Cross-Community Hybridities: Cultural and Design Lexicon

CROSS-COMMUNITY HYBRITIES : CULTURAL & DESIGN LEXICON

SCAFFOLDING As an easy to build and easy to access framework that can be adapted and reconstructed easily to provide a range of uses.

Vaisakhi in Southall 2023

FABRICS Shared across communities is a significance held towards fabrics - these are used to enclose, decorate, seperate and demarcate, to wear as cultural headwear or clothing, and also to sell in Southall.

Punjabi - Phulkari

Somali - Kebed and Alindi

West African - Kente and Adire

Commonality in pattern

Commonality in weave

Commonality in repetition

FABRICS CONT. There is overlap and commonalities in these fabrics and fabric practices - what new hybrid forms of fabric making/usage, extrapolated further to architectual devices, can emerge in this setting?

Hybrid fabric patterns:

Blurring Phulkari pattern and Kente Rhythm

Blurring Alindi pattern and colour with Adire dye techniques

Translating fabric patterns and hybridities to architectural elements: Yinka Ilori’s Dulwich Pavilion

Blurring Alindi and Phulkari rhythms and Kente colours

Blurring Phulkari shapes and Kebed colour and rhythm

SOUNDSYSTEMS

The construction of soundsystems and zimmers as rituals of culturla interchange and hybridity in Southall

A rich history and heritage of soundsystem music in Southall : overlapping and intersecting strands of reggae music played through soundsystem and iconic ‘zimmers’ - commonly BMW cars, kitted up uniquely in Southall to play a bass driven, culturally hybrid mix of bhangra, reggae, dub and hip-hop. Similarly, sound is a vital part of religious street performance: from the annual Vaisakhi Parade to the adhan (call to the mosque for prayer).

LIGHTING A commonly used element to draw attention, signpost, advertise and as a code. Ranges from the fantastical neon sign lighting, to delicate hanging light wires to coded neon signage panels - easy to attach on to scaffolding framework. How can these frameworks and systems also be occupied and inhabited to support streetlife within the scheme?

ARCHES An architectural device used across Southall both in imagery and temporary construction, but also an imaginary of elsewhere evoked through restaurant names, such as Baraka Palace and Royal Lyallpur.

SIGNAGE Attachable and detachable elements of signage, that can be easily updated and changed to support any change of use, ownership or cultural practices. Employing simple billboard-truss approach, to allow for simple construction and deconstruction for community use.

AWNING As an easy to build and easy to access framework that can be adapted and reconstructed easily to provide a range of uses.

Awning Plan View

TILES Tile facade finishes and surfacing, as reference to the checked green-red-cream tiles of the Himalaya Picture Palace and the fantastical or to allude to sites evoked through facade signage, such as the Al Rahma Mosque or Lahore. Within this framework system, these tiles would be applied as whole panels - easy to add, remove and update.

Red Sea Al Rahma

Lahori Palatial

Southall Vinyl Floor

Himalaya Picture Palace