With all great disruptions, chaos often begets creativity. With the COVID 19 pandemic, isolation and lockdown afforded much time for self-reflection while social media became the primary platform for social interaction. Through these channels, new creativity was born via the exchange of ideas, which then led to some very interesting collaborations. One such example is a new home collection from TheUrbanative, which represents the collective efforts of a diverse group of artisans and designers from across the continent. The naming of the pieces was also inspired by words that define home and its associated emotions in various indigenous languages – the Dehinineti drinks server (meaning ‘safety’ in Amharic – spoken in Ethiopia), or the Isinmi ottoman (‘rest’ in Yoruba – spoken in Nigeria). Naming the pieces of this collection in different languages from this continent not only allows us to celebrate those languages, people and cultures but, through this exploration, we learn more about the stories surrounding them.
SOURCE: DESIGN INDABA
