How can African handcraft and global brands be connected and get equally enriched at the same time? How can we use design to give refugees the opportunity of building a new future? In the third event of the series »More Aphrike« M.Bassy aims to find answers to the question of responsible design, which is linked to society, African handcraft, production from a western, industrial perspective as well as the current discourse about design.
M.Bassy invites guests from New York and Berlin to a discussion in Hamburg: the internationally successful product designer Stephen Burks and Corinna Sy, founder of the design manufacture project CUCULA in Berlin, which supports refugees to build their own professional future through the production of furniture. Triggered through M.Bassy Stephen and CUCULA are cooperating to create a design object, which is specially developed for the event. First prototypes will be presented at M.Bassy. Together with the audience both designers will talk about their work experience as designer between the African and Western world and how they create, according Olafur Eliasson, »different realities, which helps us to redefine our society«.
About Stephen Burks:
For over a decade, Stephen Burks has dedicated his work to building a bridge between authentic craft traditions, industrial manufacturing, and contemporary design. He is producing for a range of international clients including B&B Italia, Boffi, Cappellini, Dedar, Dedon, Harry Winston, Missoni, Moroso, Parachilna, Roche Bobois and Swarovski. His focus is on the use of recycled materials and the realisation of social projects. Since 2005, Burks has consulted with nonprofits including Aid to Artisans, the Clinton Global Initiative, Design Network Africa, Artesanias de Colombia and the Nature Conservancy. Stephen and his studio Stephen Burks Man Made won several design awards.
About Corinna Sy and CUCULA:
Social Designer Corinna Sy founded the initiative CUCULA in 2014 together with Jessy Medernach und Sebastian Däschle and is the head of the design team. CUCULA supports refugees from African countries to open up a perspective for a self-determined life in Germany. CUCULA runs its own workshop in Berlin, offering a range of educational programs for people with refugee status helping them to create a long-term perspective. From early on Corinna Sy, as a freelancing designer, put her focus on social-political issues and the development of social projects.
The event series »More Aphrike« is funded by the TURN Fund of the German Federal Cultural Foundation, designed to encourage artistic cooperation between Germany and the African continent.