In this film, architect, artist and educator Giles Tettey Nartey shares insight into his artwork Assembly. This critical and creative intervention challenges the colonial legacies embedded within our cities by providing new ways to read and interpret these histories.
Giles’s piece directly responds to the Dominion Screen in the Florence Hall at RIBA’s headquarters, 66 Portland Place in London. The Dominion Screen was designed by the sculptor Denis Dunlop (1892-1959) and was part of the building’s original decorative scheme. It depicts the people and extracted resources of regions once considered part of the British Empire.
His work invites viewers to think more broadly about the themes used to describe and represent culture and architecture. As part of the Raise the Roof exhibition, Assembly invited visitors and groups to engage and question the meaning behind the images displayed within the Dominion Screen. As seen in the film, Giles explored ideas around home, rituals, and representation as part of a youth forum workshop.
Demonstrating just one of many ways to address decolonisation in the built environment, Giles draws from his own cultural heritage and introduces a new panel that integrates the ideas explored throughout the development of his commission.
Film produced by RIBAJ Rising Star Dion Barrett.
Visit our website to learn more about or work on decolonising architecture and unpacking imperialism within RIBA’s past: https://www.architecture.com/explore-architecture/Unpacking-imperialism
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