Grassroots Upgraded: Reflections on Nairobi Eastlands

For 'Grassroots Upgraded', the artists collective Slum-TV have chosen the LOMO camera as a medium of self-representation. With these images Slum-TV goes beyond the stereotypes which have been shaping our imagination of Africa.

This book, the first in a series called Africalia Editions [photo] aims to fill a void in the history of photography, by unveiling the oeuvre of contemporary photographers from Africa. For Grassroots Upgraded, twenty members of the collective ''Slum-TV'' have chosen the LOMO camera as a medium of self-representation. The project is not a development project but rather takes an ironic perspective on the developing world, a position which is reflected in the title of the book and the politically incorrect name of the collective. The approach is conceptual and political, the choice of medium an aesthetic one. The LOMO camera is taken as anarchic medium, based on chance, involving imperfection and often producing a blurred aesthetic. With these images Slum-TV goes beyond the stereotypes which have been shaping the Afric of our imagination.Also available in the Africalia series:Sammy Baloji ISBN 9789058563965Calvin Dondo ISBN 9789058564214Julius Mwelu ISBN 9789058564030Kiripi Katembo ISBN 9789058565174Teddy Mazina ISBN: 9789058565167