop for all kinds of fashion gears”—Ambrose TJark
Photo 3
“This is Mushin Lagos.. one of the notorious towns in Lagos state.. this place in particular, is popularly known as GHETTO....I mostly come here to feel, experience and understand my reality in its real rawness.. feel love in its rawest form.”—Ambrose Tjark
Photo 4
“This is Bariga.. what a regular street looks like in Bariga, Lagos.. everyone knows each other, we fight, and build together.. a regular community in Lagos” —-Ambrose TJark.
Photo 5
“The famous fela shrine.. here we see some of the beliefs and our gods highlighted” —-Ambrose TJark
Photo 6
“Popularly known as WHITE HOUSE.. it’s a community arts Centre with two studio rooms.. every dancer from top to bottom has been to this place.. this is also the home of WESTSYDE LIFESTYLE” —-Ambrose TJark
photo 7
“One of my favorite places in Oworoshonki.. where I and my team have shot like 30% of our creative contents.. this was part of the Lagos lagoon but was land filled two years ago.” —Ambrose TJark
Photo 8
“Bariga Market Square.. here is Westsyde Lifestyle performing live to the people.. a performance on ‘Unity in this Covid era’ organized by the EUNIC”—Ambrose Tjark
photo 9
“This is after a music video shoot at Lekki Peninsula resort, Adeniran Adesanya.. it’s now an abandoned master piece. Many Lagos creatives still go there to make the best use of this golden piece of land.”—-Ambrose TJark.
Photo 10
“This is what a regular bus stop looks like on the mainland.. this is PALM GROOVE .. leads to bariga, shomolu, Onipanu, fadeyi.. very notorious places that has produced super stars like Olamide, Lil Kesh”—-Ambrose TJark.
Photo 11
“A regular day in Lagos from as early as 6am on a week day.” —Ambrose Tjark
Photo 12
“This is how the Third Mainland Bridge feels on a rainy Sunday at 7am, with no traffic .. it is the longest of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland, the other are the Eko and Carter bridges. It was the longest bridge in Africa until 1996 when the 6th of October Bridge located in Cairo was completed. The bridge starts from Oworonshoki which is linked to the Apapa-Oshodi expressway and Lagos-Ibadan expressway, and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island.” —Ambrose TJark
Photo 13
“The popular CMS bus stop, Marina, Lagos state. CMS stands for Cathedral church of Christ ..
Lagos Island (Ìsàlẹ̀ Èkó) is the principal and central local government area (LGA) in Lagos, Lagos State. It is part of the Lagos Division. As of the preliminary 2006 Nigerian census, the LGA had a population of 209,437 in an area of 8.7 km2. The LGA only covers the western half of Lagos Island; the eastern half is simply referred to as Lagos Island East LCDA.”—Ambrose Tjark
Photo 14
“This is what one of the busiest streets in Lagos island looks like on a Sunday at 9am.”—-Ambrose TJark
Photo 15
“One of my views.. from somewhere deep in Bariga. Here I see the bridge that links the mainland and island.. at night it’s most beautiful.. the government have started coming to own this place and turn it to a more a luxurious place.. a lot of the people will be homeless really pretty soon”—Ambrose Tjark
Photo 16
“An Abandoned printing press in Lagos island still running by a few Nigerians trying to make ends meet” —-Ambrose TJark.
Photo 17
“The Cathedral Church of Christ .
It is an Anglican cathedral on Lagos Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
The foundation stone for the first cathedral building was laid on 29 March 1867 and the cathedral was established in 1869.
Most elites especially those residing on the island attend this church.”—Ambrose Tjark