Book Review
BOOK
Contemporary Design Africa
AUTHOR: Tapiwa Matsinde
LANGUAGE: English
PAGES: 208
ISBN: 978-0500291627
PUBLISHERS: Thames & Hudson
Tapiwa Matsinde is a British-born
designer, creative business consultant,
and writer of Zimbabwean heritage.
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africandesignmagazine.com
Contemporary Design Africa offers
a refreshing challenge to rigid
perceptions of what African design
looks like. Focusing primarily on interior
decoration, the book presents fifty
designers, artisans and cooperatives
based on the continent or part of the
diaspora, who are creating sophisticated
and innovative products and interiors.
An introductory section surveys
the history, vitality, and diversity in
African design, followed by profiles
of contemporary designers grouped
by craft, from textiles and ceramics,
basketry to furniture, lighting and
beyond. Some of these designers
reinterpret traditional methods and
styles in beautiful and highly individual
ways, such as the award-winning South
African organization Zenzulu, which
replicates techniques of Zulu master
bead makers. Sustainability and recycling
are another important focus for many:
Cheick Diallo, the founder of the African
Designers Association, creates stunning
furniture made from discarded materials.
Others, like Nigerian textile designer
Banke Kuku, fuse African and Western
styles in colorful, visually dynamic ways.
Complete with references for sourcing
African products, as well as a glossary
and bibliography, Contemporary Design
Africa reveals the rich possibilities being
explored by a new generation of African
creators. AD