Exhibition Opening Reception
6:30 p.m.
MD Anderson Hall, Jury Gallery
Light refreshments served.
RSVP requested
The panel will revolve around the practices of hosts Stella Mutegi and Kabage Karanja of Cave_bureau, Issa Diabaté of Koffi & Diabaté, and Moreno Castellano and Eloisa Ramos of Ramos Castellano Arquitectos. We will discuss ways in which context affects their work, whether it be through materiality, technology, representation, and so on.
Stella Mutegi and Kabage Karanja are the founders of Cave_bureau in Nairobi, Kenya. Their office consists of architects and researchers tackling issues of architecture and urbanism within nature.
Issa Diabaté is a co-founder and managing director of Koffi & Diabaté Architectes in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Because they work in a tropical environment, their work has a high emphasis on passive solutions and architecture’s integration into the environment.
Moreno Castellano and Eloisa Ramos are the founders of Ramos Castellano Arquitectos in São Vicente, Cabo Verde. Their work explores materiality and mixed media to shape matters and landscapes.
Engaging Pluralism
When ideologies and cultures collide, new ways of working with and living in the world emerge. As a form of political philosophy, pluralism draws upon this dynamic condition, promoting the coexistence of multiple approaches and worldviews. Yet in the context of compounding crises and unchecked inequality, this is far from a neutral position: it becomes a commitment to struggle and discourse. Drawing from a broad-ranging group of speakers, Rice Architecture’s annual lecture series, Engaging Pluralism, explores how architects and designers can work with friction, contradiction, and multiplicity to effect broader social, cultural, and environmental change. It is an all-school platform for reflecting on the possibilities and challenges of designing for a pluralistic society.
The Contextualizing Africa exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Kyle Lasseter Endowment for Diversity in Architecture.