entance to the m'afrique exhibiton
image © designboom

stephen burks was commisioned by patrizia moroso to design and curate
the m'afrique exhibition, held at the moroso showroom during milan design week.
for his research he travelled to the african city of dakar to understand the production
process of furniture making, work with local artisans and buy the sengalese and mali
fabrics, which covers all the pieces of the installation. m' afrique celebrates
the african continent through works by designers, artists and craftspeople.

'looking at africa through the eyes of contemporary art, photography, architecture
and design is perhaps the most appropriate way of approaching this vast, powerful
continent, so creatively rich and diverse that today it is still one of western modernity’s
greatest sources of inspiration.' - stephen burks


'eating stars' by fathi hassan
image © fathi hassan


'shadowy' by tord boontje
image © designboom


furniture range by stephen burks

stephen burks’s created a chair, an armchair and a range of pouffes in various sizes,
using a hand weaving technique.


furniture range by stephen burks


'bayekou' by birsel + seck
image © designboom


furniture range by birsel + seck and patricia urquiola
image © designboom

using a hand weaving technique birsel + seck created a wide range of softly rounded
products such as madame dakar, an enormous armchair.


african craftspeople weaving 'madame dakar'


'madame dakar' by birsel + seck
image © designboom


'madame dakar' by birsel + seck
image © designboom


'madame dakar' leg detail by birsel + seck
image © designboom


'bench' by patricia urquiola


'rift' by patricia urquiola
one off piece interpreted in african fabrics
image © designboom


image © designboom


bench by birsel + seck
image © designboom


image © designboom


exhibition view
image © designboom


'do-lo-rez-' by ron arad,
one off piece interpreted in african fabrics
image © designboom


image © designboom


'victoria & albert sofa' by ron arad,
one off piece interpreted in african fabrics
image © designboom


'antibodi' by patricia urquiola
one off piece interpreted in african fabrics
image © designboom


'princess' by nipa doshi and jonathan levien
one off piece interpreted in african fabrics
image © designboom


'bouquet' chair by tokujin yoshioka
one off piece interpreted in african fabrics
image © designboom


'binta' by philippe bestenheider
one off piece interpreted in african fabrics
image © designboom

'binta' is upholstered in multicolour patchwork wax prints.


sticky tape covered chair by soly cisse
image © designboom


sketch of sticky tape covered chair by soly cisse


five african cities (dakar, addis abeba, harare, pretoria, bamako),  a photographic survey
part of a bigger, exhibition held at harvard in 2007 by david adjaye
image © designboom


back wall photo by mandemory a self taught photographer
image © designboom


photo by mandemory
image © mandemory

see images of the building up of the 'm'afrique' exhibition.