Architecture Assistant Professor Dahlia Nduom Featured in New Blood 2021 Exhibition at the ArchiAfrika Pavilion in Venice
Assistant Professor Dahlia Nduom’s research work on the intersection of history, culture and traditional building practices in contemporary Ghanaian architecture was selected and is on display at the ArchiAfrika Pavilion in the New Blood 2021 Exhibition in conjunction with the European Cultural Centre’s Time Space Existence exhibition, a collateral exhibition at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia in Venice, Italy. The ArchiAfrika Pavilion is hosting a series of four exhibitions through November 21, 2021.
“This exhibition is conceived as a showcase of the range of voices around contemporary African architecture discourse, and I am happy to have the opportunity to present my perspective,” says Nduom.
The ArchiAfrika Pavilion is a platform for the visionary voices of young and black emerging architects from Africa and the African diaspora. Designed by Studio NYALI, the inspiration for the ArchiAfrika Pavilion comes from the Jamestown Café in Accra, Ghana and traditional African central courtyard architecture. The café serves as a venue for shows and exhibitions, and most importantly, for design thinking and creative dialogue that also stimulates economic growth.
Nduom’s work investigates the relationship between history, culture, and perception and their impact on the architecture of the African Diaspora. Her research in this context focuses on the architectural evolution of dwelling spaces in the African Diaspora. She examines cultural, economic, social, political, and sustainability issues to understand the spatial practices and systems occurring in the home and their role in what it means to dwell.
Her current work is focused on Caribbean architecture and the role of the image, archive, and memory in the framing of the exotic vs. the realities of the development of dwelling architecture in touristed landscapes.
“Professor Nduom’s inclusion in this exhibition not only recognizes her work as part of the next generation of architects designing African and Caribbean architecture but also acknowledges her research on dwelling spaces in the African Diaspora,” comments Hazel R. Edwards, professor, and chair of the Howard University Department of Architecture.