Het Geheugen van Noord-Commewijne
Het ‘Geheugen van Noord-Commewijne’ is part of an oral history museum in Commewijne (Suriname) and a living archive of personal stories of the residents on the right bank of the Commewijne river. Most of these places used to be sugarcane plantations with a history of slavery and identured labour. These stories tie together the past, the present and future, capturing the everyday lives of the people that saw their home, an old sugarcane plantation grow to a popular tourist destination. I transcribed, translated and wrote the stories of late Opa Marimin.
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Designing Cities for All
How can we create cities where everyone feels like they belong?
Design. What is the first word or image that comes into your mind? A flyer with flashy colours? Fashion? Or perhaps a futuristic building? What does it mean to design? Writer John Heskett mentions “Design, stripped to its essence, can be defined as the human nature to shape and make our environment in ways without precedent in nature, to service our needs and give meaning to our lives.” Whether you are thinking about a product or a space, the core of design is about giving meaning to our lives and fulfilling the needs of living beings. However, too often design does quite the opposite; due to lack of diversity in teams, unconscious bias, historical systems of oppression like colonisation, and institutional racism, many designers often remain unaware of the exclusionary repercussions of what they design and the way they design. Read the full article in Uncover Magazine of Breda University of Applied Sciences.
More Perspectives on Designing Cities for All: Becoming a Designalist
What are the boundaries between architecture, journalism and art? During the Designalism project from ACED Platform, my team mates and I discovered that an transdisciplinary approach can help creative minds let go of tunnel vision and design with an open attitude. Read the full essay and the rest of ‘More Perspectives on Designing Cities for All’ through this link. Or order the physical version here.
Glimpses of Utopia
Imagine living in a city where everyone looks the same; thin, young, white, and body-abled. Difficult, right? Not only would this city be boring, a city like this simply does not exist. Renders are often used by architects to imagine what a building or lived environment might look like in the future. However, globally it is still problematic to find renders that represent the diverse society we live in today. Read the full article in the online magazine of Pakhuis de Zwijger.
Fawaka with You(th) Series for UNICEF Guyana & Suriname
As the coronavirus continues to spread across the world, everyone is trying to adapt to this ‘new normal ‘in their own way. Adapting in these challenging times can especially be difficult for young people. UNICEF Suriname recently conducted a youth KAP survey to get more insight into how much young people know about the virus and how COVID-19 has impacted their lives. This blog is a follow up to the key findings of the youth survey aimed at getting the stories behind the data. FAWAKA translates to “How are you doing?” in ‘Sranan Tongo’ (English-based creole language)