The architect: Sumayya Vally
Co-founder of all-female practice Counterspace, the youngest ever team commissioned to design the Serpentine Pavilion in London, which is now set to open next year
How would you describe your philosophy?
‘We are deeply inspired by Johannesburg, our city – its challenges, opportunities and people, and the lives they live. Our aim is to find and create design languages from and for Africa. I’m particularly interested in issues of identity, migration and territory, and how these translate into form. I approached the Serpentine Pavilion with the same ethos – looking for inspiration in the fabric of the UK capital and the people in it. I also hope to resume other building projects soon, including an arts centre in the Valley of a Thousand Hills and the conversion of an old NG Kerk church into a mosque in the Johannesburg suburb of Brixton.’
Which are your top Jo’burg places to visit?
‘I grew up walking the inner city on Ntemi Piliso and Diagonal Street, where my grandfather’s stores are – the energy, the colours of the fabrics and sounds of the city are still a deep source of inspiration for me.’
Who and what is exciting you on the creative scene right now?
‘Everything about Johannesburg – its rogue systems and practices, the rituals of the people despite immense challenges, the restrictions, which are a call to arms. In terms of artists, I love what Mikhael Subotzky does working across film installation, video, photography, collage and painting. Also Cape Town-based twin brothers Hasan and Husain Essop, and Igshaan Adams, who explores the intersections of personal identity with race, religion and sexuality.’
Any other local tips?
‘Circa Gallery, the Kerk Street Mosque and Diagonal Street for the architecture. For shopping, my go-to jewellery brands are Pichulik and Waif, and Ninevites for textiles. Some of my favourite spaces are The Commune, a radical bookstore, café and reference library, and chef Sanza Sandile’s pan-African Yeoville Dinner Club. I also like to watch the sunset from the mine dumps you find around the city.’
counterspace-studio.com
