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Government Service Centre
WHERE: Boston, Massachusetts
COUNTRY: USA
WHEN: 2009
This building used as the Police HQ in one of my favourite movies ‘The Departed‘
Yinka Ilori is a East London based designer with a degree in furniture and product design. He specialises in up-cycling vintage furniture inspired by traditional Nigerian parables and African fabrics that he grew up with as a child. Each piece of furniture that he up-cycles tells a meaningful, yet humorous story which can be shared with people throughout the world.
He is running his 3rd series of up-cycling workshops starting in May! You’ll get the chance to upcycle your own chair in his studio in the heart of East London! You’ll get the opportunity to up-cycle your own chair inspired by the traditional Nigerian parables you select and decide to work with! It’s a fun experience where you learn about the art of storytelling through Nigerian parables.
You’ll be musically inspired with sweet African music while working on your chairs and possibly luckily for you in this series there will be a live talking drummer throughout the series playing the parables while you work!
Get involved!
EMAIL: hello@yinkailori.com
WEBSITE: www.yinkailori.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/yinksdesigns
It is pretty clear I LOVE batik aka Adire aka tie dye fabric.
Soooooooo, I also realise you love it too and I have opened an ETSY store to provide you with some unique finds from across the African continent.
We will continually add new pieces as we get them.
So check out our current stash over on Urbanstax. There is currently Adire and Ankara in-store.
Let me know what you think!
Beats In Brazil
WHERE: Shoreditch, East London
COUNTRY: England
WHEN: August 2013
So by now I am sure you are familiar with our Snap clutches at Urbanknit. Not everyone knows the basic difference between the different names and here it is! Very simple really. They are named based on the sizes.
We have the Minisnap, the Supersnap and the Megasnap in order of size as in the image below.
Some people like to keep it minimal and travel light, others like to pack everything but the kitchen sink! Well, we have something for everyone. The Megasnap can even fit a small collapsible umbrella! Told ya.
How do you roll? The essentials or all bases covered? Are you Mini, Super or Mega?
Yoruba Ladies- image courtesy of http://www.sokari.co.uk/
Sokari Douglas Camp is a sculptor who works primarily in steel. She was born in 1958 in the Kalabari town of Buguma in southern Nigeria. She studied art at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California, earned her BA degree at the Central School of Art and Design, London and her MA from the Royal College of Art. Douglas Camp now lives in London with her husband, Alan Camp who is an architect.
Douglas Camp is internationally recognised for her large-scale sculptures in steel which has led to her work being acquired by various institutions like the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, the British Museum in London, Setagaya Art Museum in Tokyo and so on, all for their permanent collections.
Material Salsa- image courtesy of http://www.sokari.co.uk/
She has been awarded many commissions for public memorial sculptures, most notably the “Living Memorial” to Ken Saro-Wiwa. In 2003 her proposal NO-O-War No-O-War-R was shortlisted for Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth. In 2005, Douglas Camp was awarded a CBE in recognition of her contribution to the arts.
I have been a fan for a number of years and was glad to see more of her work including the lovely Yoruba ladies shown above at the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London.
Please have a look at the beautiful stories told by this artist.
For more information on Sokari Douglas camp visit: www.sokari.co.uk/
Date Night
WHERE : Accra
COUNTRY: Ghana
WHEN: November, 2010
Urbanknit Flash Sale: 30% off
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Ankara Samurai Tee
Today we have the Ankara Samurai tee from Literati Clothing (who are friends of the family so to speak). I like this one because you can be sure people will do a double-take once they catch a glimpse of it the first time. Striking!
Check out more of the work which is not limited to tees.
Boston City Hall
WHERE: Boston, Massachusetts
COUNTRY: North America
WHEN: 2009
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