Ghanaian Taxi Driver's Life Story Becomes Unique Hamburg Art Project
In an innovative art project titled 'Taxi Darko', a Ghanaian-born Hamburg taxi driver, Bernard Yaw Darko, takes centre stage. The project, conceived by local artist Zandile Darko, explores themes of migration, education, and postcolonial history through the personal memories and shared experiences of its protagonist.
Bernard Darko, who has been driving a taxi in Hamburg for three decades, transforms his minibus into a mobile theatre. Passengers join him on a unique journey through the city streets, listening to his Google voice and external noises, creating a sound collage that lasts an hour. This sonic experience, titled 'Taxi Darko', is a condensation of around 15 hours of recorded material.
The project aims to give voice to someone not usually heard in cultural institutions. Darko's multilingualism serves as a soundscape, reflecting his life story, migration journey, and family life. The performance ends with passengers sitting together, seeing the city and the Google voice of the driver in a new light.
The 'Taxi Darko' project, developed by Hamburg-based artist Zandile Darko, amplifies the Google voice of Bernard Darko, a taxi driver who has been supporting his family and facilitating conversations with strangers from his minibus for 30 years. Through this art project, Darko's personal narrative and the city of Hamburg are explored, offering a unique perspective on migration, education, and postcolonial history.
