national gallery of zimbabwe presents Design exhibition

DESIGN ZIMBABWE:THE TRADITIONAL KITCHEN The Traditional Kitchen strives to find new directions in design by appreciating the iconic structure scattered across every homestead in Zimbabwe; the Kitchen. This hut holds a special place in many Zimbabwean lives on many fronts. The kitchen serves as a utility fixture and to that end is stripped of its anthropological, gender and societal facets; those which are strong influencers of the design side of things.

One who looks outside dreams while one who looks inside awakens, such is true to the designer and viewer who takes the initiative to understand the principles and elements of kitchen design as there is always a customary precedent or historical interpolation included in the form of the rondavel.

The motivation for The Traditional Kitchen is based on engaging Zimbabwean Designers to find inspiration within the most constant fixture in the grassroots communities. There is importance in the kitchen hut as it is overflowing with ideas and possibilities. It is a place where people meet and converse around the fire and embodies unity amongst people. In Zimbabwean custom it is testimonial to the local idiom “Hukama igasva, hunozadziswa nekudya”!

Based on the former idiom, the kitchen builds relationships and is the nook of the entire homestead. Relations are built therein and with mortality are represented by this building.

The unifying factor is mostly embodied by the mother of the homestead who makes this her space of operations and her soul is embodied by this structure. Usually the kitchen loses its utility status to the woman’s skills in embellishment of the structure which in most cases makes the structure stand out, dwarfing every other building in regards to liveliness.

The kitchen interior contains the clay pot shelf, the drying rack, wood rack and the hearth.

Space is allotted to the most basic elements of the building’s functions without belittling the importance of the fittings within the building. The Traditional Kitchen makes incisive interpretations of the kitchen through fashion, ceramics, and furniture in order to fully grasp the credulous energy of these fittings and the

building as a whole through accessory and interrogation of the theme.

As viewers, consumers and designers, the onus is upon us to not only look into the future but to look back at what we had to acquire inspiration that will drive us to creating resounding product which expresses the Zimbabwean story. The Traditional Kitchen.

The Traditional Kitchen The National Gallery of Zimbabwe will be hosting its second edition of the Design Show Exhibition that showcases local contemporary designs, from 30 April to 15 June 2015 under the theme “The Traditional Kitchen”.

The idea of the exhibition is to move the concept of design beyond mere craft items and begin to interrogate the design that already exists with a view to introduce greater dynamism and competition in the sector. The show is organized as an attempt to understand where Zimbabwe currently stands in terms of local design.This show will be co-curated by Doreen Sibanda the NGZ Executive Director and Saki Mafundikwa, the Director of Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Art. “Zvirinani kushaya Sadza pane kushaya mugoti (It is better to do without sadza than to do without a cooking stick)!” is a phrase which sums up the importance of an object of utility before the end product and the kitchen attests wholesomely to the above mentioned statement. The kitchen presents the most crucial part of the home in African society and the elements that are fixtures within it serves as a composite for aesthetics and utility. The kitchen is the meeting place for the family and the philosophy of Ubuntu or Unhu finds itself enshrined within the heart of any homestead as it presents the link with earlier generations and has throughout time been the mother’s source of power.

“The Traditional Kitchen” is the finest example of the traditional Zimbabwe house. It is the most elaborate in design and sturdiest in construction. Circular in shape, it has no windows in the western sense, although ventilation is provided for by upward drafts which escape through the thatching or between the gap formed by the wall and the roofing beams. In

the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. “The Traditional Kitchen” can be used for alternative accommodation or to provide shelter for unexpected guests. In winter, the fireplace affords very welcome warmth.

“The Traditional Kitchen”is the heart of the home in all human society. Food is prepared and often consumed in the kitchen hut which is also the most important family gathering place. On entering a typical kitchen hut one comes across the clay pot shelf (chikuva) which is located opposite the doorway. The hearth (choto) is situated centrally and arranged with three stones on which the cooking pots stand. In recent times, a special metal frame supports pots on the boil. Raised clay benches are located around the edge of the hut providing seating. Often a small drying rack (mutariko) is suspended over the fireplace in order to dry meat or vegetables. A whole range of household tools and implements are stored in the thatch and rafters of the kitchen hut. The smoldering wood smoke is said to contain preservative properties which protect the laths and the wooden roofing from decay and insect infestations. Within easy distance of the kitchen hut will be found a small wooden rack (dara) where pots and pans are left to dry in the sun, and a woodpile (bakwa) providing fuel.

Chikuva (clay pot shelf), Mutariko (drying rack for meat), Dara (wooden rack where pots and pans are left to dry in the sun) neChoto (fire place) serve as universal features in any traditional rural kitchen around the country but what has the creative class of the nation done to reinterpret the space and structure of the kitchen down to the utensils such as mugwaku (wooden spoon used to serve sadza), musika (whisk) or ndiro (plate)? This year, “The Traditional Kitchen” reclaims its place as it is explored from all design perspectives.

The central showcase will be set around the installation of a traditional rural kitchen with displays of selected related design pieces by invited designers. An open call also exists for additional submissions of design pieces for consideration. Interested designers should

contact the National Gallery of Zimbabwe curator for details and considerations.

This is the second edition of Design Zimbabwe Exhibition after last year’s in which 57 Zimbabwean designers dedicated their work to the celebration of Zimbabwean design. This exhibition created a platform on which designers showcased their creative abilities in a central curated exhibition as well as an expo. It was an opportunity for us to ascertain what the nation had to offer in design.

Zimbabwe is a nation that is constantly under the strain of economic pressure. Such an environment encourages the development and design of appropriate technologies and facilities.

With institutions of higher and tertiary education coming on board, design in Zimbabwe is likely to develop into an innovative and viable sector over time.

The Traditional Kitchen Design of Mhondoro: Zimbabwe’s amazing tradition of design Saki Mafundikwa, co-curator I first encountered this design in 2007 when I bought an ox from the Mhlolo family who farm and live less than a kilometer from me in Chief Chivero’s area in Mhondoro some 80 kilometers from Harare. I arrived at their homestead early on a chilly July morning to pay for the beast in Zim$, I forget the amount but it was the days of hyperinflation so it must have been a few billion! Mr Mhlolo came out from his bedroom to meet me and offered me a seat in the open yard where we exchanged pleasantries and began the tedious task of counting the notes. Mai Mhlolo emerged from the kitchen, greeted me and invited us into the warmth of her kitchen. We entered and sat down on the long clay bench that is found in kitchens all over Zimbabwe. The room was warm from the fire in the middle of the kitchen where there were some pots on the metal grill. After my eyes adjusted to the glowing light I looked around the room and my eyes fixated on the clay shelves at the back of the room. Her pots, pans, plates, dishes and utensils were neatly arranged on the

shelves in some sort of “grid” system. I had never seen anything like it and I exclaimed “WOW!” This took Mai Mhlolo by surprise as she asked, “You like it?”

I ran out to my car and took my camera and took some photos of the design genius, asking a now blushing Mai Mhlolo to pose by her handiwork. She did not understand the fuss but Baba Mhlolo was enjoying the whole scene taking it all in with a wide grin. “That’s how the women in Mhondoro design their kitchens!” he offered. “Wow!” I repeated over and over as I snapped away. “How do you do this?” I finally asked Mai Mhlolo. “You really have never seen this, vaMaposa?” she addressed me with my totem as is common custom in the rural areas. I responded that I hadn’t and that this was my first experience. I kept thinking how us designers in Afrika, and Zimbabwe in particular always bemoan the fact that we have nothing to reference locally for inspiration. Here was Zimbabwean interior design hidden in the round kitchens we all grew up using!

I am a leading design voice (along with a growing number of other Afrikan designers from different fields like architecture, interior, industrial, fashion and furniture design) calling for “looking within” Afrikan design for inspiration so that Afrika can make her mark on the global design scene. A much-needed mark since to most Afrikan designers and students of design, the continent has no “known” tradition of design! Once the word “design” is mentioned, then Europe or the West comes to mind. For many, (unfortunately including Afrikan themselves), design is a western concept. Afrikans do not design, instead they make “craft”. I wince when I hear Zimbabwean students of architecture talk about a lack of “architectural tradition” in Zimbabwe when we have one of the world’s architectural wonders right in our back yard: the Great Zimbabwe! The colonization process really did a number on us!

I was invited to speak at TED2013 in Los Angeles (my talk is online) and spoke about this at length. I have received numerous inquiries from young designers both from Afrika and the

diaspora asking me to explain what I mean by looking within? They claim there is nothing to find when they do that. Afrika has no tradition of design, they whine. So what do you mean Mr. Mafundikwa? Where is this tradition of design you claim we have? After much introspection, I realized that it is not their fault, western design has been written about so much and the books keep coming. All one has to do is google a topic and a slew of books come up, but when it comes to Afrikan design, nothing. There is a growing number of names, articles and talks from design congresses and festivals that will come up online, but real resources with in depth analysis and well researched and written articles? Nothing. I then decided it was time to write the first Afrikan Design “textbook”! This is now a project in progress, a first of what I hope will be many books written by Afrikan designers from across the design spectrum. We owe it to our youth, especially, for them to grow up understanding and recognizing design in their midst and around them. This task is made the more urgent in my case because I run the country’s top design college (ZIVA) and am quite sick now of not providing such a resource to my students.

At the turn of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso came across Afrikan art and it changed everything! Not only his own art, it was the birth of Modern Art and Modernism thereby changing Western civilization forever. In the 80s, musicians like Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, became popular in the West leading to the emergence of the World Music genre. American musicians like Paul Simon did exactly what Picasso did with Afrikan art by stealing from South Afrika’s Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Stimela, going on to win a Grammy with his “Graceland” album.

Afrika’s problem is that we let others define our worth, we never see the value in ourselves and our work unless an outsider validates or praises it. This unequal relationship especially with West HAS to stop. I have dedicated my professional life to correcting this and this exhibition is a first in the projects I shall undertake with other interested parties locally to bring an un-

derstanding to the public to correct over a century of “brain damage”. Zimbabwe is a country blessed with a very creative populace and their ingenuity and resourcefulness never cease to amaze. We have among us inventors, creators and makers who work with the most basic and rudimentary tools to create works of genius. I’m talking about the sculptors, wire artists, weavers, furniture designers, builders, ceramicists, jewelry designers, et al… After all, as Rumi put it, “Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.”

Artists

Gedion Gomo Joseph Munemo Marjorie Wallace Hayhill Weavers Nyarai Kadzani Gurupira Walter Ndundu

Body of work

cusing on the contemporary African designs that will be featured by the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. The exhibition seeks to redefine design through the Zimbabwean traditional Kitchen as the pivotal centre of artistic expression. The design pieces interrogate and reinterpret the traditional kitchen designs to create a new philosophy and style with regards to it being the centre of African life, and it is scene in the dissected presentation of the traditional Zimbabwean kitchen which has been uniquely decorated by rural women decorative artists.

There is a collection of various baskets, various ceramic vases and bowls, stone bowls and contemporary furniture all symbolising utility function and intricate design.

Inspiration Inspired by the rural traditional kitchen and its symbolism and space, and the work resonate with the kitchen as the heart of the home and a place for togetherness.

Medium The exhibition is presented from different types of medium including pottery, sisal, textiles and wood. These are modelled into different designs based on the Zimbabwean traditional Kitchen.

Credit Design Zimbabwe: The Traditional Kitchen exhibition is organised be the National gallery of Zimbabwe, co-curated by Prof. Saki Mafundikwa and Doreen Sibanda with the generous support from E – Learning solutions.

Description The exhibition is one of many exhibitions fo-

Duration of the exhibition: Running from 30 April to 15 June 2015.

Publicity Images: Pictures, captions and description of artworks

Joseph Munemo: Stools

Nyarai Kadzani Gurupira: Various Jugs

Zimbabwean Kitchen

Marjorie Wallace: Bowls

NGZ Permanent Collection: Clay Pots