Obscure Borders - An experimental exploration

''Everything is a border'' - Thomas Nail

Recent research highlights that the concept of a border has evolved significantly (Nail, 2016). Nail argues that borders are not just physical or static; they are ephemeral, mobile, and multifaceted, constantly being created and recreated due to various nuances.

Take Lagos, Nigeria, for example—a city known for its vibrant, fast-paced ecosystem. Here, the daily journey of crossing borders supports social networks and the continuous search for basic human needs. In this context, ‘the car’ becomes a symbol or metaphor to explore its implications, meaning, and permeability in relation to space and place.

This research delves into the hidden boundaries, political dynamics, practical complexities, and agents that influence movement and living. The everyday experience of travelling between different locales, such as from Surulere in Lagos State to Shimawa in Ogun State, serves as the starting point. This study demonstrates that borders are both static and variable, simultaneously fixed and fluid, depending on their location, composition, size, operation, activity, and form. They exist at the intersection of multiple microcosms, leaving a vivid and lasting impression even if their actions are discontinuous. This understanding informs how architects conceptualize and reimagine space, place, and ecosystems.

Therefore, it can be postulated that the car is a form of architecture that enables activities (Henrik, 2015). Though arguably an abstract boundary, it essentially separates two or more constructs, whether social, political, cultural or economic. The car provides agency. The car holds power. The car encompasses complex networks within and beyond its boundaries. From collages to line drawings, the car ultimately serves as a node.