You’ve probably heard of candid photographer Msingi Sasis’ successful project Nairobi Noir - a photo collection of striking images of Nairobi by night. He captures scenes and places in the city oft ignored or taken for granted in our daily lives, made even more captivating in the stillness of the night.
Nairobi Noir has a striking visual style - these images seem to have been pulled out of a graphic novel.
Here we’re going to try to piece together Msingi Sasis’ creative process of taking a piece of art from picture to kanga.
Step 1: Capture a sliver of life. Go out on the town at night, with nothing but your camera as company. Use your grittiest, truest sensibilities.
Step 2: Play around with what you’ve got. It’s time for some rockstar Photoshop. Does black and white add to the gravitas, does it make it kitschy? What if you want to get psychedelic: perhaps a mirror effect? The result is kind of like a meandering print on fabric. Or better yet, the khanga that’s laying on your bed.
Step 3: How does it make you feel? Take the one of the girl working the street at night under the “Wei Wei” shopping square sign. A word of caution - “Chunga Utamu Wa Raha Isikunyonge Shingoni”- the trademark of a Swahili kanga.
Step 4: Add a beautiful border to frame your process. We now have a Kanga of the Night - beautiful, raw and expressive in so many lovely layers.
